Sports and politics are the two elements that should be kept away from each other. However, the way Team USA was treated at the Montreal Bell Centre prior to their match against Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off was just disrespectful. Indeed, the crowd booed not only the team but also continued to send out derogatory remarks during the national anthem.
Now, that’s a new level of low from the fans. However, Team USA did reply to all the critics with a dominant 6-1 win over Suomi, and that was enough to silence many in the rink. Also, right after the game, during the post-match press conference, many American players pointed out the hatred that accumulated towards their national anthem, including the coach, who shared his thoughts on this incident.
First, Connor Hellebuyck, who played a crucial role in the defense as a goaltender of Team USA, shared his feelings, stating, “I paid no attention to it. You have free speech; you can do whatever you want if you are gonna boo the anthem. We sing it for the troops that protected our freedom.” Everything was normal when the crowd just booed the players, but things took a big turn when they booed the anthem.
It was hurtful for many players who wanted just to represent Team USA in the international tournament, and coach Mike Sullivan pointed it out, stating, “Listen, you know I think here’s what I will tell you. These guys are hockey players; they are here to play hockey. They are also proud Americans, and, uh, it’s a privilege to represent your nation, and all of us that have the opportunity to participate and be part of this US team, it means a lot to all of us. And to represent our nation is something that we think is bigger than ourselves or the sport for that matter. So from that regard, I think we have guys who are proud Americans.”
Indeed, Sullivan wanted to convey that these hockey players just wanted to play for their nation and engage in any political conflict. However, the way the crowd treated them was absolutely not right on any grounds, no matter the ongoing situation outside of the rink. Furthermore, he shared his thoughts on the situation, stating, “As far as the national anthem, I’m not sure there’s influence there. That’s really not something we can control; we just wanna play hockey and represent our nation in the right way.”
Sullivan did understand that there are many issues and things that could’ve influenced such a response from the crowd. But he also wanted to stress the fact that these American players were here to play hockey at the Montreal Bell Centre in the 4 Nations Face-Off rather than engaging in any particular activity that might hurt the sentiments of anyone out there.
This particular victory over Suomi is a verdict on what Team USA is capable of. Currently, they stand at the top of the standings with 3 points, with Team Canada trailing them with 2 points. However, since this will be a battle to remember, here’s what one of the biggest players of the night had to say about it.
Ready for the next 4 Nations Face-Off game
So who was this confident after the match against Team Finland? It was Matthew Tkachuk. And his words? Talking to Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas, the American hockey star opened up on his next match against Team Canada, stating, “I think I’ve thought about this game for nine years, so we’ll be ready for it.”
Indeed, Tkachuk is ready for the action, and surely, this particular 6-1 victory against Suomi has boosted his and the team’s confidence. But was he the only dominant force on the ice? Not really; his brother Brady was another formidable force to reckon with, as Team Finland had a tough time after the third period, as they were completely destroyed psychologically by Team USA.
With just 15 seconds to the final part of the game, Matthew secured a fascinating goal, followed by Jake Guentzel during 00:26. By this time, all hopes for Team Finland had been crushed, as what seemed like a doable comeback became a nightmare tough to wake up from. But this wasn’t all, as, during 3:00 and 11:13, the Tkachuk brothers gave the final blow to their opponents, securing a dominant victory for Team USA.
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