Brad Marchand Publicly Chirps Tkachuk Brothers Following Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off Win
Photo credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Team Canada's Brad Marchand put an exclamation point on the end of the 4 Nations Face-Off by calling out Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk following Canada's victory.
Their first matchup during the round robin exceeded any expectations in the first nine seconds before the U.S. eventually came away with a 3-1 win.
The States' victory on that night led to the Tkachuk brothers revealing that the fiery start was pre-planned in a group chat, saying they had to do something to show that it was their time.
After Canada solidified their place in the final by defeating Finland on Monday, the stage was set for the grudge match on Thursday.
The lead-up to Thursday's game was full of back-and-forth between players on both sides, beginning with Brandon Hagel's comments on the Tkachuk's group chat.
Matthew Tkachuk responded almost immediately, clapping back at Hagel over his jab at Team USA.
"Well, I mean, maybe their team doesn't like each other if they don't have group chats."
Ultimately, Canada got the last laugh with Connor McDavid's overtime goal on Thursday, giving Canada another victory over the U.S. in the championship of a best-on-best tournament.
While the rivalry was settled on the ice, Canada's Brad Marchand took one final parting shot at the Tkachuk brothers in speaking to the media after celebrating another gold medal.
"Sometimes when you shoot your mouth off in the media, it bites you. You can do that during the season, but when you're playing best-on-best, it's different. They got a little bit ahead of themselves. They're great players. There's not many guys in the league that can do what they do. But when you start giving teams ammo, it can work against you as well."
Marchand, who has made a career of being a pest on and off the ice, has learned over his career when and when not to say things, which is something the more outspoken Tkachuk brothers may want to take note of.
To make matters worse for the Tkachuks, Hagel posted a screen-shot of the Team Canada group chat titled 'Champions' and posted it to his Instagram story.
As players from both teams return to their NHL clubs and prepare to resume the NHL season, what started out as a 'this is stupid' tournament has not only reignited the Canada/USA rivalry, but became the tournament we didn't know was needed in hockey. I'm sure most were happy to replace the All-Star Game with this spectacle.
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