Amid the 4 Nations noise, Canada reclaims its throne as 'the king of hockey'

They crossed the 49th parallel, from Manitoba into North Dakota and drove through day and night across eight states and more than 3,000 kilometers, according to the Canadian odometer on their Nissan Murano.

Two canceled flights meant they were desperate.

So they piled into a car, stopping only for gas.

And, despite a two-hour detour through Milwaukee, off a middle-of-the-night wrong turn, they made it to Boston in 30 hours.

Advertisement They were five among the thousands of Canadians who lined up outside TD Garden hours before the start of the NHL s 4 Nations Face-Off final between Canada and the United States.

Were here for the Maple Leaf, said Matt McLeod.

And they were there for their childhood friend Seth Jarvis , who was living his dream of playing for Canada.

But at the most hyped international hockey game in more than a decade, everyone had their reasons to care.

And beyond the 60 minutes and overtime, it felt like there was so much more than a win at stake.

With more than a decade of built-up tension between the two rivals, heat on the ice was inevitable.

But for many, the championship game wasnt about bragging rights alone.

A looming trade war between the United States and Canada, following tariff threats by President Donald Trump and repeated claims that hed like the sovereign neighbor to become the countrys 51st state, created an unparalleled level of hostility between the two nations.

Canadian fans booed the American national anthem when the teams met in a round-robin match in Montreal, which was followed by three fights in the first nine seconds of the game.

It was impossible to ignore the wider implications, especially when the U.S.

teams general manager Bill Guerin said his players used the political tensions as inspiration and invited Trump to attend the final.

Before the championship, Trump encouraged the Americans while taking another shot at Canada becoming the 51st state and referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as a governor.

Outside TD Garden, that tension was evident hours before the opening face off.

Welcome to the USA, Canadas 11th Province, read a massive sign carried by Ian MacKinnon, as fans dressed in Canada and USA jerseys shuffled in a queue that stretched down Causeway Street.

Hes an American, by way of grandparents who first immigrated to Nova Scotia.

MacKinnon doesnt care much about sports, but he biked there with his sign in hopes of making a point and maybe offering a touch of levity.

Advertisement The way the series started with fist fights in the first 10 seconds, I felt maybe tonight I could make people smile, MacKinnon said.

And most people did, while some tossed light jabs.

51st state! one man yelled as he passed in line.

U-S-A! U-S-A! chanted another.

One fan tried to rip the sign from MacKinnons hand, but he held firm.

In the concourse, American fans posed with Mark Goggin, whod painted his face red and white, with temporary tattoos of a cartoon moose and beaver on each check.

Goggin crossed the border from his home in Windsor to catch a flight from Detroit with his son.

As innocent and playful as most of the interactions between the fans were, Goggin felt the wider implications that the game carried seemed somewhat lost on his American counterparts.

They didnt seem to appreciate just how serious Canadians have taken the threats and taunts, he said.

It might be fun and games to them, but in Canada the aggression has spurred a rush of patriotism.

Canadians are so pumped to win this game.

Because we cant beat Trump, right? Goggin said.

Its the only thing we can beat them at hockey.

His eyes reddened as he described the emotion many Canadians carried into the final.

Its so big for Canadians, Goggin said.

Its more than a game.

Harjinder Sidhu flew from Winnipeg to attend the game with his brother and his 5-year-old nephew, who traveled from Edmonton.

The 30-year-old said the outside context matters.

Canada will never be the 51st state.

...

Its very disrespectful, he said.

Our soldiers have died next to their soldiers in wars, which we do happily because theyre our brothers.

But that brother is acting a little too aggressive right now.

And today well show them whos the king of hockey.

For more than a century, hockey has been Canadas game.

But it has long been anticipated that the Americans would catch up and possibly surpass Canada.

Recent trends underscore that reality .

The majority of Canadian NHLers play for American teams.

And as has been pointed out many times, no Canadian team has won a Stanley Cup since 1993.

Advertisement That tension filled the TD Garden too.

It hung uncomfortably when Wayne Gretzky, hockeys greatest icon, stepped onto the ice representing Canada in a pregame ceremony wearing a suit, to respectful stick taps and cheers.

Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, followed to a riotous roar wearing a U.S.A.

jersey fist-bumping the American players and waving his hands to pump up the crowd as they chanted U.S.A.

It wasnt lost on many Canadians watching that Gretzky, star of the famed 1987 Canada Cup winning team, attended President Trumps election victory party at Mar-a-Lago and his recent inauguration ceremony.

A smattering of boos greeted the Canadian national anthem, but a chorus rose alongside singer Chantal Kreviazuk, who made her own comment on the moment by changing the lyrics in a verse from in all of us command to that only us command.

Kreviazuk later posted on Instagram that she believed Canadians needed to stand up and use their voices in the face of a potentially consequential moment.

We should express our outrage in the face of any abuses of power, she wrote.

A hockey game happened, and a thrilling one, with a crowd heavily on the American side.

But after the most dramatic show of international mens hockey in more than a decade sealed by Connor McDavid s overtime winning goal it was Canadians piling on the ice and embracing in the stands.

American fans streamed out into the concourse as O Canada played once more, to fireworks around a giant Canadian flag.

The red-and-white jerseys filled the lower bowl, surrounded by empty seats.

Drew Doughty sang as loud as he could.

It had been so long since hed last felt this moment, and he didnt know if hed ever feel it again.

And later, in the locker room, the Canadian players belted We Are The Champions by Queen, Molson Canadian and Moet sloshing on the floor.

Their reign as the worlds greatest, secured for at least another year.

Advertisement Above, in the concourse, a chant of Can-na-Da, Ca-na-da echoed as fans marched toward the exits, and out onto Causeway Street.

A woman in a grey sweater with a U.S.

flag on it shouted after them: Youll be the 51st state soon.

But no one bothered to listen.

As the champagne dried on the locker room floor, and other Canadian players reveled in the hallway en route to the teams afterparty at a nearby bar, Mark Stone acknowledged that the political tension weighed on the team throughout the series.

I definitely read and saw everything, Saturday to tonight, Stone said.

Its hard to stay off that stuff, the way the world is with social media.

This game meant a lot to us, a lot to our country, and were proud to put on that jersey and get a win for our country.

In the hall, Brad Marchand , Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon posed for a photo together.

MacKinnon held up a Canadian flag.

Crosby, the captain, clutched the 4 Nations Cup.

Seth Jarvis and the friends whod driven from Winnipeg, piled in to pose for some photos, too.

They wore the sweaters of Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon and Mitch Marner just a few among the thousands that still filled Bostons streets, shouting and laughing and cheering, for a victory that felt so much bigger than a game.

(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic .

Photos: Dan Robson / The Athletic ; Brian Babineau / 4NFO/World Cup of Hockey; Bruce Bennett, Ben Jackson / 4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images).

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