🏒🇺🇸 U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A! Team USA def. Canada, 3-1, in 4 Nations!

Getty Images // Minas Panagiotakis

What to know: In a world where professional athletes tend to take games off, use the all-star game to recover, and typically shy away from the grit and grime, hockey is not that sport. When two of the NHL’s best players drop the gloves at the start of the game, you know this means something.

The NBA, NFL, and even MLB have taken a step back in recent years and looked at their All-Star game after many questioned how much players actually care about it. The NHL looked at their own All-Star game, but they are the only ones who have 100% gotten it right. The 4 Nations Face-Off is absolutely must-watch TV.

Not only do the players care, they want to win above all else. Team USA and Canada faced off last night, and no matter who you were rooting for, you could agree that these two squads cared. Heck, guys were throwing haymakers not even 2 seconds into the game.

Team Canada got out to an early lead in this one, thanks to NHL star Connor McDavid. But that was the only time that Team Canada was able to light up the Montreal crowd. Team USA looked to be on their heels, but a Jake Guentzel goal tied up the game in the middle of the first period.

It was all USA from there. A brilliant game from Connor Hellebuyck in USA’s goal kept the US afloat, and a second-period goal from Dylan Larkin put the USA up. Guentzel scored the 3rd, and his second, USA goal of the game to seal the deal in the 3rd period. USA officially secured their spot in the title game with this win.

Who says the All-Star break doesn’t matter?

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