MONTREAL (AP) 鈥� Playing for the Boston Bruins, Charlie McAvoy is accustomed to being a visitor at Bell Centre as a chief rival of the host Canadiens.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing that won鈥檛 be familiar to me,鈥� McAvoy said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not welcome here.鈥�
Now ratchet that up a bunch as he and the United States play Canada on Saturday night at in the countries' first showdown in an international tournament with the NHL's best players in nearly a decade, with the world watching and a jacked-up crowd into it from warmups on.
鈥淪aturday night in Canada, against Canada, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 much better than this for a hockey player of this level,鈥� U.S. winger Jake Guentzel said Friday. 鈥淭he crowd鈥檚 going to be intense, it鈥檚 going to be hostile, it鈥檚 going to be all of the above, so it鈥檒l be a lot of fun.鈥�
On the ice, it's a tantalizing matchup of Canada's Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon against Americans Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews. Canada has won the past two Olympics the NHL has participated in, and with Milan a year away, the 4 Nations is a chance for the U.S. to show it has risen to the same level to compete in these kinds of events.
Brady Tkachuk, who had two goals and eight hits in a on Thursday night, called it the biggest game of his career. And while coach Mike Sullivan isn't feeding into the notion that the U.S. has to prove something on this stage, he said his players are 鈥渆xcited to earn their way.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the greatest things about our sport is that nothing is inevitable,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to earn it every shift, you鈥檝e got to earn it every game, you鈥檝e got to earn it every year. This team is a different team than years past (and) Canada鈥檚 the same way. We鈥檝e got to go out, and we鈥檝e got to earn it.鈥�
Canada has looked inevitable and invincible whenever Crosby has worn the country's red and white over the past 15 years, winning 26 in a row with him on the ice dating to a loss to the U.S. in the preliminary round at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. That streak, of course, includes Crosby scoring the golden goal to beat the U.S. a week later.
That's McDavid's favorite hockey memory, and this is a way for him on this rivalry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big game,鈥� McDavid told reporters in Brossard, Quebec, after Canada's practice there Friday. 鈥淧laying the Americans in Montreal, best-on-best tournament, it鈥檚 what you dream of.鈥�
The Tkachuk brothers are a nightmarish matchup, though, and the U.S. showed in beating Finland it can also beat up opponents. Brady had a team-high eight of 32 hits.
鈥淗e was a beast,鈥� Matthew said. 鈥淚t was eight hits, but it felt like 28 hits. He made his presence known.鈥�
So did Canada in on Wednesday night, flashing speed and absurd talent from the less than a minute in to Mitch Marner's overtime winner. Canada and the U.S. went into the 4 Nations as co-favorites, and there is no reason to reconsider that so far.
That's another reason Saturday night is so meaningful. There is a scenario in which the U.S. can clinch a spot in the final in Boston on Thursday night, but players are focused only on Canada because of the challenge at hand.
鈥淭hat was the one that we all had circled on our calendars,鈥� U.S. defenseman Noah Hanifin said. 鈥淭hey have such a great team. Even watching their game against Sweden the other night, it was so fast-paced, and they got so much talent. So do we. It鈥檚 going to be a great game, and I know our guys are super fired up about the opportunity.鈥�
Canada defenseman Drew Doughty has been part of many of these kinds of games over the years, including 2014 in Sochi when he and his teammates clamped down on the U.S. in the semifinals en route to Olympic gold, and his passion hasn't waned.
鈥淕rowing up as a young kid, when you go play American teams and stuff like that, like you want to beat them so bad,鈥� Doughty told reporters in Brossard. 鈥淎nd I still have this feeling at 35 years old how bad you want to beat the Americans.鈥�
Off the ice also has the potential for drama, given the ongoing geopolitical situation since Donald Trump took over as U.S. president and threatened tariffs against Canada, among other countries. A contingent of fans booed 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner鈥� on Thursday night before the game against Finland, and that could rise to nearly the full arena of over 20,000 fans with Canada on the other side this time.
McAvoy also knows what a similar level of vitriol is like from playing in the world junior final in Montreal in 2017 when the U.S. 鈥済ot booed the whole night.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I remember seeing one American person,鈥� McAvoy said. 鈥淚 know my family was there, but I couldn鈥檛 find them. It was an all-Canadian crowd and it was loud. It was hostile. ... Playing in this rink, that鈥檚 kind of what I鈥檓 used to. It will be electric.鈥�
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AP NHL:
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
