Hockey Heavyweights Round 1, Top 3 CAN-USA Battles & How to Fix the NBA All-Star Game
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Four Nations Recap
What a job by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and company pulling this off. The 4 Nations Cup replaced the traditional NHL All-Star Game, bringing together Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden—four hockey powerhouses—to battle for supremacy.
Each team played each other once, with the top two meeting in the final. The tournament opened with Canada defeating Sweden in an electric overtime and USA pounding Finland 6-1. But after that first round, it seemed like the entire sports world shifted to the marquee matchup: Canada vs USA, the top two nations in Hockey, long rivalry, on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
As most of you know, football and basketball are my main sports, but this was an event nobody in North America could ignore. This game instantly entered the conversation alongside the greatest clashes between Canada and the U.S. in hockey history.. So let’s dive into my top 3
#3 – 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final - Game 3 of a 3 game series
The moment everything changed. Canada led 2-1 in the third, but the U.S. stormed back with four unanswered goals. Tony Amonte buried the game-winner, Mike Richter stood on his head, and The Golden Brett Hull led the charge. Team USA stunned Canada 5-2 in Montreal, claiming their first best-on-best championship. And of course, Keith Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Claude Lemieux, setting the tone for his kids this past Saturday night.
#2 – 2002 Olympic Gold Medal Game
Salt Lake City. Canada hadn’t won Olympic gold in 50 years while the Americans hadn’t lost on home ice in Olympic play since 1932 in Lake Placid. Then, Sakic, Iggy & Brodeur put on a clinic. Canada breaks the curse, Gretzky loses his mind in the press box, and the nations erupts as the drought is ovaaaa.
#1 – 2010 Olympic Gold Medal Game
These two met in the round robin with the US winning 5-3. Many say that this was the greatest hockey game ever played. Canada goes up 2-0.. Then the americans come storming back to tie the game with 25 seconds left and absolutely silence the Vancouver crowd. Then OT.. Sid The Kid golden goal for the golden boy. Canada gets it’s story book ending. The city erupts. The celebration registered seismic activity. The U.S. played their hearts out, but it was Canada’s time.
And Saturday night in Montreal? Right up there with those classics.
This was the greatest 5 minute start to a game I have seen in any sport all time.
Matthew Tkachuk immediately drops the gloves with Brandon Hagel. His brother Brady then skates over to the Canadian bench, calls out Sam Bennett, and those two square off on the next shift. They showed their father Keith in the crowd who later said his boys are lunatics on the ice, just like he was. Then, just when you thought things would settle down—fight #3. Former Canuck JT Miller starts trading blows with Colton Parayko. The Bell Centre is shaking.
Announcers can’t even contain their excitement as the entire world is trying to fathom what we just witnessed.. I actually thought this was IIHF rules so I didn’t know that you could fight in this tournament.. So I was shocked. Yet it took just 10 seconds for three fights to break out. Absolute madness.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, McJesus absolutely lights up the Cathedral. He caught an outlet pass at center ice, shifted into another gear, burned past McAvoy, and roofs a backhander under the bar, moving at a speed very few people in the world could reach. I was losing my mind and I think most Canadians were as well.
The Americans responded quickly to tie it at 1, setting the stage for a back-and-forth war. The U.S. put on a clinic defensively playing a structured and physical game. They seem to own the blue line and did a great job keeping Canadians to the perimeter. I think the difference came down to goaltending.. Hellebuyck stood tall in net, while Binnington’s shaky performance raised questions.
The US went up 2-1 then added an empty netter for a Final score of 3-1. A statement win on Canadian soil.
We didn’t have to sit on the loss for too long, as the Canadians handled business against Finland on Monday 5-3. This sets up a huge finals thursday at the TD Garden in Boston. The Americans will be favoured in this one but I expect us to come out with a better effort.
This tournament is a massive win for Bettman, the NHL, and hockey as a whole. ESPN’s broadcast drew 4.4 million viewers, the most-watched non-Stanley Cup game in six years—and that number will only grow for the final.
Get your popcorn ready because this is going to be a barn burner.
NBA All-Star Game Needs to Take Notes
Meanwhile, over in the NBA? The All-Star Game flopped yet again. Viewership has hit record lows for the past two years, the worst since the lockout-canceled 1999 game. The 2002 All-Star Game was peak NBA.. check out these startings squads:
East: AI, MJ, Vince Carter, Antoine Walker, Dikembe Mutombo
West: Steve Francis, Kobe, KG, Duncan, Shaq
Unfortunately, those players are no longer here to bring the fire. So it’s time for the NBA to shake things up.
My Solution: USA vs. The World or 4 Nations Faceoff
If the NHL proved anything, it’s that national pride creates intensity. So I have two options:
Option one: Adopt the Four Nations Format with USA, France, Canada and Serbia. The problem is that no team other than the US has the depth to have 12 ASG worthy starters. S
Option two: USA vs The World.
I’d lean to the latter. Imagine these starting lineups:
Team World: SGA, Luka, Giannis, Wemby, Jokic
Team USA: Steph, Ant, KD, LeBron, AD
Just reading those names gets me hyped.
The NBA tried USA vs. The World in the Rising Stars Challenge (2015-2022), and it was a hit—but it never made it to the All-Star Game. The main issue? The World team might actually dominate. Most of the league’s elite bigs (Jokic, Giannis, Wemby) and best playmakers (Luka, Shai) are international. But that’s exactly why this format would be incredible.
It would make the All-Star Game competitive again and help the NBA continue its global expansion.
Bettman and the NHL just set the gold standard. It’s time for Adam Silver and the NBA to step up. USA vs. The World needs to happen
That is all for today.. Catch you guys on Fast Break Friday.. Where we will breakdown the Four Nations Final as well as dive back into NFL Free Agency
If you’re still listening, drop me a text, let me know what you think or talk some shit, it don’t matter to me, lets keep the convo going.
Have a wonderful week and Go Canada Go!
