President Donald Trump will not be in attendance at the USA vs. Canada 4 Nations Face-Off hockey championship on Thursday night, but said on social media that he would call “our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada.”
Trump was invited to attend the game in Boston by Team USA’s general manager Bill Guerin, who told Fox News earlier this week, “We would love it if President Trump was in attendance. We have a room full of proud American players and coaches and staff. And listen, we’re just trying to represent our country the best way we can.” The United States vs. Canada matchup in the championship is a rematch of Saturday’s round-robin game when Team USA dominated Canada in a 3-1 victory.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said that a speaking engagement “before the Governors tonight in D.C.” is “sadly” preventing him from watching the United States take on Canada in person. “But we will all be watching, and if Governor Trudeau would like to join us, he would be most welcome,” Trump added. “Good luck to everybody, and have a GREAT game tonight. So exciting!”
Trump again suggested in his post that Canada, “with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.”
USA Hockey posted on X that the team received a call from Trump.
Team USA received a call from the President this morning to wish them luck ahead of tonight’s #4Nations championship game. pic.twitter.com/he1kIgUVGW
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 20, 2025
Saturday’s game between the United States and Canada began with three fights after Canadian fans in Montreal continued their trend of booing the U.S. national anthem. Team USA played physically throughout the game, sending Canadian players to the ice numerous times with crushing hits. After going down 1-0 in the first period, Team USA rallied with three unanswered goals in their win.
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Going into Thursday night’s game, Team USA is dealing with injuries to multiple key players, including defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who remains hospitalized with an infection in his right shoulder, and star forwards Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Matthew Tkachuk. Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk were both present for Team USA’s latest practice after sitting out of Monday’s non-consequential game against Sweden. Brady Tkachuk sat out of practice due to an illness. Matthews, along with both Tkachuck brothers, are expected to play against Canada in the championship.
After Team USA’s win on Saturday, Guerin said he believes the American players used the “political flare” as “inspiration” in their game against Canada.
“Canada-U.S. is a huge rivalry in hockey,” he said. “I think there was a little bit of a political flare to it. It’s just the time that we’re in. I think our guys used that as inspiration. If you let it get the better of you, then you’re in trouble. But I really do think the players used it as inspiration.”
