'There's Hatred There': Team USA's Brady Tkachuk Gives Insights Into Intense Rivalry With Canada
Hatred or not, Team USA and Team Canada have one of the most intense rivalries in hockey.
When Team USA and Canada squared off in their first meeting during the 4 Nations Faceoff, the moment that got people talking the most was the three fights that broke out in the first nine seconds of play.
Two of those fights featured American players with the last name "Tkachuk" — brothers Brady and Matthew — and while you're not going to see that kind of fisticuffs during the Olympics (at least, you don't expect to), don't think there isn't some serious animosity between the American and Canadian teams.
"There's hatred there," Brady Tkachuk told ESPN's Emily Kaplan on Saturday. "I mean, they've been the top dog. They've been the best for the last bunch of years, and for us, we want to be in that position, be the best.
"So it's going to be a game where I think a lot of guys could say, this is the biggest game that they've ever played in."
Team USA's Brady Tkachuk knows a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to American-Canadian on-ice animosity. (Getty Images)
That's true. For any player who hasn't been in the Stanley Cup Final — like Tkachuk himself — this is without question the biggest game they've played in their entire life.
Actually, I'd argue it's the biggest game for any player, aside from those who have played in a Stanley Cup Final Game 7.
READ: FEBRUARY 22 IS ALREADY THE GREATEST DAY IN AMERICAN HOCKEY HISTORY — CAN TEAM USA ADD TO THE LEGEND?
The Senators captain also said that the gut-punch overtime loss in the 4 Nations Faceoff at the hands of the Canadians will be fueling him and his American teammates on Sunday as well.
"I mean, we were one shot away last year, and sometimes you got to go through that adversity, that sadness, those tough times for the good times to feel even better," he said.
"It was definitely a tough couple days, couple weeks, months after that game. And I know I don't want to feel like that ever again."