Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
By Chris Ryan
Boston, MA-
An international incident is scheduled for Thursday night at 8pm inside the TD Garden as the U.S. and Canadian hockey teams will compete for the 4 Nations Championship.
Interested in attending?
Tickets on the secondary market start at $1,452. Prior to the tournament 'get in' seats were south of $400. That's how good this tournament has been, we've seen over a 200% increase in prices.
The make-up of the crowd on Thursday will be intriguing. On Saturday in Bell Centre, it was a Canadian crowd with a scattering of Americans in attendance. That will not be the case in Boston. It might even be close to a 50/50 split.
Those things are of little consequence to those taking the ice.
"We're really excited to get another crack at those guys," said Canadian forward and Bruins captain Brad Marchand after the 5-3 win over Finland.
It's best to break-up the 3-1 U.S. victory over Canada into two parts: The first nine seconds, and the rest of the game.
The first nine seconds featured three separate fights beginning with Matthew Tkachuk squaring off with Brandon Hagel, followed by his brother Brady's bout with Sam Bennett and concluding with J.T. Miller dropping the gloves with Colton Parayko.
"I think the message was that it's our time now," said Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk.
The rest of the game defined that sentiment, and if it can be replicated the U.S. will win this tournament.
This event has been captivating because of the incredible speed, and skill of the best players in the world, but it's defense that wins championships and the U.S. is a better team from the net out.
Former UMass-Lowell standout Connor Hellebuyck is the best goaltender in the world, and has shown it in this tournament allowing only two goals in his two starts. He has a huge frame, solid positioning and does a tremendous job limiting openings in the lower portion of the net, as well.
The U.S. team is also a master of the details, play well off the puck, and have the team speed and skill to match the Canadians.
But, this isn't a series. It's a single game, and McDavid, Crosby, McKinnon, Makar, and yes, Marchand are on the other side.
Should be amazing.
Chris Ryan is the host of "New Hampshire Today" on iHeart Radio from 6-9am weekdays.