Brady and Matthew Tkachuk's sister Taryn drops 3-word reaction to brothers sparking back-to-back brawls during Canada vs USA 4 Nations game

Team USA stars Brady and Matthew Tkachuk were involved in three of the two fights in the opening moments of their Saturday night game against Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Within the first nine seconds, Brady Tkachuk went at it with Canadian forward Sam Bennett as both players exchanged strong punches. Brady then landed a powerful right-hand punch that knocked Bennett’s helmet off.

Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel shortly after in the first period, where both players dropped their gloves mid-ice. They exchanged a good many punches, knocking each other’s helmets off before it ended.

Brady and Matthew Tkachuk’s sister, Taryn, was taken aback by the unexpected start to the game. She shared a post from SportsCenter’s Instagram handle on her stories, capturing the highlights of the Tkachuk fights.

“What just happened,” Taryn wrote with an emoji of the U.S. flag.

via Instagram /@taryntkachuk

Team USA forward J.T. Miller also faced off against the much bigger Colton Parayko on the night. Miller and Parayko threw punches, but Parayko eventually came out on top.

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Brady Tkachuk claims brother Matthew Tkachuk’s fight happened ‘organically’

In a short interview with ESPN during the first intermission of the game, Brady Tkachuk was asked about the early fights on the night. Speaking of brother Matthew’s fight with Brandon Hagel, he said:

“I think it just happened pretty organically. Matthew said he wanted to first ... Yeah, it just happened. And it's over and done with now, now it's an opportunity to win the game.

“Right when we found out the starting lineup, he said he wanted a piece of him [Hagel], and then I coordinated with Benny [Sam Bennett] there, and Millsy [J.T. Miller] finished off with a big boy one too.”

Matthew Tkachuk did not return for the final 12:36 of Team USA’s 3-1 win on the night. Despite leaving early, Tkachuk later reassured everyone that there was no concern about his condition and emphasized his focus on enjoying the win with his teammates. He called the victory a "career highlight" in the postgame interview.

“Just going to enjoy this win tonight,” Tkachuk said. "Other than Game 7 last year, this has been the highlight of my hockey career. I’m just going to enjoy it with the guys.”

Team USA coach Mike Sullivan later clarified that Tkachuk was being evaluated for a lower-body injury. Sullivan mentioned that decisions regarding Tkachuk's status would be made based on what is best for both him and the team. Chris Kreider could potentially replace Tkachuk if he rests.