Leafs HC Craig Berube boldly predicts Canada vs USA final result for 4 Nations; draws parallels to NFL Super Bowl

The upcoming Canada vs USA final has got everyone excited, including Toronto Maple Leafs’ coach Craig Berube. After watching an exciting week of best-on-best hockey, Berube compared the buzz generated ahead of Thursday’s final to the Super Bowl in the NFL.

"Final score? Canada, 3-2. I'm sure it's going to be a tight game. You think it would be anyhow. But you never know. Everybody thought the Super Bowl was going to be tight," Berube said.

The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has already smashed viewership records for hockey. Saturday’s Canada vs USA game had the most viewers of any hockey game since the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. The NHL’s official PR account posted the viewer numbers on X (formerly Twitter).

“10.1 million viewers across North America watched Saturday’s Canada vs. USA epic #4Nations Face-Off showdown,” the post read.

On Wednesday, Team USA player Matthew Tkachuk spoke about the upcoming final.

"Whether you like hockey or not, I think our team has helped grow the game here in this country already," Tkachuk said via NHL.com. "I think a win could just knock that door right down and open up a whole new wave of hockey players across the country."

The tournament is being played in a time of heightened political tension between the two nations, with US President Donald Trump calling for tariffs on Canadian imports a few weeks ago and even proposing that Canada become the “51st US state”.

In response, Canadian fans had repeatedly booed whenever the US national anthem was sung at sports events, including during the current tournament.

Amid Canada vs USA tension, it’s business as usual for Craig Berube

Craig Berube oversaw the first post-break practice session for his players on Wednesday. Berube told reporters that he was following the 4 Nations Face-Off closely.

However, he is concerned about the risk of injury to Leafs’ star players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He emphasized that he had not contacted any of the players from Canada or the USA ahead of the final.

"No, no, no. I left those guys alone. They don't need to hear from me. They have coaches over there and their own deal. So, I kind of stayed clear of that and left those guys alone," Berube said via CA.sports.yahoo.com.

NHL games will resume on Saturday, with the Maple Leafs set to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.