NHL analyst labels Canada vs USA 4 Nations final as 'most politically significant hockey game' amidst Donald Trump's 51st state remark

Team Canada got retribution on Team USA with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory on Thursday night during the 4 Nations final. Connor McDavid, the best player in the world, was the overtime hero, taking a Mitch Marner pass and picking the top corner to beat Connor Hellebuyck for the win.

The Canada-USA rivalry has always been special, but the heat has turned up even more with the recent comments from President Donald Trump. He posted on X the morning of the game, referring to Canada as the 51st state and calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the Governer.

Sports columnist for the Toronto Star, Bruce Arthur made an appearance on CBC News where he broke down the importance of the recent battle between the rival countries on and off the ice.

"You can break this game down and treat it purely as a hockey game, because this was the first true men's best on-best we've seen this tournament since 2014. But obviously it was bigger than that, and it felt bigger than that. I think the players even understood, maybe not with a full grasp of the politics involved, but that it was bigger than that.

"Whenever we've played the United States before, it's been us against our little brother, right? We're the bully. We're the royalty in hockey, and beating them in the 2010 gold medal game in Vancouver was a huge national moment. But there was no enmity between the countries then, there is none," Arthur said.

He then continued:

"And the fact that this has gone on not just while Donald Trump has threatened to issue not just tariffs, but maybe annex the country, maybe erase the country. It also featured an American team that embraced Donald Trump and that message. So this was a hockey game. Yeah, fabulous hockey game. Great hockey game. Lots of great players.

"Both teams were great, but this was, I would argue, probably the most politically significant hockey game, at least since the Summit Series in 72, and I think you could argue more significant than that," Arthur added.

Fans could be prisoners of the moment, though it certainly felt like the most important game between the two countries that we've ever seen.

Canada and the US now set their sights on 2026

The next time we'll see Canada and the US battle in a best-on-best tournament could come at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Team Canada is scheduled to be in Group A, while Team USA will be in Group C. Therefore we may not see the rivals face-off during the qualifying stage of the Olympics, which would save a potential rematch for an elimination game later on in the tournament. Just what all hockey fans are hoping for!

Hockey analyst and fans are already mocking up their lineups for 2026. The general managers and coaching staff are surely doing so themselves.

For now, Team Canada remains on top of the hockey world, though don't be mistaken, the Americans are pushing hard on their heels.