Paul Bissonnette names hockey as 'greatest sport' following USA's thumping win against archrival Canada in 4 Nations

Paul Bissonnette shared his thoughts after the United States defeated Canada 3-1 in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday. The U.S. secured a spot in the final with the win at Bell Centre.

"Hockey is the greatest sport in the world. What a blessing to be a part of last night," Bissonnette tweeted.

Bissonnette was referring to the three fights in the first nine seconds as the rivalry between the teams was clear from the start. The crowd of 21,105 watched a physical and competitive match.

Matthew Tkachuk fought Brandon Hagel at 00:02. Hagel got the upper hand and the referees stopped the fight. Brady Tkachuk fought Sam Bennett at 00:03, with Tkachuk overpowering Bennett. J.T. Miller then cross-checked Colton Parayko at 00:09. Parayko took advantage of his height and was in total control of the fight.

The game was a showcase of elite hockey skills. Canada scored first at 5:31 with a goal from Connor McDavid. Jake Guentzel tied the game at 10:15 and Dylan Larkin put the U.S. ahead at 13:33 of the second period. Guentzel secured the 3-1 win with an empty-net goal at 18:41.

Canada must beat Finland in regulation to stay in the tournament.

Paul Bissonnette criticized Canada’s performance and captain Sidney Crosby talked about missed opportunities

In his previous tweet, Paul Bissonnette criticized Canada’s performance. He said the team played too slow, struggled with forechecking and made poor line changes. He also praised Team USA for playing smart and not falling for Canada’s passing plays.

"Brutal loss. Lots to clean up for Canada. Couldn’t forecheck. Line changes were awful. Too slow. Too much cross ice fluff the USA wasn’t falling for. Americans played a great game. #4nations" Bissonnette tweeted.

Connor McDavid scored the only goal for Canada. The United States defense then controlled the Canadiens' offense and its goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, made 25 saves.

Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby spoke about missed chances. He said that the Americans' defense made it hard to create space.

“I think that, you know, the hockey is tight-checking,” Crosby said after the game. “It doesn't allow for a ton of those. But I think definitely when we get opportunities, we got to make sure we execute. There's not a lot of time and space, and there's not a lot of breakdowns. So when you get one, you got to try to capitalize.”

The loss ended Crosby’s 26-game win streak at the international level.