“We’re the villains” – Brady Tkachuk details how Team USA united for wild brawl against Canada at 4 Nations

Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk once again recounted the events from the 4 Nations Face-Off, which led to the epic brawls that erupted during the USA-Canada round-robin game on Feb. 15. Tkachuk, who plays for the Ottawa Senators in the NHL, spoke about the incident while appearing as a guest on Wednesday’s edition of "Pardon My Take."

"So before the game, we were talking about uniting as a team," Tkachuk said (Timestamp: 1:47:20). "We're in Montreal, we're the villains, just 20 of us together, so we decided to stick together. That was a way to show we were united."

Brady’s brother, Matthew Tkachuk, dropped the gloves against Canada’s Brandon Hagel just two seconds into the game. Brady and Canadian forward Sam Bennett began brawling almost immediately after the restart, with three seconds on the clock.

Six seconds after the second restart, Team USA forward J.T. Miller tangled with Canada defenseman Colton Parayko near Canada’s net for the third fight in the first ten seconds of the game.

During Wednesday’s podcast session, Brady explained how the USA and Canada players arranged the fights before the game began.

“Matthew [Tkachuk] looks at me and goes…he’s like, ‘alright, I’m first shift. I’m going at him.’ And then he tells me, ‘I’m gonna grab Benny [Sam Bennett] off the bench,' who’s his teammate in Florida and ‘you’re coming out.’ So we’re going next," Brady said.

"And then Millsy (J.T. Miller) talked to (Colton) Parayko in warmups and he was like, ‘We’re going.' So Matthew fought, and then me and Millsy almost argued about who was going next.”

Brady Tkachuk says 4 Nations was a special tournament for him and Team USA

Earlier in the interview, Brady Tkachuk disagreed when the hosts jokingly suggested the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament was like the All-Star game.

“That tournament meant a lot,” Brady said (Timestamp: 1:18:57).

He also shared his feelings about what it was like to play in the final at TD Garden in Boston.

“Honestly, it put a smile on my face," Brady said (Timestamp: 1:19:22). "Like, I was trying to hide it, but when they're announcing the lineup for the final and I just heard the crowd, I felt really, like, patriotic and like representing the US. It was a pretty cool feeling.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly stated that the 4 Nations Face-Off would signal the return of best-on-best hockey. NHL players have been granted permission to play in the Olympics next year, and a Hockey World Cup will reportedly be held in 2028 as well.