Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off Thursday night at TD Garden, where Team Canada and Team U.S.A. will duke it out for the trophy.
Local fans are teeming with excitement for the game, which starts at 8 p.m.
“It’s gonna go nuts in there,” said one local fan. “It’s gonna be nice to hear the place roaring.”
It’s a rematch battle, Team U.S.A. beat Canada three to one last Saturday in Montreal. It went viral online, according to the NHL the face-off had 10.1 million viewers in North America— that’s more than any non-playoff game since 2014.
Part of its fame can be attributed to two things: booing and fighting.
Saturday’s game garnered headlines when some Canadian fans could be heard booing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Fans online quickly began to link the response to recent actions within the Trump administration.
Fans also credit the booing as the spark to a flurry of on-ice fights.
The whistle blew, the puck dropped, and three different fights broke out within the first nine seconds — though some fans doubt that will happen again.
The Canadian national anthem received a few boos of its own on Monday’s game against Finland at the Garden.
Tickets for Thursday night’s game are through the roof; some resale sites have prices pushing the four-digit mark. Officials say where there’s an opportunity to make money, scammers are bound to appear.
Boston Police issued a warning to fans about counterfeit tickets, suggesting fans only buy through authorized ticket agencies, as second-hand tickets can be risky.
The championship game will give the U.S. the opportunity to beat Canadian pros in best-on-best play for the first time since 1996, and players can feel the stakes.
“It’s going to be an incredible environment, and just the lead up and build up is something that we don’t take for granted,” said Matthew Tkachuk, a forward for Team U.S.A.
WBZ’s Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports.