Jack Eichel and Team USA are looking to belt out "Free Bird" by Lynryd Skynyrd (yes, I checked the spelling on this and this is the correct spelling. Thank you for the heads up, Andy from Boise, and Go Knights Go!) on Thursday. Their opponent is Canada, the country whose fans don't love the whole "51st state" discourse. It's creating stiff tension between both nations... and plenty of newsworthy drama.
You’re an American Hero, Brady Tkachuk.
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 16, 2025
pic.twitter.com/yyN1nbzmRG
Regardless of where you stand in the whole rivalry (and politically), this has given Warner Bros. and Disney plenty of reasons to celebrate. Saturday's game between the United States and Canada drew 4.4 million viewers on average, with peak viewing at 5.2 million. This was the most-watched non-Stanley Cup Final broadcast since 2019.
Counter that with the NBA All-Star Game and the criticisms from fans and analysts alike and you can see that hockey's back, baby. A battle for national supremacy and pride trumps a spectacle of bad dancers and endless three-pointers every day. Who knew that watching the Tkachuks fight would be more entertaining?
Of course, this goes back to the power of... the people. Cue up your best impersonation of "The Rock" because the people are the only thing that matters right now. They want to see bad blood between two historic rivals (something the NBA severely lacks. Seriously, find your "Original Six") and three fights in nine seconds. They crave matches that have a broader meaning beyond what's on the ice.
Give the power to the millions (AND MILLIONS!)
The beautiful thing about the 4 Nations Face-Off is it comes at a perfect time. There's no better period to be an American than now, just as it's no better time to be Canadian. Civic pride has seen a renaissance of sorts and this tournament is leading the charge.
There's more to it than national pride, though. There's also watching the best players in the world collide, whether it's Auston Matthews vs. Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel vs. Mark Stone. The latter is a fun matchup for Vegas Golden Knights fans, for they see who the heart and soul of the team is.
That's something the NBA severely lacks nowadays. It's steeped in shooting three-pointers and superstars like LeBron James flopping constantly. Nobody likes a Los Angeles Lakers player embellishing a play. In the NHL, they'd get a minor penalty for that behavior.
Of course, not everything is perfect
Could some things be improved? Of course! For example, the wave of injuries hitting the tournament hurts some teams. The Golden Knights losing Shea Theodore (upper-body injury) on a week-to-week basis doesn't inspire much confidence in the team's Stanley Cup playoff positioning. That also holds true for Brady Tkachuk, who wasn't practicing with Team USA on Wednesday.
For the Ottawa Senators, not having the other Tkachuk brother means so much more. He has 21 goals and 23 assists this season and has the Senators in a playoff spot (62 points). Losing him means you're losing a valuable piece to the puzzle, which hurts Ottawa's chances. That's not to mention that they haven't made the playoffs since 2017.
Still, a compromise should be made. Perhaps holding it in September to whet the appetites of hockey fans everywhere will work? Who knows. But the moral of the story is giving the people what they want. It worked wonders for Bill Foley as he turned the Golden Knights into Stanley Cup champions in 2023. Maybe Gary Bettman can learn something from this.