The drama unfolded at the Montreal Bell Centre just two seconds into the first period. Canada’s Brandon Hagel and Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk ditched their helmets and sticks for their fists to do the talking. The whole crowd hollered in excitement, as this was the rivalry they were expecting after the controversy that happened a few days ago, when both countries faced each other on the ice after eight years on dicey terms.

Both teams secured one goal each, with the scoreboard being 1-1 at the end of the first period. The momentary break gave Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas the chance to grab a quick chat with Hagel. Talking to the rink side host, the Canadian forward shared his thoughts on the fight, stating, “Yeah, I mean, I think I blacked out on it. But, yeah, I think just trying to get some energy in the building, he asked, and I’m not backing down from him.”

Kyle made a fair point, though the world has come a long way ahead from the Gladiator era, but this is hockey for you. With the rivalry that Canada and the United States have, fueled further by the anthem controversy, this fight wasn’t unexpected. Brandon Hagel wanted to play on the crowd’s emotion and energy with some drama on the rink, but he also wasn’t going to let go of Matthew Tkachuk.

The Canadian forward also highlighted the history the two share, saying, “I think me and him have a pretty good history just going back and forth throughout the season. So I thought potentially if we started together, he was going to ask me, and a long time coming.” Yes, the rivalry that they have is pure gold. Hagel wasn’t complaining, and he knew that they would engage with each other some way or another right after the game started.

Since the 2021-22 season, Chicago Blackhawks’ Hagel and Calgary Flames’ Tkachuk have had many moments on the rink. Their conflict persisted even when both of them changed teams to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers, respectively. However, there was never any major beef on the rink. Intense action broke out just seconds after the puck dropped at the Montreal Bell Centre; however, the fist war wasn’t exclusive to Hagel and Tkachuk only.

More heated moments followed Hagel vs. Tkachuk

The 4 Nations Face-Off between Team Canada and Team USA kicked off with not a second to spare between Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk, but then others followed suit. Following his brother’s footsteps, Brady Tkachuk started the subsequent bout on the rink, and this time his opponent was Sam Bennett which led to Canada’s Colton Parayko and the USA’s J. T. Miller engaging with each other.

Here is what Brady Tkachuk had to say on the Hagel vs. Tkachuk situation, “I think [Matthew’s fight] happened pretty organically. Matthew said that he wanted to go first, it just happened, and now it’s over and done with. It’s right when Matthew found out the starting lineup, he said that he wanted a piece of him [Hagel].”

The game promised drama and boy did they deliver on their promise. And at the Montreal Bell Centre, the fans weren’t disappointed by all the action that commenced right after the puck dropped. Hockey is so back!