It would be impossible to retell the history of the 4 Nations Face-Off without mentioning the notorious Team USA group text which ultimately led to the trio of fights at the start of the matchup between the United States and Canada.
Three melees occurred within the first nine seconds of their clash in Montreal, and it was revealed that setting the tone in such a fashion was something that members of Team USA had discussed over text prior to the game.
During an appearance on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, Brady Tkachuk offered some insight into what was said between himself and his teammates, including his brother Matthew Tkachuk and veteran forward J.T. Miller, before they dropped the gloves against Canada.
Tkachuk explained that the three of them had been joking about fighting at the start of the game, and the more they joked about it, the more they wanted to do it. Come game time, Matthew told Brady that he'd be fighting Brandon Hagel at the opening puck drop, and instructed him to grab Sam Bennett. Meanwhile, Miller had reached an agreement with Canada's Colton Parayko during warmups that they would drop their gloves, too.
Brady Tkachuk walked us through the group chat that rocked the #4Nations 📱https://t.co/0I2qoezcJY pic.twitter.com/AmF7OLsgDT
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) February 25, 2025
"I'm not gonna lie to you, I was so nervous for Matthew's fight. I'm like, okay, center ice, I can't have you getting your ass kicked," said Brady. "I was trying to give him advice, but all I could say was, 'Yeah! F–ing right, yeah!'"
After his brother's skirmish, Brady went over to the bench and challenged Bennett and the two proceeded to drop their gloves on the ensuing faceoff.
Playing at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Team USA knew they'd be viewed as the villains by the home crowd, and they opted to lean into that role by setting the tone early with their melees.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Brady Tkachuk Discusses Team USA's Group Text That Led to Fights vs. Team Canada.
