Backstopping the U.S. to statement wins in the 4 Nations Face-Off is just the latest piece of the argument. What do the other all-time greats say?

Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night as the North American rivals turned what had been a tune-up for the 2026 Olympics into a geopolitical brawl over anthems and annexation as much as international hockey supremacy.

Team USA came up short in a thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada, but it wasn't the fault of Zach Werenski or Connor Hellebuyck.

(Graham Hughes//The Canadian Press via AP) United States goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) celebrates a win over Canada with Charlie McAvoy (25) in the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian ...

USA and Canada meet for the fifth time in a best-on-best championship game. Live blog, analysis for more on tonight's 4 Nations Face-Off title game.

Canada has three of the top four individual skaters in terms of 20-plus mph speed bursts: McDavid (23; first), MacKinnon (19; second) and Point (16; fourth), while Eichel leads the U.S. (18; third). In their first matchup of the tournament, Canada had 43 such speed bursts, compared to 28 for the U.S.

United States' Dylan Larkin (21 ... off the opening faceoff to big hits from Charlie McAvoy on Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid and more than a few vital saves by Connor Hellebuyck among his 24. And the U.S. showed it could keep up with Canada’s speed ...

The 4 Nations Face-Off championship lived up to the hype, but Connor McDavid shined the brightest when it mattered most, lifting Canada to a 3-2 OT victory over the USA.

Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored for the Americans, and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots ... of the round-robin game, which the United States won 3-1 on Saturday, to bring the atmosphere ...