Hagel, of course, had a starring role in the first Canada-USA game Saturday in Montreal, dropping the gloves with Matthew Tkachuk off the opening faceoff and riling up the crowd afterward by throwing both hands in the air.

Team Canada's Brandon Hagel said fighting Team USA's Matthew Tkachuk was "for the flag," not "for the cameras," on Saturday in their 4 Nations Face-Off game.

Canadian forward Brandon Hagel said the animosity at the start of the game wasn't just for showmanship. When the Americans and Canadians met on Saturday night, a 3-1 win for the U.S., there were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game.

One day after USA GM Bill Guerin told Fox News his team had a room full proud Americans and that he hoped President Donald Trump would come watch the final, Canadian defenceman Brandon Hagel said the Maple Leaf gives his squad motivation.

The United States and Canada will meet in a historic championship battle at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night at TD Garden.

Saturday’s USA-Canada match in the 4 Nations Face-Off showdown started with three consecutive fights in the game’s first nine seconds.

Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel dropped a fiery comment on his fight with USA's Matthew Tkachuk during Canada's 3-1 loss.

Hagel's remarks were an obvious dig at U.S. forwards Brady Tkachuk and his brother Matthew, who said they had been in group chats that included teammate J.T. Miller earlier in the day prior to the 4 Nations preliminary round game against Canada. The theme: Let's start the game with chaos.

The players have been emotionally invested in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Sports bettors have noticed and followed suit. Money has been pouring in on the tournament.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken.