Abdelrahman
The comparison is remarkable. During the 1996 World Cup round robin match between the United States and Canada, Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk squared off in a fight just 20 seconds into the game at CoreStates Center in Philadelphia. Ultimately, the U.S. triumphed with a final score of 5-3 and claimed the tournament victory.
Fast forward to today, Guerin holds the position of general manager for the U.S. team, while Tkachuk is now the proud father of NHL stars Brady and Matthew Tkachuk.
When asked if the Tkachuk brothers might draw inspiration from the 1996 encounter, Matthew Tkachuk responded, “We could, if we wanted to. I haven’t discussed it with Bill. I’m not sure.” He then turned to Brady and asked, “Have you?” to which Brady replied no.
Matthew continued, “We just watched it with Dad earlier. There’s no real connection. I understand why you might think that, but it’s just athletes eager to compete against their biggest rivals in this type of setting. We had an absolute blast from the very beginning.”
The atmosphere around this match was equally noteworthy. Fans expressed their displeasure by booing the Americans during warmups, as well as when they took the ice and even during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
When questioned if this rivalry extended beyond just hockey, Matthew acknowledged, “Yeah, for us it was.” He quickly reconsidered and added, “I mean, I probably shouldn’t say that.” He clarified that it was primarily about the rivalry and the opportunity to compete.
The Americans maintained a strong physical presence throughout the match. Following a goal by center Connor McDavid, which gave Canada a 1-0 advantage at 5:31 of the first period, defenseman Charlie McAvoy retaliated with a massive hit on McDavid at 9:49.
“That was a moment that sent a message and could be considered one of the game’s key plays,” Matthew Tkachuk noted. “They had just scored, the crowd was buzzing, and then Charlie leveled McDavid with one of the hardest hits I’ve ever witnessed.”
