Trump Calls Team USA Ahead of Championship Game Against Canada

BOSTON — U.S. President Donald Trump reached out to Team USA on Thursday morning, expressing support for the squad ahead of the highly anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off championship game against Canada.

Trump’s call came just hours before the match, with the president taking to social media to fan the flames of political tension, referring to Canada as the “Fifty First State” and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor.”

In a tweet, Trump stated, “I’ll be calling our GREAT American Hockey Team this morning to spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada, which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.”

During the call at 9:45 a.m., Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin said Trump focused primarily on offering encouragement to the players. “A little bit [about the 51st state], but I would just try to focus on the message that he was giving us,” Guerin told The Athletic. “We’re here to play hockey. This is not a political forum. This is a hockey tournament.”

Guerin added that the players were excited to receive the call. “I think it was awesome. He just wanted to wish us luck,” Guerin said. “It’s not every day you get to talk to the president.”

U.S. forward J.T. Miller expressed enthusiasm for the call. “It was pretty cool. It was so awesome to get his support,” Miller said. “It’s just another one of those things where we’re kind of pinching ourselves this tournament.”

Defenseman Brock Faber added, “It’s the president of the United States. When you’re a kid, you don’t ever think that’s going to be a possibility. It was really cool.”

Team members appreciated Trump’s message, which included encouragement to enjoy the game. “Just enjoy the journey and the pride of wearing the red, white, and blue,” Faber quoted Trump as saying.

The championship game marks the first senior men’s hockey match between the U.S. and Canada since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck, along with teammates who include notable NHL players such as Auston Matthews, are expected to face off against Canadian stars like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

The U.S. and Canada each won two of their three round-robin games to secure their spots in the final match, which takes place tonight at 8 p.m. ET at Boston’s TD Garden. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S., and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.

According to Team USA’s previous games in the tournament, they recently handed Canada its first defeat in a best-on-best tournament in 15 years, securing a 3-1 victory in Montreal. This win ended Canada’s 17-game streak in best-on-best tournaments.

Canadian coach Jon Cooper dismissed the political implications of the match, stating, “We have to go out there, represent our country and make them proud.”

While some Canadian players acknowledged the political backdrop, they emphasized focusing on the game itself. Forward Brad Marchand remarked, “I don’t think there’s a place in the game for it. This is a place for people to escape that stuff.”