The championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off is set for Thursday 8 p.m. ET when longtime rivals Canada and the USA will write the next chapter in their lengthy on-ice history. It will be the first time since the 2010 Winter Olympic Games that the countries meet to decide the champion of a best-on-best men’s international tournament – and just the second major men’s championship game between them on U.S. soil (also 2002 Olympics).
Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final will mark the fifth time the two countries will clash in a championship/gold medal game at an NHL International Tournament or Olympics (CAN: 3-1). In their last head-to-head meeting in best-on-best hockey at the 2010 Olympics, USA defeated Canada in the preliminary round before Canada earned the victory in the gold medal game – Canada will look to continue that trend on Thursday.
Canada and the USA will meet in the final of an NHL International Tournament for the third time, with each team winning once: USA at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and Canada at the 1991 Canada Cup. The 1996 World Cup of Hockey is the only NHL International Tournament in which USA defeated Canada twice – a feat they will have to achieve to win the 4 Nations Face-Off championship. Back in 1996, USA went 3-1 against their rivals including a round-robin victory and Games 2 & 3 of the best-of-three final.
The two nations have also met in the final of five World Junior Championships (USA: 4-1) and three Under-18 World Championships all-time (CAN: 2-1).
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