Matthew Tkachuk responds to Brandon Hagel mocking group chat

Tensions continue to rise ahead of the Canada vs. USA 4 Nations Face-Off final on Thursday night with the two teams taking personal jabs at each other off the ice.

USA’s 3-1 win last Saturday caught the eye of millions who saw three fights in the first nine seconds of the game. Two of the fights featured American stars, and brothers, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, with Brady having revealed that the Americans texted each other before the game about their plans to have multiple fights.

On the Canadian side, fighter Brandon Hagel said he fought with Matthew Tkachuk out of national pride and then took a dig at the Americans.

“Listen, what happened the other night, I did it for the flag and not for the cameras,” Hagel said. “We don’t have any group chats going on,” he added, per OutKick.

‘Maybe their team doesn’t like each other.’

On Wednesday, Matthew Tkachuk was asked for his reaction to Hagel’s comments and suggested that maybe Team Canada doesn’t get along as well if they aren’t chatting.

“Well, I mean, maybe their team doesn’t like each other then if they don’t have group chats,” Tkachuk told reporters. “I think that’s just a player, enjoying this opportunity. So I think that our team does not care about anything that they say, and there’s been a lot of chatter and talk from individuals.”

The 27-year-old went on to say that Team USA only has one concern: the millions of fans watching and supporting them around the country. He added that the team is “very prideful,” and he feels his squad has the “opportunity of a lifetime.”

There was also a lot of speculation as to whether or not President Trump would attend Thursday night’s final at TD Garden in Boston. However, in a post to Truth Social, the president revealed he would be watching, not attending.

“I will be speaking before the Governors tonight in D.C., and will sadly, therefore, be unable to attend,” Trump explained.

The president said he would be calling Team USA, though, in an attempt to “spur them on towards victory tonight against Canada,” adding, “which with FAR LOWER TAXES AND MUCH STRONGER SECURITY, will someday, maybe soon, become our cherished, and very important, Fifty First State.”

The 47th president even invited “Governor Trudeau” to attend his watch party.

“He would be most welcome. Good luck to everybody, and have a GREAT game tonight. So exciting!”

Canada vs. USA airs at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN, ESPN+, and Disney+.

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