Ottawa Senators captain and USA forward Brady Tkachuk has publicly criticized the Vancouver Canucks for blocking Quinn Hughes from joining the U.S. squad ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada .

U.S. forward Auston Matthews, former hockey player Mike Eruzione, former hockey player Wayne Gretzky and Canada forward Sidney Crosby during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Despite the loss to Canada in the final, Tkachuk called the tournament a memorable experience, especially since he got to play alongside his brother, Matthew.

It would be impossible to retell the history of the 4 Nations Face-Off without mentioning the notorious Team USA group text which ultimately led to the trio of fights at the start of the matchup between the United States and Canada.

It appears that the feeling was mutual between Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Hagel. Immediately following puck drop on Saturday’s 4 Nations Face-Off match between USA and Canada, won 3-1 by the Americans, Tkachuk and Hagel threw their gloves to the ground and sparred with each other.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk revealed the events that lead up to a full line brawl after the opening faceoff in the USA versus Canada Four Nations game.

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Tkachuk, playing on a line with his brother Matthew and Auston Matthews, crashed the net with less than 4 minutes to go. He was able to get his stick on a pass from Matthews and the puck eluded Canada goalie Jordan Binnington. That sent the pro-U.S. crowd into a frenzy.