Trudeau Takes Aim at Trump After Canada's Upset Victory Over US

Hockey was served over a dish of politics as Team USA and Team Canada twice competed against each other in the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which also featured national teams from Finland and Sweden.

The tournament marked the first time in nine years that the best hockey players from the U.S. competed against the best from Canada.

After Thursday's championship game, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took an apparent shot at President Donald Trump in a social media post.

"You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game," he said.

The response came as President Trump has said numerous times that he would like the U.S. to annex Canada as a 51st state, a proposal Trudeau has said the U.S. leader is serious about.

President Trump also involved himself in the tournament by calling the team to wish players and coaches good luck prior to their face-off on Thursday.

Battles between the U.S. and Canada are expected to become more frequent on the ice in the coming years, with the NHL sending players to the next Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, and helping organize a Hockey World Cup every four years, starting in 2028.

“It meant a lot, putting the USA in the forefront of hockey,” U.S. goalie Connor Hellebuyck told NHL.com. “We have a great team in here, and it sucks to end like that.”