On the heels of Team Canada's high-stakes Olympic battle against Team USA on Sunday, Connor McDavid is looking to turn down the temperature on the matchup ahead of the gold medal game. McDavid looked to focus on the action on the rink instead of the geopolitical elements that factor into the matchup.
“I’m not going to get into all that. This is a hockey game,” McDavid told reporters when asked about the political connection between the United States and Canada.
As questions continue to arise about the political nature of the relationship between the United States and Canada, McDavid continued to make the point that he's just focused on what's happening on the ice.
“We feel like Team Canada playing Team USA in a hockey game. That's what it is.”
The gold medal clash between Team USA and Team Canada occurs after simmering tension between the two nations since last year. The United States and Canada have been at odds over tariffs, after United States President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian exports.
Trump has also suggested that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States, which gave more meaning to the excellent 4 Nations Face-Off last year, which Canada won in overtime.
While McDavid looks to keep things centered on the sport, he was highly complementary of Team USA leading into the matchup.
“They look very strong. They have a very good back end, they’ve got a great goaltender, they’re strong up front. It’s Team USA. They’ve got great players everywhere and so do we. It’s going to be a great game.”
Both Team USA and Team Canada have been dominant in their Olympic run. Team USA put up strong showings against Latvia, Denmark, and Germany in preliminary competition. They engaged in a tight overtime battle against Sweden in the QF, emerging victorious 2-1. They then beat Slovakia 6-2 in the semifinal, booking their ticket to the gold medal game.
Meanwhile, Canada also had a similar run of dominance in preliminary matchups, beating Czechia, Switzerland, and France. In their quarterfinal matchup against Czechia, they won 4-3 in overtime, then squeaked by Finland 3-2 in the semifinals.
The gold medal game between Team USA and Team Canada is now set. USA looks to win its first gold in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid. Meanwhile, Canada aims to win another best-on-best tournament after capturing gold in 2014 in Sochi and 2010 in Vancouver.
Team USA versus Team Canada is set to take place on Sunday morning at 8:10 a.m. ET, a contest that should be a thrilling conclusion to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
