‘Everything is happening’: Fans react after feisty opening to Canada-U.S. game

Nine seconds.

That’s about as long as it took for Canada’s game against the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off — perhaps one of the most anticipated hockey games in recent memory — to fly off the rails.

Right off the first faceoff, American forward Matthew Tkachuk and Canadian forward Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves. Immediately after that, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk challenged Canadian tough guy Sam Bennett to a spirited tilt, of which Tkachuk got the better of his brother’s teammate, making that two fights in the opening three seconds.

Even with both Tkachuks squared away in the penalty box, the bad blood continued.

Following a save from Canadian netminder Jordan Binnington, American J.T. Miller and Canadian Colton Parayko emerged from the netfront scrum to drop the gloves.

Within those nine seconds, Saturday’s game between Canada and the U.S. matched this NHL season’s record for most fights in a single game.

But after Canadian MMA great George St. Pierre announced the starting lineup, what else should we expect?

Here are some of the best reactions to the feisty opening moments from around the sports world.