Canada has beaten Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in an overtime thriller, 3-2, Thursday night in Boston. Connor McDavid scored the game winner to become a national hero and hockey legend. After dropping the first meeting against Team USA on Saturday in Montreal,

Canada’s men’s hockey team defeated the USA 3-2 in overtime Thursday to capture the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Championship as the NHL put on a show in the first edition of this midseason international tournament.

The result was the culmination of a midseason tournament that featured stars from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — and a surprisingly political atmosphere.

There was outstanding goaltending on both sides, Connor Hellebuyck robbed Cale Makar with seconds left in regulation and Jordan Binnington thwarted Auston Matthews three times in overtime. And to top it off the best player world, Connor McDavid, beat the best goalie in the world, Hellebuyck, to seal the win.

Who cares about the a contrived hockey exhibition? The players do, and it’s their fight, more than their fights, that has us tuning in.

The U.S. and Canada met in a senior men's hockey championship game for the first time since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Amid the euphoria of the Golden Goal, that’s how Joe Thornton described teammate Sidney Crosby after he froze the clock on a 3-2 overtime victory over an upstart Team USA 15 years ago in Vancouver. Those words came to mind here again.