It is more than just a hockey game.
On Feb. 20, the National Hockey League’s best American players will face off against its best Canadian players once again in the championship bout of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. It is round two of a rivalry match nearly a decade overdue, colliding national politics with sport on a level that has American fans reminiscing about their 1980 Miracle on Ice victory against the Soviet Union.
The Canadians, meanwhile, whose national identity is directly tied to hockey, appeared to indicate the feelings around this series are mutual by booing the U.S. national anthem during their first match of the tournament on Feb. 15 in Montreal….