Team Canada Coach Jon Cooper Makes it Very Clear How He Feels About Fighting in Hockey

The anticipation was extremely high for Team Canada vs. Team USA on Saturday night at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the two teams did not disappoint.

I'm sure there weren't many people who were counting on a first minute fight on Saturday night, let alone three. However, not only did Canada and the U.S. deliver, but all 3 fights took place within the first 9 seconds.

The 3 fights, featuring Matthew Tkachuk vs. Brandon Hagel, Brady Tkachuk vs. Sam Bennett, and J.T Miller vs. Colton Parayko, brought the fans at the Bell Centre to their feet, and even Canada head coach Jon Cooper was pulled in by the energy.

Following the loss on Saturday, Cooper was asked about whether or not fighting still has a place in hockey. His response made it very clear that he isn't the only one who thinks so.

Cooper also credited the extended absence of international best-on-best hockey as the catalyst for the explosive opening minutes of the game.

With the win, Team USA punched their ticket to the championship game on Thursday, but it's still possible that we could see a rematch between the U.S. and Canada and a chance to re-ignite those same fireworks.

With a win against Finland in regulation on Monday, Canada could force a rematch with Team USA for the freshly unveiled 4 Nations Face-Off Trophy. It's probably a safe bet that it's the matchup that everyone outside of Sweden or Finland wants to see.