Ex-Team Canada star says country will have 'national emergency' if team loses to US in 4 Nations final

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman discusses with Craig Carton, Danny Parkins, and Mark Schlereth Team USA vs. Canada’s fiery matchup, including the booing of the United States National Anthem.

Former Canadian hockey player Paul Bissonnette warned of a national emergency for the country if Team Canada loses to the U.S. in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off final on Thursday. 

Bissonnette made the declaration during an interview on the "Pardon My Take" podcast on Wednesday when he was asked if a loss to the U.S. would prompt a national emergency in his country. 

"It would be safe to say, ‘Yes,’ it would be a national emergency if we lose that game on Thursday," Bissonnette said. 

The former player and current TV analyst suggested that a loss would cause countless Canadians to doubt the competence of their national team, considering the stakes. 

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Team Canada celebrates a goal during the first period against Team Finland at TD Garden in Boston. (Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)

"For a week straight everybody's going to argue about the lineup decisions, there would be conversations about blowing up Hockey Canada and restructuring the whole thing. There will be dialogue about how youth hockey is far too expensive, how much it is to rent ice, how much it is to buy equipment, about how the common man has been weeded out," Bissonnette said. 

The stakes for Thursday's game have been raised amid physical hostility between the teams throughout the tournament and geopolitical tension between the two countries in recent weeks. 

It started on Feb. 13 when Canada fans in Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem. The tension stemmed from President Donald Trump's recent threats to issue tariffs on