Players excited to renew USA-Canada rivalry at 4 Nations Face-Off - ESPN

MONTREAL — The storied USA-Canada hockey rivalry will be reintroduced — and reignited — when the two countries take center stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night.

It can't be defined as an ordinary game — not for players who've waited a lifetime to be part of best-on-best hockey against their nation's greatest on-ice foe.

«This one's a big one, the biggest of my career,» said USA forward Dylan Larkin. «Just watching [international games] as a kid with my family, it's like a holiday, it's like the Super Bowl for us. To be able to be a part of it, on a Saturday night in Montreal, it's perfect. It's just great.»

The opportunity for NHL skaters to be involved in events like the Olympics came to a halt after the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Many of the league's current top stars were left wondering if they'd ever go toe-to-toe against the world's greatest players in tournaments like the ones why were raised on.

It's a reality now.

«I think it's going be the biggest game that I've ever played in my career,» said USA forward Brady Tkachuk. «I'm really looking forward to that. There's a big buildup to it. USA vs. Canada is bigger than just the guys on the ice. There's so many people past, present, and down the road [that it affects]. We've been talking about this game especially. It's going to be a long couple days [waiting] until it happens, but it'll be exciting.»

Canada and the USA will enter Saturday night with one tournament win apiece — the U.S. pounded Finland 6-1 on Thursday, while Canada outlasted a stubborn Swedish team 4-3 in overtime Wednesday.

Those appetizers will be nothing like the upcoming main event, though. There's unmatched history between these countries that's found its way