Former All-Star closer Bobby Jenks revealed Saturday that he is battling Stage 4 stomach cancer.

Jenks, who recorded the final out of the Chicago White Sox’s sweep of the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, is currently hospitalized in Portugal, where he moved recently to be closer to his wife’s family.

‘Now it’s time to do what I got to do to get myself better and get myself more time, however you want to look at it,’ Jenks told MLB.com in an interview from his hospital bed. ‘I’ll tell you one thing: I’m not going to die here in Portugal.’

Jenks, 43, first began experiencing blood clots in his calf and lungs late last year shortly after he, his wife and two of their six children moved to Portugal.

After undergoing more tests, a CT scan revealed he had a tumor in the middle of his chest. Jenks said the tumor spread into his stomach lining, bones, hips and lower back.

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On top of everything else, he found out that his family home in Pacific Palisades, California, was destroyed by the recent wildfires in the area. Though he still has his 2005 World Series ring, most of his baseball memorabilia was destroyed in the fire.

‘I’ve got one suitcase left to my name,’ Jenks said. ‘It’s all gone. Everything else I’ve ever done. I have everything, first to first. All those things are irreplaceable.’

Jenks made his MLB debut midway through that magical 2005 season, throwing his blazing fastball over 100 mph and taking over the White Sox closer’s job in September. He pitched to a 2.25 ERA with four saves that postseason, including Game 1 and Game 4 of the World Series, retiring Houston’s Orlando Palmeiro on a ground ball to clinch the sweep.

Jenks was named an American League All-Star in 2006 and 2007, recording a pair of 40-save seasons. He remained with the White Sox until he became a free agent at the end of the 2010 season. He played one year with the Boston Red Sox before retiring.

BRADENTON, Fla. – As Paul Skenes’ lumbering stride crossed from Field 1 to Field 2 at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training complex, a wave of humanity followed his every step.

Kids wearing LSU hats or donning fake mustaches in tribute to the reigning National League Rookie of the Year scampered around ropes in a wave of humanity, shouting his name in hopes of snagging an autograph. Parents followed suit, skin pale from the Pittsburgh winter and determined to bask in the brightest ray of sunshine to touch the Pirates organization this decade.

At 6-7 and 235 pounds, Skenes could not hide on a baseball diamond if he tried. Yet Saturday, when he faced live batters for the first time this spring, it only illuminated how much has changed in one year, when Skenes faced enormous expectations in his first full professional season and more than exceeded them.

Now, it is about refinement and efficiency and raising floors along with ceilings – a daunting task when you finish third in Cy Young Award voting just 23 starts into your career. Yet this is Skenes: So talented, almost equally focused and quietly setting the stage for a much-anticipated Year 2.

“Obviously, it’s a privilege. It’s not something I’m going to run away from,” says Skenes of his status as the most notorious Pirate, his profile cresting in the Steel City and almost equally across Major League Baseball. “It’s not something I noticed a ton. I noticed it today and that was pretty much the first time.

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“Things change. People talk to you differently and all that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s about executing.”

That Skenes did in 2024: He struck out 170 batters in 133 innings, pitched to a 1.96 ERA, posted a 0.95 WHIP and most important, the Pirates won 15 of his 23 starts. The dominance exceeded even the considerable hype that came with his No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 draft out of LSU.

And given the ease with which the ball rockets from his hand at an average 98.8 mph, and the hopeless waves at the ball as opposing batters struck out 33% of the time, it only felt like a beginning.

To that end: Skenes started just 23 games last year, but that number will, given good health, begin with a three this year. He has been tinkering with two new pitches – a cutter and a running- two-seam fastball – to pair with his fastball and devastating “splinker” that were more than enough to silence lineups last year.

“Man, anything that looks like a fastball and doesn’t end up being a fastball – we all know how special his fastballs are,” says pitching coach Oscar Marin. “That’s just something that’s going to open up the zone even more.”

Most notably, Skenes hopes to improve his pitch efficiency – no, not by pitching to contact, silly, but rather ramping up first-strike percentages and put batters away sooner in counts. Even as he adjusted to the big leagues, Skenes completed six innings in 15 of his 23 starts and pitched into the seventh in five more.

And then there is the Being Paul Skenes piece of it.

‘Welcome to second grade’

Far from a wide-eyed rookie a year ago, Skenes nonetheless had to shake a lot of hands and listen furtively to veteran voices. He’d reach the major leagues by May and never look back, while forming a 1-2 duo and kinship with fellow SoCal rookie Jared Jones.

Jones and Skenes and veteran Mitch Keller all want that Opening Day assignment, which would seem likely to go to the reigning Rookie of the Year. Yet it is the conversations and conservation of energy among that group that should both benefit the Pirates and change the dynamic for their marquee attraction.

“Last year, I was meeting everybody,” says Skenes. “(This year) It’s definitely less of that, ‘I’m the new kid in school. Moreso, ‘Welcome to second grade.’ All your first-grade friends are back (after) a long summer.

“Good to see everybody. And we have a unique opportunity to create a dynamic in the locker room this year.”

Skenes’ off-season was a little different than his teammates. He and girlfriend Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and online force, are in demand from red carpets to the Super Bowl to all things Baton Rouge.

Skenes’ public persona is that of slow-pulsed, unperturbed dude, be it from borderline paparazzi situations to the standard demands of an elite athlete in a town like Pittsburgh.

“He did a remarkable job managing that and continued it into this offseason,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington tells USA TODAY Sports. “It comes along with the territory of who he is, but there’s a lot of interest in him around the world and a lot of interest in his time.

“In some ways, I joke about it that spring training is maybe an opportunity to be a baseball player again. Show up early with the guys, have breakfast, do your bullpen, take a breath. I’d be happy for him if he’s able to do that.”

Yes, there’s plenty of anticipation, baseball-wise, and not just on the days Skenes pitches.

Raise the floor, raise the roof

The Pirates have finished last or second-to-last in the NL Central for eight consecutive years. And after their three-year run of wild card success last decade, they’ve missed the playoffs in 29 of the past 32 seasons.

The club has once again brought back Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, and also reunited with infielder Adam Frazier, a Bucco from 2016 until a 2021 trade.

Frazier stepped into the box against Skenes in his live batting practice session and, although Skenes is nowhere near ramped up, called it “electric” and saw plenty of pitches no competent batter could do anything with.

He hopes the group can awaken the town from its hardball slumber.

“Pittsburgh cares about their baseball,” says Frazier. “They’re hungry for some winning. We want to be able to give them that. It’s cool to be appreciated by the city like that.

“They support their guys. They care deeply and it’s cool that they have our back.”

Says manager Derek Shelton: “I think Paul is laying the groundwork to be a big fixture in the Pittsburgh community. Not only with the things he does on the field, but off I think he embraces that.

“When you kind of hit the baseball world by storm like he did last year, fans are going to attach themselves. Not just in Pittsburgh but throughout the league we’ve seen that.”

Skenes’ Rookie of the Year conquest means he already has one full year of service time. A repeat of that season would likely stimulate the Pirates’ interest in attempting to lock down Skenes past the five more years he currently has under their control.

Yet that episode is likely another year away. For now, Skenes hopes the good vibes trickle down to Jones and Keller to Bailey Falter and Johan Oviedo, or anyone else that may crack the rotation.

“If we raise the floor on our staff, as well as raise the ceiling – that’s the goal, to get better as we go on,” says Skenes. “That’s the opportunity. Regardless of who’s the guy.”

It’s not hard to figure out who the guy is. Just follow the scampering, stumbling masses in hot pursuit of the Rookie of the Year.

If you were signed by a major league team, how would you give your dad the news?

Ron Cruz was at work as a mechanic, standing in an office at a Southern California Firestone auto care center. He was eager, as always, to see his son walk into the room. RobertAnthony Cruz flashed his father a Washington Nationals cap.

There was a moment of confusion, then one of recognition. Father embraced son, Ron’s eyes clenching hard. He removed his glasses to try and hide his crying.

Nobody could have foreseen how far the video his wife, Cynthia, had captured would launch their son. RobertAnthony Cruz gained hundreds of thousands of followers overnight after he posted the video. Though his minor league career with the Nationals ended in less than a year, the seeds for a social media sensation had been planted.

Nearly four years later, youth athletes seek out Cruz’s baseball advice — delivered in quick takes on TikTok — while fans flock to watch him perform as one of the biggest stars for the Savannah Bananas, the traveling professional baseball team that has swept America.

The birth of the narrative of “Coach RAC,” as Cruz is known to his 1.5 million-plus followers, doesn’t just reside in that one viral moment.

Kids have become hooked on his honest, reassuring voice, one that lets them know it’s OK to struggle at sports. It’s the same one Ron and Cynthia once had for him.

 “They thought I was a success before I even showed up,” Cruz, 26, said recently via Zoom.

“RAC,” as you are free to call him, was sitting next to Cynthia in a studio. Ron was in another window, listening intently, as he has always done.

“When I was growing up, if I had a really bad stretch, if I didn’t have that support system, I might have quit,” their son continued, “but I had them there to encourage me to where quitting was never really on the table.”

I spoke with RAC and his parents as part of USA TODAY Sports’ new association with Youth Inc. Here are 10 tips they offered for young athletes and their parents that you can view in the story and video below.

Our shared goal is to help us better understand why our kids play sports, and how all of us can get the most out of them.

1. ‘We had no agenda’: Allow sports to begin and end with what your kid wants, not just what you want

“In the back of my heart, I wanted him to play baseball,” Ron Cruz says of his son.

Ron’s parents couldn’t afford to put him in organized sports. He still wishes he had played baseball in high school.

But his son dreamed of being an Olympic gymnast. He did the sport with his big sister, Sabrina, and he loved the backflips. It was only when long drives to the gym became too much of a family disruption that Ron had his kids write down a list of new activities they wanted to try.

RAC was eight when his father drove him to Reid Park in Riverside, California, to take in a Little League game for the first time.

“You think you could do that?” the father asked as they watched a kid make contact.

“He goes, ‘Yeah, I think I could hit the ball,’” Ron remembers, “not knowing anything about baseball. He didn’t even know whether he was going to be left-handed or right-handed.”

Cynthia laughed.

“Cleary, we had no agenda,” she said. “It was more led by what they wanted.”

2. ‘We were not good at this when we were born’: Think of yourself as the underdog. It gives you an edge.

Taking up a new sport at nine, Youth Inc.’s Greg Olsen kidded RAC last year, “is like starting at 30” in today’s super-specialized world. Even back then, the boy was three or four years behind the others.

“He was always the smallest kid,” Ron says. “And then coming into baseball, he got put on a team that was an All-Star team, and that’s the only way that he was going to be able to play at that park.

“He’s always been the underdog. His first day of school was in the 11th grade as far as public school. Most kids go into kindergarten when they’re four and five.”

Like his sister, RAC was homeschooled. Sitting with him as they went over his work one day, his mother realized an important lesson that also applied to his baseball career.

“We were trying to learn something difficult in school,” Cynthia said to her son during our call. “I think it was math. You were so frustrated, you didn’t even want to do it. And I realized that we are born thinking that everything is gonna be easy, and if it’s not, then that’s not what we’re supposed to do. And I feel like I had to encourage you that, no, we were not good at this when we were born. We had to learn it.”

COACH STEVE: How a coach can make or break your kid’s youth sports experience

3. Don’t buy into the ‘delusion’: ‘99% of the time it’s just because the kid should be batting ninth’

The way Ron and Cynthia looked it, when you joined a new team, you were automatically going to be hitting at the bottom of the lineup. It was your job to work your way up.

“In the limited coaching experience that I have had,” RAC says, “I’ve already seen how parents think their kids deserve the world, and so they’re like, ‘This coach has this thing against my kid. He doesn’t like my kid. That’s why he’s batting ninth.’ And, you know, 99% of the time it’s just because the kid should be batting ninth.

“If you’re a kid, one of two things will happen. One, you’ll buy into this delusion that your parents are spreading that everyone’s against you, or you’ll learn to kind of not fight your own battles.”

4. Allow your kid to have autonomy within their sport

As he and his son worked to catch up with the other kids, Ron would tell him, ‘You know what your teammates are doing now? They’re probably watching TV. We’re doing batting practice. It’s raining, the wind’s blowing.’”

Overly dramatic? Maybe. But he could tell by the eager calls for more batting practice he’d get from RobertAnthony that his strategy was working.

“It’s not like he’s dragging me out there,” RAC says. “I want to go try and try and hit baseballs over the fence. It was never forced on me in any way.”

When RAC swung and missed, though, his father would show nothing, even when the boy grew discouraged.

“If I asked him, ‘Hey, I feel like I’m doing this wrong,’ he would give his two cents,” his son says. “But if I didn’t ask, it was all up to me. It was an interesting process because there’s a lot of frustration on my part as I’m trying to get better and learn. But there was never frustration initiated by my dad.”

He would simply wait for his son to cool down, and throw another pitch.

‘He had some big goals, and he wanted to attain them and we didn’t have the money to go put him in some type of place where they can teach him everything that he knows now,’ Ron says. ‘So I just figured, ‘Hey, let’s just go hit the ball.’ He’s gonna figure it out. And he did.

‘We would go with the thought that, OK, we’ll be here for a couple hours, and three, four hours later, we’re beat up and tired, but we’re still going.’

5. Yelling coaching advice to your kid during a game makes him or her play worse

Over time, RAC learned the value of his parents being an audience – as opposed to participants – while he was playing.

“I thought it was just normal,” he says. “I definitely saw other kids and their parents always butting heads, and I saw the tension on the field, and I saw a lot of other players be really, like, scared to mess up.”

Our impulse is to instantly correct them. One of RAC’s fundamental instructions became: write it down and work on in practice.

RAC and his parents saw the toll it took on teammates whose parents did the opposite.

‘We ran a league for a little bit, and boy that was something; the parents were just wicked right from the stands,’ Ron said. ‘And you can see the kid as soon as the parents said something, and the kids are always watching their parents. I used to see as soon as they made a mistake, they’re looking at the parent for their reaction. I learned from that. The parents’ reaction right away, if it’s a bad reaction, it hurts the kid.’

6. Behaving during games takes a conscious effort on parents’ parts

Cynthia tried to always find positives even in her son’s worst days on the field, to the point where he’d have to tell her, “Mom, I stunk today.”

“I’m not sure where I picked it up. I can go negative, so I have to overcorrect,” she says. “You don’t become a parent and know everything. You just keep on trying, failing forward, right?”

COACH STEVE: 7 out of 10 kids quit youth sports before age 13. Why?

7. When parents embrace kids’ sports failures, those failures become an asset

When you’re watching your kid play, the number of outs they make in between hits can seem endless. Now think of how your kid feels.

He or she not only feels they aren’t playing well, but that they are letting you down.

It’s easy to be proud when they play well. As long as they gave their best effort, think of a bad game as the best opportunity to show them just how proud we are.

“I think that between the belief that they had in me and between the repeated encouragement that they’d give me, I think that developed more of a resilience, and I didn’t have as much fear of failure,” RAC says of his parents. “There was really nothing to fear on my part. I could have a few terrible weekends, and the worst consequences for that would just be me experiencing losing which, can actually be a good thing.

“The fear of failure was there at the higher levels, but growing up, it wasn’t there. They would encourage me every single day and so if I would ever be discouraged or I had a bad game, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s OK. You’re still good. Let’s go take batting practice.’”

8. ‘Keep your hands off’: Sometimes your kid needs a break from his or her sport

As parents of youth athletes, this thought can be terrifying. We think our kids will fall too far behind.

Now think of RAC, the future pro baseball player, taking a couple of months off from baseball at age 13 to play Minecraft.

“It kind of scared me a little, because I thought, ‘Is he going to want to play anymore?’ ” his mom said.

This is how Cynthia learned how kids also need space from us, especially when they’re teenagers:

 “One of my girlfriends has older sons, and I said, ‘What do I do?’ And she goes, ‘You need to keep your hands off. Don’t be the one hounding him to make him do what he needs to do.’ ”

RAC independently tried out photography and spent time with his sister, who helped him with his writing and speech for the debate team.

His parents allowed him to make more choices, such as when he did his homework. He wound up making a crucial one on his own when he realized he missed baseball.

9. ‘Less roadblocks’ from parents lead to more mental strength in kids

After high school, RAC received an offer to play at his dream school, UC Riverside. When he couldn’t muster even a .200 average his first year, he asked to be released from his scholarship.

He played at Division II baseball for Biola University and caught the Nationals’ attention. It was a point in his life when he could lean on his parents’ influence again.

“There was no pressure on me to perform and earn anything,” he says of their approach to his sports growing up. “I didn’t have to earn anything. I wanted to win because I wanted to win. And there was no other factors at play.

“So when I got to the higher levels and started having a lot more higher pressure situations, and now career’s on the line and all these things, I think I had more mental strength because I had less roadblocks.”

10. Apply ‘banana ball’ to your youth sports experience

When Ron was struggling to speak that day when his son came into office, he managed to get out one line:

“Where is that going?” he said, pointing to Cynthia, who was recording everything.

It turns out he and his wife were headed to Nationals Park, where they would watch their son hit a walk-off homer last summer to win an inning for Savannah before a sold-out crowd.

The Bananas are a professional-level team, a modern-day version of the Harlem Globetrotters. They play other traveling teams with set of zany rules designed to make light of what is supposed to be a fun game.

In many ways, the team’s carefree style is an attitude we want to foster with our kids’ sports careers.

“Stay humble, be willing to listen, love on them,” Cynthia Cruz says of what she has learned along the way. “It’s such a short season.’

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

After acquiring the star receiver from the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 15, the New York Jets could be looking to move on. The arrangement was brief and, so far, has ended up being just another forgetful chapter in the team’s continued desire to appease Aaron Rodgers.

Adams played in just 11 games with the green-and-white, posting 67 catches, 857 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned a whopping 114 targets over that span, finishing second on the team to just Garrett Wilson, who saw 154 over 17 games.

With New York announcing their plan to move on from Rodgers, Adams’ future with the team is in serious doubt. The duo looks to be a package deal moving forward, or at least that was the case with the Jets.

As the offseason heats up, here’s what the Jets could do with the star receiver.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Will the Jets cut Davante Adams?

The Jets cutting Adams looks to be the most likely outcome at this point. ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that the receiver wouldn’t have to request his release since the Jets would grant it, given his $38.3 million cap hit for 2025.

With none of that guaranteed, New York can move on and continue cleaning up its salary cap situation in the wake of Rodgers’ eventual departure. The team would save $29.9 million by releasing Adams before June 1 and allow the receiver to test free agency for the first time.

If the team opted to designate Adams a post-June 1 cut, they would save $36.2 million in 2025 while being subjected to a dead cap charge of $2 million in 2025 and $6.2 million in 2026.

‘I came here with the hopes that I wouldn’t have to find a new home, so it’s kind of bittersweet, I guess,’ Adams said at the end of the season. ‘It’s cool to be able to control where you go, but I’ve done that (while) still under contract.’

Adams’ future was a common talking point after his arrival in October. He was noncommittal, especially regarding Rodgers’ uncertainty, saying, ‘I truly don’t have the answer to it right now.’

‘I would love to be a part of this football team,’ Adams said in early December. ‘I’d love to go to war with these guys, but it’s a business and there are a lot of pieces, contractually, and, obviously, with Aaron’s future – a lot of things that I can’t control.’

Given that he’d need to renegotiate his contract to stay and the lack of reported communication, Adams appears to be following his quarterback out the door and onto the free-agent market.

Will the Jets trade Davante Adams?

While the Jets would probably like to recoup some draft picks after their failed attempt to become the East Coast version of the Green Bay Packers, a trade involving Adams seems unlikely.

Cutting the receiver is a much cleaner break and allows him to chart his own path forward rather than having to rework his deal and find a team with the available cap space to take on the contract.

Regarding the salary cap, there is no difference between trading or cutting Adams.

Davante Adams contract

The 33-year-old Adams is currently set to enter the final two years of his five-year, $140 million deal that he signed upon his arrival in Vegas with the Raiders, according to Spotrac.

It carries an average salary of $28 million, but the cap charge is set to check in at $38.3 million in each of the last two seasons.

Adams is slated to become a free agent after the 2026 season, but that could come sooner if the Jets elect to release him this offseason.

Trash talking is nothing new for the sports world. Think of the long-running competition between the Yankees and the Red Sox on the diamond or battles between Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill on the college hardwood.These rivalries aren’t usually fueled by politics – or international trade policy. But in recent days, as U.S. and Canadian athletes have jockeyed for wins out on the court or the ice, Canadian fans have taken out their frustrations with America’s new administration in the stands.

Sports fans from America’s northern neighbor have used the playing of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ at NBA and NHL games as a way to express their displeasure with President Donald Trump’s signature tariffs.

After initially waging a hefty 25% tariff against Canada at the end of last month, making good on a 2024 campaign promise, Trump reversed course and delayed the tariffs for at least 30 days. The president said he reached a deal with Canada to improve border security and designate drug cartels as terrorists.

Yet Trump has not let up in this growing trade war, announcing last week 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports. Canada is among the U.S.’ largest suppliers of steel.

And Thursday, the president instructed his administration to pursue reciprocal tariffs, instituting penalties against individual countries that have fees on U.S. goods. Not to mention, Trump has called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a ‘governor’ and talked about making Canada the 51st state.

His actions have frustrated Canadian officials. Trudeau called the duty on steel and aluminum ‘entirely unjustified.’

‘We are (the) U.S.’s closest ally. Our economies are integrated,’ Trudeau told reporters Tuesday. ‘Together, we make North America more competitive.’

Some Canadian consumers appear no less incensed.

America’s anthem, athletes booed across sports

The vocal protests began in Ottawa shortly after Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1 that would have implemented tariffs. The U.S. anthem was booed at that evening’s NHL game between the Senators and Minnesota Wild.

The same thing happened the following day in Vancouver as the Canucks hosted the Detroit Red Wings.

‘It’s too bad,’ said Wings forward Patrick Kane, who hails from Buffalo, New York, on the Canadian border. ‘I guess you can maybe understand it from this side, but it seems like it’s a thing that’s going around the league right now.’

The booing spread to Toronto, where the NBA’s Raptors play.

And it has continued two weeks later, reaching the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, which on Saturday had the USA facing Canada in Montreal. As both teams had famous athletes introduce them, American figure skating icon Michelle Kwan was booed as she took the ice.

Announcements have been made before games at the tournament asking fans to respect the singing of the national anthems, but there were still boos from the crowd at Bell Centre over the weekend, particularly as the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ started and ended.

What are tariffs?

Tariffs are a tax on goods exchanged between countries. While the extra fee is placed on the importers, in this case American businesses, consumers oftentimes bear the burden in the form of higher prices and potential inflation to pay for the tariffs’ implementation.

Under Trump’s latest plan, his administration will impose tariffs against certain countries equivalent to whatever fee they are placing on American exports.

Some economists told USA TODAY that reciprocal tariffs are also expected to raise everyday costs. The president and his allies have argued the fees will spur companies to make products and other goods in the U.S.

‘Whatever they charge us, we’re charging them,’ Trump said Thursday. ‘It’s a beautiful simple system.’

One of hockey’s great rivalries delivered as the United States downed Canada 3-1 in a fiery 4 Nations Face-Off game Saturday night.

The first nine seconds of play saw no less than three fights, but ultimately Team USA’s three goals were enough to clinch a spot at Thursday’s tournament final in Boston. Jake Guentzel scored twice, while Dylan Larkin snapped home what turned out to be the game-winner in the second period.

That allowed the United States to come back after Canada — following the bizarre spectacle of a game beginning with three consecutive fights — struck first on a skillful goal from Connor McDavid. However, the early emotion at Montréal’s Bell Centre wasn’t enough for Canada, who played without key defenseman Cale Makar (who couldn’t play due to an illness).

The victory means the USA will play in the 4 Nations Face-Off final no matter what happens in Monday’s game against Sweden. Meanwhile, the Swedes, Canada and Finland are all tied on two points in the round-robin standings, leaving all three teams with a serious shot at a spot in the championship game.

Here’s what to know about Team USA’s impressive win over Canada:

USA vs. Canada highlights

Any set of highlights from USA vs. Canada would have to include the surprise development that was three fights in the first nine seconds of this 4 Nations Face-Off game.

Once the brawling stopped and the hockey started, it was Canada getting out in front after an excellent Drew Doughty pass found Connor McDavid on the move. From there, the Edmonton Oilers star carved through Team USA before burying a top-shelf shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

However, Jake Guentzel had a quick response, slipping a wrister past Canada’s Jordan Binnington less than five minutes later. In retrospect, the rather soft nature of this goal might have taken some energy out of the building, letting Team USA gain focus at a critical early moment.

Guentzel would go on to score an empty-netter to put the game away, but the winning goal came from Dylan Larkin, the man who got the assist on that late tally. Larkin’s second-period goal came as the U.S. pounced on a turnover while Canada was in the midst of a line change, with the Detroit Red Wings center giving Binnington no chance at a save.

Final score: USA 3, Canada 1

Team USA is going to the championship final of the 4 Nations Face-Off after claiming a gritty 3-1 win over Canada. Despite Canada pouring plenty of emotion into the game, the U.S. played an excellent game of defensive hockey, leaving goalie Connor Hellebuyck with relatively few big stops to make.

Jake Guentzel struck twice, while Dylan Larkin had the game-winning goal and the assist to ice the win. Team USA will still have to face Sweden on Monday, but no matter the result, they will take part in the tournament final next Thursday in Boston.

Canada, meanwhile, faces a must-win game against Finland on a few hours less rest. Canada, Finland, and Sweden all enter the final round of games with 2 points in the standings.

Goal USA: Guentzel buries empty-netter to make it 3-1

With two minutes to play, Canada has rolled the dice. Binnington has skated to the bench, and the power play unit (plus an extra man) is out there looking to make this 2-2.

However, there was no angle to create anything serious in front of Hellebuyck, and eventually the risk backfired. That saw Larkin control the puck in the neutral zone, finding the (barely onside) Jake Guentzel for an empty-netter.

Team USA efficiently killing this period off

Canada is working very hard to try and create more end-to-end play, but with just 2:54 to go, the U.S. is closing the angles and defending in layers, keeping the game between the blue lines for long spells.

Canada has fired a few pucks on net in this spell, but Hellebuyck has been able to handle everything with relative ease. At the other end, Canada’s risk-taking in pursuit of a leveler has left Binnington exposed, only for the St. Louis Blues goalie to come up with some solid saves to keep the score 2-1.

ABC: Tkachuk said ‘I can’t go’

Team USA has adjusted their lines without Matthew Tkachuk, with J.T. Miller now sharing a line with Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel. ABC’s Ray Ferraro has reported that he told the coaching staff ‘I can’t go.’

As we move into the final eight-plus minutes of regulation, Tkachuk has not come back into the game since communicating the issue to the bench.

Score remains 2-1, Matthew Tkachuk may be injured

With 13:16 to go, the third period has largely gone Canada’s way. They’re getting the jump on Team USA, particularly in the neutral zone, and their forecheck is forcing the U.S. to just clear and regroup on most occasions.

The U.S. did have one great look on the break, but an errant pass foiled Guentzel. As of now, Larkin’s goal was the last shot on net.

Meanwhile, a conversation on the U.S. bench seems to hint at an injury for Matthew Tkachuk. After an exchange with Team USA assistant coach John Tortorella, Tkachuk moved to the end of the bench and is looking on fairly grimly. It’s not clear what might be impacting him, but he hasn’t come back out since the conversation.

Third period underway

We have 20 minutes of regulation left between USA and Canada at Bell Centre.

A regulation win here would guarantee Team USA a place in Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off final, while a Canadian comeback could see this game’s hosts end the night atop the round-robin standings.

End of second period: Team USA leads 2-1

We’re through two periods, and the United States grabbed a 2-1 lead through Dylan Larkin’s goal.

With the brawling and squabbling of the opening minutes, this game could have become a running series of heavy hits and penalties, but it’s really gone in the opposite direction. The second period saw both teams focus on controlling zones and trying to get the puck into more promising positions. We could have gotten a game full of animosity and low on actual hockey, but all parties seem focused on trying to win the game.

Team USA probably deserves to have a lead at this point, as they’ve exerted slightly more control over the game and created more shooting chances. However, when Canada has gotten the puck in deep for sustained pressure, they seem to be able to work it into dangerous positions. The U.S. has done enough to escape those moments, but it’s clear that Canada could easily tie this one up.

Goal, Team USA: Larkin zips one past Binnington to make it 2-1

With this second period playing out evenly, Team USA has taken a 2-1 lead seemingly out of the blue thanks to Dylan Larkin.

In truth, there’s opportunism involved: Canada turned the puck over just as they started a line change, with Matt Boldy guiding his interception towards Larkin. Suddenly, the U.S. had a two-on-one, and Larkin used the extra man to freeze Travis Sanheim (who had hopped over the boards just three seconds earlier) before zipping a wrist shot into the bottom corner.

With 6:27 to go in the second, Team USA has the lead.

Noah Hanifin saves potential goal for Canada, Larkin hits post

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin just made a huge play to deny Canada the lead. Five minutes into the second period, McDavid caught Team USA’s Adam Fox, bringing the defenseman down without giving away a penalty.

Suddenly Canada had a three-on-one, but Hanifin used sharp positioning to prevent a McDavid shot, then intercepted a pass attempt that would have left Sam Reinhart with a wide-open shot from close range.

Play moved to the other end of the rink, where Dylan Larkin’s shot clanked off the post and bounced away. Binnington may or may not have gotten a touch on the shot, but either way Team USA was about two inches from taking the lead.

Brady Tkachuk: Fights ‘happened pretty organically’

In an interview with ABC during the intermission, Brady Tkachuk — a participant in the second of those three fights in this game’s opening nine seconds — said that there wasn’t a ton of planning involved.

‘I think it just happened pretty organically,’ the Ottawa Senators forward told ABC’s Emily Kaplan. ‘Matthew [Tkachuk] said he wanted to go first, and yeah, it just happened.’

Tkachuk added that his brother decided to approach Brandon Hagel when he saw the starting lineups. As for his fight? Just a matter of setting up an appointment, more or less. ‘I coordinated with Benny [Canada’s Sam Bennett],’ explained Tkachuk.

First period ends 1-1

Canada seemed to spend that entire power play on the cusp of a goal, but some sharp stops from Hellebuyck to deny Brayden Point twice (once from an angle, and once on the doorstep) keep this game 1-1.

Still, it feels like Canada recovered some momentum with the execution on that 5-on-4 sequence, with their first shots in over 10 minutes. Team USA will still feel like they’ve had the better of this game thus far, but Team Canada’s pushback late underlines how tight things have been in this first period.

Teams exchange power plays near end of first period

Sidney Crosby took a seat for two minutes after getting called for a hooking penalty, but despite three really good looks in front, Team USA will start off 0-for-1 on the power play after going scoreless.

Meanwhile, the big hits are flying, with both teams laying into one another. With 3:13 left in the period, it’ll be Canada back on the power play as Guentzel is caught tripping Josh Morrissey. Big moment for Canada to swing the momentum, as the United States has been having the better of the last few minutes.

Goal USA: Guentzel squeezes one past Binnington to make it 1-1

Jake Guentzel has this game level, and it’s one that Canada goalie Jordan Binnington might want back. Jack Eichel found Guentzel on the left, but the Tampa Bay Lightning left winger wasn’t exactly bringing the thunder with a low-angle wrist shot.

However, Guentzel did enough to slip that effort under Binnington’s pads, and at 10:15 in the first period the scores are even at 1-1.

Goal Canada: Connor McDavid with a smooth finish

Canada strikes first, with Connor McDavid showcasing his speed and stickhandling at 5:31 in the first period.

Drew Doughty scooped a pass towards center ice that met McDavid in stride, and the Edmonton Oilers center did the rest. At full speed, he cut through three Team USA before firing over Hellebuyck’s left shoulder to make it 1-0. It’ll be hard to produce a more clinical goal than that.

Canada power play doesn’t pan out

There’s a lot going on here, but amid the scuffling that turned into the third fight, Canada went on the power play.

Team USA kills it off pretty easily though, with a couple of timely interventions in front of goalie Connor Hellebuyck all that was really required.

USA vs. Canada: Puck drops, and we’re under way with several fights

At the puck drop, we have USA’s Matthew Tkachuk and Canada’s Brandon Hagel agreeing to drop the gloves and fight. No clean hits but a long scuffle ends with both players getting offsetting fighting penalties.

And now it’s Brady Tkachuk fighting Sam Bennett on the ensuing faceoff! ABC reports that Brady Tkachuk was calling Bennett out to set the fight up while the first fight was being sorted.

Team USA throws one on net once play resumes, but we’re now seeing a third fight. This time, it’s J.T. Miller for the U.S. and Canada’s Colton Parayko squaring off.

We are, to be clear, nine seconds into the first period. Here’s the full round-up of fights:

USA vs. Canada: ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ gets some boos

As was the case in the first round of games, a chunk of the crowd at Bell Centre booed the U.S. national anthem, particularly as it started and ended. Given the geopolitical realities at play following the election of Donald Trump, it’s not exactly a stunning development.

Following a rendition of ‘O Canada’ that was partially sung by the crowd, fans break out into chants for Team Canada and captain Sidney Crosby.

USA vs. Canada: Players on ice, Michelle Kwan booed

Both teams have an accomplished athlete introduce them to the crowd at Bell Centre. Michelle Kwan took the ice and — presumably due to her Team USA hockey sweater and not any animus towards her personally — was roundly booed while introducing Team USA.

MMA great Georges St-Pierre was received with more warmth by the crowd as he brought Canada out. Fans are wearing light-up necklaces, adding to the wild atmosphere in Montréal.

USA vs. Canada: Cale Makar confirmed out

Big news right as ABC’s broadcast of Saturday’s 4 Nations Face-Off meeting gets going: Canada defenseman Cale Makar, arguably one of the NHL’s best D-liners, has been ruled out of this game due to illness.

Emergency call-up Thomas Harley, who per ABC has not had time to get a practice session in with Canada, is in the lineup instead.

When is the 4 Nations Face-Off between USA and Canada?

The 4 Nations Face-Off pitting USA against Canada starts at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on ABC and ESPN+.

All times Eastern.

Game starts: 8 p.m. ET

USA vs. Canada 4 Nations Face-Off TV channel: How to watch

TV channel: ABC

USA vs. Canada 4 Nations stream: How to stream Face-Off event

The game will be carried on ABC as well as ESPN+. You can also watch on Sling.

Watch USA vs. Canada with Sling

4 Nations Face-Off schedule, TV and results

(Times p.m. ET)

Wednesday, Feb. 12:  Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA 6, Finland 1
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland 4, Sweden 3
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada at Montreal, 8, ABC
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland at Boston, 1, TNT
Monday, Feb. 17:  Sweden vs. USA at Boston, 8, TNT
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship game at Boston, 8, ESPN

Team USA: 4 Nations roster

No., position, player, NHL team

12 F Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
81 F Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
9 F Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
59 F Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
86 F Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
20 F Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
21 F Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
34 F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
10 F J.T. Miller, New York Rangers
29 F Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
7 F Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
19 F Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
16 F Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
14 D Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
23 D Adam Fox, New York Rangers
25 D Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
15 D Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
85 D Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
74 D Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
8 D Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
37 G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
30 G Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
1 G Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins

Team Canada: 4 Nations roster

No., position, player, NHL team

9 F Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
71 F Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
87 F Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
38 F Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
24 F Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
11 F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
29 F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
63 F Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
16 F Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
97 F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
21 F Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
13 F Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
61 F Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
89 Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
8 D Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
44 D Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
55 D Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
6 D Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
27 D Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights (suffered injury, out of tournament)
5 D Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
50 G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
33 G Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
35 G Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens

USA vs. Canada betting odds and moneyline:

Team USA is the favorite to beat Team Canada, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.

Spread: USA (-1.5)
Moneyline: USA (-110); Canada (-110)
Over/Under: 6.5

USA vs. Canada predictions

Sportsbook Wire: USA 3, Canada 2

Kevin Erickson writes, ‘The American power play was impressive, and the Tkachuk Brothers were red-hot. Expect Team USA to feed off of the energy, as the pro-Canada crowd creates a very hostile environment.’

New York Post: Canada 4, USA 2

Ethan Sears gives Team Canada the edge over the Americans among forwards and special teams and concludes, ‘Canada’s top-end talent and the home crowd give them a tightly fought win.’

Covers: Over 6 goals scored

Todd Cordell writes, ‘It’s probably unrealistic for Canada to hold this USA team to fewer than three goals. They will need to score to keep up and, with McDavid, Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby leading the charge, there’s plenty of reason to believe they can do just that; even against Connor Hellebuyck.

‘This should be a high-pace, high-event game featuring a level of elite talent we haven’t seen share the same ice in a long, long, time.’

USA-Canada hockey history

The USA beat Canada at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey in a major moment for the U.S. hockey program. But Canada won when the two met in the gold medal games at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. Canada also beat the USA in the Olympic semifinals in 2014 on the way to a second consecutive gold medal. — Mike Brehm

Travis Sanheim to make tournament debut

Canada defenseman Travis Sanheim, a scratch in the opening game, is scheduled to make his debut at the tournament because of an injury to Shea Theodore. The Vegas Golden Knights defenseman was injured on Wednesday when checked in the boards by Sweden’s Adrian Kempe. He has been ruled out of the tournament and is week-to-week. — Mike Brehm

Cale Makar game-time decision

Canada defenseman Cale Makar (illness) is a game-time decision, per NHL.com. If he can’t go, Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, an emergency addition to the roster, could suit up. — Mike Brehm

World Cup of Hockey returning in 2028

The World Cup of Hockey will return in February 2028, and the NHL and players association envision a continuing cycle of alternating Olympics and World Cups every two years.

Details are still to be worked out, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday it would involve ‘at least’ eight countries. Cities, including those in Europe, can start bidding in the coming months. Bettman said he didn’t foresee any melded teams, as happened in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey with smaller European countries forming one team and the North American 23-and-under ‘Young Guns’ forming another.

It’s up in the air whether Russian players can take part because of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The International Ice Hockey Federation recently voted to ban Russian players from its championships for another year, through the 2025-26 season. — Mike Brehm

4 Nations Face-Off format

Each country will play one game against the other three nations during the round robin. Teams get three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime/shootout win and one point for an overtime/shootout loss. The two teams with the best records play each other in the championship game.

A tie in the standings between two teams will be decided by the head-to-head result between those tied teams.

Games will be played under NHL rules, except that overtime involves 10 minutes of 3-on-3 sudden death during the round robin rather than the NHL’s five minutes. If it’s still tied after 10 minutes, the game goes to a shootout. During the championship game, overtime is like NHL playoff overtime: 5-on-5 hockey for 20-minute periods until a goal is scored. — Mike Brehm

Team USA lineup

Team Canada lineup

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