Adam Fantilli missed the start of the game between the United States and Canada on Saturday night. He had good reason to do so.
“I missed the start of the game. I was watching my brother play against Minnesota,” Fantilli said. “And I booted right over to a local bar to watch the game. From then on, I was glued to the TV. It was sick.”
The 4-Nations Faceoff has been a tremendous event for fans to watch. Imagine what that’s like from the perspective of a player. Thursday night will be no different.
“It’s the best hockey you can watch right now,” Fantilli said. “I was watching the game with Luke Hughes and we were saying it’s probably the fastest hockey game that’s ever been played to be honest. That’s really cool to watch.”
The players who long ago dreamed of a game like this, will skate tonight for the kids now dreaming to play in a game like this.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 20, 2025
Canada vs. USA for the #4Nations Face-Off championship, 8 p.m. ET on @espn, @ESPNPlus, @DisneyPlus, @Sportsnet & @TVASports. pic.twitter.com/mJ37N0MXK2
The excitement level can be felt throughout the Blue Jackets’ locker room. There’s even a little bit of a divide within the room for a couple of reasons.
First, the Blue Jackets’ room has a heavy Canadian presence in it. But then second, their teammate Zach Werenski has had a great tournament to the point where he has an outside chance to win MVP.
We spoke to Fantilli and Kent Johnson for the Canadian perspective and James van Riemsdyk for the United States perspective. No matter what happens in the game Thursday, allegiances to their country win out. But they also want Werenski to shine too.
Fantilli & Johnson
Johnson admitted also missing the start of the game Saturday night. He got a bunch of texts about the fights. But then he settled in and watched the rest of the game.
“Such a good hockey game,” Johnson said. “It’s unreal. Every player out there is so good and they’re there for a reason. It’s just really fun to watch. I’m really excited for Thursday.”
Both Fantilli and Johnson have had their moments with Team Canada. It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that if asked, they would do whatever it takes for their country even if that means dropping the gloves.
“I think anytime if you’re teammates, if that was what I had to do, I’d do it,” Johnson said. “Maybe luckily for me, it’s not really going to be called upon me.”
“Of course,” Fantilli said. “I’ve never been scared to fight. If the time’s right especially in a situations like that where you’re playing for your country, everybody’s got to be up for it even if it’s not in your game. It’s still part of the game and I think it still has value.”
van Riemsdyk
Like Fantilli and Johnson, van Riemsdyk couldn’t wait to watch the game Saturday. He just got back from his trip to Florida in time to watch.
“That was amazing,” van Riemsdyk said. “That was great to watch and really entertaining.”
van Riemsdyk did go on to say that he was somewhat surprised at the start of the game. But in the end, everything within the game was fun to see.
“Once you see some of the history as far as the stuff with (Keith Tkachuk) in 1996 with trying to set the tone in that tournament. I know playing at some USA Hockey events in the past, they still talk about that mindset from that team in ’96. So it doesn’t surprise me that two of his kids got out there and got everyone talking about hockey since then. That was exciting and fun to see.”
Like the Canadians, van Riemsdyk would answer the bell if the moment required it.
“I think in those sort of settings, you step outside your comfort zone a little bit as far as when you’re playing on that stage with that quality of player and that quality of setting. It’s best-on-best. I think it just goes to show you how much it means for the guys to represent their country and show how much pride they take in that. That amplified it to another level.”
Werenski’s Performance
If there was one thing Fantilli, Johnson and van Riemsdyk could all agree on, it was how great Werenski has played in this tournament. They’re all excited that everyone gets to see him perform this way on the national stage. It’s something they’re used to seeing everyday.
“It is great to see,” Johnson said. “I’m honestly rooting for him even though I’m rooting for Canada. I’m really happy to see him succeed and do his thing. It’s not really surprising honestly. I think he’s arguably the best d-man in the world right now. It’s really cool to see him do it.”
“He’s got five points in three games. It’s unbelievable, man,” Fantilli said. “He’s been doing it for us all season and he’s been a horse. It’s just great to see. He’s on the other side. I’ll be rooting for Canada (Thursday.) It’s always great to see him do well.”
“It’s no surprise,” van Riemsdyk said. “When you play with a guy and you see him day in and day out, I think that’s when you can really appreciate how good a player he actually is. I got a chance to play with him at Worlds probably five years ago. You always know how good he is and how talented he is. That’s been the most impressive for me. It was from the first captain’s practice that we had here.”
Don’t be surprised to see several Blue Jackets get together to watch the final on Thursday night. There will be bragging rights on the line, perhaps more. But they also get to see Werenski do his thing. They can at least agree on that if nothing else.