Brandon Hagel Spills the Truth About Team Canada's Secret "Champions" Chat After 4 Nations Triumph Over USA
Group chats seem to have been a running theme at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and now Team Canada's Brandon Hagel revealed shocking new details about it.
Brandon Hagel confirmed Team Canada had a group chat after his "champions" post went viral last week. The NHL Network shared a clip Thursday in which Hagel spoke about what it was all about.
"I don't know. Obviously, we had a group chat. I think every team does regardless of what it is and I don't know. I think it was just popped in my head after a few drinks and I thought that was a good idea."
- Brandon Hagel
On Feb. 20, Hagel shared an Instagram Story of a Canadian flag with the text "Champions." The photo seemed to be a screenshot from a group chat, alluding to an older controversy.
The group chat controversy began at the 4 Nations Face-Off after the U.S.-Canada battle on Feb. 15.
The bad blood between the two countries culminated with three fights in nine seconds
Three fights broke out within the first 9 seconds, which was later discovered to have been pre-arranged in Team USA's group chat by Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, along with J.T. Miller.
Hagel, who fought Matthew Tkachuk within the first few seconds of the game, trash-talked the U.S. team before the tournament final.
"We're out there playing for a flag, not the cameras," Hagel said, via NHL.com. "That's the part of Canada we have in [the dressing room]. We don't need to initiate anything. We don't need any group chats going on."
Tkachuk had a retort of his own.
"Maybe their team doesn't like each other then if they don't have group chats," Tkachuk said. "Our team doesn't care about anything that they say."
The next set of international play featuring NHL players will be next winter at the Olympics in Italy.
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