The Four Nations Finale has been building for the last two weeks, and with so much tension on and off the ice between Canada and the United States, the Championship Game on Thursday will be one of the most emotionally charged games in the history of the sport.
Canada has already suffered the injury of Shea Theodore, and now the United States have ruled out Charlie McAvoy due to injury, with the latter hospitalized after the teams matchup with Sweden, only to miss the Finale after an impressive tournament.
Now, the Bruins superstar defenseman has been released from hospital, and he immediately took to social media to announce it in a post that showed support for his American teammates ahead of the game.
In the post, McAvoy showed 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynard playing in his car, the song that has become the anthem for the United States team during their impressive Four Nations run in which they went 2-1-0, quickly clinching a spot in the Finale with their 3-1 win over Canada.
However, the team are now dealing with the loss of McAvoy while the likes of Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk all deal with niggling injuries, but with home ice advantage in Boston, they're expected to get up for this game in a big way.
Given all of the tension and the rhetoric off the ice too, it adds another massive layer to this story, and with so much heading into this game, fans are geared up for what could be the biggest game in hockey history.