Players and coaches across the 4 Nations tournament acknowledged that the clash between Team USA and Team Canada on Saturday was a significant moment for the sport.

Thursday night's USA-Canada championship game at the 4 Nations Face-Off showed viewers' appetite for best-on-best international hockey. ESPN said the game, which Canada won 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, averaged 9.3 million viewers, its biggest hockey audience ever. It peaked at 10.4 million.

The result was the culmination of a midseason tournament that featured stars from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — and a surprisingly political atmosphere.