BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – FEBRUARY 20: Jaccob Slavin #74 of Team United States shakes hands with Team Canada players after the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship game between Team Canada and Team United States at TD Garden on February 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Team Canada defeated Team United States 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Ben Jackson/4NFO/World Cup of Hockey via Getty Images)
When the National Hockey League announced a year ago that instead of a traditional All-Star game in 2025, it would host a four-nation tournament with top NHL stars playing for their home countries, the league couldn’t have known how things would turn out.
They might have hoped that the United States and Canada would be the last two teams standing, playing against each other for the championship.
They might have hoped that the teams would inspire passions on the ice strong enough that the first U.S. versus Canada game saw 3 hockey fights break out in the first 9 seconds.
And, they might have hoped that fans would cheer for their home nations—although I can’t imagine anyone would have imagined that President Trump would talk about wanting to absorb Canada as the 51st U.S. state in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with Canadians almost uniformly rejecting the idea and tensions reaching the point that fans would boo each others’ national anthems.
The final game Thursday was an absolute thriller — or a heartbreaker, likely depending on which side of the border you’re on, in which Canada beat the United States 3 to 2 in overtime.
After the game however, there was a heartwarming and inspiring ritual that I had almost forgotten about, but that anyone who had thought carefully about this tournament ahead of time probably could have predicted: the post-game handshakes.
Unlike most other professional sports in North America, hockey has a tradition in which after big games and tournaments, the winning and losing teams line up so that every player shakes the hand of every opposing player.
Sure, some of the greetings are perfunctory.
It can take a certain kind of humility and even bravery for the losing team to stick around and on the ice and watch as the winning team celebrates, knowing that you’ll have to line up and congratulate each victorious player individually.
But there can also be some poignant exchanges.
I was struck by one that lasted a few seconds last night, as American forward Auston Matthews (who plays for a Canadian NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs), exchanged what looked like very gracious words with Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington (who plays for an American NHL team, the St. Louis Blues).
None of this is a knock against other sports. But it’s funny to me that for all the football, basketball, soccer, and baseball I’ve watched over the years, it never quite occurred to me that most other sports don’t have this tradition.
I guess it’s inconspicuous by its absence. I was glad to see it last night, especially after all the pre-game tensions.
And I hope that some of the likely millions of people who aren’t truly hockey fans but who tuned in for the game last night noticed it too.
Look, if you’re reading this article on Inc.com, chances are you’re a business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur.
Maybe you’re also a hockey fan. But either way, you’re no stranger to fierce competition.
Maybe you can even think of the business equivalent of “3 hockey fights breaking out in the first 9 seconds,” in terms of cutthroat rivalries with other industry players.
Besides pure entertainment, however, one reason people watch and comment about sports like this is that they can offer metaphors for other parts of life.
No, none of us can predict the future. But maybe it’s worth thinking ahead of time: What’s your equivalent of the post-game handshake?
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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