The U.S-Canada relationship was already on thin ice, after President Trump imposed new tariffs and suggested Canada become the 51st American state. Now, they face off in a wild game of ice hockey - already a pretty wild sport, without the added political tensions - on Friday. Bring your popcorn.

4
The number of minutes Algerian international midfielder Nabil Bentaleb spent on the field before scoring in his return to football after a cardiac arrest in June last year. Bentaleb played for Premier League side Tottenham and German club Schalke before moving to French side Lille in 2023. Bentaleb was also named man of the match.

“We’re in the process of that right now, just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible”.
NBA star Kyrie Irving, on whether he will change allegiances from the U.S. to Australia as his international team. Irving was born in Melbourne while his father was playing in Australia. Irving was overlooked for Team USA’s side at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and is reportedly exploring the legalities of his eligibility to play for his birthplace.

Changes of nationality in sport aren’t always linear. Socceroos player Miloš Degenek played for Australia’s Under-17s side, then Serbia’s Under-19s, then went back to Australia’s Under-23s. To make matters more complex, he was technically born in Croatia, in an area of the country that was part of a self-proclaimed Serb territory called the Republic of Serbian Krajina.

🏈 Former AFL player Josh Hill has been charged with historic child sex offences in WA, and will face court in April after being granted bail yesterday. Hill, 36, played for both the Western Bulldogs (66 games) and the West Coast Eagles (107 games), including an appearance at the 2015 Grand Final for the Eagles. Hill is yet to enter a plea.

🏏 Australian cricketer Matt Kuhnemann will sit out Tasmania’s match against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield, which starts today, after being reported for a suspect bowling action in Australia’s recent match against Sri Lanka. Bowlers can be reported for a suspect bowling action to verify whether their arm is bent during the bowling action, and they are ‘throwing’ the ball rather than ‘bowling’. Should Kuhnemann be found to have bowled illegally, he will be given an opportunity to change his action in order to resume his professional career.

🏀 Steph Curry has been awarded the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the ‘Shaq’s OGs’ side (US-born veteran players) to a win over ‘Chuck’s Global Stars’ (international vets). LeBron James missed the three-game series due to injury, bringing a 20-year consecutive run of appearances to an end.

Macarthur FC captain Valère Germain has quit the A-League side, with the club’s chairman telling AAP the French veteran “is frustrated by the refereeing in this country”. Germain is set to accept an offer to play in Japan.

He was due to face a disciplinary hearing this week after being charged with allegedly making a lewd gesture at a match official earlier this month.

Germain has been one of Macarthur’s best players this season, scoring seven goals so far, and leaves the club as its all-time leading goalscorer.

Germain was handed a two-match ban for allegedly making a lewd gesture at a match official late in his side’s 2-2 draw against Western United. Macarthur had planned to appeal his ban at a Football Australia (FA) disciplinary hearing this week, arguing that Germain was making the gesture towards a friend in the crowd, but said early on Monday it had withdrawn the appeal. Later that day, Germain announced his resignation.

In a statement, a FA spokesperson said Germain’s departure was due to “a range of factors”, and the body “remains committed to upholding the highest standards of officiating in the A-Leagues”.

Enjoying the newsletter?

If you are, why not share the love with your friends? We’d love your help in getting the word out there.

Send them this link to sign up.

Last week, we brought you a story of the U.S. anthem being booed by Canadian ice hockey fans before the two sides played the first game of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Today, the Canadian anthem was booed by U.S. fans at the start of Canada’s clash with Finland. Canada’s 5-3 win has set up a rematch between the two North American countries on Friday (AEDT), with the match taking on a geopolitical life of its own. Here’s some context.

The 4 Nations Face-Off is being held for the first time this year, in the place of the NHL All-Star game. It’s being facilitated by the National Hockey League (NHL), which governs the sport in the U.S. and Canada. The tournament pitted those two nations, as well as Finland and Sweden, against each other in a round-robin format. The two top-ranked teams at the end of the competition play in the final.

Returning U.S. President Donald Trump, who took office for his second term on 20 January, has threatened to impose tariffs on Canada, citing illegal immigration and the flow of drugs into the U.S. through its northern border. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada become the 51st U.S. state.

Since then, the U.S. anthem has been booed at various sports events in Canada. Two weeks ago, Canada and Mexico struck a deal with the Trump administration to pause the imposing tariffs, which included both countries sending members of their National Guards to the borders to reduce drug trafficking into America. A permanent cancellation of the tariffs is yet to be reached.

Both the U.S. and Canada won their first matches of the tournament, with the U.S. beating Finland 6-1 and Canada defeating Sweden 4-3. Then, the U.S. beat Canada 3-1 in Saturday’s game (securing their place in the final), which saw three separate fist fights within the first nine seconds of play. Up to 5.2 million people watched the match, three times higher than an average NHL game. Canada needed to beat Finland today to secure their spot, and warded off a late rally from the European side to win 5-3.

Over the past 25 years, Canada has been the stronger side, beating the U.S. in the gold-medal game at both the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The NHL did not permit its players to play in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics because of the interference with the domestic schedule.  

Water’s never tasted fresher

BILLY is here to shake up the status quo - one sleek aluminium can at a time. Tasting as crisp as it looks, BILLY is ready to take on single-use plastic bottles and offer you the pure, fresh taste of Aussie spring water.

Born in the pristine springs of Mt Buninyong, BILLY’s sparkling and still options are all about quenching your thirst with nature’s best.

Unlike plastic and glass, BILLY’s cans are 100% infinitely recyclable - preserving the freshness and fizz for longer and keeping your hydration game strong with that unmistakable Aussie spring taste.

Ditch the plastic and taste the difference by switching to BILLY today.