Georges St-Pierre’s cameo on the USA vs. Canada hockey game preceded three wild brawls that likely impressed the previous welterweight champ.
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre‘s presence was one in all the few things USA and Canada hockey fans could unite behind on the 4 Nations game on Saturday.
Just minutes after St-Pierre introduced Team Canada, and after the U.S. National Anthem was booed by spectators, three fights broke out that likely reminded St-Pierre of his fighting prime.
Since retiring from MMA after winning a second UFC world championship, St-Pierre has embraced the love of fans all over the world in awe of his illustrious profession. He’s arguably one in all the best UFC fighters of all time, dismantling fellow legends like BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, and Nick Diaz.
Before the officials dropped the primary puck at USA vs. Canada, St-Pierre got the group riled up and enthusiastic about one in all the largest games within the storied rivalry’s history. But while USA and Canada fans applauded St-Pierre’s presence, it didn’t take long for things to get ugly on the ice.
Georges St-Pierre got a front-row seat for 3 wild brawls at USA vs. Canada
It began when Team USA’s Matthew Tkachuk and Team Canada’s Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves almost immediately after the opening puck drop. It was a fight that likely made St-Pierre relive a few of his iconic UFC moments.
After cooler heads prevailed just three seconds into the sport, Matthew’s brother Brady Tkachuk got into it with Canada’s Sam Bennett, and a second fight broke out.
To the delight of USA and Canada fans, things didn’t stop there. A 3rd fight between Team USA’s JT Miller and Team Canada’s Colton Parayko broke out, capping off one in all the wildest starts to a hockey game you’ll ever see.
Unfortunately for Canadian fans, the three early fights were the high points of the night. Team USA earned a dominant win over Team Canada 3-1, led by two goals from Jake Guentzel and a standout performance from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
Georges St-Pierre walked away from MMA after Colitis diagnosis
After ending Michael Bisping to develop into the UFC middleweight champion at UFC 217, St-Pierre envisioned not less than one middleweight title defense before retiring. But St-Pierre was forced to walk away after he was diagnosed with Colitis, which abruptly ended his UFC comeback stint.
St-Pierre was briefly linked to a possible superfight with Khabib Nurmagomedov before Nurmagomedov announced his retirement in 2020. He was also linked to a modified-rules boxing match with Oscar De La Hoya.
St-Pierre signed the dotted line for a grappling match with Diaz before withdrawing on account of a health issue. As of this writing, St-Pierre hasn’t competed in combat sports since 2017.
St-Pierre entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2020 after one of the vital decorated careers within the Octagon. He set quite a few marks during his profession, including essentially the most successful title defenses (9) and most welterweight title fight wins (12) in UFC history.
