Jessica Pegula has shared her reaction to a feisty 4 Nations hockey clash between USA and Canada. Chaos descended inside Montreal’s Bell Centre as three fights broke out in the first nine seconds of the game.
USA went on to win 3-1 in front of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. However, the encounter will be better remembered for the enormous number of scraps.
Canada’s Brandon Hagel and USA player Matthew Tkachuk fought just two seconds after the game had started. Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, and Canada’s Sam Bennett were then involved in a heated exchange just a second after the game restarted.
Six seconds managed to go by without any fights, but that period was broken by JT Miller and Colton Parayko.
The highlights of the match, including the fights, were uploaded to social media. Tennis star Pegula was clearly a big fan of what she saw.
“Lol I love hockey,” the American wrote on X.
Both hockey teams were keen to play down the fights, pointing out that it was indicative of the emotions surround the match. US coach Mike Sullivan said: “I just think it’s very indicative of what this means to the players.
“There’s two teams out there that are very competitive, that have a ton of pride for their respective teams and their countries.
“For me, when you have an investment in trying to win like the way that it occurred, I think that’s an indication of it. What an incredible hockey game.”
Meanwhile, Pegula has also discussed more important matters. The 30-year-old has suggested there is a lack of trust in the authorities after Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban.
The Italian reached a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to serve the suspension. WADA had appealed after an independent panel cleared Sinner following an International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) investigation which came after he twice tested positive for Clostebol.
Sinner has always argued that he did not take the banned substance knowingly, something WADA has accepted. But the latest development has split opinion among tennis stars.
Pegula said: “I think my reaction is that, whether you think he did or you don’t, or whatever side you’re on, the process just seems to be completely like not a process.
“It seems to just kind of be whatever decisions and factors they take into consideration, and they just kind of make up their own ruling. I don’t really understand how that’s fair for athletes, how it’s fair for players when there’s just so much inconsistency and you have no idea.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk