In many ways, the poster children for the return of best-on-best hockey have long been Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. The No. 1 picks from the 2015 and 2016 NHL drafts, respectively, McDavid and Matthews were teased with a version of it as teammates on the made-up Team North America youth squad at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Team Canada won their first assignment in the tournament by taking down Sweden via overtime, 4-3. But Canada fell prey to Team USA, 3-1, in the following contest that was marred by three consecutive fights right after the game-opening puck drop. McDavid scored Team Canada’s only goal against the Americans.

On Monday, with Canada looking to guarantee a spot in the tournament final with a victory against Finland, it was McDavid again who opened the scoring en route to a 5-3 victory. When it was time to set the tone of the game, the Edmonton Oilers star did exactly that.

In the midst of cross-warnings, Team Canada star Connor McDavid sent a strong statement ahead of the Four Nations Face-Off final against Matthew Tkachuk's Team USA.

Just hours before the 4 Nations Face-Off final between Team Canada and Team USA, Canada forward Connor McDavid spoke with reporters about Thursday’s championship game, the level of competition he’s seen and finally having the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world on the international stage.