The 4 Nations Face-Off final was a hit on the ice for viewers across North America. The championship game of the best-on-best international tournament between the United States and Canada on Thursday was watched by 16.1 million viewers in North America, with 9.3 million viewers in the United States and 6.3 million in Canada.

The U.S. and Canada men’s ice hockey teams, set to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament final on Thursday night, have come to represent more than just their athletic skill. On both sides of the border, the rivalry in the rink has been seen by some as an extension of the political tensions between the once-friendly allies.

The U.S. and Canadian hockey teams are trying to skate back the geopolitical tension that has infiltrated the 4 Nations Face-Off as they looked ahead to the championship game Thursday night for what has turned into one of the best international hockey tournaments in decades.