#### Kittle Called the Hype
If you've listened to "The Kittle Things," you might not be surprised Kittle made the trip.
During a December episode, Kittle sat down with longtime friend and Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg, who represents Sweden internationally.
> "Olympic hockey is going to be electric," Kittle said during the episode. "For USA-Canada, the puck drops and there's three fights in the first 10 seconds... now we want more!"
Forsberg noted that the excitement around international matchups has continued to grow, especially following the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off championship game in Boston, where Team USA fell 3-2 to Canada in overtime.
And in a bit of full-circle irony? Team USA defeated Forsberg's Sweden squad in the quarterfinals and will advance to Friday's semifinal. Canada has also advanced, setting up the potential for a rematch if both teams reach the gold medal game.