As a perpetual pest who has ended the Bruins’ season the past two years, Matthew Tkachuk wears a black hat when he enters TD Garden as a member of the Florida Panthers.

But when Team USA takes the Garden stage on Thursday for its mammoth championship game against Canada in the 4 Nations Face-off, the only colors that will matter are red, white and blue. In meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Tkachuk was wearing them on his sleeve.

Tkachuk was banged up in the Americans’ 3-1 win over the Canadians last Saturday and then sat out Monday’s meaningless 2-1 loss to Sweden. But he left little doubt about his status for the biggest international hockey game this city has ever hosted. He’s ready to go.

“It’s going to be an incredible environment, just the lead-up and the buildup and everything that’s come with it has been incredible and something that we don’t take for granted,” said Tkachuk after the Garden practice. “The millions of people supporting us and the generations before us and the generations that we could add and the kids that are watching at home that want to be us, we could open up a whole new wave of hockey players in this country. So this opportunity is one we don’t take lightly. Obviously wearing the jersey and representing your country is such an incredible honor and what we play for. The opportunity we have Thursday is something I don’t even think we thought was possible and what we could create.”

Matthew Tkachuk and coach Mike Sullivan said that the other Tkachuk brother, Brady, who left the Sweden game with a lower body injury and did not practice on Wednesday, would be in the lineup as well. Auston Matthews, who sat out the Sweden game with upper body soreness, practiced and is expected to play.

Not playing will be Charlie McAvoy (shoulder, infection) and he’s a big loss considering he played a big role in the win over Canada last Saturday. Another check mark in Canada’s favor is the fact that Cale Makar, the most dynamic defenseman in the game who missed the first game against the U.S. due to illness, will be in Canada’s lineup. Throw in the fact that Canada boasts some of the most explosive offensive stars in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon as well as a hockey Mount Rushmore figure in Sidney Crosby, then you know it will be no easy task for the Americans to beat Canada twice in five days.

But in listening to Matthew Tkachuk, you get the feeling that if a team could win on emotion alone, this USA squad – which has plenty of talent itself – would have no problem.

“It’s pretty much everyone’s first time wearing the USA crest (in best-on-best at this level) and that just takes over you,” said Tkachuk. “The pride that we have is obviously through the roof and then you throw on that jersey and you almost can’t control yourself, how excited you are and the feelings you get. We’re the luckiest people in the world to be from the United States and even luckier to be able to wear the jersey and represent everyone across the country.”

None of the U.S. players were alive to see the 1980 Miracle on Ice, but you’d be hard pressed to find a player on the team who couldn’t recite all the lines form the move “Miracle.”

It’s not lost on the participants that this game could be a similarly transcendent event that reaches all corners of the country.

“Whether you like hockey or not, I think our team has helped grow the game in this country already,” said Tkachuk. “I think a win could knock that door right down and open up a whole new wave of hockey players throughout the whole country.”

The Canadians have long worn the mantle of being the king of the hill in the hockey world. Coach Jon Cooper said Wednesday that they would like nothing better than “stick their chests out” again in defense of that unofficial crown. But Cooper has also taken pride in how hockey has taken center stage at the moment.

“Everyone in this room follows this sport for a living. It’s been really cool for four or three days to see the whole world following the sport,” said Cooper. “And I think everybody should be proud, the U.S. team included, in how their passion and want and will to win and compete on such an organic level has galvanized the political world, the sports world, everybody. We’re proud to be a part of that, especially with our group and what they’ve done.”

It is hard to imagine we see the same kind of start that we saw last Saturday in Montreal, when the Tkachuk brothers and J.T. Miller kicked things off with three fights in the first nine seconds.

Then again, the stakes are even higher this time.

“It was a Game 7 feel last Saturday,” said Tkachuk, “and it’s for all the marbles this time.”