4 Nations Face-Off
In replacement of All-Star Weekend, the National Hockey League (NHL) has implemented the 4 Nations Face-Off. Set in a “round-robin” format, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and USA hockey battled it out for the first winner of this tournament.
The tournament set off at the Bell Center in Montreal, home of the Montreal Canadiens, on Wednesday, February 12, and ended at TD Garden in Boston, home of the Boston Bruins, on Thursday, February 20. The tournament kicked off with Canada versus Sweden in an overtime win for Canada. Thursday started the tournament for the US and Finland with a 6-1 win for the Americans.
Saturday started the tournament’s rivalry games of Sweden versus Finland and USA versus Canada. Both teams consider themselves to be rivals of each other and this was certainly evident in both games. The final score for Sweden v Finland’s matinee game was an overtime win for Finland at 4-3. The three stars of the game were Mikael Granlund of the San Jose Sharks, Patrik Laine of the Montreal Canadiens, and Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I think if you ask [Finland], they say they’re the big brother,” Team Sweden’s Captain, Victor Hedman said. “And if you ask us, we’re the big brother.”
Saturday night’s game between Canada and USA was everything but brotherly love. The final score was 3-1 Team USA which clinched a spot in the finals the following week. This game has been brewing since the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games when Canada won gold over Team USA. There were three fights within the first 9 seconds of the game.
Saturday night’s game between Canada and USA was everything but brotherly love. The final score was 3-1 Team USA which clinched a spot in the finals the following week. This game has been brewing since the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games when Canada won gold over Team USA. There were three fights within the first 9 seconds of the game.
Canada struck first with a McDavid goal in the first period, and the U.S. answered over the next three periods with a goal in each. 63 total hits were thrown between the two teams, leaving this game with unfinished business for Team Canada. This was the last game held in Montreal, as all 4 teams traveled to Boston to continue the tournament.
“I think the message we wanted to send is ‘It’s our time,’ we’re in a hostile environment, and we wanted to show that we’re not backing down. They’ve had so much success over so many years over there. They’re some of the best players in the world. We felt in this environment it was a good time to do it. It was a lot of fun.”
Monday’s matinee game in Boston between Canada and Finland ensured Canada’s participation in the finals, leading to a rematch between Team USA and Team Canada. The final score was 5-3 in favor of Canada. With a watered-down Team USA, Monday night’s game ended in a loss to Sweden, with the final score being 2-1. Team USA coach, Mike Sullivan, benched Team USA’s captains Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, and Matthew Tkachuk to let them rest up before the final game against Canada on Thursday, as well as sitting Matthew’s brother, Brady, for precautionary reasons mid-game.
Arguably the best player in the NHL right now, Connor McDavid, scored in overtime to secure Team Canada’s win in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off. Team Canada won 3-2 against Team USA. An emotionally charged hockey game that was ESPN+'s most-viewed game ever that was not football, did not disappoint the 16.1 million viewers watching. Team USA although plagued with injuries was able to hold their own against the stacked Canadian team. Both teams are hoping for a rematch in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games when NHL players will be eligible to compete in the Olympics once again.