It has been more than a decade since the NHL last participated in the Winter Olympics and almost nine years since the league’s top players took part in an international tournament.
That wait is about to end when the puck drops on the 4 Nations Face-Off involving Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The slimmed-down event taking place in Boston and Montreal lacks history, tradition and some of the top talent from elsewhere on Earth, but the prolonged gap between the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and this makes it a must-see, premier showcase of the sport for fans.
“It’s been a while,” said U.S. captain Auston Matthews, who holds that same title as a center for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. “It’s something that the players have been craving and looking forward to, and I think the fans, as well. I think it’s going to be great for the game.”
Matthews is in red, white and blue alongside Jack Eichel and Matthew Tkachuk.
Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid are suiting up with Canada’s Maple Leaf on their chests.
Nordic nations Finland and Sweden are renewing their intense rivalry.
Everything from the star power to the format to the anticipation of a return to the Olympics at the Milan Games in 2026 has players and coaches thrilled to be a part of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“When you put guys together representing their countries, I think it brings out the best in them,” said Crosby, the 37-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins center who helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014.
“If you look at the rosters, I think there’s a lot to get excited about when you look at that and you look at the matchups and best on best — everyone competing against each other internationally — for people that are hockey fans, that’s what you love to see. I think for that reason alone and the fact that it’s been a while will just add to it.”
Some anticipated players have already been scratched.
Finland announced Sunday that Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers is out because of injury and is being replaced by fellow defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo. Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes was ruled out Sunday because of an undisclosed injury, with fellow defenseman Jake Sanderson taking his spot on the U.S. roster.
Still, Sweden has 2020 NHL playoffs MVP and two-time Stanley Cup champion Victor Hedman, the Tampa Bay Lightning captain. Finland has reigning Cup-winning captain Aleksander Barkov, who was very early in his career when he helped his country take home bronze in Sochi 11 years ago.
“I remember every single moment there,” said Barkov, who’s one of eight Florida Panthers players at the 4 Nations. “We’ve been talking about this tournament for a long time. Now it’s here.”
Unlike the Olympics, there isn’t a surefire spot in the quarterfinals of an elimination tournament this time, so every game matters. Each team faces one another in round-robin play, with the top two meeting in the championship matchup.
A regulation win is worth three points, a shootout or overtime win is worth two points and a shootout or overtime loss is one point. Canada coach Jon Cooper said it’s like playing Game 7 of a series three times.
“There’s no, really, margin for error,” he said.
Canada and Sweden open the tournament Wednesday night in Boston, with TNT televising the game, with the Americans and Finland facing off 24 hours later on ESPN. Finland-Sweden and Canada-U.S. matchups follow Saturday on ABC before the action shifts to Montreal. The championship game on Thursday, Feb. 20, will be on ESPN.
After the NHL skipped the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and pulled out of the 2022 Beijing Games because of pandemic-related scheduling challenges, the league, players’ union, International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee struck a deal for players to go to Italy next year and the French Alps in 2030.
The 4 Nations provides a chance to see how players handle a high-stakes competition — the NHL’s All-Star festivities are being skipped this year to make it happen — but those involved don’t see it as just a prep tournament for the next Olympics.
“When that puck drops on the first game of the tournament, zero people will be thinking about the Olympics and everybody will be thinking — on our team anyway — about winning the hockey game,” Cooper said. “I don’t think at one time anybody’s going to sit here and say, ‘This is a stepping stone for the Olympics.'”
That’s what the next 10 months or so are for. Men’s hockey in Milan begins on Feb. 11, 2026.
“Hopefully we can go to the Olympics as well in a year from now, but now we have this tournament ahead of us, playing against the best players in the world and it’s a great challenge for us as individuals and as a team, as well,” Barkov said. “Everyone wants to do really well and everyone wants to win, and that’s what we’re going to go there and do.”
The U.S. and Canada are co-favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook.
“Every team’s got great depth, great players,” U.S. defenseman Adam Fox said. “It’s a star-studded tournament.”