The National Hockey League held their first ever 4 Nations Face-Off tournament from February 12th to 20th in Montreal and Boston. The tournament was announced at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The tournament featured NHL players born in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland. The tournament was played in a round-robin format, where each team played each other at least once. While Sweden and Finland both had solid rosters, the real battle was between the U.S. and Canada.
The tournament took place amid increasingly heightened political tensions between the U.S. and Canada, as President Trump made several comments about annexing Canada and proposing tariffs on Canadian goods. At the first U.S. vs. Canada game in Montreal, both national anthems were played, and Canadian fans booed the U.S. national anthem. In an act of retaliation, American fans booed the Canadian national anthem at the championship game in Boston.
The excitement around the 4 Nations Face-Off has prompted discussion over whether or not it should replace the All-Star Game permanently. While the tournament has brought many new viewers to hockey, with the championship game bringing in a record amount of viewers, players were more willing to play injured during the tournament than the All-Star Game, which eats into their regular season play. Florida Panthers player Matthew Tkachuk sustained an injury during the first U.S. vs. Canada game and will sit out the rest of the season. Senior Max Holland said, “It is unfortunate that the tournament is affecting the regular season, the NHL needs to reconsider how to go about this for next season.” Another criticism lobbed at the tournament is that it only includes four countries, despite the NHL having players from far more nations. Senior Solaine Bardin said, “It would have been nice to see someone like Igor Shesterkin play, but he couldn’t due to being born in Russia.”
The first U.S. vs. Canada game was very eventful, with three fights taking place during the first nine seconds of the game. This game caught the attention of many non-hockey fans, as many were likely unaware of how physical the long-time rivalry between the U.S. and Canada was. The U.S. vs. Canada round-robin game ended with the U.S. winning 3-1 and clinching their spot in the championship. Each with two wins and one loss, the U.S. and Canada faced off again in the championship game. The teams were incredibly evenly matched, ending the second period with a 2-2 tie. Neither team scored in the third period, bringing the championship into overtime. The nations battled for eight minutes until Canadian player Connor McDavid scored, bringing the championship home to Canada. Following Canada’s championship victory, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”