Much of the NHL will scatter to the winds next week for a rare 10-day in-season break — a chance to recharge and heal up ahead of the playoff push.
But while they’re back home in Europe or hanging with the family stateside or lounging on a beach in the Caribbean sipping piña coladas, most of them will be keeping tabs on the first best-on-best hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
“I think it’s sick,” one player said. “Best-on-best. That’s what everybody wants to see. I’m gonna watch.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off might not have the history of the Olympics or the depth of field of a World Cup, but it’s still going to have Connor McDavid squaring off against Auston Matthews, Aleksander Barkov against Elias Pettersson and countless other tantalizing matchups.
The best players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States will go head-to-head in Boston and Montreal in a round-robin tournament. The two teams with the best round-robin record (three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and zero points for a regulation loss) will meet in Boston on Feb. 20 for the championship.
The Athletic asked 110 active players — who were granted anonymity so they could be brutally honest, if need be — if they were interested in the tournament, and the overwhelming majority of them said yes … with some exceptions, of course.
Natually, those who are playing in the event are interested. Well, 15 of the 16 we asked, at least. But some of them are living in both the present and the future, seeing the 4 Nations as an audition for the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
“The last time we had a full international, best-on-best tournament was the World Cup, and that was a week before I made the NHL,” one Team Canada player said. “In my entire career, we haven’t had this. … With the Olympics next year, you want to perform well — to obviously win the 4 Nations and hopefully be a part of more of these events in the next few seasons.”
“Just because it’s a precursor to the Olympics,” said another player who voted yes. “As a fan of hockey, I’m watching it. I remember growing up, those are just such big hockey moments. For hockey in general, it’s great. It’s unfortunate we’ve missed the Olympics because it’s such a big worldwide event. I want to watch the best-on-best, too, and the best players want to play in them. It’s long overdue.”
“I’m on it, so I will care about it, for sure,” one Team Sweden player said. “You look at the bigger picture, too, is the Olympics is right around the corner. So, it’s a big chance for me to show who I am, and it’s a coaching staff that I haven’t had too much to deal with in the past. Absolutely, I care about it.”
And the participating player who wasn’t interested?
“I’d rather go back home to (my home country),” he said. “I’d rather (have) a two-week break. It sucks you miss the two-week break, but it’s cool you’re playing against the best players right now. Except the Russians aren’t allowed to be in there. That’s stupid. They’re the best players right now.”
Understandably, he wasn’t the only one to express apathy over countries left out of the tournament.
“When our nation is not part of it, I don’t (care),” a Czech player said.
“(My country) is not in it, so not really (interested),” one player whose country isn’t competing said. “I will enjoy my break and get my body ready for the home stretch and hopefully a good playoff run. However, I do think that it has been too long since fans got to watch best-on-best hockey, so it is exciting for them. It will also raise anticipation for the Olympics that are coming up.”
“Me, a guy whose country isn’t participating, I don’t really care,” another Czech player said. “I’ll watch to watch the guys I play with or used to play with.”
“There should be Russia there, too,” a Russian player said.
Interestingly, another Russian player said, “I’ll watch U.S.-Canada, but that’s it.”
One Canadian player, who was not chosen to participate, said it comes down to wanting to see his country come out on top.
“Anytime there’s an international stage with the best players, there’s a sense of Canadian pride.”
Indeed, Canadian players in general indicated more likelihood to watch than Americans.
Some players said they could take it or leave it. They won’t go out of their way to follow the action, but they won’t change the channel if it comes on, either.
“Do I care about it? No,” said one player. “Do I think it’s a cool concept? Yes.”
“That’s our break,” one player said. “But if we’re at a bar, I’ll definitely check and tune in. If it’s Canada-U.S. in the final, I’ll tune in.”
You hear a lot of talk about “growing the game” around international play, and while that’s largely the purview of the league offices, players too understand the value of getting a spotlight during one of the quietest months of the sports calendar.
It’s certainly a step up in excitement from another tepid All-Star weekend, which plenty of players flat-out dread.
“I think anything public like that is great for league, just getting eyes on it,” one player said. “It’s great for everyone. The more new stuff they do, mix it up and not do the same thing every year, is great for the league. Even for guys not playing, it’ll be fun to watch.”
“I think it’s cool,” another player said. “I think it’s something that will definitely grow the game. That best-on-best competition is awesome as a fan. If I’m able to watch it, I’ll definitely be tuning in myself. I think it’s really cool to have those kinds of things. It obviously makes the schedule a bit tougher, but it’s something I think is still cool and enjoyable to watch.”
“It will be really good hockey,” another player said. “And that’s what they’re going for. It’s not like there’s meaning behind it like the Olympics or worlds or World Juniors. It doesn’t have that. But it’s a spin-off of that, but also you’re creating a crazy, awesome tournament that’s gonna be really fun to watch, hockey-wise. And I’ll be interested to see how it goes.”
As for the 20 players who said they don’t really care? Leave them alone. Can’t you read the out-of-office reply?
“I’m going to enjoy my beach time, to be honest,” one said.
The first ever #4Nations Face-Off is headed to Montreal and Boston, February 12-20, 2025. pic.twitter.com/U2QrHy6FLD
— NHL (@NHL) June 8, 2024
GO DEEPER
Matthew Tkachuk ‘completely jacked’ for 4 Nations: ‘This is not an All-Star Game’
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic, with photos by Ric Tapia and Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
