In past years, the National Hockey League had its best players suit up for an annual All-Star Game. Between 2016 and 2024, the format had four small teams in a three-on-three, bracket-style, laid-back event.
Four teams competed once again this year. Only this time, it was for all the international fame.
The NHL reimagined its all-star weekend this season, forming the 4 Nations Face-Off. As the name implies, players from four countries — Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — suited up for this best-on-best tournament.
Nobody could have predicted what happened when the opening game rolled around on Feb. 12.
A massive success
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The last time NHL players took part in a best-on-best international competition was the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. When 4 Nations was announced to replace the All-Star Game, it was quite a mystery.
“I’m sure everyone didn’t really know what to expect,” said Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon in an interview with Sportsnet. “Obviously questions about it being an All-Star Game, things like that … But guys took this very seriously when you represent your country.”
The tone was set right out of the gate. The first game between Canada and Sweden went into overtime. The pace the players skated at caught the public’s attention and drew them in. As the tournament progressed, more hype surrounded it. It all led to last Thursday’s championship game.
The final tilt featuring Canada and the U.S. drew record viewership. ESPN’s broadcast peaked at 10.4 million viewers. Sportsnet in Canada reported that 10.7 million, about a quarter of the country’s population, tuned in.
“It’s just incredible how much of a home run 4 Nations has been for the NHL and hockey in general,” said retired NFL player J.J. Watt on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Friends who never watched a hockey game in their lives reaching out asking what the plan is for tonight’s game, what food we’re ordering, et cetera.”
Many, many highlights
The big spark was three fights in the first nine seconds of the Canada-U.S. round-robin game. Right after the puck drop, American forward Matthew Tkachuk and Canadian forward Brandon Hagel dropped their gloves and squared up.
“We needed to send a message,” Tkachuk said to ESPN. “We’re here in Montreal on a Saturday night. We want it to be our time, and that message started right from the get-go.”
Finnish forward Mikael Granlund nearly single-handedly kept his team afloat in a 5-3 loss to Canada. He netted two goals in 23 seconds late in the third to flip a 4-1 score into a one-goal game.
In an electrifying final game, the hero was none other than Canadian forward Connor McDavid. He was left open in the slot and sniped the golden goal past American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The Canadian fans inside Boston’s TD Garden erupted as the team mobbed McDavid.
“I know it’s just a quick tournament,” McDavid said to ESPN. “But it means the world to our group … I hope we put on a good show these last couple days and gained some fans, ultimately.”
What about other leagues?
With the success of 4 Nations, other leagues may want to follow suit and phase out All-Star games for international competition. But is that possible?
The answer for the National Football League is no. Only 88 of its nearly 1,700 players recorded at least one snap representing a foreign country. The country home to the most active NFL players other than the U.S. is Canada, with 27.
An NFL roster consists of 53 players. This means unless it wanted to put a team of international players against those from the U.S., international competition would not be possible.
The National Basketball Association is a little more spread out. Canada is, again, most represented outside the U.S., with 21 players on NBA rosters. France and Australia each have 14 players on rosters. Germany has seven, and Serbia has five.
The four teams in an international competition could be the U.S., Canada, Europe and the rest of the world. This would put something on the line and incentivize players to play instead of opting out.
Baseball already has an international competition every few years called the World Baseball Classic, so Major League Baseball likely wouldn’t hold a 4 Nations-style event. However, it could if it wanted to.
In 2024, there were 779 MLB players on active rosters. Outside of the U.S., the Dominican Republic leads the way with 108 players. Venezuela is not far behind with 58. Cuba and Puerto Rico have 18 and 17 players, respectively. MLB rosters have 26 players, meaning four teams could compete in a midseason event if they choose to.
