Across all professional sports across the country there has been a growing issue of decreasing viewership of all-star games. Many sports such as the NFL have attempted to redesign their traditional all-star game by creating fun mini-games, only to experience an even greater drop in popularity. However, the NHL completely revolutionized the event and found massive success by creating the Four Nations Faceoff tournament which took place for the first time during the 2025 season.
The tournament featured a round robin format with four teams: USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. The tournament spanned from February 12-20, traveling from Montreal to Boston.
The USA and Canada both were the two favorites to win the tournament, ending up as the final two teams. Before that, in the preliminary rounds USA beat Canada 3-1 in a chippy, heated matchup where multiple fights occurred. Finland and Sweden both showcased promise during the preliminary rounds, but eventually failed to qualify for the finals due to struggling to shut down the offensive weapons of the very strong U.S. and Canada teams.
The final game was an intense, competitive exhibition, where finally Canada prevailed in sudden death overtime 3-2 with the winning goal being scored by standout player Connor McDavid. The US was clearly hindered by injuries, with two of their star players Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk sidelined due to injuries in tournament play. Avid hockey fan Nicky Jones ’26 had remarks about the game, “Devastating injuries to USA in Tkachuk and McAvoy clearly opened the door for Canada’s victory.”
Overall, the tournament was a huge success for the NHL, bringing in hordes of new viewers, and what looks like to be a highlight whenever it is on the schedule for the season.
