In lieu of having an All-Star Game this season, the NHL and NHLPA are staging the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will run Feb. 12-20. This is a round-robin tournament that will feature four national teams — Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — with NHL players from those nations filling rosters.
What’s the schedule and format for the tournament? Who is on the rosters? What are the players saying? And what does it mean for the 2026 Olympic Games?
Read on for answers to those questions and more, courtesy of Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski.
What is the format and rules of the tournament?
Each team will play three games, with the top two teams playing in a winner-take-all final. Teams will receive three points for a win in regulation, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and zero points for a loss in regulation.
Overtime will be a 10-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death period. If the game is not decided in OT, there will be a three-round shootout. Once the tournament reaches the final game, overtime will be held in the more traditional playoff format, with 5-on-5 play in consecutive 20-minute periods. — Clark
Where are the games being held?
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be held in North America, splitting games between Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.
Initially, the proposed format for the midseason tournament would have had the U.S. and Canada play two games in North America, while Sweden and Finland would play two games in either of those two nations. The winners of those matchups, either by points or aggregate goals, would face the second-best team from the other matchup — most likely in North America. The winners of those semifinals would then meet for the tournament championship, leaving open the possibility that the U.S. and Canada could meet in that final game.
But the logistics and schedule for the tournament proved too difficult for something that adventurous. There’s no semifinal round anymore. Instead of a global staging, it’s being held between two Original Six hockey markets.
There are four games held at Bell Centre, including a rivalry doubleheader:
Wednesday, Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden (8 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland (8 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden (1 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 15: USA vs. Canada (8 p.m.)
There are three games scheduled for TD Garden:
Monday, Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland (1 p.m.)
Monday, Feb. 17: Sweden vs. USA (8 p.m.)
Thursday, Feb. 20: Championship Game (8 p.m.)
The possibility is there for the U.S. and Canada to meet in both cities, including for the championship. — Wyshynski
Why only four nations? And why these four?
In a word, practicality. The NHL is putting the 4 Nations tournament together on its own and not in concert with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), whereas the league and IIHF do have a partnership that’s bringing NHL players back to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.
For this tournament, there are only four countries represented because there must be enough NHL skaters to complete each roster. That’s why Germany, for example, isn’t involved. The Czech Republic and Russia both technically have the NHL representation to craft a team, but the league will not have a Russian squad involved because of its war with Ukraine.
The league choosing to go with Canada, the USA, Sweden and Finland means their event incorporates the largest number of NHL stars for now, and in time — if all goes well — the NHL will get more players and countries in the mix. — Shilton
When was the last time there was a best-on-best international tournament with NHL players?
The year was 2016, and the event was the World Cup of Hockey. The tournament was started in 1996, and staged again in 2004 before it returned in 2016.
The 2016 edition included eight teams total, including national teams from Canada, Czechia, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the USA. There was also a Team Europe — for players from nations such as Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia that didn’t have full rosters — while the tournament also introduced Team North America. The roster for Team North America featured under-24 talent from Canada and the United States, including future superstars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck.
The 16-game tournament was ultimately won by Canada, beating Team Europe in a best-of-three format. — Clark
What are the players saying about it?
The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s great for the game of hockey,” Canadian forward Connor Bedard told ESPN. “Great for everyone to see the best players in each country going against each other. It’s going to be awesome and people are going to love watching.”
“It’s going to be incredible for fans and players,” U.S. defenseman Brock Faber said. “It’s best-on-best, which hasn’t happened in a while, and that’s going to be so cool.”
While the younger contingency of NHL skaters might have many opportunities to represent their countries, for some league veterans this 4 Nations event could be their best shot at such a chance.
“I would love to play in it,” U.S. defenseman John Carlson said. “To represent your country is cool; it’s a different animal than what we’re used to. And it’s fun to play against some of your teammates, play with some of your opponents. And obviously I think it’ll be awesome for the game of hockey.” — Shilton
Are there some players who aren’t raving about it?
While many players understand why the 4 Nations Face-Off exists, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s just four nations.
The World Cup of Hockey was more all-encompassing, to the point where the tournament had Team Europe, just to get those players whose national teams didn’t make the cut into the spotlight.
Russia and Czech Republic were both in the World Cup, and are not in the 4 Nations. In the case of the latter, at least one star player feels like his nation should have gotten an invite. Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak led Czechia to an IIHF world championship this year. After winning the title, he posted a photo of himself holding the trophy with the caption: “Maybe Four Nation invite now?”
Pastrnak called exclusion a “huge disappointment,” but said he could understand that there was a limited time and parameter to putting the 4 Nations tournament together.
Wait till 2026, Pasta. — Wyshynski
What does the winning country get?
There will be a trophy for the tournament champion, which is in the final stages of design. The plan is for only the winning team to receive medals, but there hasn’t been too much discussion about that yet behind the scenes.
As of this week, it’s clear the players will be compensated but the dollar amounts have not been determined.
It’s unclear if there is bonus money for the winning teams, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t financial incentives for making this tournament a success. Like the World Cup of Hockey, this tournament is an NHL and NHLPA presentation. The players will get a split of the profits, which will then be split among NHLPA members. The New York Post reported in 2016 that there was a 70-30 revenue split between players who played in the World Cup and those that did not. — Wyshynski
Who is on the rosters?
The teams announced an initial group of six players each in June:
Canada: Cale Makar (D, Avalanche); Sidney Crosby (F, Penguins); Nathan MacKinnon (F, Avalanche); Brad Marchand (F, Bruins); Connor McDavid (F, Oilers); Brayden Point (F, Lightning)
Finland: Juuse Saros (G, Predators); Miro Heiskanen (D, Stars); Esa Lindell (D, Stars); Sebastian Aho (F, Hurricanes); Aleksander Barkov (F, Panthers); Mikko Rantanen (F, Avalanche)
Sweden: Gustav Forsling (D, Panthers); Victor Hedman (D, Lightning); Erik Karlsson (D, Penguins); Filip Forsberg (F, Predators); William Nylander (F, Maple Leafs); Mika Zibanejad (F, Rangers)
United States: Adam Fox (D, Rangers); Quinn Hughes (D, Canucks); Charlie McAvoy (D, Bruins); Jack Eichel (F, Golden Knights); Auston Matthews (F, Maple Leafs); Matthew Tkachuk (F, Panthers)
The full rosters were announced Wednesday. — ESPN Staff
What does all of this mean for the Olympic Games, and future tournaments?
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the 4 Nations tournament “a bit of an appetizer” for the Olympics and World Cup events. The league hasn’t shut down and allowed its skaters to participate in an Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi (meaning players missed out on the 2018 and 2022 showcases).
Top NHLers like Connor McDavid have been championing a return to the Olympics, and finally the league acquiesced and partnered with the IIHF to make that happen in 2026 and 2030. The plan is for the NHL to put on 4 Nations in February, go to the Milan Games in 2026, hold a World Cup in 2028, represent at the 2030 Games and then host another World Cup in 2032. The 2034 Winter Games will be hosted by Salt Lake City.
This tournament is a precursor to all of that, and it should be engaging for fans and give players a taste for that best-on-best style of play, which many haven’t experienced since the NHL last put on a World Cup in 2016. — Shilton
