An international hockey tournament that you do not have to wait every four years for? What could be better news than that!
In lieu of the annual All-Star game and skills contest, the National Hockey League is holding an international tournament titled “The Four Nations Faceoff,” that is set to kick off this Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Various selected players from each NHL team will play for their respective countries, including the USA, Finland, Sweden and Canada. This tournament is set to take place at Montreal’s Bell Centre and Boston’s TD Garden.
In this edition of The Puck Drop, I’ll be discussing everything you need to know about these games coming up.
How does it work?
Similar to the WNBA’s Unrivaled League, the Four Nations Faceoff will be set in a round-robin format, with each team playing three games. The two teams with the greatest number of points will play in the Championship game on Feb. 20.
How does the scoring system work?
For each win in regulation, the winning team will notch three points, two points for a win in overtime or in a shootout.
For each loss in regulation, the losing team will earn zero points; while if they lose in overtime or a shootout, they earn one point.
Each game that the teams play will follow the traditional rules and gameplay of the NHL, except for overtime. For each of the round-robin games, overtime will last 10 minutes, instead of the usual five minutes. In the championship game, overtime will be sudden death, until there’s a winner.
Who’s involved?
Multiple players from the NHL, like Connor McDavid, Juuse Saros, Jack Hughes and William Nylander will be partaking for their respective countries.
Sidney Crosby will be the captain for team Canada, Aleksander Barkov for Finland, Victor Hedman for Sweden and Auston Matthews for USA.
It was announced that Crosby would officially play for Canada earlier this week after suffering an injury to his left arm.
Crosby emphasized to ESPN how excited he was to have the chance to play with a bunch of talented players at the same time.
“A ton of talent, a ton of skill. [You have] to think and move quickly, be instinctive and react to some of the plays they make. I think that’s fun.” Crosby said to ESPN on the Canadian team.
Hughes, one of the players for USA, is also excited for the chance to compete on the ice with his American teammates.
“I’m a young guy. I feel like I’ve got a lot of games with USA hockey still left to be played and that’s exciting for me. Obviously, the Devils are my No. 1 focus, but to have the chance to come here and put the sweater back on means a lot.” Hughes said to the media, per the New Jersey Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein.
Where can I watch it?
To suit the needs of the consumers of professional hockey, these games will be broadcasted on various different platforms, including ABC, TNT and ESPN. For those who do not have cable, it will also be livestreamed on various platforms, those being ESPN+, MAX and Disney+.
When are the games?
The tournament is set to kick off Wednesday night with Canada taking on Sweden at 8 p.m. from the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The rest of games are as follows:
Montreal games (Bell Centre):
- Feb. 13: USA vs. Finland (8 p.m.)
- Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden (1 p.m.), USA vs. Canada (8 p.m.)
Boston games (TD Garden):
- Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland (1 p.m.), Sweden vs. USA (8 p.m.)
- Feb. 20: Championship game (8 p.m.)
All in all, this international tournament is proving to be the one to watch for hockey fans alike. Not only will you be able to see these players showcase their all-star skills, but you will also be able to see these players compete with teammates who they normally would not play with for any other circumstance other than the Olympics.
For more information on the rosters and game times, you can do so by referring to this Instagram post from the NHL.