NHL 4 Nations Face-Off

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The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off is an ice hockey tournament scheduled to take place on February 12–20, 2025, in two to-be-determined cities—one in the United States and one in Canada. Hosted by the National Hockey League (NHL) and featuring only NHL players, the 4 Nations Face-Off will replace the NHL's annual All-Star Game for 2025. In the tournament, teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will play each other in a round-robin format, followed by a one-game final between the two top-placed teams.

Background[edit]

Further information: List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players
Gary Bettman speaking at a 2023 press conference
Gary Bettman announced the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2024.

The NHL 4 Nations Face-Off was announced at a press conference at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on February 2, 2024, by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.[1] Also present at the press conference were NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) executive director Marty Walsh and four NHL players: Connor McDavid (Canada), Sebastian Aho (Finland), Elias Pettersson (Sweden), and Auston Matthews (United States).[2]

At the press conference, Bettman announced plans for NHL participation in international "best-on-best" tournaments in coming years.[3][4] In 2025, players would participate in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament between NHL players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The NHL 4 Nations Faceoff would happen in lieu of the 2025 NHL All-Star Game.[5] Bettman stated that NHL players would play in the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2030 Winter Olympics, after they had not been allowed to play in the 2018 Winter Olympics or the 2022 Winter Olympics.[1][3] Bettman also stated the league would host the next World Cups of Hockey in 2028 and 2032, with the most recent edition having been held in 2016.[3][6][7]

Men's top 10 IIHF rankings as of May 2023[8]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Increase 1  Canada 4150
2 Decrease 1  Finland 4080
3 Steady  Russia 4050
4 Steady  United States 3940
5 Increase 4  Germany 3835
6 Decrease 1  Sweden 3800
7 Steady   Switzerland 3775
8 Decrease 2  Czech Republic 3735
9 Decrease 1  Slovakia 3690
10 Increase 1  Latvia 3610

At the time of the tournament's announcement, all participating teams were ranked highly by ice hockey's worldwide governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF): Canada (1), Finland (2), United States (4), Sweden (6).[9] Germany, while ranked fifth, did not have enough NHL players to create a roster.[10][9] Though they had enough NHL players to create a roster, Russia and Czechia—ranked third and eighth, respectively—were not included in the tournament.[8][10] Russia was not included in the tournament due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.[11][12][13] Czech forward David Pastrnak called the omission of Czechia a "huge disappointment", though he said he understood there was limited time to organize the tournament.[14][15] In early reporting on the tournament's format, journalist Greg Wyshynski wrote that the competition could not be considered "best-on-best" due to the omission of players from other countries.[16]

Venue[edit]

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be hosted at two venues, one in Canada and one in the United States. The league did not announce the venues when it announced the tournament.[17] Though the venues were not officially announced, insiders reported that the league was considering Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.[14][18][19] In April 2024, Frank Seravalli tweeted that the NHL and NHLPA would confirm Montreal and Boston as sites "in the near future".[20]

Tournament structure[edit]

Two practice days, February 10 and 11, will be held prior to the tournament. From February 12–20, seven total games will be played.[17] The tournament will be held in a round-robin format, with teams winning 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. Each team will play three games, and the two teams with the most points will advance to a one-game final.[17]

Games will be played on NHL-sized rinks, following NHL rules.[17] For round-robin games, overtime will be held in a 10-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death period, followed by a three-round shootout. In the final, overtime will be held in consecutive 20-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death periods.[17]

Teams[edit]

Teams will each consist of 23 players: 20 skaters (forwards and defencemen) and 3 goaltenders.[17] Players will be selected by their respective governing bodies: Hockey Canada, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, and USA Hockey. The NHL stated that six players from each team would be announced in the summer, with the remaining roster being selected "later in the year".[17] The tournament is restricted to players who have a 2024–25 NHL contract and are on an NHL roster as of December 2, 2024.[21] Because the NHL does not have an agreement with the IIHF for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the tournament cannot include non-NHL players.[10][13]

Canada[edit]

In April 2024, it was announced that Don Sweeney and Jim Nill were appointed by Doug Armstrong as Canada's general manager and associate general manager, respectively.[22] Both were also named assistant general managers for the 2026 Olympic team.[23]

Finland[edit]

For the 4 Nations Face-Off, Finland's head coach is Antti Pennanen.[24] According to Iltalehti, Jarmo Kekalainen was asked to serve as general manager for Finland.[25]

Sweden[edit]

United States[edit]

In February 2024, Bill Guerin was announced as general manager of the US team, in addition to coach of the team for the 2026 Winter Olympics.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "NHL to return to Olympics in 2026, 2030, hold '4 Nations Face-Off' in 2025". TSN. The Canadian Press. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Nivison, Austin (February 2, 2024). "NHL announces return to Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, unveils plans for '4 Nations Face-Off'". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wyshinski, Greg (February 2, 2024). "NHL going to Olympics, another 4-nation tourney". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Spiegel, Jackie; Elvin, Gustav (February 2, 2024). "NHL players to return to the Winter Olympics in 2026; play in new 4 Nations Face-off next year". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "NHL To Return To Olympics For 2026, 2030 Winter Games". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Silverman, Alex (February 2, 2024). "NHL, NHLPA announce Olympic return, launch new international event". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Wells, Adam (February 2, 2024). "NHL Announces 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament with Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "IIHF World Ranking". IIHF. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Ellis, Steven (February 2, 2024). "NHL, NHLPA to host 4 Nations Face-Off international tournament in 2025". Daily Faceoff. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Cushman, Kyle (November 20, 2023). "Report: NHL's 2025 international tourney will include just 4 nations". theScore.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Kingerski, Dan (February 2, 2024). "NHL to Stage 4-Nation International Tournament in 2025". Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Koshan, Terry (February 2, 2024). "Return of NHL to Olympics, best-on-best tournaments 'awesome news'". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Seravalli, Frank (October 20, 2023). "NHL's 2025 international tournament won't be a World Cup, and won't have Russian players". Daily Faceoff. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Ryan, Conor (February 6, 2024). "David Pastrnak irked by absence of Czech players in NHL international tournament". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Maple Leafs-led Team Matthews mix competitiveness, chirps in NHL All-Star Game win". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Wyshinski, Greg (November 20, 2023). "Sources: NHL aims for 4-nation tourney in 2025". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "NHL to hold 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025". NHL. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  18. ^ McBride, Jim (February 2, 2024). "NHL players are headed back to Olympics in 2026 — and likely to Boston for a new 2025 tournament - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "NHL to stage 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  20. ^ Seravalli, Frank [@frank_seravalli] (April 12, 2024). "Expect #NHL and #NHLPA to confirm in the near future that Montréal and Boston are the two host cities of the 4 Nations Faceoff, as previously reported" (Tweet). Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "NHL, NHLPA announce 2025 4 Nations Face-Off" (Press release). NHL Public Relations. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  22. ^ "Management group named for 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off" (Press release). Hockey Canada. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  23. ^ "Hockey Canada names Don Sweeney GM for 4 Nations Face-Off". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  24. ^ Kunnari, Timo (March 1, 2024). "Näin Suomen NHL-tähti ylistää maanmiehiään: "Kolme supersentteriä"". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  25. ^ Kunnari, Timo (April 5, 2024). "Leijonille jättivahvistuksia – Jarmo Kekäläiselle uusi rooli?". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  26. ^ "Minnesota Wild's Bill Guerin named GM of U.S. 2026 Olympic and 2025 NHL 4-Nations Face-Off teams". AP News. February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
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