For an in-season tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off exceeded everyone’s expectations — and Thursday’s championship game between Team Canada and Team USA was no exception.
Perhaps it had to do with President Donald Trump’s constant threats to annex Canada and Canadians' subsequent booing of the Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events, but it felt like there was more on the line than a stainless steel trophy.
The game was a rematch of Saturday’s contest between the two teams, which the Americans won 3-1 with an empty-net goal. But it’s hard to beat a good team twice in a row, and Canada pulled out the victory on Thursday to win the tournament.
The game
It didn’t have the three fights in nine seconds that new hockey fans may have come to expect after watching Saturday’s game, but Canada/USA games never disappoint.
This was a tight game. Mistakes were few and far between on both ends of the ice. All 12 defensemen played at near-superhuman levels — especially Team USA’s Jaccob Slavin — and both goalies came to win.
Ultimately, the stars got the job done.
Nathan MacKinnon struck early for Canada, and Brady Tkachuk followed it up to the U.S. before the end of the period. Jake Sanderson, who has the tools to be a top defenseman in the league in short order, gave the Americans their first and only lead of the game in the second period, which was answered by 2014 fourth-overall pick Sam Bennett.
But the biggest star in hockey, Connor McDavid, had the biggest impact, scoring the overtime winner.
It was a 3-2 win for Canada, giving them yet another win in best-on-best international hockey.
Passing the torch
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Team Canada lost just one game: a round robin contest with Team USA. But when they met the Americans again in the gold medal game, they knew what to tweak.
The same thing happened this week during the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off. But the similarities between the two tournaments don’t stop there.
The 2010 gold medal game was tied at 2-2 after regulation, meaning sudden-death overtime was necessary to determine a winner. The same two teams found themselves in the same situation on Thursday, just eight days shy of the 15-year anniversary of the 2010 game.
In 2010, Jarome Iginla scooped the puck up from along the boards to the goalie’s right and fed it into the slot for Sidney Crosby, who made no mistake putting it in to seal the deal. The goal metaphorically passed the torch to Crosby, who was expected to lead Team Canada the rest of his career.
On Thursday, Mitch Marner grabbed the puck from along the boards to the goalie’s right and fed it into the slot for Connor McDavid, who made no mistake putting it in to seal the deal. The goal now metaphorically passes the torch to McDavid, who will be expected to lead Team Canada the rest of his career.
The two goals were similar in nature and their significance to Canadian international hockey is identical.
What does this do for the sport of hockey?
One of the NHL’s goals is always to grow the game of hockey, especially outside of Canada. Regardless of the outcome, the tournament showcased the sport and drew attention from around the globe — especially in the United States.
“It shows that hockey is the best sport in the world, in my opinion,” said Utah Hockey Club captain Clayton Keller of the 4 Nations Face-Off after UHC’s practice on Thursday. “It’s good to see more eyes, more popularity.”
If there’s anyone that can speak on growing the game in the U.S., it’s Keller. He was tasked with that responsibility for eight seasons in Arizona, and now he’s starting all over in Utah.
This iteration of Team USA was widely regarded as the best group of American hockey players ever assembled. They didn’t get the job done this time, but their anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics is now even greater.
At the media day preceding the tournament, the NHL and NHLPA announced plans to participate in the Olympics and bring back the World Cup of Hockey for the foreseeable future. That means there will be best-on-best international hockey every other year.
So if you enjoyed this tournament, don’t worry: You won’t have to wait another nine years for the next one.