Hockey is the third most popular sport in the world and is known for its speed and physical contact. Now assemble the Four Nations Face-Off, in which four countries put forth teams of their top hockey players and pit them against each other to find the ultimate champion. With hopes to become international legends and bring glory to their home countries, the participating teams left it all on the ice.
Despite the immense success of the tournament, the National Hockey League commissioner has yet to determine if the tournament will return next season.
The Four Nations Face-Off replaced the NHL All-Star Game, a decision that was warmly welcomed by NHL fans. The NHL All-Star Game is advertised as a matchup of the league’s best of the best—a matchup that on paper sounds like an incredible game. However, with the physicality and damage one game of hockey can do to a player’s body, the players find no need to play hard and risk injury, resulting in a slow game with little exciting moments.
With the switch to an international hockey tournament, the games began to mean something to the players. With a purpose to play for their home countries, the players competed hard, giving fans what they wanted: a showcase of the NHL’s best players going head-to-head. Representing their countries also extracted pride from the players, making the tournament a serious competition rather than a throw-away game.
Another reason the tournament was such a success was the number of big-name players representing the four selected countries: the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. Players such as Connor McDavid, Aleksander Barkov, Auston Matthews and many others competed against each other with a purpose, a quality the NHL All-Star Game lacked. The big-name players and effect of international hockey was undoubtedly key to the Four Nations monumental success.
One point worth mentioning is the amount of attention the NHL managed to pull in with the tournament. According to NHL.com, the final round between Canada and the U.S. was the second most-watched hockey game in the last decade, reeling in 16.1 million viewers. ESPN declared it the largest audience for a non-NFL game ever to be broadcasted on ESPN+.
Of the 16.1 million viewers that tuned in for the final, 9.3 million viewers came from the U.S. With a country whose sports entertainment industry is dominated by football and basketball, this was a major success, proving that hockey could become more popular in America.
The Four Nations Face-Off was also successful in drawing in new interest in the sport. NHL.com reported that the U.S. averaged 6.5 million viewers over the span of the tournament. This was a 256% increase from the last international hockey events played at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
The NHL hopes to capitalize off this new attention and interest and reel viewers back for regular NHL games. The Four Nations Face-Off also brought attention to the next Winter Olympic Games that will occur in Milan in 2026. The tournament’s viewership from fans made it an overwhelming success, and the NHL would be foolish not to bring back such a spectacular and popular tournament.
Another reason Fou Nations should make a return is the amount of revenue it generated. According to Sports Illustrated, for the championship round, the ticket price to get in the arena was over $700. Tickets prices varied around the arena and spiked to over $14,000; it was even a sellout crowd at the TD Garden Arena in Boston. The profits were split between the players’ union and the league.
The championship game was a competitive masterpiece of entertainment for fans. The two hockey juggernauts, the U.S. and Canada, both super teams riddled with NHL superstars, were ready to battle to determine which nation was to be crowned the king of hockey.
The teams traded goals as well as magnificent saves with emotions running high. It seemed like destiny that they would enter overtime at a 2-2 tie. Both teams seemed to stay solid and not break, but there had to be a winner. After a few minutes of overtime, arguably the best player in the world, Connor McDavid, put the puck past the best goalie in the world, Connor Hellebuyck, winning the Four Nations Face-Off for Canada.
This was an extremely cinematic ending and exactly what the NHL had hoped for: a game between two hockey superpowers ending in overtime, with the best skater ending the game against the best goalie. Despite whom anyone was rooting for, the games were undeniably entertaining and great for the sport, hence why they should return to the NHL season in 2027.
The Four Nations Face-Off can only be described as perfect. It managed to do what the NHL All-Star Game has failed to do for years. It recognized and showcased the NHL’s best stars in competitive games for fans. The increase in viewership and revenue generated is proof that fans loved the tournament. The NHL has managed to transform an uncared-for event into something fans want to watch. The success found by the Four Nations Face-Off was immense, and the NHL must bring it back for the fans who hold this sport so dear.
