4 Nations Face-Off and Revived Rivalry Between Canada & USA Has Put Hockey in the Spotlight

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It’s been 10 years since we have been able to witness “best-on-best” hockey on the international stage. People questioned how successful the 4 Nations Face-Off would be. How much “buy-in”, care, and emotion would we see from the players participating in the tournament? Were we going to see the same effort we would see in a playoff game, or was there going to be a laid-back approach just like the All-Star Game which was being replaced for this?

Those questions were answered minutes into the opening game on Wednesday night (Feb. 12) when Canada took on Sweden in the Mecca of hockey, the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Through the four games played in this tournament so far, one thing has been clear; these players care A LOT. They haven’t taken this opportunity to represent their country lightly, and it has been some of the most elite, intensified, and entertaining hockey we have ever seen. This “best-on-best” tournament that we have been waiting forever for has been everything we could have asked for and more. On top of that, the best is yet to come, with the championship game set to take place on Thursday (Feb. 20).

“Growing the game” is something the NHL is always trying to do, and what better way to bring notice to hockey than reviving the greatest rivalry this sport has? The 4 Nations Face-Off has been phenomenal in general but having the best players from Canada and the United States go at it is peak. It’s the best hockey you’re ever going to watch and that game on Saturday night lived up to the long awaited hype. 

Canadians are, and will always be, invested and passionate about this sport. It’s a part of our identity. It’s the other half of the rivalry where hockey doesn’t hold that same level of importance. Americans have their football, baseball, and basketball, all three of which are more popular than hockey. 

As a Canadian going to school in the States, the culture shock is real. Big games, trades, or anything of any importance surrounding hockey and the NHL was always the main topic growing up in Calgary, Alberta when it came to sports talk. Now in Arizona, those same conversations are rare and almost non-existent. That’s why I was shocked when I walked into a sports bar in the middle of Tempe, Arizona and the waiter said, “We will be playing the game on the big screen.” I was going in with the thought that I would have to explain to the employees that there is an international hockey tournament going on and that it’s Canada vs USA. Because it isn’t the Olympics and is something that was created by the NHL, I felt like I was going to need to pitch just how important it was that this game gets played somewhere in this restaurant.

I was expecting to watch the game on one of the little side TVs mounted on the walls, but nope, there it was on the big screen along with the volume connected throughout the entire building. Not only that but most of the people who were inside the sports grill were invested and paying attention to the game. Take in that this was happening in a city where some of the general public didn’t even know the Arizona Coyotes existed before they moved to Utah. Walking around shopping centers here you would be lucky to find a couple of items of Coyotes merchandise in a sports apparel store. Hockey is the last thing I would expect to be the main focus on a Saturday night in Arizona. 

Nathan MacKinnon Team Canada
Nathan MacKinnon, Team Canada (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

That right there is enough proof that this 4 Nations Face-Off has been the best thing for the NHL in terms of bringing more attention and viewership to hockey. Replacing the All-Star Game that has become a joke and seems to have less viewership year after year with this tournament, has brought more eyes onto hockey and the thrill and excitement of the sport than anything else has. 

This is the reach that’s possible when it becomes patriotic, I guess. Furthermore, this is the best roster the United States has ever put together. The Americans putting a team with this much star talent together, along with players like Brady and Matthew Tkachuk who want to bring that emotion and energy every time they play, will only continue to grow the game in the United States.

Related: Guide to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

The Canada and USA rivalry, and that game on Saturday night, just amplified everything by a ton. There was a lot of emotion that was built up before that game. From politics and anthem boos to the amount of time that has passed since these two countries have been able to battle it out on the ice, all of that tension and emotion was released the second the puck was dropped. In the first nine seconds, there were three fights and if you weren’t tuned into that game from the start, you were after that. That game ended up drawing 4.4 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielson fast national data. The ESPN broadcast peaked at 5.2 million viewers, which made it the most-watched non-Stanley Cup Final hockey game since 2019. The 4 Nations Face-Off, a new tournament, featuring Canada and the United States, pulled record-breaking ratings all while the NBA All-Star Weekend was happening at the same time.

It was electric, and the players and coaches felt the same way.

“A couple of nights ago when I sat up here if you were going to tell me something was going to top that (opening game) I would not have believed you, but that topped it,” said Canada head coach Jon Cooper post-game. “That was as organic as it gets and it was probably 10 years of no international hockey exhaled in a minute and a half.”

“I just think it’s very indicative of what this means to the players, there are two teams out there that are very competitive, that have a ton of pride for their respective teams and countries […] what an incredible hockey game,” said United States head coach Mike Sullivan.

“Emotional start I mean both teams wanted it, the building was into it. I thought it was a great start and you know that’s a lot of emotion, a lot of intensity, and that’s what we expected,” said Canadian captain Sidney Crosby.

Hockey Blew Up on Social Media 

Those three fights and the game that followed put hockey in the spotlight around the sports world and social media. For once, when you opened up X, the feed was littered with tweets surrounding this rivalry, the three tilts that took place, and how hockey is the best sport ever. It wasn’t just the entire hockey community coming together to talk about this, but it was people who hadn’t tweeted about hockey a day in their lives also taking notice of this. Figures and athletes from different sports joined in on the conversation to praise this tournament and the sport of hockey in general.

The NHL couldn’t have asked for a more successful turnout and with the rematch between Canada and the United States set for Thursday, this time for the championship, it’s only going to get bigger. Hockey is thriving in North America right now, and people are finally taking notice of what this great game has to offer.

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