A brand new competition will serve as the All-Star Game in the National Hockey League (NHL) this year. Four of the greatest powers in world hockey will face off in a short but intense tournament to crown the first nation champion of the 4 Nations Showdown.
Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden will cross swords during this event which will take place in Montreal and Boston from February 12 to 20.
This will be the first opportunity for hockey fans to see the best against the best in the same tournament since the World Cup of Hockey… in 2016.
Here is in detail what you need to know about this new confrontation.
When: February 12 to 20
Or: Montreal and Boston
The teams: Canada, United States, Finland and Sweden
The broadcast schedule at TVA Sports
Wednesday February 12 | Canada v. Sweden | 8 p.m.
Thursday February 13 | United States v. Finland | 8 p.m.
Saturday February 15 | Finland v. Sweden | 1 p.m.
Saturday February 15 | United States v. Canada | 8 p.m.
Monday February 17 | Canada v. Finland | 1 p.m.
Monday February 17 | Sweden v. United States | 8 p.m.
Thursday February 20 | Grand finale | 8 p.m.
How does it work?
The format is simple. Each country competes once and the two teams with the most points advance to the grand final. Points are also calculated differently than in the regular season in the NHL.
- 3 points for a victory in regulation time
- 2 points for an overtime or shootout victory
- 1 point for a loss in overtime or a shootout
- 0 points for a defeat in regulation time
With the exception of the calculation method for establishing the ranking for the final, the tournament will be governed by the NHL rule book.
During the preliminary round, overtime will be played three against three and will last 10 minutes. The shootout will follow if overtime does not result in a winner.
For the final, overtime will be played five against five for periods of 20 minutes until there is a winner.
-Why only four countries?
The NHL has decided to limit the number of participating countries to four for this first edition based on the number of players playing in the NHL this season. However, it would not be surprising if the league authorities eventually decide to expand the number of nations that will take part in the tournament.
Czechia, the winners of the last World Championship and possibly Russia, sidelined due to the war in Ukraine, could be two excellent candidates. And why not a European team? To be continued…
The best against the best for the first time since… 2016!
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 10 years since the best hockey players on the planet faced each other in the same tournament. The NHL was not in the last two Olympic Games and the World Championship is often devoid of the best elements since the tournament takes place at the same time as the Stanley Cup series.
Even if Russia and the Czech Republic will not be there, the fact remains that the 4 Nations Showdown will feature 8 of the 10 best scorers in the NHL both among forwards and defensemen.
For Canada, it will finally be the opportunity to see Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby at work on the same team, in addition to Nathan MacKinnon.
The United States will be able to count on an outstanding scorer in Auston Matthews, on the best goalie on the circuit in Connor Hellebuyck and on one of the most skillful defenders of his generation in Quinn Hughes.
Sweden’s defensive brigade is probably the most complete and stable of the tournament with Victor Hedman as its mainstay.
And we should never count Finland beaten, as they prioritize a hermetic style during this type of tournament. Aleksander Barkov will have the mandate to measure himself against the best units, his bread and butter.
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