INTERNATIONAL APPETIZER

To be sure, compared to the Olympics, the 4 Nations Face-Off – a custom-made NHL event with handpicked teams and an abbreviated schedule – is a side dish. But it still offers best-on-best international intrigue, as well as a sneak peek at what may transpire at the 2026 Winter Games

BY JARED CLINTON

WHEN THE PUCK DROPS on the 4 Nations Face-Off at Montreal’s Bell Centre on Feb. 12, with the top NHL talents from Canada and Sweden squaring off in the tournament’s opening game, it will mark the return of best-on-best men’s hockey – albeit with an asterisk. The footnote here is that the Olympics this is not. Truthfully, the four-team tournament is to the pinnacle of international hockey what a fast-food hamburger is to A5 Wagyu steak. But hey, while nothing hits the sweet spot quite like the finest cut in town, you’re not about to turn down two patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, all on a sesame-seed bun, when you’re starving. It is, however, impossible to ignore that the tournament has, for some, been defined as much by what it…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Rookie Issue 2025

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