4 Nations Face-Off: Viewer's Handbook to the NHL's New International Hockey Showdown
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Revamping the Old All-Star Game: Welcome to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off
You're not alone if you’re tired of watching the same old skills competitions and the fluffy no-contact All-Star games.
Over the past few years, dwindling viewership and sagging sponsorships (down 15–25% in Nielsen ratings, according to some reports) have made it clear: hockey fans crave something more exciting and competitive.
A New Era of International Showdowns
Enter the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Rather than another half-hearted All-Star affair, National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman and his executive team, with the help of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), decided it was time to shake things up. In what insiders say was less a solo epiphany and more a collaborative pivot, the idea was born to stage a tournament featuring real, high-stakes hockey. The new format promises edge-of-your-seat action and serves as a vital precursor to the 2026 Winter Olympics—a chance for NHL talent to shine on a truly international stage.
Tournament Blueprint
Dates & Venues
The tournament runs from February 12 to 20, 2025, with games hosted at Montreal’s Bell Centre and Boston’s TD Garden. A detailed schedule can be found on Hockey Canada's website HERE.
Format
This will be a round-robin tournament where each of the four nations, Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden, play each other once. The two teams with the most points will play each other in a one-game final to determine the champion of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.
Points System
3 points for a regulation win
2 points for an overtime or shootout win
1 point for an overtime or shootout loss
0 points for a regulation loss
Overtime & Playoff Formats
Round-Robin Overtime: Should a game end in a tie after regulation, teams will face off in a 10 minute, 3-on-3 overtime period. If the score remains deadlocked, a shootout will decide the outcome.
Playoff Overtime (Final): In the championship game, teams will play the traditional sudden-death format with continuous 20-minute periods until one team scores a goal to win the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.
The Rules of Engagement
While the tournament adheres to standard NHL rules and regulations, a few tweaks have been made to ramp up the intensity:
Rosters: Each nation fields a 23-player squad (20 skaters, 3 goaltenders), ensuring a deep pool of talent.
Competitive Edge: Unlike the All-Star games of the past, the rules are designed to encourage aggressive, competitive play, reflecting the full-contact style that makes NHL hockey so thrilling.
Fluffy or Full-Force?
The burning question on everyone’s mind: Will the new 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament b gentle-contact hockey, or will it be a rock'em-sock'em battle on ice?
Early indications and comments from NHL insiders suggest the latter. With reputations, Olympic dreams, and a revamped competitive format on the line, teams are expected to bring their physicality, speed, and skill—leaving the old All-Star fluff in the dust.
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off isn’t just a tournament—it’s a realignment of loyalties that could upend every expectation. NHL teammates, once side-by-side during the regular season, will now find themselves in head-to-head matchups with honour and pride of their country on the line.
Imagine Mitch Marner on the same line with Boston's long-time pest, Brad Marchand. Are you going to be cheering for Marchand when he is on a two-on-one with Mitch in sudden death overtime against Team USA? Absolutely!
What about when recent Vancouver Canucks teammates and rumoured foes, T.J. Miller (Team Canada), and Alias Petterson (Team Sweden) hit the ice. I know that I will definitely be watching those two during the Canada vs Sweden game.
The 4 Nations FaceOff offers a strong likelihood of many unexpected alliances and fierce matchups as personal rivalries and team loyalties collide. This is going to be a professional hockey tournament that promises drama, intensity, and plenty of surprises—far removed from the predictable old All-Star spectacle.
Game One of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament will begin on Wednesday, February 12, at 8:00 PM EST, when Canada plays Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Canada's second game will take place on Saturday, February 15, at 8:00 PM EST, also at the Bell Centre, when Canada will face Team USA. This is usually a heated contest, and recent political events could make this matchup even more intense.
I have listed the team rosters for all four participating countries: Team Canada, Team USA, Team Finland, and Team Sweden. However, these rosters may change due to last-minute changes, injuries, etc.
TEAM CANADA
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jon Cooper | Head Coach | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Rick Tocchet | Assistant Coach | Vancouver Canucks |
| Bruce Cassidy | Assistant Coach | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Peter DeBoer | Assistant Coach | Dallas Stars |
| Misha Donskov | Assistant Coach | Dallas Stars |
| Sam Bennett | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Anthony Cirelli | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Sidney Crosby (C) | Forward | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Brandon Hagel | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Seth Jarvis | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Travis Konecny | Forward | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Forward | Colorado Avalanche |
| Brad Marchand | Forward | Boston Bruins |
| Mitch Marner | Forward | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Connor McDavid (A) | Forward | Edmonton Oilers |
| Brayden Point | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Sam Reinhart | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Mark Stone | Forward | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Cale Makar (A) | Defense | Colorado Avalanche |
| Josh Morrissey | Defense | Winnipeg Jets |
| Colton Parayko | Defense | St. Lewis Blues |
| Travis Sanheim | Defense | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Shea Theodore | Defense | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Devon Toews | Defense | Colorado Avalanche |
| Drew Doughty | Defense | Los Angeles Kings |
| Jordan Binnington | Goalie | St. Lewis Blues |
| Adin Hill | Goalie | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Sam Montembeault | Goalie | Montreal Canadians |
TEAM USA
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Sullivan | Head Coach | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| John Hynes | Assistant Coach | Minnesota Wild |
| David Quinn | Assistant Coach | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Matt Boldly | Forward | Minnesota Wild |
| Kyle Connor | Forward | Winnipeg Jets |
| Jack Eichel | Forward | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Jake Guentzel | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Jack Hughes | Forward | New Jersey Devils |
| Chris Kreider | Forward | New York Rangers |
| Dylan Larkin | Forward | Detroit Red Wings |
| Austin Matthews (C) | Forward | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| J.T. Miller | Forward | New York Rangers |
| Brock Nelson | Forward | New York Islanders |
| Brady Tkachuk | Forward | Ottawa Senators |
| Matthew Tkachuk (A) | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Vincent Trocheck | Forward | New York Rangers |
| Zack Werenski | Defense | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Brock Faber | Defense | Minnesota Wild |
| Adam Fox | Defense | New York Rangers |
| Noah Hanafin | Defense | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Jake Sanderson | Defense | Ottawa Senators |
| Charlie McAvoy (A) | Defense | Boston Bruins |
| Jaccob Slavin | Defense | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Jeremy Swayman | Goalie | Boston Bruins |
| Connor Hellebuyck | Goalie | Winnipeg Jets |
| Jake Oettinger | Goalie | Dallas Stars |
TEAM FINLAND
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| TEAM FINLAND | ||
| Antti Pennanin | Head Coach | Finnish Mens Jr. Team |
| Tuomo Ruutu | Assistant Coach | Florida Panthers |
| Mikko Manner | Assistant Coach | Hameenlinnan Pallokerho |
| Sebastian Aho (A) | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Joel Armia | Forward | Montreal Canadians |
| Aleksander Barkov (C) | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Mikael Granlund (A) | Forward | San Jose Sharks |
| Erik Haula | Forward | New Jersey Devils |
| Roope Hintz | Forward | Dallas Stars |
| Kaapo Kakko | Forward | Seattle Kraken |
| Patrik Laine | Forward | Montreal Canadians |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Forward | Colorado Avalanche |
| Anton Lundell | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Eetu Luostarinen | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Mikko Rantanen (A) | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Teuvo Teravainen | Forward | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Henri Jokiharju | Defense | Buffalo Sabres |
| Esa Lindell | Defense | Dallas Stars |
| Olli Maatta | Defense | Utah Hockey Club |
| Niko Mikkola | Defense | Florida Panthers |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | Defense | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Urho Vaakanainen | Defense | New York Rangers |
| Juuso Valimaki | Defense | Utah Hockey Club |
| Kevin Lankinen | Goalie | Vancouver Canucks |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Goalie | Buffalo Sabres |
| Juuse Saros | Goalie | Nashville Predators |
TEAM SWEDEN
| Name | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|
| TEAM FINLAND | ||
| Antti Pennanin | Head Coach | Finnish Mens Jr. Team |
| Tuomo Ruutu | Assistant Coach | Florida Panthers |
| Mikko Manner | Assistant Coach | Hameenlinnan Pallokerho |
| Sebastian Aho (A) | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Joel Armia | Forward | Montreal Canadians |
| Aleksander Barkov (C) | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Mikael Granlund (A) | Forward | San Jose Sharks |
| Erik Haula | Forward | New Jersey Devils |
| Roope Hintz | Forward | Dallas Stars |
| Kaapo Kakko | Forward | Seattle Kraken |
| Patrik Laine | Forward | Montreal Canadians |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Forward | Colorado Avalanche |
| Anton Lundell | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Eetu Luostarinen | Forward | Florida Panthers |
| Mikko Rantanen (A) | Forward | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Teuvo Teravainen | Forward | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Henri Jokiharju | Defense | Buffalo Sabres |
| Esa Lindell | Defense | Dallas Stars |
| Olli Maatta | Defense | Utah Hockey Club |
| Niko Mikkola | Defense | Florida Panthers |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | Defense | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Urho Vaakanainen | Defense | New York Rangers |
| Juuso Valimaki | Defense | Utah Hockey Club |
| Kevin Lankinen | Goalie | Vancouver Canucks |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Goalie | Buffalo Sabres |
| Juuse Saros | Goalie | Nashville Predators |