On the same night the NBA was trotting out its tired, overplayed, underwhelming cycle of All-Star weekend festivities, the NHL’s best players were fighting for their countries — literally.
The 4 Nations Face-Off round-robin clash between the United States and Canada on Saturday night just brought hockey to a different stratosphere, and showed exactly what the other “Big 4” leagues in North America need to do to revamp what it means to have an “All-Star break.”
Rather than a lackadaisical exhibition, the NHL put together the first best-on-best hockey tournament we have seen in nearly a decade after commissioner Gary Bettman opted not to release his players to each of the previous two Winter Olympic Games.
What we got on Saturday was the release of a nine-year wait to see the greatest rivalry in international hockey, which saw just about everything one would want on such a stage.
After Canadian fans booed the American national anthem at Bell Centre in Montreal, US star Matthew Tkachuk and Canada forward Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves at the opening face-off.
One second after play resumed, Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, fought Sam Hagel. America’s JT Miller then got mixed up with the much larger Canadian defenseman, Colton Parayko.
Three fights in nine seconds — perhaps a barbaric sight for some, but a harsh fact of life within hockey’s parameters — which unnerved even the most veteran of personalities.
Jon Cooper, the two-time Stanley Cup-winning head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning and now leader of Team Canada, labeled it “mayhem.”
“It was, I guess, 10 years of no international hockey exhaled in a minute and a half,” Cooper said.
What ensued after things finally settled down was one of the most complete games of hockey we have seen in quite some time with an atmosphere that rivaled a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final.
This generation’s transcendental superstar, Connor McDavid, split the American defense, hit a max speed of nearly 24 mph, and popped a backhander over American star goalie Connor Hellebuyck in the first period to give the hosts the lead.
Jake Guentzel answered later in the first with his first of two goals, which snuck through the wickets of Jordan Binnington. Dylan Larkin snapped what proved to be the game-winner 13:33 into the second period when he opted to keep it himself on a 2-on-1 with JT Miller and snapped a wrister past the blocker side of Binnington.
“That was one of the best experiences of my life,” Larkin, captain of the Detroit Red Wings, said. “Just an unbelievable hockey game.”
Guentzel then sealed it with an empty netter with 1:19 left in regulation to give the Americans a 3-1 victory, their first best-on-best win over Canada since the preliminary round of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and a berth in the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game to be played at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday.
World-class skill was coupled with devastatingly physical play. In the first period alone, 31 hits were doled out between the two teams. The defense was tight, and the goaltending—specifically from the Vezina Trophy favorite, Hellebuyck—was resolute.
“It was fast, tight-checking, competitive, emotional,” McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers talisman considered by many to be the greatest hockey player on the planet right now, said. “It had everything you would want in a hockey game. It stinks it didn’t go our way, but this thing’s far from over.”
Around the same time on Saturday night, the NBA’s All-Star Weekend from the San Francisco Bay Area was as stale as ever, which is a perfect representation of where the game is at. Just ask Golden State Warriors sparkplug, Draymond Green.
“It’s just who can run faster, who can hit more threes,” Green said. “It’s no substance. I think it’s very boring.”
Just think how the fans feel during the so-called festivities. The dunk contest is 20 years past its prime, Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs were booed off the floor and then disqualified for trying to find a loophole in the skills challenge by not shooting the basketball, and the three-point shootout is basically the same as watching any old regular-season game. No wonder viewership is down.
The NHL and NBA’s other winter counterpart, the NFL, has made a mockery of its Pro Bowl weekend. The game’s best are not even putting pads on anymore, as the Saturday and Sunday before the Super Bowl was spent playing dodgeball and having relay races.
The only competitive variation of an actual football game being played involved flags and no tackling. Still, it was probably more entertaining than Super Bowl LIX.
Consider this a massive win for the NHL, which has consistently struggled to keep up with the NBA, NFL, and even Major League Baseball in terms of popularity. They have unlocked the formula to ensure that their best players will continue to grow the game during these All-Star breaks.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be followed by the return of NHL stars at the Winter Olympics next year in Italy and again in 2030. The World Cup of Hockey will also return in 2028.
Forget vain honors that mean nothing in this day and age. This is how to properly reward players for being the best in their league.
