NHL 4 nations tournament

[Hards Alumni]

Connecticut has done it two consecutive seasons.

49 though

[pbiflyer]

Connecticut has done it two consecutive seasons.

But they had to use immigrants. Not all (any?) of the players were from Connecticut. Shameful those people were stealing jobs from native Connecticut(ians?) 

[Skatastrophy]

Shout out to the refs for swallowing the whistle all night.

[Pakuni]

Pretty, pretty good.

https://x.com/Braylon_Breeze/status/1893047566918414538

[MU82]

Not surprised. The hype leading up to it was palpable, and the product itself was undeniably amazing.

I like hockey a lot, but I normally watch very little of it on TV until well into the playoffs. Last night's game was appointment TV for me, and I know of several far more casual fans who tuned in.

[Skatastrophy]

I was happy to be stuck in Minnesota for the game, watching the game with a bunch of hockey diehards was fun.

[MU82]

From Yahoo Sports:

Despite the success of the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, commissioner Gary Bettman isn't sure there will be room for it in the future. As a reminder, NHL players return to the Olympics in 2026 and the World Cup of Hockey returns in 2028.

Well, that just seems dopey. Why wouldn't there be "room for it" in 2027 and/or 2029?

[The Sultan]

From Yahoo Sports:

Despite the success of the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off, commissioner Gary Bettman isn't sure there will be room for it in the future. As a reminder, NHL players return to the Olympics in 2026 and the World Cup of Hockey returns in 2028.

Well, that just seems dopey. Why wouldn't there be "room for it" in 2027 and/or 2029?

1. If you do an international tournament every year, it loses its luster.
2. The owners don't want their top players to play a four game tournament in the middle of the season every year. I doubt they were thrilled about a two week break as well.

[Billy Hoyle]

I was happy to be stuck in Minnesota for the game, watching the game with a bunch of hockey diehards was fun.

I was in the DR and there were many Canadians staying at our resort. It was not televised down there but there was definite happiness among the Canadian guests Friday morning.

[Pakuni]

1. If you do an international tournament every year, it loses its luster.
2. The owners don't want their top players to play a four game tournament in the middle of the season every year. I doubt they were thrilled about a two week break as well.

Both these things.
I think also the players won't go along with it. The season is long enough as it is, especially for teams that make a deep playoff run. Adding three+ high-intensity games just before the playoff run three out of four years (including Olympics) as opposed to a nice break might not be popular.

[MU82]

1. If you do an international tournament every year, it loses its luster.
2. The owners don't want their top players to play a four game tournament in the middle of the season every year. I doubt they were thrilled about a two week break as well.

Fair enough.

It would have to be collectively bargained, that's for sure.

But going back to any of the ASG formats the NHL has had would be a major downgrade. I guess you just live with most fans ignoring it again.

[Pakuni]

But going back to any of the ASG formats the NHL has had would be a major downgrade. I guess you just live with most fans ignoring it again.

TV ratings for these events aren't often huge, but they events draw well (which is a financial windfall for the host team's ownership) and give the league and teams an opportunity to schmooze their sponsors.
So, even without a ton of TV interest, it's probably still a worthwhile event for the league.

[MU82]

TV ratings for these events aren't often huge, but they events draw well (which is a financial windfall for the host team's ownership) and give the league and teams an opportunity to schmooze their sponsors.
So, even without a ton of TV interest, it's probably still a worthwhile event for the league.

Well, I certainly never said they'd cancel it, even if it sucks.

[Billy Hoyle]

Both these things.
I think also the players won't go along with it. The season is long enough as it is, especially for teams that make a deep playoff run. Adding three+ high-intensity games just before the playoff run three out of four years (including Olympics) as opposed to a nice break might not be popular.

There could be more games in future tournaments if Russia is reinstated for international competition and countries like Slovakia and Germany have enough NHL players to field a team in this competition. Only these four nations and Czechia, had enough players to field a team. Czechia will want to get in on this tournament eventually.

[MU82]

Matthew Tkachuk is still out with the injury he sustained in the tournament, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers aren't sure if he'll be back for the playoffs.

As I've already said, I really enjoyed watching this event ... but injuries like this show why pro athletes don't always dig All-Star games and in-season competitions that don't count in the standings for their real jobs.