New NHL All-Star Game Format: Four Nations Face Off Reignites Rivalries Between Nations
With the newly introduced Four Nations Faceoff, it would be the first time in nine years that NHL players have been allowed to play on national teams. This tournament features only NHL players from four of the top nations in the ice hockey world, with players looking to make their countries proud and prove they are the best. The first game of this best-on-best hockey did not disappoint when Canada and Sweden took the ice on Feb. 12 in what would turn into an overtime thriller.
This tournament replaced the NHL All-Star Weekend and is one of the best decisions that the NHL has made. The NBA All-Star Weekend just happened, with the league trying yet another new format to try to motivate players to compete; this one was just as disappointing and underwhelming as the others. Also, the NFL had to switch to flag football due to poor effort from the players in their Pro Bowl.
Thus, both of these events are on the decline from the viewer’s perspective because of the lack of effort from the players, leaving the NHL with an opportunity to elevate themselves as compared to other major sports leagues. This tournament has not disappointed, living up to the hype and being some of the most high-energy hockey we have seen in a while.
It has given the fans and players what they have wanted forever: some real best-on-best hockey games with the athletes giving it their all in trying to emerge victorious. Players have been waiting to represent their nation as kids, and before United States versus Canada last Saturday night, players like Matthew Tkachuk were saying that they have thought about this game for nine years, and Brad Marchand was saying that U.S. versus Canada is the biggest rivalry in hockey and everyone dreams of playing these games as a kid.
The U.S. and Canada are the clear two best teams of the four, and their matchup in the round-robin was a true battle of the titans.
The game was played in Montreal, and even before the puck drop, tensions were high due to the Canadian fans booing the U.S. National Anthem. Within the first nine seconds of hockey that night, three different fights broke out and set the tone for the night. The energy continued through the night with some of the most physical and fast-paced hockey I have ever seen. The USA earned a hard-fought 3-1 win that night to punch their ticket to the championship game, and with Canada’s win over Finland on Monday, we are set for a rematch between the two biggest hockey countries on the planet Thursday night in the championship game. These players have been waiting for this moment since they started playing pond hockey as kids, and it is set to be one of the most electric games in recent history to watch from the viewer’s perspective. We will find out on Thursday night whether the U.S. or their northern neighbors will prove to be the best hockey country in the world, with the winner emerging with bragging rights and the losers having to wait until the next international competition for revenge.