2025 4 Nations Face-Off

2025 4 Nations Face-Off
Tournament details
Host countries Canada
 United States
Venue(s)
DatesFebruary 12–20, 2025
Teams4

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off is an ice hockey tournament scheduled to take place on February 12–20, 2025, in Montreal, at Bell Centre, and in Boston, at TD Garden. Hosted by the National Hockey League (NHL) and featuring only NHL players, the 4 Nations Face-Off will temporarily replace the NHL's annual All-Star Game for 2025. In the tournament, teams representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will play each other in a round-robin format, followed by a one-game final between the two top-placed teams.

Background

[edit]
Further information: List of international ice hockey competitions featuring NHL players
Gary Bettman speaking at a 2023 press conference
Gary Bettman announced the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2024.

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off was announced at a press conference at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on February 2, 2024, by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.[1] Also present at the press conference were NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) executive director Marty Walsh and four NHL players: Connor McDavid (Canada), Sebastian Aho (Finland), Elias Pettersson (Sweden), and Auston Matthews (United States).[2]

At the press conference, Bettman announced plans for NHL participation in international best-on-best tournaments in coming years.[3][4] In 2025, players will participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament between NHL players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. The NHL 4 Nations Faceoff would happen in lieu of the 2025 NHL All-Star Game.[5] Bettman stated that NHL players would play in the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, after they had not been released for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.[1][3] Bettman also stated the league would host the next World Cups of Hockey in 2028 and 2032, with the most recent edition having been held in 2016.[3][6][7]

Men's top 10 IIHF rankings as of May 2023[8]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Increase 1  Canada 4150
2 Decrease 1  Finland 4080
3 Steady  Russia 4050
4 Steady  United States 3940
5 Increase 4  Germany 3835
6 Decrease 1  Sweden 3800
7 Steady   Switzerland 3775
8 Decrease 2  Czechia 3735
9 Decrease 1  Slovakia 3690
10 Increase 1  Latvia 3610

At the time of the tournament's announcement, all participating teams were ranked in the top six by ice hockey's worldwide governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF): Canada (1), Finland (2), United States (4) and Sweden (6).[9] Germany, while ranked fifth, did not have enough NHL players to create a roster.[10][9] Though they had enough NHL players to create a roster, Russia and Czechia—ranked third and eighth, respectively—were not included in the tournament,[8][10] with Russia specifically excluded due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.[11][12][13] Czech forward David Pastrnak called the omission of Czechia a "huge disappointment", though he said he understood there was limited time to organize the tournament.[14][15] In early reporting on the tournament's format, journalist Greg Wyshynski wrote that the competition could not be considered best-on-best due to the omission of players from other ice hockey powers.[16]

Venues

[edit]

The league did not initially announce the tournament venues, but stated that there would be two, one in Canada and one in the United States.[19] The league confirmed on June 8 that the venues would be Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston,[20] after months of reports by various media sources.[14][21][22][23]

Tournament structure

[edit]

Two practice days, February 10 and 11, will be held prior to the tournament. From February 12–20, seven total games will be played.[19] The tournament will be held in a round-robin format, with teams winning three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and zero points for a regulation loss. Each team will play three games, and the two teams with the most points will advance to a one-game final.[19]

Games will be played on NHL-sized rinks, following NHL rules.[19] For round-robin games, overtime will be held in a 10-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death period, followed by a three-round shootout. In the final, overtime will be held in consecutive 20-minute, 5-on-5 sudden-death periods.[19]

Teams

[edit]

Teams will each consist of 23 players: 20 skaters (forwards and defencemen) and 3 goaltenders.[19] Players are selected by their respective governing bodies: Hockey Canada, the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and USA Hockey.[19] The tournament is restricted to players who have a 2024–25 NHL contract and are on an NHL roster as of December 2, 2024.[24] Because the NHL does not have an agreement with the IIHF for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the tournament cannot include non-NHL players.[10][13]

On June 28, 2024, the NHL announced the first six players on each team's roster.[25] The remaining players were announced on December 4, with the complete rosters of Team Sweden and Team Finland announced at 2:00 p.m. ET on the NHL Network and ESPN's SportsCenter, and the complete rosters of Team USA and Team Canada announced at 6:30 p.m. during pregame broadcasts on Sportsnet, TNT, and TVA Sports.[26] Initially, no players from the Seattle Kraken or Washington Capitals were selected to participate in the Face-Off;[27] however, the Kraken gained a representative when they acquired Kaapo Kakko from the New York Rangers on December 18, 2024.[28]

Canada

[edit]

In April 2024, it was announced that Don Sweeney and Jim Nill were appointed by Doug Armstrong as Canada's general manager and associate general manager, respectively.[29] Both were also named assistant general managers for the 2026 Olympic team.[30] On June 25, Jon Cooper was named Canada's head coach for both the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.[31] Rick Tocchet, Bruce Cassidy, and Peter DeBoer will join Cooper as assistant coaches for the 4 Nations Face-Off.[32]

Team Canada as of December 4, 2024[25]
Player Pos. S/G Birthplace Team
Sam Bennett F L East Gwillimbury, Ontario Florida Panthers
Jordan Binnington G L Richmond Hill, Ontario St. Louis Blues
Anthony Cirelli F L Woodbridge, Ontario Tampa Bay Lightning
Sidney Crosby F L Halifax, Nova Scotia Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Hagel F L Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Tampa Bay Lightning
Adin Hill G L Comox, British Columbia Vegas Golden Knights
Seth Jarvis F R Winnipeg, Manitoba Carolina Hurricanes
Travis Konecny F R London, Ontario Philadelphia Flyers
Nathan MacKinnon F R Halifax, Nova Scotia Colorado Avalanche
Cale Makar D R Calgary, Alberta Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand F L Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia Boston Bruins
Mitch Marner F R Markham, Ontario Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid F L Richmond Hill, Ontario Edmonton Oilers
Sam Montembeault G L Bécancour, Quebec Montreal Canadiens
Josh Morrissey D L Calgary, Alberta Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko D R St. Albert, Alberta St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo D R King City, Ontario Vegas Golden Knights
Brayden Point F R Calgary, Alberta Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam Reinhart F R North Vancouver, British Columbia Florida Panthers
Travis Sanheim D L Elkhorn, Manitoba Philadelphia Flyers
Mark Stone F R Winnipeg, Manitoba Vegas Golden Knights
Shea Theodore D L Aldergrove, British Columbia Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews D L Abbotsford, British Columbia Colorado Avalanche

Finland

[edit]

Antti Pennanen will serve as Finland's head coach.[33] Tuomo Ruutu is assistant coach. Jere Lehtinen is the general manager, and his assistants are Mikko Koivu and Jarmo Kekalainen.[34][35] On December 4, 2024, the entire roster for Finland was released.[36]

Team Finland as of December 4, 2024[25]
Player Pos. S/G Birthplace Team
Sebastian Aho F L Rauma, Satakunta Carolina Hurricanes
Joel Armia F R Pori, Satakunta Montreal Canadiens
Aleksander Barkov F L Tampere, Pirkanmaa Florida Panthers
Mikael Granlund F L Oulunsalo, North Ostrobothnia San Jose Sharks
Jani Hakanpaa D R Kirkkonummi, Uusimaa Toronto Maple Leafs
Erik Haula F L Pori, Satakunta New Jersey Devils
Miro Heiskanen D L Espoo, Uusimaa Dallas Stars
Roope Hintz F L Nokia, Pirkanmaa Dallas Stars
Kaapo Kakko F L Turku, Southwest Finland Seattle Kraken
Patrik Laine F R Tampere, Pirkanmaa Montreal Canadiens
Kevin Lankinen G L Helsinki, Uusimaa Vancouver Canucks
Artturi Lehkonen F L Piikkiö, Southwest Finland Colorado Avalanche
Esa Lindell D L Helsinki, Uusimaa Dallas Stars
Anton Lundell F L Espoo, Uusimaa Florida Panthers
Eetu Luostarinen F L Siilinjärvi, North Savo Florida Panthers
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen G L Espoo, Uusimaa Buffalo Sabres
Olli Maatta D L Jyväskylä, Central Finland Utah Hockey Club
Niko Mikkola D L Kiiminki, North Ostrobothnia Florida Panthers
Mikko Rantanen F L Nousiainen, Southwest Finland Colorado Avalanche
Rasmus Ristolainen D R Turku, Southwest Finland Philadelphia Flyers
Juuse Saros G L Forssa, Kanta-Häme Nashville Predators
Teuvo Teravainen F L Helsinki, Uusimaa Chicago Blackhawks
Juuso Valimaki D L Nokia, Pirkanmaa Utah Hockey Club

Sweden

[edit]

The general manager for Sweden will be Anders Lundberg, and Sam Hallam [sv] will coach.[37] Daniel Alfredsson will serve as an assistant coach.[38] On December 4, 2024, the full roster for Sweden was released.[39]

Team Sweden as of December 4, 2024[25]
Player Pos. S/G Birthplace Team
Rasmus Andersson D R Malmö, Skåne Calgary Flames
Viktor Arvidsson F R Kusmark, Västerbotten Edmonton Oilers
Jesper Bratt F L Stockholm, Stockholm New Jersey Devils
Jonas Brodin D L Karlstad, Värmland Minnesota Wild
Leo Carlsson F L Karlstad, Värmland Anaheim Ducks
Rasmus Dahlin D L Trollhättan, Västra Götaland Buffalo Sabres
Mattias Ekholm D L Borlänge, Dalarna Edmonton Oilers
Joel Eriksson Ek F L Karlstad, Värmland Minnesota Wild
Filip Forsberg F R Östervåla, Uppsala Nashville Predators
Gustav Forsling D L Linköping, Östergötland Florida Panthers
Filip Gustavsson G L Skellefteå, Västerbotten Minnesota Wild
Victor Hedman D L Örnsköldsvik, Västernorrland Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Karlsson D R Landsbro, Jönköping Pittsburgh Penguins
William Karlsson F L Märsta, Stockholm Vegas Golden Knights
Adrian Kempe F L Kramfors, Västernorrland Los Angeles Kings
Elias Lindholm F R Boden, Norrbotten Boston Bruins
Jacob Markstrom G L Gävle, Gävleborg New Jersey Devils
William Nylander F R Calgary, Alberta, Canada Toronto Maple Leafs
Gustav Nyquist F L Halmstad, Halland Nashville Predators
Lucas Raymond F R Gothenburg, Västra Götaland Detroit Red Wings
Elias Pettersson F L Sundsvall, Västernorrland Vancouver Canucks
Linus Ullmark G L Lugnvik, Västernorrland Ottawa Senators
Mika Zibanejad F R Huddinge, Stockholm New York Rangers

United States

[edit]

In February 2024, Bill Guerin was announced as general manager of the United States team for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Winter Olympics.[40] In May, Mike Sullivan was named head coach of the team for both competitions.[41] John Hynes,[42] John Tortorella, and David Quinn are the assistant coaches.[43]

Team United States as of December 4, 2024[25]
Player Pos. S/G Birthplace Team
Matt Boldy F L Millville, Massachusetts Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor F L Clinton Township, Michigan Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel F R North Chelmsford, Massachusetts Vegas Golden Knights
Brock Faber D R Maple Grove, Minnesota Minnesota Wild
Adam Fox D R Jericho, New York New York Rangers
Jake Guentzel F L Omaha, Nebraska Tampa Bay Lightning
Connor Hellebuyck G L Commerce Township, Michigan Winnipeg Jets
Noah Hanifin D L Boston, Massachusetts Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Hughes F L Orlando, Florida New Jersey Devils
Quinn Hughes D L Orlando, Florida Vancouver Canucks
Chris Kreider F L Boxford, Massachusetts New York Rangers
Dylan Larkin F L Waterford Township, Michigan Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews F L San Ramon, California Toronto Maple Leafs
Charlie McAvoy D R Long Beach, New York Boston Bruins
J. T. Miller F L East Palestine, Ohio Vancouver Canucks
Brock Nelson F L Minneapolis, Minnesota New York Islanders
Jake Oettinger G L Lakeville, Minnesota Dallas Stars
Jaccob Slavin D L Erie, Colorado Carolina Hurricanes
Jeremy Swayman G L Anchorage, Alaska Boston Bruins
Brady Tkachuk F L Scottsdale, Arizona Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk F L Scottsdale, Arizona Florida Panthers
Vincent Trocheck F R Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania New York Rangers
Zach Werenski D L Grosse Pointe, Michigan Columbus Blue Jackets

Schedule

[edit]
Note: All times listed are in EST (UTC−5).

Round-robin

[edit]
February 12
8 p.m.		Canada v SwedenBell Centre, Montreal
February 13
8 p.m.		United States v FinlandBell Centre, Montreal
February 15
1 p.m.		Finland v SwedenBell Centre, Montreal
February 15
8 p.m.		United States v CanadaBell Centre, Montreal
February 17
1 p.m.		Canada v FinlandTD Garden, Boston
February 17
8 p.m.		Sweden v United StatesTD Garden, Boston

Final

[edit]
February 20
8 p.m.		vTD Garden, Boston

Media rights

[edit]

In Canada, the tournament will be televised by Sportsnet in English, and TVA Sports in French. In the United States, TNT/TruTV will have the round-robin games on February 12 and 17, ABC/ESPN+ will air the February 15 doubleheader, and ESPN will air the United States–Finland game on February 13 and the final on February 20.[20]

In Finland, Nelonen the Finnish commercial television channel, has acquired exclusive rights to the new 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey tournament organised by the NHL and its players association.

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "NHL to return to Olympics in 2026, 2030, hold '4 Nations Face-Off' in 2025". TSN. The Canadian Press. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Nivison, Austin (February 2, 2024). "NHL announces return to Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030, unveils plans for '4 Nations Face-Off'". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Wyshinski, Greg (February 2, 2024). "NHL going to Olympics, another 4-nation tourney". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Spiegel, Jackie; Elvin, Gustav (February 2, 2024). "NHL players to return to the Winter Olympics in 2026; play in new 4 Nations Face-off next year". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "NHL To Return To Olympics For 2026, 2030 Winter Games". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  6. ^ Silverman, Alex (February 2, 2024). "NHL, NHLPA announce Olympic return, launch new international event". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Wells, Adam (February 2, 2024). "NHL Announces 2025 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament with Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "IIHF World Ranking". IIHF. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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  10. ^ a b c Cushman, Kyle (November 20, 2023). "Report: NHL's 2025 international tourney will include just 4 nations". theScore.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Kingerski, Dan (February 2, 2024). "NHL to Stage 4-Nation International Tournament in 2025". Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
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  13. ^ a b Seravalli, Frank (October 20, 2023). "NHL's 2025 international tournament won't be a World Cup, and won't have Russian players". Daily Faceoff. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Ryan, Conor (February 6, 2024). "David Pastrnak irked by absence of Czech players in NHL international tournament". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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  17. ^ "www.nhl.com". NHL.com - Teams (MTL). National Hockey League. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "www.boston.com". Here's an update on the changes coming to TD Garden. Nicole Yang. September 17, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Van Diest, Derek (February 2, 2024). "NHL to hold 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in 2025". NHL. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
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  22. ^ "NHL to stage 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Seravalli, Frank [@frank_seravalli] (April 12, 2024). "Expect #NHL and #NHLPA to confirm in the near future that Montréal and Boston are the two host cities of the 4 Nations Faceoff, as previously reported" (Tweet). Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "NHL, NHLPA announce 2025 4 Nations Face-Off" (Press release). NHL Public Relations. February 2, 2024. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
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  26. ^ Benjamin, Amalie (December 2, 2024). "4 Nations Face-Off roster anticipation generating excitement among current participants". NHL.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  27. ^ Cerullo, Chris. "The Washington Capitals will have no players at the 4 Nations Face-Off". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  28. ^ "Kakko traded to Kraken from Rangers". nhl.com. December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  29. ^ "Management group named for 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off" (Press release). Hockey Canada. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  30. ^ "Hockey Canada names Don Sweeney GM for 4 Nations Face-Off". Sportsnet. Canadian Press. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  31. ^ "Jon Cooper named coach of Canadian men's hockey team for 2026 Olympics, 4 Nations Face-Off". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  32. ^ "Canucks' Tocchet headlines Team Canada assistant coaches for 4 Nations Faceoff". CBC. July 31, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  33. ^ Kunnari, Timo (March 1, 2024). "Näin Suomen NHL-tähti ylistää maanmiehiään: "Kolme supersentteriä"". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  34. ^ Toimitus. "Leijonat - Aho, Barkov, Heiskanen, Lindell, Rantanen ja Saros edustavat Suomea helmikuun 4 Nations Face-Off -turnauksessa". www.leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  35. ^ "Leijonat valitsi pelaajia superturnaukseen – Antti Pennanen oli poissa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  36. ^ "Finland roster for 4 Nations Face-Off includes Laine". NHL.com. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  37. ^ "Hedman, Karlsson among 1st 6 Sweden players for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off". NHL.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  38. ^ D'Amico, Sydney (December 4, 2024). "Daniel Alfredsson named assistant coach of Swedish Men's National Team for 4 Nations Face-Off". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  39. ^ "Sweden roster for 4 Nations Face-Off includes 3 players from Wild". NHL.com. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  40. ^ "Minnesota Wild's Bill Guerin named GM of U.S. 2026 Olympic and 2025 NHL 4-Nations Face-Off teams". AP News. February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  41. ^ "Mike Sullivan Named Head Coach of Team USA for the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Men's Olympic Hockey Team | Pittsburgh Penguins". www.nhl.com. May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  42. ^ Loucks, Dylan (June 11, 2024). "Wild's John Hynes Named Assistant Coach of Team USA For The 4 Nations Face-Off". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  43. ^ "USA adds Tortorella, Quinn to coaching staff for 4 Nations Face-Off". Sportsnet.ca. Rogers Media. August 21, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
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