It’s the final that everyone presumed would unfold. And even though no one knew exactly what to expect when the 4 Nations Face-Off debuted a week ago, there was always the expectation that Canada and the United States would meet to determine an ultimate winner.
And now that those principals have earned their rightful place in the championship game on Thursday night in Boston, the overall winner is really the NHL and its players’ association, as this joint revenue venture has been played in front of sellout crowds and before robust television audiences across North America.
And, frankly, the hockey has been spirited, passionate and thrilling to say the least – a perfect combination when staging an NHL in-season, international showcase that really came without precedent.
As for the headline act on Thursday, the final will coronate a winner among the best of the four teams that competed over the last nine days, but it will also provide some questions leading up – and perhaps even more at its conclusion, such as, which nation between Canada and the U.S. has the most to prove? Or, conversely, which country has the most to lose?
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You see, the winner will claim victory and the distinction as the favourite entering next year’s Winter Olympics, while the losing team – and we shudder if it’s Canada again after a crash-and-burn world junior tournament — will wear the label of being no better than the two teams that didn’t qualify for the final.
Second place in this case might as well be second last!
And while there are questions surrounding injuries and star players being available for the final, expect that, save for some sort of emergency amputation, everyone in question will play in what is expected to be a politically charged, high-stakes showdown.
Indeed, it’s the 4 Nations Face-Off final that everyone presumed would unfold. But what exactly Thursday’s championship game will deliver might just once again exceed our expectations.