You are not alone if you’re kind of curious about the 4 Nations Face-Off, but you’re also in good company if your emotional interest hasn’t quite moved the needle.
Now, as we know from past experience, like any international hockey tournament, it will likely grab a life of its own and captivate more intrigue as it goes along — especially if Canada wins Wednesday night over the Swedes in their opener.
In theory, the four-team, in-season, National Hockey League-created event will certainly draw some eyes, but let’s also be clear, it’s not without its flaws.
Sure, it’s promoted as a best-on-best contest, but that label is a little misleading when not all of the league’s top players are involved, especially those from Russia, Slovakia, Czechia and other significant hockey countries in Europe.
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So, while there are some superficial blemishes in its design — which is not something that can’t be amended as time pushes along with more of these types of revenue-generating tournaments for the league and its players — this precursor to next year’s Olympics in Italy will provide the league with a sense of how its overall business is affected, if at all, with a two-week shutdown.
And from a progressive standpoint – for this year at least – the 4 Nations Face-Off also replaces the uninspiring and nearly unwatchable all-star game.
On a grander scale, this player-driven, first tournament of its type since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 in some respects pioneers a new era of hockey competition amongst the league’s elite from Canada, Sweden, Finland and the United States — in a sprint to the finish!
And while it might take a game or two to spark a national grip, there is one scenario that would more than envelop countrywide passion in the 4 Nations Face-Off: Canada beating the United States in the final.
And given the political climate right now, that possibility would not only move the needle of interest, it would undoubtedly red-line it.
