The Four Nations Face Off: Ice Hockey’s fantastic new format
06 March 2025
Canada defeated USA to win the final of the hugely successful inaugural Four Nations Face Off – a new competition that saw the two North American nations plus Sweden and Finland compete in a round robin format.
Todd Harris met with Steve Mayer, President of NHL Content and Events, to discuss the tournament and look ahead to the end of the season and the play-offs. He explained that the competition was devised as part of the progress toward Ice Hockey’s inclusion in the 2026 Olympics.
“We all wanted to get our players acclimated again to international play,” he said. “No individual was responsible for the idea. It really was a combination between the NHL and the NHLPA. When we work on these international events, we work on those together. It was really a team effort. And it's kind of fitting because, you know, in hockey, that's all we talked about is team over individual. But in this one, it truly was and then and then we watched how it just took off. I think we realized a few weeks out that the players were going to be really into this. This was a big event for the players. And that kind of got us all psyched to know that. Like, we might have something here and obviously we did have something here.”
They certainly did. USA won the battle between the North American sides in Montreal: a match that was electrifying from the very start, with three fights in the first nine seconds of play!
“I would tell you,” said Mayer, “being in that building, it was shaking. The NHL mentality is whether it's a game that is being played during the regular season or a game that you're where you've got, on your chest, USA or Canada or Sweden or Finland, you're going to go hard and our guys just did that.”
The clash of nations was exacerbated by political tensions between the United States and Canada. But on the rink what mattered was the game. The two met again for the final in Boston, USA. And, in their neighbour’s backyard, Canada triumphed in overtime with the world’s best player, Connor McDavid, getting the winner.
The Four Nations Face Off introduced new fans to the sport – and that delighted Mayer, who’s confident there are more great stories to come from the world of ice hockey.
“My goal is always to bring in new fans and to grow the sport. And when you start to see that happening, you gotta seize on that. And I just think so many factors led to this one being as successful as it was. And I just hope it translates into the regular season and the run that teams are going to have going to the playoffs.
“We have a big record that could be broken soon. Alex Ovechkin can go for the all time goal record, which I do think is also going to get tons and tons of attention. So this is all kind of working out and no one's complaining over at the NHL.”
The Russian, who plays for Washington Capitals, is closing in on the NHL goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. What makes this all the more remarkable is that the 39-year-old broke his leg in November!
And Steve Mayer also told us that an All Star game is in the wings. Ice hockey, as Todd pointed out in the interview, is in the limelight at the moment and NHL want to ride on the crest of that wave.
“Whether we're doing a tournament like Four Nations or an outdoor game, anything, we just say, how do we make it bigger and better? And how do we take the smallest idea and put it on steroids in some way and just try to try to make it feel like this is important and we're going to keep going. We got a lot coming up. It never stops. The myth of a league having an off season. Those days are done.”
