The 2025 4 Nations showdown begins on February 12 and ends on February 20, but what is the tournament and how did it come to fruition?
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the international tournament during a press conference during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.
In the NHL’s announcement, the league said it views the 4 Nations event as “a building block of a larger World Cup.”
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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media before a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images)
Bettman said that in addition to the players competing in the 2026 Olympics, they will compete in a World Cup in 2028, return to the Olympics in 2030, and then two years later host another World Cup to set the cycle of the international game.
Bettman called the 4 Nations showdown an “appetizer” for what appears to be a busy international hockey slate in the years to come.
This tournament will be the first time since 2016 that NHL players will participate in an international tournament pitting the best against each other. It was the Hockey World Cup in 2016, and eight teams were participating in this tournament.
Due to the 4 Nations Face-Off, there will be no All-Star Game this season.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming tournament.
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Actor Will Arnett, left, and Team McDavid captain Connor McDavid attend the NHL All-Star Draft Thursday at Scotiabank Arena. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
What is the tournament format?
The tournament is a round robin and each team will play three matches.
For each regulation victory, the winning team will receive three points. For each overtime or shootout victory, the team will receive two points.
For each overtime or shootout loss, the team will receive one point. In the event of a regulation defeat, the team will not receive any points.
Overtime is a 10-minute sudden death period at 3-on-3. If overtime is scoreless, the match will be decided by a three-round shootout.
The top two teams will play in a winner-take-all final.
If overtime is necessary in a championship game, it will be traditional 5-on-5 hockey with consecutive 20-minute periods, as overtime does in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman answers questions from the media before a game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena. (Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images)
Where and when are the games played?
The tournament will take place in North America, with matches at the Bell Center in Montreal and the TD Garden in Boston.
There are two days of training, February 10 and 11, then the matches begin.
There will be four games at the Bell Center and three at TD Garden.
Here are the games played at the Bell Centre:
- Wednesday, February 12: Canada vs. Sweden at 8 p.m. ET.
- Thursday, February 13: USA vs. Finland at 8 p.m. ET.
On Saturday, February 15, a doubleheader will take place at the Bell Center. Finland will face Sweden at 1 p.m. ET, while Sweden will face the United States at 8 p.m. ET.
TD Garden will also host a doubleheader. On Monday, February 17, Canada will face Finland at 1 p.m. ET, while Sweden will face the United States at 8 p.m. ET.
The championship game will take place on Thursday, February 20 at 8 p.m. ET.
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September 21, 2016; Team North America center Connor McDavid, number 97, attempts to keep the puck away from Team Sweden defenseman Victor Hedman, number 77, in the third period during the preliminary round of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey at the Center Air Canada, September 21. , 2016. (Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports)
Who is on the list?
Each team will be made up of 13 attackers, seven defenders and three goalkeepers.
Team Canada
Forward (listed alphabetically by last name):
Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers
Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Hagel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
Defenders:
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights
Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
Shea Theodore, Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche
Goalkeepers:
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Adin Hill, Vegas Golden Knights
Sam Montembeault, Montreal Canadiens
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Team North America forward Johnny Gaudreau, #13, and forward Auston Matthews, #34, celebrate a Matthews goal against Team Czech Republic during the third period of a game preparation for the Hockey World Cup at CONSOL Energy Center on September 14. , 2016. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
Team USA
Advantages:
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
JT Miller, Vancouver Canucks
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
Defenders:
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Jacob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Goalkeepers:
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
Team Finland
Advantages:
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Joël Armia, Montreal Canadiens
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
Mikael Granlund, San Jose Sharks
Erik Haula, New Jersey Devils
Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
Kaapo Kakko, Seattle Kraken
Patrik Lainé, Montreal Canadiens
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
Defenders:
Jani Hakanpaa, Toronto Maple Leafs
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars
Olli Maatta, Utah Hockey Club
Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
Juuso Valimaki, Utah Hockey Club
Goalkeepers:
Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabers
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Team Europe forward Thomas Vanek, #26, attempts to score on Team Sweden goalie Henrik Lundqvist, #30, while defenseman Mattias Ekholm, #14, and forward Carl Soderberg, #34 , watch during a 2016 World Cup semi-final match. Hockey at the Air Canada Center on September 25, 2016. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Swedish team
Advantages:
Viktor Arvidsson, Edmonton Oilers
Jesper Bratt, New Jersey Devils
Léo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild
Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators
William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings
Elias Lindholm, Boston Bruins
William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
Gustav Nyquist, Nashville Predators
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings
Mika Zibanejad, New York Rangers
Defenders:
Rasmus Andersson, Calgary Flames
Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabers
Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton Oilers
Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
Goalkeepers:
Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild
Jacob Markstrom, New Jersey Devils
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa Senators
