When the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off started, it was laborious to get a very good learn on what the expectations had been. Wholesome skepticism might need been overwhelming opinion.
On one hand, it’s the first best-on-best match involving NHL gamers in almost a decade, and it could assist set the stage for the league’s return to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Followers — and gamers — have been begging for this form of match for years.
However how invested would the gamers be in a made-up match that appeared pressured and didn’t have an Olympic medal at stake?
Extra importantly, how a lot would the followers care, and would they watch it?
It didn’t take lengthy to appreciate that everyone — followers and gamers — cared. Deeply. Passionately. A lot in order that the match turned out to be an enormous residence run — and maybe even greater than the NHL might have presumably hoped.
Canada ended up profitable it because of its 3-2 additional time win towards the USA on Thursday night time.
Edmonton Oilers ahead Connor McDavid scored the winning goal.
Regardless that it was solely 4 groups (United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland), it was hockey at its very best. The ability was simple. The pace and tempo of the video games was pretty much as good as you’ll ever see. It was bodily, there was ardour and the political backdrop solely added to the depth each on and off the ice. The outcomes had been huge scores, hockey being the envy of different sports activities for the primary time in … most likely ever … and extra eyeballs on the league than it has had in years.
The optimistic perspective right here could be that this might be an enormous turning level for the league and that maybe new followers have been created.
However we have now seen this form of factor earlier than. That is, in any case, not the primary time NHL gamers have performed in best-on-best tournaments like this.
The momentum is nearly by no means sustained.
It might not be a shock if it was not sustained this time, both.
For one, patriotism and the flag are a giant motivating issue for followers, and particularly non-fans. It’s not laborious to get an informal sports activities fan to tune in for the USA vs. Canada when worldwide bragging rights are at stake. That appeals to a large viewers past your core fan base. It’s simple to get them to remain tuned in when the standard of play and the fervour is what we noticed on this match. That was very true with the primary United States-Canada sport within the match when it started with three fights within the first 9 seconds.
However what’s going to occur when those self same informal followers tune in per week from now and see a mediocre St. Louis Blues staff enjoying a foul Chicago Blackhawks staff? And even when the very best groups within the league will not be anyplace as deep as these rosters had been and the fervour shouldn’t be the identical? When you may even get them to tune in.
That’s the drawback the NHL goes to have.
It can’t duplicate this ability stage, high quality of play or ardour over an 82-game season — or perhaps a full playoff run.
The NHL has at all times had a difficulty advertising and marketing itself and its stars. It lastly did one thing with this match that really appeared like a hit and confirmed what it may be.
It simply has to do one thing it has by no means finished earlier than: maintain it.
