The 4 Nations Face-Off was an enormous success for not simply the NHL, however the sport of hockey as a complete.
However NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is not certain the match might be making a return in the course of the 2025-26 season.
Making an look on “The Wealthy Eisen Present,” Bettman defined why the league must suppose lengthy and exhausting about how the match would match into subsequent yr’s schedule because of the Winter Olympics and World Cup of Hockey additionally being performed.
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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman solutions questions from the media previous to a sport between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche at T-Cellular Enviornment. (Lucas Peltier-Imagn Pictures)
“The success has been so fast and overwhelming,” Bettman mentioned. “We’ve received a number of issues to contemplate and type out, together with what our All-Star sport seems to be like going ahead. However, look, it was all good.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off was performed rather than the normal All-Star Recreation this yr, and it featured world groups from the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Bettman referred to as it a “fast appetizer” for the opposite worldwide hockey that might be performed within the coming years. The Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, will kick off in 2026, and the World Cup of Hockey will return for the primary time since 2016 in 2028 and can proceed each 4 years afterward.
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The NHL beforehand didn’t enable its gamers to take part within the final two Winter Olympics. However the league will once more enable its gamers to take action, beginning subsequent yr in Milan.
When it comes to the World Cup of Hockey, Bettman mentioned the objective is to “do a full World Cup, such as you see in soccer.” The match might be in Europe in addition to North America.
Staff USA ahead Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates with Staff USA ahead Auston Matthews (34) his objective in opposition to Staff Finland within the third interval throughout a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey sport at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Pictures)
So, whereas Bettman mentioned he wasn’t certain if the 4 Nations Face-Off could be again, he advised Eisen that he was asking “absolutely the proper query.”
“I don’t have all the suitable solutions but,” Bettman continued.
The 4 Nations Face-Off was an incredible success, particularly contemplating how uninteresting sports activities followers have discovered some All-Star Video games, particularly within the NHL and NBA lately.
There was a real sense of pleasure from all 4 international locations, together with the championship closing between Staff USA and Staff Canada, which finally ended with Connor McDavid scoring the game-winning objective in time beyond regulation.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media previous to sport between the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators on the Canadian Tire Centre. (Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Pictures)
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Due to the success, hockey followers believed it solely made sense for the league to proceed constructing upon the inaugural match.
Bettman and the remainder of his high-ranking executives will work to see if there’s a answer that retains the match from being a one-off shifting ahead.
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