NHL Announces Boston As A 4 Nations Face-Off Host
Details on a professional international pro hockey tournament have been unveiled by the NHL and it includes exciting news for Boston hockey fans. The 4 Nations Face-Off will be played at the TD Garden and in Montreal, Canada. The countries participating are Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States.
If you are unfamiliar with this unique tournament here is what you need to know. This has the feel of the World Baseball Classic, but for hockey and perhaps on a bit of a smaller and introductory scale. While the four participating countries have been announced, we don’t know which players we can expect to see in the games just yet. However, what we do know is that the players will be familiar names.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be a round-robin tournament featuring teams comprised of NHL players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland,” the NHL said in a press release. On Friday, June 28th the first six players from each team will be announced.
In total each team will have 23 players. This consists of 20 skaters and three goalies per team. In order to be eligible each player must be contracted to a NHL roster for the 2024 – 2025 season.
Of course both Boston and Montreal are filled with hockey fanatics and players, but there is another connection to the city and the NHL picking the TD Garden as a host site. Former city mayor Marty Walsh is the NHL Players’ Association executive director.
Here Is The 4 Nations Face-Off Schedule
Seven games are scheduled over the course of two different weeks next winter. The exact schedule is below with the puck first dropping in Montreal.
At The Bell Centre in Montreal:
- Wed, Feb. 12, 8pm: CAN vs. SWE
- Thurs, Feb. 13, 8pm: USA vs FIN
- Sat, Feb. 15, 1pm: FIN vs SWE
- Sat, Feb. 15, 8pm: USA vs. CAN
At the TD Garden in Boston:
- Mon, Feb. 17, 1pm: CAN vs. FIN
- Mon, Feb. 17, 8pm: SWE vs. USA
- Thurs, Feb. 20, 8pm: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The tournament format is that “each team plays three tournament games in Round Robin format: 3 points for a regulation win; 2 points for an OT/shootout win and 1 point for an OT/shootout loss.”
Upon the conclusion of these tournament games a final matchup will be determined. It is simply the two teams that have the best record based around the point system detailed.
Walsh in a statement shared by the NHL said this tournament in a way serves as a lead-in to the 2026 Winter Olympics. “You’re going to have 90 NHL players representing their countries while competing in one of the greatest games in the world,” Walsh said.
You can sign up for updates and ticket information here.