Opinion: Should The NHL Scrap All-Star Weekends for Four Nations

Back in February of 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the Four Nations Face-Off would take the place of the All-Star game in 2025 and it might’ve been the best decision the league has ever made.

For years now the major sports leagues have struggled to keep their All-Star games relevant due to the lack of interest of fans and even the players.

You have the NFL Pro Bowl which is an absolute disgrace, the NBA All-Star game nobody watches and the MLB where the players at least try.

The events have just been lackluster exhibition games where the players give half-hearted efforts and have injury concerns which hampers the product on the ice.

The NHL decided to scrap their All-Star game and boy was it a great choice.

The Four Nations Face-Off has delivered in every way possible, from the players' efforts in representing their country and the fans in attendance, it has been absolute nails.

This is exactly why the NHL needs to abolish All-Star weekend and just have the Four Nations Face-Off takeover for two weeks in February.

I have been to two All-Star weekends in my life and while yes it’s a cool experience and all, it is nothing special by any means.

The skills competition is garbage and the actual game itself is so boring with guys not hustling and giving zero effort that it just makes zero sense to keep it around.

I think the NHL should have this tournament again in 2027, with the players going back to the Olympics next year and the World Cup coming back in 2028. Let us have an international best on best tournament every year for the next three years.

I have been saying for the longest time that we need some sort of international play every year and this is the best way we could get it.

Having an international best on best tournament makes the games actually mean something, it’s not some meaningless weekend for guys to go fool around and take peoples money for a poor product.

Overall Solution

The Four Nations Face-Off should continue every non Olympic and non World Cup year and pick the site of the tournament to be held in the city where the All-Star game is supposed to be.

Here is a potential schedule for the years to come:

2025: 4 Nations Face-Off

2026: Winter Olympics

2027: 4 Nations Face-Off

2028: World Cup of Hockey

2029: 4 Nations Face-Off

2030: Winter Olympics

This would be absolutely nuts and bring meaningful hockey to February every single season.

It’s such a shame we’ve had to wait nine years to get another international best on best tournament because these guys just love playing for their home nations and it just brings a different edge to the game.

The bottom line is hockey has their plans for the next handful of years and I firmly believe that the league has seen the results of this year's tournament and will make it return in 2027, maybe with more teams.

Austin Moran is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acm6506@psu.edu.