Opinion: Was Four Nations worth the hype

Jack: Yes, the Four Nations Face-Off was worth it

There need to be changes to the format, but yes, it was worth it. Every single game was played with intensity and that is exactly what the NHL was going for.

However, what will the NHL do if Russia is allowed to compete at the international level again? Will they bring in a Team World to make the number of countries even?

If so, that is five round robin games per team, which doesn’t account for extra games, like the final game and possible semi-final games.

There is also the issue of injuries. Matthew Tkachuk was injured during USA’s 3-1 Round Robin win against Canada and barely played during USA’s 3-2 loss against Canada in the final. Brady Tkachuk was injured in USA’s 2-1 round robin loss against Sweden.

Charlie McAvoy was injured during USA’s 6-1 round-robin win against Finland. He developed an infection and had to undergo treatment. This is a key example of why some players don’t want to put 100% effort in for an exhibition game that won’t affect the outcome of their seasons.

These injuries are costly, yes, but overall, the Four Nations Face-Off was worth it. It gave fans best-on-best hockey, which is what we were looking for. -Jack

Ian: The 4 Nations Face-Off was worth it

The 4 Nations Face-Off was absolutely worth it. The NHL replacing the All-Star game with this tournament was an incredible idea and builds a ton of excitement for the NHL’s return to the Olympics a year from now.

Instead of having the All-Star game where no one tries, the best players in the world were representing their nations in the tournament and brought some of the best hockey that anyone has ever seen.

The first 9 seconds between the United States and Canada was all we needed to know about if the tournament was worth it. 3 fights in the first nine seconds. This set the tone for the rest of the 4 Nations Face-Off and gave us all a classic, which the U.S. won 2-1.

The final of the tournament was also a classic. A highly anticipated rematch between the U.S. and Canada saw a back and forth duel.

Nathan MacKinnon struck first for the Canadians just under 5 minutes into the game getting them out to a quick lead. Brady Tkachuk continued his incredible tournament scoring his 3rd goal of the competition to bring the U.S. level at 1-1.

The U.S. struck again nearly halfway through the second period with Jake Sanderson scoring off a rebound to put the U.S. out in front. Sanderson hadn’t played in the first two games of the round robin, but was quickly inserted into the lineup in the absence of Charlie McAvoy the past two games the United States have played.

7 minutes later, Sam Bennett then went top shelf over the shoulder of American goalie Connor Hellebuyck to bring the Canadians level. The third period was scoreless and brought what everyone knew was going to be a classic to overtime.

In a fitting way the NHL’s best player, Connor McDavid scored the winning goal in overtime for Canada, allowing his country to lift the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy.

Players have been wanting to play for the countries for years now and the NHL hadn’t allowed its players to play in the Olympics since 2014 and there hasn’t been an international tournament featuring NHL players since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

The 4 Nations Face-Off gave fans and players alike some of the best hockey memories that they will have. The success of the 4 Nations Face-Off will surely grow the game around the world and we have already seen the NHL gain fans because of the tournament. -Ian

Austin: Four Nations was totally worth it

The Four Nations Face-Off was obviously worth it and probably the best decision the NHL has made, maybe ever.

International hockey is just different, the guys give their heart and soul for their nation and leave it all out on the ice, just like these last two weeks showed.

This was also the first international best on best competition since the 2016 World Cup so we got to see guys who never played for their nation finally get the opportunity.

The All-Star game was a complete joke anyways like it is in every sport where nobody plays hard and gives zero effort, so it was refreshing to see the passion this tournament brought.

These past two weeks got people from around the country and world fired up for the tournament and it was so good for the NHL. The game of hockey and the players that I believe the league has picked up a few new fans.

Obviously there were some injuries throughout the tourney but that’s what you sign up for when you play a physical game.

Overall, hockey is in good hands for the years to come with the Olympics a year from now and the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. Maybe an expanded Four Nations style tournament is what comes next, but until then the NHL did an outstanding job this first time around. -Austin

Jacob: Absolutely Worth It

This tournament had a lot of hype coming in because it was the first major international competition for the NHL’s top players since the 2014 Olympics. It was also the first opportunity we had to see superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and the Tkachuk brothers represent their country.

The tournament delivered on every level. We saw high quality play from all four teams, and other than the United States-Finland game, every game was close and entertaining.

The players were all in on it. Each one of them took the opportunity to represent their country to heart and gave everything in the tournament. Just look at the effort they gave defensively on things such as getting down to block shots or hustling to get back on a backcheck.

It was also great for the game of hockey. The first matchup between the United States and Canada drew the largest audience in North America for a game not including the Stanley Cup Final since 2014. The game drew an average of 4.4 million viewers in the U.S. and 4.7 million in Canada.

The hope for the players and coaches involved was that this tournament would grow the sport at all levels from professional to youth levels.

We’ll see its immediate impact in the viewership for the rest of this NHL season and whether viewership increases. Many around the game believe the goal of growing the game was accomplished.

It’s likely we will see a version of this tournament again in the next few years. NHL players will be back at the Olympics next year, which will have high expectations after this past week. This tournament is expected to grow hockey across Europe, and it is likely to expand in the future. -Jacob

Jack Harrison is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jkh6603@psu.edu.

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

Jacob Rudy is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jar7371@psu.edu.

Ian Rothenberg is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email imr5327@psu.edu