There are four national faces in ice hockey, which will be super exciting and interesting for fans waiting to cheer for their favorite player. The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off is the return of NHL players to best-on-best competition.
This brief, five-game, four-team tournament paves the way for the 2026 Olympics and future World Cups. It builds on the tradition of international hockey tournaments, following the Canada Cup (1976-1991) and the World Cup of Hockey (1996, 2004, 2016), the most recent best-on-best tournament before this new format.
4 Nation Face-Off in Ice Hockey
The top NHL players compete in the exciting international competition known as the 4 Nations Face-Off, which lasts five days and is all-or-nothing.
Four teams compete in five days of games without playoffs in the 2025 event. It serves as a prelude to the 2026 Olympics and a stage for the forthcoming World Cup competitions.
The 4 Nations Face-Off brings elite international hockey matches back to hockey fans worldwide, reviving the thrill of past international tournaments.
Tournament Format and Schedule
One of the central questions on the 32 Thoughts Podcast was whether suspensions incurred during the 4 Nations Face-Off would be transferred to the NHL season.
Elliotte Friedman made it clear that the NHL classifies this tournament as independent, so any discipline given before or during the event will be effective only within the tournament and will not hinder a player’s eligibility once the season picks up again.
The nine-day NHL/NHLPA tournament features five games with a round-robin and single-game championship. All teams compete in three games, with the two best entries making the Feb. 20 final.
Standings are constructed differently than the NHL, awarding three for a regulation win, two for an overtime/shootout victory, one for an overtime/shootout loss, and nothing for a regulation defeat.
While regular NHL rules will play games, overtime in the round-robin phase will be a 10-minute three-on-three game rather than the normal five minutes, and then a shootout if required.
However, the championship game will not be won through a shootout; it will instead proceed with 20-minute sudden-death overtime periods until a champion is determined.
NHL Salary CAP HITS and TEAMS responses
None of the 4 Nations teams would be under the NHL salary cap, with Canada and Team USA’s forwards alone over it. Finland’s defense has a $15 million cap hit without considering other positions.
The combined cap hits for the four teams are: USA at $177.88 million, Canada at $174.048 million, Sweden at $150.81 million, and Finland at $106.9 million. All players involved are under NHL contracts for the current season.
The Florida Panthers lead the way with eight players on all four teams. The New York Rangers have six, and the Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights have five.
The San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals are the lone NHL teams with no representation in the tournament. Some teams, such as Anaheim, Calgary, Chicago, Columbus, the NY Islanders, and Seattle, only have one player apiece.
Canada’s most represented groups are Colorado, Tampa Bay, and Vegas, each with three players. St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Florida each have two Canadian players. The Florida Panthers dominate Finnish representation with four players, followed by Dallas with three.
Minnesota leads with three Swedish players, with Edmonton, Nashville, and Pittsburgh contributing two. The New York Rangers have four American players, while Winnipeg, Vegas, Ottawa, Minnesota, and Boston all have two representing Team USA.
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FAQs:
USA, Canada, Sweden, and Finland.
$106.922M
Will we see any NHL Trades during the tournament?