The 2025 Four Nations Face-Off was held from February 12 – 20, an international men’s hockey tournament. The teams that played in this tournament were Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the United States. This tournament was hosted by the National Hockey League, and it served as a temporary replacement for the NHL All-Star Game. The tournament had a round-robin format, where each team played against every nation. The games were packed with rivalries, intense competition, and so much more.
All teams feature amazing NHL Players. Team Canada was led by captain Sidney Crosby, and alternative captains Connor McDavid and Cale Makar. Auston Matthews served as Team United States captain with Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy as the alternative captains. The captain of Team Finland was Aleksander Barkov, and the alternative captains were Sebastian Aho, Mikael Granlund, and Mikko Rantanen. Team Sweden’s captain was Victor Hedman with Mattias Ekholm, Erik Karlsson, and William Nylander serving as alternative captains.
The tournament kicked off with Team Canada vs Team Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, where Canada won 4-3 in overtime. Nathan MacKinnon gave Canada an early lead with a power-play goal just 56 seconds into the game. Later in the first period, Brad Marchand scored another goal for Team Canada. In the second period Sweden responded with a goal from Jonas Brodin and Canada regained a two-goal lead. Sweden fought back hard in the third period and scored twice to send the game into overtime. Mitch Marner then scored the game-winning goal for Canada.
Up next in the tournament was Team United States vs Team Finland at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The United States kicked off their first game in the tournament with a dominant 6-1 victory over Team Finland. Finland took the lead in the first period with a goal from Henri Jokiharju. The U.S. took the lead late in the second period with a tipped in shot by Matt Boldy. In the third, they quickly scored twice within 16 seconds, then added two more goals, securing their win.
The next game in the tournament was between Team Finland and Team Sweden. It was played at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Team Finland beat their longtime rivals, Team Sweden, claiming their first win of the tournament with a 4-3 overtime victory. Mikael Granlund scored the game-winning goal after Kevin Lankinen made incredible saves in overtime to keep Finland in the game.
Team Canada and Team United States faced off next at the Bell Centre. The game started off very tense as the Canadian crowd loudly booed the United States National Anthem. This has become a common occurrence in Canadian sports due to President Trump’s remarks about imposing tariffs on goods from its North American neighbors and his suggestion that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state. Right after the face-off, three separate fights broke out within the first nine seconds of the game. The United States went on to secure their spot in the Four Nations Face-Off Championship with a 3-1 win. The United States had two goals from Jake Guentzel and one from Dylan Larkin, and Canada’s goal was scored by Connor McDavid.
Next matchup was Team Finland and Team Canada at TD Garden in Boston, with Canada advancing to the championship game after a 5-3 victory. Canada quickly took the lead against Finland scoring two goals in the first five minutes. In the second period, MacKinnon scored again assisted by Sidney Crosby, causing Finland to replace goalie Kevin Lankinen with Juuse Saros. Esa Lindell scored for Finland, who then pulled their goalie. Mikael Granlund scored twice to make it a close game. Sidney Crosby sealed the win for Canada with a final empty net goal.
The last game before the championship was Team Sweden vs Team United States at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Sweden beat the United States 2-1 in the final round-robin game. Before this match, Team United States had already secured their spot in the championship game. Chris Kreider scored 35 seconds into the game, but Gustav Nyquist and Jesper Bratt’s goals gave Sweden the lead. Sweden’s goalie, Samuel Errson, saved 32 of the 33 shots taken on him.
The championship game between Team Canada and Team United States took place on February 20 at TD Garden in Boston. Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime. Nathan MacKinnon gave Canada the early lead, but Team USA tied it up with Brady Tkachuk’s goal. In the second period, the US took the lead with a rebound goal by Jake Sanderson, but soon after Canada tied it back up with a goal from Sam Bennett. After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime and Connor McDavid scored the game-winning goal securing the victory for Team Canada. With the thrilling overtime win, Canada secured the Four Nations Face-Off Championship, defeating Team United States in a very hard fought battle.
The Four Nations Face-Off became wildly popular all over the world. The tournament MVP Nathan MacKinnon told ESPN, “I think it was much more popular than even we would have imagined. It was getting so much attention from our whole continent.” According to ESPN, the game drew 9.3 million viewers in the U.S., making it the most-watched NHL game on their networks and the second-most viewed over the last decade.
The 2025 Four Nations Face-Off was a riveting and action-packed tournament that featured top hockey teams from Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the United States. With exciting matches and intense overtime victories, the tournament kept all fans on the edge of their seats. Team Canada’s thrilling overtime win over the United States earned them the championship title. The tournament was an overwhelming success, with millions of viewers, and exciting finishes.