Florida Panthers
NHL Found a Winner With the 4 Nations Face-Off
Let’s face it: The NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off has been an unmitigated success both for hockey aficionados and the general public.
Tonight’s finale between Canada and Team USA promises to be a matchup for the ages, at least according to all the hype.
The NHL certainly needs to thank Matthew and Brady Tkachuk for a lot of the attention.
The Tkachuk Brothers have done more for hockey in the USA in one week than anyone could have imagined.
According to the NHL, TV viewership for the Canada-Sweden and USA-Finland games to start the tournament drew 4.1 million and 3.4 million viewers, respectively, more than double the viewership that the NHL anticipated.
The NHL announced that Saturday’s game between the USA and Canada drew an astounding 10.1 million viewers in North America.
It was the most-watched hockey game, excluding Stanley Cup Final games, since 2014.
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On Saturday, the NHL competed with NBA All-Star Saturday night, a perennial favorite that likewise drew upwards of 10 million viewers.
Tonight’s championship game should draw an even larger audience. The underdog promo code is available.
The tournament made fans forget about the ho-hum all-star games, which will be skipped again next year in favor of the Winter Olympics in Italy.
You couldn’t ask for better theater. Finland and Sweden are natural border rivals, as are the USA and Canada.
The trash-talking has been plentiful, highlighted by the viral quote by Patrik Laine.
“We’re the big brother now, “ Laine told ESPN’s Emily Kaplan after Finland’s come-from-behind overtime victory over Sweden. The underdog promo code seems relevant with rosters built like fantasy teams and Finland rising.
Everyone knew going in that these would not be mere exhibitions. It was going to be a fast-paced, hard-hitting series.
Players were, as they often say, “jacked” and ready.
Every game leading to last Saturday’s USA-Canada showdown was excitement personified. The start of the main event, with three fights in the first nine seconds, got everyone’s attention.
If anyone was asleep the last few years and never heard the name Tkachuk, they certainly know it now.
Not to be denied, Matthew’s teammate and long-time friend, Sam Bennett, slugged it out with Brady. This should spark some interesting post-tournament conversation.
Canada head coach Jon Cooper observed that after the initial fisticuffs, “a hockey game broke out.”
The game could have gone either way. Dylan Larkin’s second-period tally prevailed as the game-winner.
There were bone-shattering checks, such as the one Charlie McAvoy put on Connor McDavid.
Both Brady and Matthew Tkachuk have suffered injuries, but they have said they will be in the lineup tonight.
ESPN is throwing everything it has at tonight’s game with SportsCenter broadcast from Boston and a one-hour pregame show.
Buckle up.
4 NATIONS FACE-OFF SCHEDULE/RESULTS
At Montreal
- Wednesday: Canada 4, Sweden 3 (OT)
- Thursday: United States 6, Finland 1
- Saturday: Finland 4, Sweden 3 OT; United States 3, Canada 1
At Boston Garden
- Today: Canada 5, Finland 3; Sweden 2, United States 1
- Tonight’s Championship: Canada vs. USA, 8 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN+)
