Overview

The world had never seen Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Nathan Mackinnon playing together on the same team in a competitive environment. That was until February 12, 2025 in the 4 Nations Faceoff opener. For almost ten years, the world had been deprived of the best hockey, not being able to see stars like McDavid and Cale Makar representing their home country. Instead, Canada had been forced to endure losses in international tournaments, including a shocking loss to Germany in the 2018 Olympics. The 4 Nations Faceoff restored the memories of signature best-on-best international hockey moments, with all the talent and energy adding to the long legacy that previous best-on-best international tournaments created.

Rosters

Canada

As always, Canada put together a star-studded lineup, headlined by a ridiculously deep group of centers, which included MacKinnon, McDavid, and Crosby. Those three centres also headlined possibly the greatest power play ever assembled, which, alongside the centres, included Cale Makar and 50-goal scorer Sam Reinhart. Scoring definitely wasn't a problem for Canada, with every single forward having potential to score 30+ goals. On the defense, Canada was filled with veterans who all have strong offensive and defensive powers on the ice, including the second best NHL defenseman Cale Makar. However, as Canadian fans checked arguably the most important position - goalie - they started to get uncomfortable. Every single goalie for Canada had a below average save percentage, (percentage of shots saved), and were going through a cold stretch leading into the tournament, where even the management which selected them started to get cold feet in their netminders. However, Canada definitely had enough talent to score away their goalie problems, as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon regularly have to outscore goaltending woes in the NHL.

USA

Considered by most to be the best squad overall, the USA skated into the Four Nations with possibly a better forward group than Canada, the best defense (although the injury for Quinn Hughes gave the Americans a large blow), and the best goaltending, with their crown jewel being Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The USA sent back to Canada their talented group of centres including Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Jack Eichel, and J.T. Miller, while putting them with their loaded group of wingers, which all are top-line players. On the defense side, even without Quinn Hughes, USA had a strong defense pool of puckmovers and playmakers, including former Norris winner Adam Fox. But what really set apart the USA from the rest of the teams was their goaltending. In all three goalies, especially Hellebuyck, Americans had full confidence. The USA on paper had the deepest team. 

Sweden

Sweden, although not at the level of Canada or the USA, had a very solid roster. They had a group of forwards that could go toe-to-toe with Canada and the USA, highlighted by William Nylander, a strong defense of veterans, and arguably the second best goaltending trio. The strengths of Sweden’s roster was mainly the level of experience all of their players have. Almost all of their players have regularly made impacts in the playoffs, and have taken on big roles for their teams. Combine a team of veteran players who perform under pressure, and you have a team that can match up with anyone. The one setback for their team was how they didn't have that one McDavid, Matthews, or MacKinnon who can just blow the game apart. Nobody on their team could just tilt the ice like the previously mentioned players which is important when it is a close game, and one play can separate a win from a loss. 

Finland

The Finnish group brought into the tournament is not close to the star power brought by other nations, as a good amount of their roster is filled by relatively unknown role players, but the stars that they did bring are major building blocks of a successful team. Aleksander Barkov was the only centre that was able to shut down Connor McDavid during last year's NHL playoffs, showing his ability to lock up opposing stars, which is vital in a tournament with so many stars. However, aside from Barkov, Sebastion Aho, Roope Hintz, Patrick Laine, and Mikko Rantenan, the rest of the forwards were pretty lackluster. The defense started out solid, but then critical injuries to half of the D, including a major loss of Miro Heskinanen, sent the Finns searching for other defense. The goaltending, which needed to be solid to give the Finns a chance, consisted of Juuse Saros, the most underrated goalie in the NHL, Kevin Lankinnen, and Ukko-Pekka Luukonnen, consistent goalies who were very important for the Finns. However, what the Finns didn’t have in starpower was recovered by strategic defending to stifle opponents' offending, giving them a fighting chance to win one-goal games. 

Why Finland Didn’t Win

When the hockey world learned of the 4 Nations Faceoff rosters, Finland immediately was cast in the role of the underdog, and their chances of winning weren’t helped by three injuries to key defensemen. That being said, they were able to keep games close against much better rosters, but for two of three games, fell short. Finland did not win because in stretches of games were completely dominated by opponents, and allowed multiple quick goals. In game one against the Americans, the Finns were only down one goal heading into the third period, then decided to give up three goals in three minutes, highlighted by two goals against in eleven seconds. In a must-win game against Canada, where a regulation win could put them in the finals, Finland fell asleep for forty six seconds, and forty six seconds later, found themselves in a 2-0 hole in a game where they lost by just one goal, (not including an empty netter). Had the Finns stayed alert for an extra three minutes and forty six seconds, they could have found themselves in the finals. 

Why Sweden Didn’t Win

The Swedes never lost in regulation, the only team to do so. Yet they watched from the sidelines during the 4 Nations Faceoff Final. The Swedes were right in the fight with all of the squads, losing only in the sudden death overtime, which was their kryptonite. The Swedish could not buy a win in overtime. They just couldn’t finish in the extra period. Their inability to score in the ten minute sudden death was why the Swedes didn’t win. Against Canada in OT, they had multiple chances to win on a shaky goaltender, but couldn’t get the job done. Against Finland, they again could not get the last tally. Their failures in the extra frame literally kept Sweden out of the championship in the standings, as one win out of the two OT games would have pushed the Swedes ahead of Canada by one point. 

The Championship Game’s Biggest X-Factors: 

Why Canada Won and USA Lost

The championship game was a tight affair between the two neighboring rivals, but the game can be narrowed down to these X-Factors from the game. 

Jordan Binnington vs. Connor Hellybuckyk

Jordan Binnington had been shaky for the entire previous 4 Nations Faceoff (and for most of his career for that matter). But Jordan Binnington, like in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, was a key part of his team’s win when it mattered most. His strong play baffled the Americans, as they were unable to score in overtime with multiple grade-A looks that a Binnington from a previous game would have allowed. Binnington stepped his game up, and was an extremely important player in helping Canada defeat the USA. On the other side, Connor Hellebuyck, who was a superhuman for the first few games of the tournament finally got more than one goal scored on him. Canada was able to get rubber past him, which everyone in the NHL has been struggling to do this season as Hellebuyck puts up Vezina numbers. Binnington being able to best Hellebuyck in the championship game was a major reason why the Canadians defeated the Americans. 

The Tkachuks

Brady and Matthew Tkachuk in the 4 Nations Faceoff were absolute forces. In the three games they played, they combined for five goals, two fights, twenty three hits, and twenty four shots - almost 30% of all American shots. These ridiculous totals would be even higher had they not missed the last round robin game against Sweden. Nobody could stop them…until the championship game. During the finals, their incredible statlines had taken a large toll on their bodies, which slowed them down. The brother tag-team tallied the least amount of hits and shots, and only played more minutes than a game where the two spent 10% of the game in the penalty box. Brady kept the stats rolling into the final second, but Matthew, playing through an injury, was weakened, and only played six minutes. Having only one Tkachuk compared to two was a major reason why the Americans fell. 

MVP

After scoring four goals in four games, Nathan MacKinnon was named the MVP of the tournament. He was the most consistent player for Canada, and unlike other stars like Connor McDavid, always had good performances. MacKinnon, who scored the first goal of the tournament, was able to best other great tournament performances from Brady Tkachuk, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Connor Hellebuyck, and Mikael Granlund.