It was clear that the NHL and NHLPA returned to the best-on-best competition to create a huge hit before the Pack fell in the final of the four US-Canada match.
Players on both sides were called Thursday’s game in Boston.
The coach was amazed at how speed and pace were exhibited throughout the tournament, with a 3-2 overtime victory in Canada in the finals no exception.
An alternative to the NHL All-Star Game? no way.
“Everyone who thought they’d come here and watch the All-Star Game was terrible, grossly wrong,” Canada and the Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Cooper said before the title game. “This wasn’t anything. It was an All-Star, but it wasn’t an All-Star game.”
Fans responded in key ways, with the round-robin game gaining an average of 4.6 million viewers across North America. It watched the first US-Canada conflict last Saturday, marking the biggest viewer in a non-playoff game since the fourth Winter Classic held in Heinzfield, Pittsburgh in 2011.
The tournament will feature NHL star Who’s Who, featuring 28 Stanley Cup Winning Players, 16 Major League Awards and six former No. 1 overall draft picks.
Something like Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is now the six-time international best-play champion, and has returned to the grand stage, doing whatever it is possible for each country.
Really, why can’t fans respond?
“It’s hard to not be excited about what we’re witnessing from hockey purists and hockey fans in general,” said coach Mike Sullivan, who is behind the bench of the Penguin Crosby. “It’s everything you want in sports, and that’s why we love it. (Sports) is on display now and you should believe this tournament will have a lasting impact. It must be.”
Of course, it was a sparkling showcase of young talent like Sweden’s Leo Carlson, the second pick of the Anaheim Duck two years ago, 22-year-old American defender Brock Faber from Minnesota Wild.
And it’s not hard to imagine a recent No. 1 overall pick, like Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard and San Jose Sharks’ Macklyn Secreni wearing maple leaf sweaters in future tournaments like this. But the real winner was someone with awe.
In some respects, it was a miracle of the 1980s, once again on the ice in terms of its impact on the sport as a whole.
“It’s pretty cool to think about the next generation and how much this means to them.” US goaltender Connor Helebuick saidWinnipeg Jets’ two-time Vezina Trophy winner.
After two Olympic Winter Olympics without NHL participation, players like the Canadian Forward and the Florida Panthers have advocated this type of return for years, like NHLPA representative Sam Reinhart.
What a return. And so was the appetizer at Milan Cortina 2026.
“It just helps the game. It just helps the league,” Reinhart said. “We respect what each side is doing from a league and player perspective. We both want to push the needle forward. That’s what an event like this can do. That’s true. It’s a win-win.”
The international flavours won’t end following next year’s Olympics as the NHL and NHLPA have already announced early plans for a return to the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expects at least eight teams to participate in the tournament. A game that can be done outside of North America.
What’s on the NHL horizon is still unknown. But if there’s another event, like the four-country showdown, hockey fans certainly don’t care.
And there’s no doubt that players will fall on the same boat.
“It’s hard for anyone who has seen this tournament to not be excited about participating in it. If you like hockey, it’s hard not to get excited about this,” Sullivan said. “To be honest, it was an incredible privilege to be a part of it, and hockey may have been the best hockey I’ve ever been involved in. It’s certainly definitely the fastest It was.
If something has stood out over the past few weeks, it means the best is the best.
