4 takeaways from 4 Nations Hockey

The NHL’s decision to replace this year’s all-star game with the inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff has become the talk of the sports world this week as the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland plucked the best-of-the-best hockey players to compete for bragging rights.

The tournament was an immediate hit, especially after the first US-Canada game became an electric slugfest that ended with an American win.

So all eyes were on Thursday’s rematch for all the marbles, which ended with an unreal overtime win for Canada.

In honor of the 4 Nations, here are 4 takeaways from the finale.

Playing In Traffic

The first three goals of the game were not the silky-smooth hockey you’d expect from a game featuring the best players in the world. Both teams packed the middle of the ice when they were trying to score, making it near-impossible for Connor Hellebuyck and Jordan Binnington to make saves. Easy to score when the goalie can’t see.

Talking Tenders

Speaking of the goaltenders, the ESPN broadcast mentioned Binnington’s struggles in big games. It’s not unwarranted, but the Canadian kid also won a cup in the same building as Thursday’s game. Hellebuyck, however, hasn’t been tested in a high-pressure situation like this before. The Michigander has been playing in Winnipeg his entire career and hasn’t done much in the playoffs. Don’t let the score fool you, this game wasn’t about the goalies. They played remarkable. Binnington’s OT performance was a masterclass.

Let’s Get Physical

If you were thinking exhibition hockey would be a low-impact affair, your thinking was incorrect. This game, and the whole tournament, was as physical as an exhibition game as you’ll see in any sport. The Tkachuk brothers were a big part of that for Team USA. Playing a more physical game makes it harder for your high-skill players. But physicality can’t keep Connor McDavid, the best hockey player perhaps since Gretzky.

This Was So Much Fun

The “N” in NHL stands for national, but the league isn’t popular in Oklahoma and much of the nation. You have a growing hockey community in Tulsa and college hockey at UCO, OU and OSU, but rarely will you find people out and about talking hockey. But all day Thursday leading up to the game it was all anyone was talking about. And then it went to overtime! What a great burst of sports joy to close out one of Oklahoma’s coldest weeks in recent memory. Let's do it all over again in February 2026 for the Winter Olympics. Well, maybe just the hockey. Not so much the cold.