SUNRISE, Fla. — For the first time in 11 long years, we are bracing for true, best-on-best international hockey.
Details of 2025’s much-anticipated 4 Nations Face-Off were announced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA chief Marty Walsh on Saturday, hours before puck drop at the Stanley Cup Final.
The round-robin tournament — composed exclusively of NHL players representing Canada, the U.S., Sweden, and Finland — takes place Feb. 12-20 in lieu of All-Star weekend.
The series will begin at Montreal’s Bell Centre with four games, then fly to Boston’s TD Garden for the final three, including the championship game.
“Two iconic cities,” said deputy commissioner Bill Daly, noting the importance of hosting games in both NHL countries. “We wanted this to be all NHL players. These four countries fit the bill better than any of the others.”
Russia is still banned from international competition. And despite Czechia’s world championship victory, there aren’t enough NHLers from that country to fill out a roster.
The Face-Off will not hold semifinals nor a consolation final, as the league is being mindful of the players’ workload and the length of the tournament, which interrupts the regular season.
In round-robin action, three points will be awarded for a win in regulation time; two points for a win in overtime or shootout; one point for a loss in overtime or shootout; and zero points for a regulation loss. NHL rules apply.
Each country will unveil its first six players on June 28.
The 2014 Sochi Olympics was the last event with true, best-on-best international play. The 2016 World Cup of Hockey featured Canadian and American players aged 23 and under on Team North America.
Salary cap spikes — get used to them
The NHL’s salary cap’s 5.4-per-cent jump to $88 million in 2024-25 is the largest bump the league has enjoyed since 2018-19, the season prior to the pandemic’s interruption.
The cap floor is set at $65 million and the midpoint at $76.5 million.
With players finally crawling out of their escrow hole and, depending how much more revenue the Cup Final generates, perhaps a surplus, the salary ceiling projects to “robust growth” in subsequent seasons.
“It’s fair to say we’re in a good place,” Bettman said. “I predict it will continue to go up.”
The 2023-24 season was the most watched season in Canada since 2015-16 and the most watched in the U.S. in 30 years.
“It’s been a good year for hockey,” Walsh affirmed.
General managers are excited by news of their increased budget, which arrives three weeks before free agency opens.
The woebegone Arizona Coyotes have a new home (“I’m excited for the players to finally get a chance to play in an arena that they should be playing in,” Walsh says of Utah); an international calendar is in place; plus, sponsorships and TV ratings are on the incline.
Everyone seems to be winning, and with Bettman and Walsh sharing the stage and voicing no conflicting opinions (at least publicly), the alignment between the league and its players appears more amicable than at any other juncture during Bettman’s long tenure.
“I’m not sure that I want to categorize what it was, but I’ll tell you what it is,” Bettman said.
“It’s very open, candid, good dialogue. I think we have a good relationship. The best it’s been in the history of labour relations between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association. We’re collaborating on lots of important initiatives. I think that bodes well for the future growth of the game and the league.”
Quick Hitters…
• While no formal expansion process is underway, Bettman continues to field expressions of interest.
• Daly is speaking with the respective clubs of the NHLers charged with sexual assault in the 2018 Hockey Canada case.
Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Dillon Dube are all restricted free agents. As of now, the NHL is leaving it up to their individual clubs to decide whether to submit those players a qualifying offer on July 30. If not, they become unrestricted free agents.
• LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, is under consideration to host an “outdoor” game. The fully air-conditioned facility is equipped with a retractable roof, and the NHL would like to reward the two-time reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers with their first big-stadium event.
• Walsh says the PA wants to focus its attention “sooner rather than later” on the next collective bargaining agreement. The current pact, which was signed way back in 2013 and got extended once, expires upon conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
“That’s a long time for a contract to be in existence,” Walsh notes. “So, we’re going to be talking to the players about what they want to see, what they want to build.”
• Any changes to LTIR rules, Daly suggests, may have to wait for the next round of collective bargaining.
• Has Walsh ever asked the commissioner about placing a second franchise in Toronto?
“I never asked him, no. But a lot of people in Toronto ask me: ‘What about a second team?’ Everyone seems to love Toronto in Toronto.”
• Exiled executive Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville have asked Bettman for reinstatement.
“They currently are not eligible,” Bettman says. “That’s something I have to consider.”