SUNRISE, Fla. — Montreal and Boston will be the host cities for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February, the NHL announced Saturday along with releasing the schedule for the event.
Sportsnet will broadcast all games.
In Montreal, Canada plays Sweden on Feb. 12, the U.S. plays Finland on Feb. 13, then a doubleheader — Finland vs. Sweden and the U.S. vs. Canada — awaits on Feb. 15.
In Boston, play resumes Feb. 17 with another doubleheader with Canada meeting Finland and Sweden meeting the U.S. The championship game is there on Feb. 20.
“Our national rightsholders, all of our national rightsholders in both countries will be carrying the games,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in part of his annual news conference that precedes Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. “We’re delighted in the progress that we’re making and the ability to button down the plans.”
National Hockey League Players’ Association director Marty Walsh said 90 NHL players will be taking part in the tournament. National federations will start releasing rosters — six names apiece — on June 28, with the rest of the rosters expected by the end of 2024.
Montreal and Boston stood out as host site options, the league said.
“Two iconic cities and we felt it was important to have some exposure, some venue in Canada as well as the United States,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.
Here is the full schedule:
Feb. 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Bell Centre)
Feb. 13: U.S. vs. Finland, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Bell Centre)
Feb. 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (Bell Centre)
Feb. 15: Canada vs. U.S., 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Bell Centre)
Feb. 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT (TD Garden)
Feb. 17: Sweden vs. U.S., 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (TD Garden)
Feb. 20: Championship game, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (TD Garden)
MIAMI GAME?
There is no time of year where South Florida would offer a suitable climate for the NHL to play an outdoor game.
That is, unless it was indoors — like at loanDepot Park, the 37,000-seat stadium in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood that the Miami Marlins call home.
“I haven’t been there, but I understand it’s very nice and it also has a roof and is air conditioned,” Bettman said. “I’m not going to break any news today, but we are mindful of the fact that at some point, it would be good for the Panthers to be in an outdoor game. And so, we continue to explore options. … We can only speculate what the future might hold.”
It’s not the first time the ballpark has been mentioned as a place for a traditional winter sport to play. When hearing last year that the San Antonio Spurs were going to break the NBA attendance record by playing the Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra suggested trying to pack 100,000 people in the ballpark for an NBA game.
CUT-RESISTANT MATERIALS
Talks will continue on the notion of mandating certain cut-resistant equipment. That conversation was accelerated around the sport following the November death of American hockey player Adam Johnson from a skate blade to the neck in a game in England.
The NHL and the NHLPA have been studying skate cut injuries and how to reduce and avoid them for years.
“There’s no update other than to say that, obviously, the events of this year kind of opened everybody’s eyes and brought a much bigger focus on it,” Daly said.