Brad Marchand Says Players Will Be "Out For Blood" At 4 Nations Face-Off

Now that we're into the new year and the Winter Classic is in the books, the next big item on the NHL calendar is the 4 Nations Face-Off, the inaugural edition of the NHL's latest idea for a best-on-best international tournament.

Fans are fired up, but I'm always curious to see how players react. I mean, playing in the tournament means representing your country (which is good), but it also means coughing up a nice break in the middle of the season that could be filled with a trip to Cancun (that's bad).

Plus, how much fire will guys have when it comes to winning a brand-new tournament? No one has a lifetime's worth of fire in their belly about winning the 4 Nations Face-Off. It was only announced about a year ago.

However, according to Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, players will be giving it their all.

Now that's what we want to hear.

Also, you may have caught that part about not getting "booed in Montreal." That's because the tournament will take place in just two cities: Montreal and Boston. This means that no matter where Team Canada will play, it's going to be some kind of home game for Marchand.

Bruins captain Brad Marchand said that players will be "out for blood" at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off. (Getty Images and © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)

He'll be part of an impressive Team Canada roster, which I think will be hungry for some success on the international stage after a rough performance at this year's World Junior Championship.

Sure, the team is comprised of completely different players, but they'll want to remind everyone that Canada is the top dog in international play.

But that won't be easy because the best-looking team on paper is Team USA, and if you ever watched international hockey, you know you never count out Sweden or Finland.

So, what I'm saying is I have absolutely no clue who is going to win this tournament, which is awesome, and exactly the way we want it.