Here's What You Need To Know About The NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off

The hockey world is buzzing because Wednesday night will mark the beginning of the NHL's new best-on-best tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will pit teams of NHLers from the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland against each other.

But, if you're still wondering, "Why are they doing this, and where the hell is the All-Star Game?" let's walk you through it.

First of all, what is the 4 Nations Face-Off?

As I said, it's a best-on-best tournament that will involve the four teams I already mentioned battling it out in a tournament that will take place in just two cities: Boston and Montreal.

It'll be the first time that fans have been able to see this kind of tournament with all the bulk of the league's biggest names (assuming they're from the US, Canada, Sweden, or Finland; sorry Russia and reigning world champions Czechia) since the last World Cup of Hockey, which was way back in 2016.

Sure, the IIHF World Championships happen every year, but they take place during the Stanley Cup Playoffs which means a lot of guys are too busy chasing a Cup to compete.

But why now?

Well, as you may or may not be aware, the NHL is sending its players back to the Olympics for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina. This will be the first time NHLers have been allowed to go to the Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Some of the biggest names in the NHL will represent their countries in the 4 Nations Face-Off. (Getty Images)

So, why this year?

Last year when the league announced it was headed back to the Olympics, it also announced plans to hold The World Cup of Hockey every four years opposite the Olympics (so, in Summer Olympic Years). From there the All-Star Game and a large-scale international tournament will alternate years.

However given this announcement was only made in 2024, it wasn't enough time to get a World Cup of Hockey together, and so the 4 Nations Face-Off was born.

So, it's essentially a mini World Cup.

Meanwhile, the league will take about a two-week break for the tournament, which will get underway on Wednesay with a game between Canada and Sweden. 

The US will make its tournament debut on Thursday, February 13.

From there, the tournament will use a Round Robin format and will wrap up with a Championship game scheduled for February 20 in Boston.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes, but I think it's hard to not be fired up about seeing teams with some of the NHL's best playing for their countries.