BREAK: Boston hosting 4 Nations Face-Off tournament with unbeaten team in NHL
The NHL and NHLPA have finalized the schedule and venue for next season’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh announced the details of the tournament on Saturday before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The event will start at the Bell Center in Montreal and conclude at TD Garden in Boston, running from February 12 to 20.
This tournament will be the first in-season international competition for NHL players since the 2014 Olympics, featuring teams from the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland.
Montreal will host the first four games of the seven-game round-robin tournament, while Boston will host the final three games, including the championship match.
The entire 4 Nations Face-Off schedule also was announced, with games to be broadcast exclusively in North America by The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), TNT Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.#4Nations: https://t.co/fLmzyiCaHS pic.twitter.com/mBqMVVcHb2
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 8, 2024
“Just two iconic cities,” Daly said, “and we thought it was important to have some exposure in Canada as well as a venue in the United States. Obviously, we have 32 franchises, so we could have placed it anywhere, but these two rose to the top. Both clubs have been very cooperative and excited about hosting, so we’re looking forward to being there.”
Each country will name the first six players on their 23-man roster on June 28, the opening day of the 2024 NHL Draft, with the remaining players announced later. All participants must be under NHL contract.
“The players are absolutely thrilled about this opportunity to compete internationally again, serving as a pre-tournament to the Olympics,” Walsh noted.
At this year’s All-Star Weekend, Bettman mentioned that the league plans to host a World Cup of Hockey in 2028 after players compete in the 2026 Olympics. However, this event will replace the 2025 All-Star Game, limiting it to seven games and four teams.
“It’s still an extended period; we didn’t want it to be too long, so we decided on a pure round-robin with a final,” Daly explained Saturday.
Bettman addressed the possibility of adding more teams: “There are two issues. One is how long a break we were prepared to take for an in-season tournament, and secondly, we wanted this tournament to feature all NHL players. These four countries fit the bill better than any others.”
A year after the 4 Nations Face-Off, NHL players are set to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade at the 2026 Milan Games.
Here’s the full press release from the NHL:
**Montreal and Boston to Host 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025**
**NEW YORK/TORONTO (June 8, 2024)** – The National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) today announced that the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston will serve as the host venues and cities for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. This international tournament will feature NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Additionally, the NHL and NHLPA unveiled the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule, with all games to be broadcast exclusively in North America by The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), TNT Sports, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will include seven games played over nine days from February 12 to 20, with two designated training/practice days on February 10 and 11. All games will adhere to NHL rules. Each team will compete in three tournament games in a traditional round-robin format, using the following points system: 3 points for a win in regulation, 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout, 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout, and 0 points for a loss in regulation. The two teams with the best tournament records will advance to a one-game final. Below is the complete schedule.
In addition, the official event logo was unveiled today at the Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla. (see above and attached).
The Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, opened in 1996 and has previously hosted games during the World Cup of Hockey (1996, 2004, and pre-tournament in 2016), NHL All-Star Weekend (2009), the NHL Draft (2009, 2022), and the Stanley Cup Final (2021).
TD Garden, home to the Boston Bruins and the NBA’s Boston Celtics, opened in 1995. It has hosted the 1996 NHL All-Star Weekend, three Stanley Cup Finals (2011, 2013, 2019), and four NBA Finals (2008, 2010, 2022, 2024).