Four Nations Face-Off Schedule

[SPF6ty9]

I don't understand why people on this site are so anti-this tourney. We've never seen Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon on a Team Canada together before. That alone is worth the viewership. Who cares how it got there, at least that is finally happening. Nobody is phoning it in when they have their country colours on their chest.

 

[Erik Alfredsson]

I don't understand why people on this site are so anti-this tourney. We've never seen Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon on a Team Canada together before. That alone is worth the viewership. Who cares how it got there, at least that is finally happening. Nobody is phoning it in when they have their country colours on their chest.

I think it's a mix of it being mid-season (and not the Olympics) with only 4 teams competing making it seem kind of awkward, and also maybe a lack of confidence due to Canada's recent performances in international tournaments being terrible and way below their standards.

 

[Micklebot]

I don't understand why people on this site are so anti-this tourney. We've never seen Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon on a Team Canada together before. That alone is worth the viewership. Who cares how it got there, at least that is finally happening. Nobody is phoning it in when they have their country colours on their chest.

The issue for me is the NHL regular season is far more compelling right now, and this just derails that momentum. We're at the point in the season where wins and losses really start to matter, and the standings have never been tighter (in the east at least) so slamming on the breaks to show a tournament with zero history and expecting me to care about it is a tough sell.

This should have been done before xmas if they wanted to hype up interest in hockey imo. I also don't really care about seeing n Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon on a team together, all great players, but there's no real story there other than good players playing together. There are more compelling stories with team USA (Tkachuk brothers and Hughes brothers prior to Quinn pulling out).

Then you have guys like Kucherov, Panarin, Draisaitl, Stutzle, Pastrnak, Marchenko and Necas. all top 30 in scoring but no team to play on. That's a lot of top talent that's ineligible for what's supposed to be a best on best tournament.

 

[SPF6ty9]

The issue for me is the NHL regular season is far more compelling right now, and this just derails that momentum. We're at the point in the season where wins and losses really start to matter, and the standings have never been tighter (in the east at least) so slamming on the breaks to show a tournament with zero history and expecting me to care about it is a tough sell.

This should have been done before xmas if they wanted to hype up interest in hockey imo. I also don't really care about seeing n Crosby, McDavid, and MacKinnon on a team together, all great players, but there's no real story there other than good players playing together. There are more compelling stories with team USA (Tkachuk brothers and Hughes brothers prior to Quinn pulling out).

Then you have guys like Kucherov, Panarin, Draisaitl, Stutzle, Pastrnak, Marchenko and Necas. all top 30 in scoring but no team to play on. That's a lot of top talent that's ineligible for what's supposed to be a best on best tournament.

To me the story is the great players that are there finally getting a chance to play together. And connecting the 2 best players of the past generation, Crosby and McDavid, while Crosby is still playing well, is not just a story but it's history. Olympics will be great in 2 years, but by then Crosby could be like Gretzky in Nagano where he makes the team but not as the contributor he still can be today.

And then throw in the political backdrop between Canada/USA at the moment and that makes that game all the more compelling.

I won't argue that the execution isn't perfect, in terms of including all the NHL stars. And I couldn't care less about whatever venue/tournament it's played in. But having the best Canadian hockey players wearing a national jersey, playing against the best from other countries; that to me is compelling even if it's played in Siberia at 3am with Dean Brown telling jokes all game long as commentary.

 

[Micklebot]

To me the story is the great players that are there finally getting a chance to play together. And connecting the 2 best players of the past generation, Crosby and McDavid, while Crosby is still playing well, is not just a story but it's history. Olympics will be great in 2 years, but by then Crosby could be like Gretzky in Nagano where he makes the team but not as the contributor he still can be today.

And then throw in the political backdrop between Canada/USA at the moment and that makes that game all the more compelling.

I won't argue that the execution isn't perfect, in terms of including all the NHL stars. And I couldn't care less about whatever venue/tournament it's played in. But having the best Canadian hockey players wearing a national jersey, playing against the best from other countries; that to me is compelling even if it's played in Siberia at 3am with Dean Brown telling jokes all game long as commentary.

I don't begrudge anyone for being pumped about it, I just personally am not all that interested for the reasons I mentioned.

 

[Back in Black]

10 minutes to gO


Woohoo, bring it on.

 

[Blotto71]

Anyone able to dm a stream?

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

That looked like a sequence out of a video game.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

Lending the players to the Olympics with no direct benefit is idiotic.

I don't like the NHL's chosen format for the tournament, but they would be stupid to let the Olympics take HRR that could go to the league and the PA.

If the players are stupid enough to give the league consolations in the CBA so that they can have the Olympics, that's on them, but it's still bad business. There is nothing different about the Olympics that a true best on best tournament run by the NHL once every four years couldn't provide. I suppose the public has a false perception that the Olympics are differentiated from major sports leagues.

There is zero logical reason to go to the Olympics. It helped the NBA big time in 1992 - but there has been no proof in the last 20 or so years that it has helped the NHL at all, and they aren't willing to make any reasonable consolations to the league. It's some Sopranos mafia shit to say give us your product for 2 months that you poured all this time and money into building and we'll pay you in exposure like you're some graphic artist on Twitter.

 

[Boud]

People who had no interest in this tournament are out to lunch

 

[thinkwild]

Well i dont think i can agree that there is nothing different about the olympics than an nhl best on best. I mean if its truly best on best does that mean every player must come from the nhl? Plus there is the whole athlete experience that the players will love more. And of course bigger worldwide audience. But im not sure players look at this in terms of whats the best business decision. They choose the best competition. Olympics is corrupt as all get out. When we say official sponsor of so and so im pretty sure that started with the Olympics trademark lawyers. But it is a grand spectacle that the nhl alone cant compare with.

Yeah this is starting to look like pretty good hockey. Those line combos are so fun to watch. EK and Hedman again. Deadly Canadian PP and 3rd line

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

still think there should be a rest of world/europe team like the last time.

this is basically a two team tournament right now.

 

[PlayOn]

This is fun hockey but I’d be lying if I said I was really invested in the outcome. It still feels totally meaningless.

 

[Tuna99]

montreal crowd going to boo the Americans relentlessly tonight. And it’ll be great. Can’t wait.

If you put Matthew Tkachuk’s perm over Austin Matthews forehead you’d have a man with huge forehead with a douchy perm on it

 

[Beech]

montreal crowd going to boo the Americans relentlessly tonight. And it’ll be great. Can’t wait.

If you put Matthew Tkachuk’s perm over Austin Matthews forehead you’d have a man with huge forehead with a douchy perm on it

Tuna,

two minutes in the penalty box for that one.

 

[BondraTime]

This is fun hockey but I’d be lying if I said I was really invested in the outcome. It still feels totally meaningless.

Pretty much the same here.

I'm not going out of my way (actually making plans around it, that is) to watch any of it, but will be watching if I am able

First season since 2017 I've been remotely optimistic and following the playoff race with hoipe of making it, the 2 week break is a damper for me