4 Nations Face-Off. What you need to know about the national hockey tournament

In the early hours of Thursday, February 12, the first major international hockey tournament in over eight and a half years—the Four Nations Tournament—will begin.

What is this tournament?

For the first time since 2016, the National Hockey League (NHL) has allowed its players to participate in the event, pausing the regular season to accommodate the competition. The tournament replaces the NHL All-Star Game and will feature four national teams: Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden. It will take place from February 12 to February 20, 2025, with games hosted at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.

Tournament format

The Four Nations Tournament will run from February 12 to February 20, replacing the NHL All-Star Game. Over this period, seven matches will be played. All four teams will compete in a single group, with each team facing every other team in a round-robin format. The top two teams in the standings will advance to the final.

During the group stage, teams will earn:

• Three points for a regulation win
• Two points for an overtime or shootout win
• One point for an overtime or shootout loss
• Zero points for a regulation loss

In case of a tie at the end of regulation, teams will play a 10-minute, three-on-three overtime, followed by a shootout if necessary. The final will feature continuous 20-minute, five-on-five overtime periods until a goal is scored.

Notably, all participating teams have already announced their rosters for the tournament.

Reminder: One of the key ongoing discussions in the hockey world is the potential return of Russia and Belarus to international competitions. However, it has been confirmed that this will not happen in the coming year.