The NHL is contemplating organizing a tournament featuring four national teams

The National Hockey League (NHL) is considering organizing a tournament featuring four national teams at the beginning of 2025, as reported by ESPN.

The event is tentatively scheduled for February 2025. Four teams will participate in the tournament — USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. Due to its limited scope, the tournament will be named differently than the Ice Hockey World Cup. The primary objective is to host an international tournament ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The proposed format entails the USA and Canada playing two games in North America, while Sweden and Finland will play two games in their respective countries. The winners of the matchups will likely face each other, also in North America.

The tournament format and the venue for the games have not been finalized yet, so there is a possibility that the entire tournament may be held in a single location. It is also noted that NHL games will not be scheduled during this time.

Recall that the last international tournament featuring NHL stars was the 2016 World Cup, where Team Canada triumphed over Team Europe in a two-game series.