The Four Nations Face Off: The Political Puck Drop

By Ryan Agosto, Staff Writer

The 2025 Four Nations Faceoff was an International Hockey Tournament hosted by the National Hockey League (NHL). The tournament was held in a round-robin format (where all teams play each other) before coming to a head in a championship game. The teams were divided into four, with each country (Canada, the United States, Finland, and Sweden) selecting players from the NHL to represent them.

The games kicked off on February 12th and continued on to February 20th, where the final game was held in a matchup between the United States and Canada. The viewership for these events held some of the highest recorded viewings of hockey in recent years, with people maintaining interest in hockey and more.

The opening game in the tournament saw Canada pitted against Sweden, with Canada taking away the win in overtime with a score of 4-3. The rest of the round-robin round went as follows: the United States beat Finland 6-1, Finland beat Sweden 4-3 in overtime, the United States beat Canada 3-1, Canada beat Finland 5-3, and Sweden beat the United States 2-1.

This series of games eventually led to the finals between the United States and Canada, where Canada took home the victory on a goal in overtime, ending the championship with a score of 3-2. 

The appeal of the Four Nation finals behind the hockey scenes came in regards to the recent political unfoldings between America and Canada as President Trump has made comments lately regarding Canada as the 51st state, keeping his comments public and open. 

This commentary about Canada sparked outrage in the Canadian community, who met the United States National Anthem with heavy booing and disrespectful gestures towards the American Flag and to the Americans in the stands before the game. Americans would later respond to this by booing the Canadian National during the Championship game against Canada. 

Most people found this display by both countries intriguing, yet upsetting, as politics don’t have a specific history in intervening with hockey, and fans feel that foreign politics should remain outside of the game. These political tensions added more to the rivalry in the games, but can also take away from the values the games are built upon.

Senior veterinary science major Brandon Donnelly had mixed feelings about the politics that impacted the Four Nations tournament. 

“Politics erupting onto an athletic stage is not really the best situation honestly,” Donnelly said. “Most political oppositions in the world should remain outside of nonpolitical environments. Political oppositions between nations like the one we see between the United States and Canada cause drama inside and outside of the sport. When nations slander each other, athletic competitions become a good environment for that kind of competition to result in actions by the competing athletes, and it tends to look poor on those involved. That kind of fierceness makes the sport more interesting to watch, but overshadows the sportsmanship behind the game.”

The common public has the consensus that politics can be good for the sport, as long as they don’t change the game. When sports such as hockey become more than just a game, that’s when the real issues begin.

Junior sports management major Daniel Frankenberry had similar beliefs.

“In most situations, political opinions and ideals can cause lots of problems when they become involved in sports, but I feel like certain situations such as this allow for political tensions to be warranted,” he said. “Just like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, the increasing tensions between the United States and Canada created a beautiful moment where the American public came together as a patriotic force to watch and support the American team. The tension between the United States and Canada didn’t interfere or undermine the game, but removed sportsmanship from it.”

The Four Nations Face-Off was announced in 2024 during an NHL press conference, temporarily replacing the All-Star game that would’ve taken place during that time. The NHL All-Star game is expected to return in 2026, reclaiming its place from the Four Nations Face-Off. While many may prefer the All-Star game, none can deny the popularity of the Four Nations Face-Off held, as it was internationally streamed by 16 million viewers across the globe.