The 4 Nations Face-Off was underway with a thriller between Sweden and Canada, and if anyone thought this would be a mere exhibition, that was put to rest in overtime. The game was a high-scoring affair right from the start of the face-off, full of hard-hitting, intense forechecking, and defensive battles that got the fans present in the Bell Centre on their toes.

The Canadians, led by Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, found it hard to get beyond a resilient Swedish team, eventually winning dramatically in a 4-3 triumph. Mitch Marner was the one to seal it in OT, but it was McDavid who issued the loudest of proclamations—not on the ice, though, but off of it.

As the rivalry of this season’s biggest tournament approaches, McDavid sent a message to Team USA—and to anyone who believed this was just a skills exhibition. McDavid said, “I think people maybe have this tournament confused for an All-Star Game. It’s not an All-Star Game, this is a competitive event. Everyone wants to win, and you saw that tonight.”

And he wasn’t wrong.

Unlike the offense-happy, no-body-checking affair of the NHL All-Star Game, this tourney already has included genuine battles in the corners, grinding defense, and hard-hitting forechecking. The Canada-Sweden game alone included 25 blocked shots, over 30 hits, and a half-dozen post-whistle scrums—things that just do not happen in exhibition play.

The Canadian win over Sweden was one of hard-hitting, tight defense and high-stakes intensity. The body checks came hard, there was incessant backchecking, and Sweden’s defense, led by Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson, was constantly barraged. Goaltending was paramount, Filip Gustavsson making key stops—far removed from All-Star game free-scoring, defense-light situations. McDavid’s message was clear: this is not a show; it’s a win.

McDavid himself established the tone, playing a more intense, more physical game in every period. Team Canada didn’t just want to win—they wanted to show that this is a national pride tournament, that it’s a championship-level event.

And with Team USA to follow, that fire is going to burn even hotter. However, the NHL had recently revealed something that was not in practice before.

4 Countries confrontation—a preview of hockey’s future

The NHL players have been barred from large tournaments for many years, skipping the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. All of that is in the rearview mirror now.

Ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed a total return to international best-on-best hockey. In a media conference prior to the tournament, Bettman indicated that the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina (2026) and the World Cup of Hockey (2028) would be regular rotations.

“We couldn’t be more excited about making a reality: Olympics, World Cups, Olympics, World Cups on a regular schedule of the best hockey players in the world representing their countries,” said Bettman.

For McDavid, Crosby, and the rest of Canada’s team, the 4 Nations Face-Off is just a starting point. This is not a one-off affair—it’s a stepping stone to retaking hockey’s premier stage for national rivalries that have been on hold for a long time. This is more than the pride of the country—it’s figuring out who is the actual force of global hockey. And when these two hockey giants meet, one thing is certain: McDavid and Canada are here to win it all.