Is the NBA envying the NHL? Never would’ve guessed that. But it’s true! The NHL had been grappling with declining viewership in the recent past, and the league’s matches weren’t well received as expected. And so, they came up with a brilliant plan. They pivoted from their regular All-Stars game and brought in what we now know as the 4-Nations Face-off. The timing couldn’t have been any better.

Strained political relations between the USA and Canada fueled the tournament with intense drama. When the players were let loose on the rink for the recent game between the two nations, they went berserk. Nine seconds into the game, the referees had their hands full with three brawls. The Montréal stadium’s energy shattered records both on and off screens, with viewership hitting an all-time high of 10.1 million in the history of NHL. Well, one league’s win is another league’s loss.

To sum it up, the NBA also ran their All-Stars game around the same time. But it wasn’t received as well as the NHL. In fact, the viewership of the All-Stars went down by 36% as compared to last year. While the NBA is plagued by this setback, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, a seemingly avid hockey fan, had some candid thoughts to share. As posted on X by the Barstool Sports, Durant didn’t mince his words at all.

The NBA star made it known that, “Hockey is right there and they play with that aggression that u may like, they also rarely get traded or go to new teams in free agency so the loyalty aspect is there.” But the most surprising thing was that he preceded it with, “For the betterment of your mental health and just overall well being, just don’t watch the nba.” So is Durant saying NHL is better?

While the message is definitely a mouthful of words for the NBA, we don’t intend to take this out of context. Obviously, there have been some major trades happening between leagues in the NBA, coupled with the All-Stars game failing to make its mark. We get it. Durant’s caution to the wind was picked up for debate on ESPN by some NBA experts and popular hockey analyst, P. K. Subban. When the NBA experts contemplated on changing the format of the game like the NHL did—pit countries against each other for the game to pick up pace—Subban just could not agree.

In his words, “hockey’s a different sport from the NBA, you can’t compare the cultures because of the way the game is played.” Subban further clarified his point by highlighting how one can “step on an NBA floor and go through the emotions.” And according to him: “You can’t do that in hockey, you can’t, like the culture of our sport (is that) you have to play it with passion. You have to be willing to fight, you have to be willing to leave it on the ice. That’s what fans are investing in. So, for us when we charge $1,500 for a ticket to come to for a night, fans know what they’re getting.”

And that’s not all Subban had to say, he brought in an example, “Cale Makar, the best defenseman in the world, wasn’t in the lineup for this game. This was the most viewed game that we’ve had in years and you see it. It’s because it’s not just based on the skill and talent, it’s based on the pride, honor, playing for the guy next to you. I got a question for the NBA players. What the hell are you playing for? What are you playing for? It’s not about the money, you make all the money. You’re injured, well there’s a difference between being hurt and injured. Are you hurt or are you injured? There’s a difference in hockey. We play hurt, we play injured, that is the culture of the sport. It’s always been that way.”

Are we aligned with him? Absolutely yes. If you weren’t tuned in for the face-off between the USA and Canada on February 16, then you missed out on one of the best debacles on ice that the world has witnessed in a very long time. Of course, the viewership blew off the roof. Players who were otherwise united in their respective leagues, stood divided as nations when they battled it out on the rink to make their countries proud.

Despite a blackout in the Bay area that left hockey fans fuming at not being able to witness the feud fuelled game, the NHL still clocked in 10.1 million views, making it the most viewed in the history of the NHL and the first non-Stanley Cup game to do so. After all, it was also the first time that the two nations played against each other after almost a decade plus of separation. But what makes a hockey match, or any match for that matter, stand out.

What makes an NHL game ‘THE Game’?

See, P. K. Subban had a point. Just pivoting to new formats alone does not help any sport. The NHL might have set the stage with the 4-Nations Face-off. But it’s the players who breathed life into the tournament. The players who took it upon themselves as a mission to represent their country on an international stage is the sole reason that made heads turn. The players performing for their countries infused NHL’s project with passion. But, unfortunately, the NBA works differently.

It’s not that they haven’t had a chance to play internationally. They did, and it is not being underplayed, when the USA played against France or Serbia and clinched gold after crushing both teams. But ironically, the heat and the passion on a court doesn’t seem to melt fans as it is thrown on ice. The aggression and the will to battle it out, as fearsome as it seems, gets left behind on the rink. In that lies the beauty of hockey. With the end of this tournament, the players are absolved of all differences when they get back to their respective teams ahead of the upcoming NHL Season. But while they are in it, they are in it to win it.

Now that the NHL has found the perfect chord to strike, they will max out on it as far as possible. In the inaugural game of the 4-Nations Face-off, the commissioner for the NHL, Gary Bettman, had announced the return of the World Cup of Hockey that is slated to happen in 2028 after the Winter Olympics of 2026. The hint of this decision is already in the air. When the Stanley Cup couldn’t keep the momentum on, the NHL were quick to think on their feet for a resolution and it has worked its magic. What unravels in tomorrow’s final game is for us to find out tomorrow.

But today, we’ve made peace with the fact that hockey is back and it’s back to stay! Not to perish. As far as NBA is concerned, we’re sure there would be some slam dunk knack that would work for them too. Hang in there, hoopers.