The NHL is learning and evolving! This most recent 4 Nations Face-Off between the USA and Canada was an attempt to rekindle dwindling viewerships and interest that once brought NHL to its existence. For once, the NHL took a bold step to ditch the mundane and harness from equations that made hockey great. Don’t believe us. Believe the numbers. The 4-Nations face-off has proven to be the golden goose of hockey, with high hopes riding on the tournament; this was bound to bring in the required intensity.

A day ago, the USA defeated Canada 3-1 in a very intense match with numerous fights in Montréal, which secured the team’s place in the final.  There was no dearth for drama before the competition began, both on and off the rink. Some of the fans in the Bay Area received bad news that the game would not be broadcast live on ABC/KGO7. The San Jose Sharks PR team released the bombshell on X, redirecting fans to watch on ESPN+ and Channel 715 Xfinity instead. Let’s just say that it did not sit well with the hockey faithful.

4 Nations Face-Off sets a record!

The broadcast outage had the Bay Area fans fuming! “Absolutely ridiculous it’s not on ABC. How do you grow the game in the Bay Area? I thought I was going crazy that I couldn’t find it. Now I’m watching it on ESPN+.” However, nothing, not even the missed opportunity by ABC could stop the game from shattering records. SportsBiz reporter Alex M. Silverman took to X on February 16th to drop some massive numbers that had hockey fans buzzing. Safe to say, the USA-Canada rivalry delivered! Even with the broadcasting chaos, fans did show up in huge numbers!

ESPN unleashed some figures—this USA vs. Canada game had 473% more viewership than the 2016 World Cup of Hockey game and 369% more than the average viewership of NHL on ABC. And let’s face it. The NHL was looking for a spark to reignite the fire with international hockey and with the 4 Nations Face-Off, but instead, they discovered a wild fire!

The last time that hockey attracted such an audience was in 2019, but this game? Whether or not it was a part of the NHL, it was the highlight. This was a match between two of the most arch rivals in the sport, a battle which was for supremacy and a match that was billed to be a classic which got fans glued to their television sets. No wonder this one went down in history!

USA vs Canada had a lot to show!

When team USA took down Canada 3-1 in the 4 Nations Face-Off on Saturday night, it had a chaotic start—three fights in the first nine seconds?! Absolute mayhem! However, when the final whistle was blown, it was Jake Guentzel who came out on top scoring two goals while Dylan Larkin scored the game deciding goal in the second period. Despite Canada’s McDavid magic that gave them a head start, the Canadians could not match the Americans physically especially since Cale Makar was out of the game due to illness.

That win secured Team USA’s place in the 4 Nations Face-Off final–no matter the result of Monday’s game against Sweden. On the other hand, Canada, Sweden, and Finland are all tied with two points each and that means that there will be a great scramble to see who will get the other berth to the final match. But let’s be real—everyone’s eyeing the possibility of another USA vs. Canada rematch, and if that happens, expect even more fireworks on the ice!

Not that we haven’t seen so many records broken already in this showdown, but just imagine what they are capable of if they are going to have another face off for the title? What do you think—are we in for another record-smashing, gloves-dropping classic? Drop your thoughts in the comments!