In lieu of an All-Star Game this season, the NHL and NHLPA will host the 4 Nations Face-Off, February 12-20. It is a round-robin tournament involving four national teams – Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States – with NHL players from those nations filling out the rosters.

What is the schedule and format of the tournament? Who is on the roster? What do the players say? And what does this mean for the 2026 Olympics?

Read on for answers to these questions and more, courtesy of Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton, and Greg Wyshynski.

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What are the format and rules of the tournament?

Each team plays three games, with the top two teams playing the winner in the final. Teams receive three points for a regular-time win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and zero points for a regular-time loss.

In overtime there is a 10-minute 3-on-3 sudden death phase. If the game is not decided in OT, there will be a shootout over three rounds. Once the tournament reaches the final game, overtime will be played in a more traditional playoff format, with 5v5 games in consecutive 20-minute periods. –Clark

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Where do the games take place?

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in North America and the games will be split between the Bell Center in Montreal and the TD Garden in Boston.

The original proposed format for the midseason tournament was that the United States and Canada would play two games in North America, while Sweden and Finland would play two games in one of those two countries. The winners of these matches, either by points or total goals scored, would face the second best team from the other match – most likely in North America. The winners of those semifinals would then meet in the tournament championship, leaving open the possibility that the U.S. and Canada could meet in that final.

But the logistics and schedule of the tournament proved too difficult for something so adventurous. There is no longer a semi-final round. Instead of a global event, it will take place between two Original Six hockey markets.

The Bell Center will host four games, including a rivalry doubleheader:

Wednesday, February 12th: Canada vs. Sweden (8:00 p.m. ET)
Thursday, February 13th: USA vs. Finland (8 p.m.)
Saturday, February 15th: Finland vs. Sweden (1 p.m.)
Saturday, February 15th: USA vs. Canada (8 p.m.)

There are three games scheduled for TD Garden:

Monday, February 17th: Canada vs. Finland (1 p.m.)
Monday, February 17th: Sweden vs. USA (8 p.m.)
Thursday, February 20th: Championship game (8 p.m.)

There is a possibility that the USA and Canada will meet in both cities, including for the championship. — Vyshynsky

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Why only four nations? And why these four?

In a word: practicality. The NHL is putting together the four-nation tournament on its own and not in consultation with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), while the league and IIHF have a partnership that will bring NHL players back to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.

Only four countries are represented in this tournament because there must be enough NHL skaters to complete each roster. That’s why Germany, for example, is not involved. The Czech Republic and Russia both technically have the NHL representation to field a team, but the league will not have a Russian roster due to the war with Ukraine.

The league’s choice of Canada, the US, Sweden and Finland means its event currently features the largest number of NHL stars, and over time – if all goes well – the NHL will add more players and countries to the mix. — Shilton

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When was the last time there was an international best-on-best tournament featuring NHL players?

The year was 2016 and the event was the World Cup of Hockey. The tournament was created in 1996 and was held again in 2004 before returning in 2016.

A total of eight teams took part in the 2016 edition, including national teams from Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the USA. There was also a Team Europe – for players from nations such as Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia that did not have full rosters – and the tournament also introduced Team North America. Team North America’s roster featured U24 talent from Canada and the United States, including future superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck.

The 16-game tournament was ultimately won by Canada, who defeated Team Europe in a best-of-three format. — Clark

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What do the players say about this?

The reaction was consistently positive.

“It’s great for the game of hockey,” Canadian forward Connor Bedard told ESPN. “It’s great for everyone to see the best players from each country compete against each other. It’s going to be great and people are going to love watching.”

“It will be incredible for fans and players,” said US defender Brock Faber. “It’s best-on-best that hasn’t been seen in a long time, and it’s going to be so cool.”

While the younger roster of NHL skaters may have plenty of opportunities to represent their country, this 4-nation event could be the best chance for some league veterans to get that chance.

“I would love to play in it,” said U.S. defender John Carlson. “It’s cool to represent your country. It’s a different thing than what we’re used to. And it’s fun to play against some of his teammates and against some of his opponents. And of course I think it’s going to be great for the game of hockey.” — Shilton

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There are some players who are not are you raving about it?

While many players understand why the 4-nation face-off exists, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s only four nations.

The World Cup of Hockey was more inclusive, to the point where the tournament had Team Europe just to shine a spotlight on the players whose national teams didn’t make it.

Russia and the Czech Republic both took part in the World Cup and are not part of the 4 nations. In the latter case, at least one star player believes his country should have received an invitation. Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak led the Czech Republic to the IIHF World Championship this year. After winning the title, he posted a photo of himself holding the trophy with the caption: “Maybe four nations are inviting now?”

Pastrnak called the exclusion a “huge disappointment” but said he understood that the time and parameters for organizing the four-nation tournament were limited.

Wait until 2026, pasta. — Vyshynsky

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What does the winning country get?

There will be a trophy for the tournament winner, which is in the final stages of design. The plan is for only the winning team to receive medals, but there hasn’t been too much discussion behind the scenes about that.

As of this week, it is clear that players will be compensated, but the dollar amounts have not yet been determined.

It’s unclear if there will be any bonus money for the winning teams, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t financial incentives to make this tournament a success. Like the World Cup of Hockey, this tournament is an NHL and NHLPA presentation. Players receive a portion of the winnings, which are then divided among NHLPA members. The New York Post reported in 2016 that revenue was split 70-30 between players who attended the World Cup and those who did not. — Vyshynsky

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Who is on the roster?

The teams announced an initial group of six players each in June:

Canada: Cale Makar (D, Avalanche); Sidney Crosby (F, Penguins); Nathan MacKinnon (F, Avalanche); Brad Marchand (F, Bruins); Connor McDavid (F, Oilers); Brayden Point (F, Lightning)

Finland: Juuse Saros (G, Predators); Miro Heiskanen (D, Stars); Esa Lindell (D, stars); Sebastian Aho (F, Hurricanes); Aleksander Barkov (F, Panthers); Mikko Rantanen (F, Avalanche)

Sweden: Gustav Forsling (D, Panthers); Victor Hedman (D, Lightning); Erik Karlsson (D, Penguins); Filip Forsberg (F, Predators); William Nylander (F, Maple Leafs); Mika Zibanejad (F, Rangers)

United States: Adam Fox (D, Rangers); Quinn Hughes (D, Canucks); Charlie McAvoy (D, Bruins); Jack Eichel (F, Golden Knights); Auston Matthews (F, Maple Leafs); Matthew Tkachuk (F, Panthers)

The full rosters will be announced on Wednesday. — ESPN Staff

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What does this all mean for the Olympics and future tournaments?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the four-nation tournament “a little taste” of the Olympics and World Cup. Since the 2014 Sochi Games, the league has not shut down and allowed its skaters to compete in the Olympics (meaning players have missed the 2018 and 2022 shows).

Top NHL players like Connor McDavid lobbied for a return to the Olympics, and eventually the league agreed and partnered with the IIHF to make it happen in 2026 and 2030. The plan calls for the NHL to set up 4 Nations in February, host the Milan Games in 2026, host a World Cup in 2028, be represented at the 2030 Games, then host another World Cup in 2032. The 2034 Winter Games will be in Salt Lake City oriented.

This tournament is a precursor to all of that, and it should be captivating for fans and give players a taste of the best-on-best style of play that many haven’t experienced since the NHL last hosted a World Championship in 2016 has . — Shilton