Another Stupid Idea

I'm not here to try and sway your thoughts on the 4 Nations Face-Off that the NHL is pitching this week in place of its All-Star Game festivities, but let me be another voice who is confirming that I won't be watching this fake tournament. Yes, the players are real and the games hold some sort of meaning for someone, but this false narrative of "best-on-best" needs to end because there are only four countries being represented. Canada doesn't even have their best statistical players on the team, but that's another topic altogether. What should concern everyone is that this little event will grow in 2028.

Announced today by both the NHL and NHLPA, the World Cup of Hockey will return in February 2028 as the NHL will position itself to hold its own international tournament in the middle of the Olympiad cycle. I might be more excited for this if it weren't for the fact that we have an Olympiad every four years plus the IIHF World Championship that happens every year featuring NHL players, but the last World Cup of Hockey wasn't that great. So I have to ask: besides padding their revenue, why is the NHL so driven to make this happen?

"We are moving forward with the World Cup two years after the Olympics in 2028," Bettman said prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off getting underway. "We will be asking for bids on hosting games. We will have a package that's just about done that will be done in the next few weeks and 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 and we know the full-blown World Cup, of which [the 4 Nations Face-Off] is simply a sampler, is going to be sensational."

Like the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic, the NHL seems oblivious to the fact that the more of these you hold, the less special they become. The Olympics are special because they only happen once every four years. When the players gather and compete for an Olympic gold medal, it means a lot to the players who represent their nations. The World Cup of Hockey isn't even close to being on the same level of prestige as the Olympics, so holding these fake tournaments only tarnishes the competition found at the Olympics.

The reason the World Cup works with the various tournaments held during the four years between the world's biggest tournament is because each of those tournaments means something. The UEFA Cup is played between teams in the Union of European Football Association to determine Europe's best nation on the pitch every two years. Teams win real money for success at the UEFA Cup as the 2025 winners could earn a maximum of €5.1 millon if they win all three group-stage matches. That's a huge sum of money that can be re-invested into soccer programs, so winning matters there.

What does winning the 4 Nations Face-Off do for the champions? From what we've been told, absolutely nothing so all it brings is bragging rights. While some players may want that, it's a well-known fact that European players would rather win an Olympic gold medal than a Stanley Cup. Where do you think the World Cup of Hockey lands when it comes to importance to those European players? That hunk of metal and glass shown above has zero aesthetic appeal, zero history, and no legacy whatsoever that would make it important to European hockey nations. Yes, their players will participate, but why not work with the IIHF and really get players to buy into going to the World Championship every year?

The short answer: because the NHL can't pocket a truckload of money. Splitting the money with the IIHF goes against everything that the NHL stands for when it comes to padding their pocketbooks, so holding their own mid-season tournament in place of the failing NHL All-Star Game should, in their minds, renew interest in the World Cup of Hockey. But with the frequency increasing, it only drags every other international tournament down with it. By playing more often, it makes everything less special, including the Olympics.

Some of you may be saying, "Teebz, you're such a downer," but think about the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series games and how the ratings continue to fall. You can try and defend them all you want, but they're only popular in the cities where they're held. The same goes for all of these PWHL games in neutral cities as the attendance in those cities is high, but the attendance in the home citiies for each of the cities isn't improving. If you think adding more international games is the right move for the NHL, every trend says the opposite.

I'll give the NHL credit for running into the wall over and over and over again, though. They may be bloodied and beaten, but they'll keep convincing network broadcast partners and corporate dollars that the product is strong even when the numbers say they aren't. Despite the NHL boasting record revenues, NHL ratings are down 28% this season and they're gonna add another international tournament to an already-too-long season between every Olympiad?

Perhaps if there were better storylines to follow, I'd be more apt to watch. There are no Russians or Soviets playing internationally now, so there's no country that one can hate. All the players are friendly with one another as they've all been playing with one another now for an entire generation, so there's no hated player that fans can boo and jeer when he touches the puck. There are zero personalities in the game thanks to carefully-crafted PR people toning down rhetoric, and the league fines anyone who speaks up about any topic.

If you want people to watch, give us a reason. As of right now, there's none. Even if you let Russia and Belarus back into the tournament in 2028, there isn't anything to hate about them other than their leader is a completely tyrannical despot. And since we've been told to keep politics out of sport, I'm not certain I can dislike Artemi Panarin since he's been outspoken about the same tyrant.

Your game is boring, NHL, and it's not getting better. Adding another two-week break for a fake international tournament won't make it better, and it diminishes the intrigue around the Olympics. As long as you rake in the cash, though, you don't care about the fan experience, so enjoy your little World Cup. I'm part of the 28% decline in viewership because your product is terrible.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!