The National Hockey League (“NHL”) introduced the 4 Nations Face-Off (“4 Nations”) as an alternative to the All-Star Game for the 2024-25 season.[2] Instead of bringing together All-Stars from each of the league's 32 teams, NHL players will represent their home countries of Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States while competing in a round-robin tournament.[3] After this weekend’s USA vs. Canada showdown, hesitance towards this mid-season tournament has quickly turned into rampant excitement. The league selected these countries for having enough NHL players to complete a full roster.[4] Ultimately, both the Czech Republic and Russia were not selected to participate, leading fans to vocalize concerns about the infusion of politics in sports.
International Superstars
The last best-on-best tournament between NHL players was hosted in 2016, dubbed the “World Cup of Hockey.”[5]Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States were represented, as well as Czechia, Russia, Team Europe (a collection of players from Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, and more) and Team North America (a collection of junior talent, all under 24 years old, from Canada and the United States).[6] The last chance NHL players were given to compete for their national teams was during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Since then, a whole generation of hockey players have been barred from representing their home country on the international stage.[7]
Upon the renewed partnership of the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation (“IIHF”) earlier this year, NHL players were allowed to compete in the IIHF World Championship.[8] This partnership began as a response to NHL players campaigning their interest to return to the Olympics. Now, NHL players will be able to represent their countries in the 2026, 2030, and 2034 Olympic games.[9] Further, this new partnership allows the NHL with an opportunity to host a World Cup in 2028 and 2032 expanding upon the foundation established during this year’s 4 Nations.[10] After leading Czechia to Gold, Boston Bruins star, David Pastrnak, took a dig at the 4 Nations tournament, posting a selfie holding the IIHF championship trophy with the caption “Maybe Four Nations invite now?”[11]
Best of the Best… Without the Best?
Earlier this month, the IIHF Council convened to renew Russia and Belarus’ ban for the 2025-2026 season.[12] Both countries were banned from world hockey operations by the IIHF following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[13] Furthermore, neither country will be reconsidered for re-entry into world hockey operations until May 2026 before the advent of the 2026-2027 season.[14] Regardless of the ban, the Russian men’s hockey team is ranked second per the IIHF’s World Ranking despite their ineligibility to compete in tournaments.[15] Similarly, Russian women’s hockey team is ranked sixth per the IIHF’s World Rankings.[16]
The Four Nations is an NHL-sanctioned event, meaning only players with a current NHL contract may compete.[17] However, this system presents the NHL with the option to adopt the IIHF guidelines or create their own. This season’s top 25 goal scorers are littered with Russian talent like Alexander Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, and Kirill Kaprizov.[18] Similarly, Russian goaltenders like Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Igor Shesterkin consistently possess some of the highest save percentages every season.[19] Year after year, these names would headline the NHL All-Star Games, but now the hostilities of their home country will prevent them from showcasing their talents at the 4 Nations tournament.
Olympics Open Gates for the World Cup's Return
As the 2026 Olympics approaches, the International Olympic Committee will have the final say on Russia and Belarus’ participation in Milan.[20] Prior to the ban, Russia won the silver medal in Ice Hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics as the "Russian Olympic Committee" and Gold as the "Olympic Athletes from Russia" at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Last summer, some athletes from Russia and Belarus did compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics under the “Individual Neutral Athlete” flag.[21] However, World Athletics, the governing body for track and field competitions made the decisions to still ban Russia and Belarus from competitions.[22] This governed the decision, making it impossible for Russian and Belarusian track and field athletes to compete.[23] Further, the IOC’s official eligibility conditions for Paris stated, “Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will not be considered.”[24] The IIHF’s latest decision, coupled with precedent from the Paris Olympics, reflects sentiment in support of Russia’s continued exclusion from international hockey.[25]
Alternatively, the NHL seems to be going in the other direction. The league is set to host the World Cup of Hockey in 2028.[26] In a press conference before the first game of the 4 Nations, NHL representatives confirmed eight teams would represent individual countries in the World Cup.[27] The NHL and NHL Players’ Association will host the event, giving them the sole discretion on whether Russians can play in the World Cup.[28] NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated they would likely follow what the International Olympic company sets as the precedent.[29] This could truly create a best-on-best tournament through the inclusion of the Russian players who continuously and regularly dominate throughout the NHL season.
JUHI PATEL (editor-in-chief) is a 2L at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. She self-identifies as an off-brand New York Sports fan rooting on the Islanders, Nets, and Bills. She is a part of the Soccer Negotiation Competition Team as well as the executive boards for the Labor and Employment Law Society and IP Law Society.
[1] Photo by Mariah Hewines on Unsplash
[2] Multiple Contributors, Everything to know about the NHL/NHLPA 4 Nations Face-Off (Jan. 30, 2025) ESPN. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42736196/nhl-2024-25-4-nations-face-tournament-schedule-players-format-olympics
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Dan Robson and Chris Johnston, 4 Nations Face-Off reignites NHL players’ long-delayed quest for best-on-best hockey (Feb. 10, 2025) The Athletic. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6122094/2025/02/10/4-nations-face-off-nhl-best-on-best/
[8] See Multiple Contributors, supra note 2.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] See Dan Robson and Chris Johnston, supra note 7.
[12] IIHF, Russia and Belarus not reincorporated into 2025/2026 IIHF Championship Season (Feb. 4, 2025) International Ice Hockey Federation. https://www.iihf.com/en/news/65675/russia_and_belarus_not_reincorporated_into_2025_20
[13]https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/43690217/iihf-extends-ban-russia-belarus-2025-26-season
[14] See IIHF, supra note 12.
[15] Emily Kaplan, IIHF extends ban against Russia, Belarus for 2025-26 season (Feb. 4, 2025) ESPN. https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/43690217/iihf-extends-ban-russia-belarus-2025-26-season
[16] Id.
[17] See Dan Robson and Chris Johnston, supra note 7.
[18] NHL Player Skating Stats 2024-25 (last viewed Feb. 10, 2025) ESPN. https://www.espn.com/nhl/stats/player/_/table/offensive/sort/goals/dir/desc
[19] NHL Player Goaltending Stats 2024-25 (last viewed Feb. 10, 2025) ESPN. https://www.espn.com/nhl/stats/player/_/view/goaltending/table/defensive/sort/savePct/dir/desc
[20] See Emily Kaplan, supra note 15.
[22] Id.
[23] Id.
[24] Strict eligibility conditions in place as IOC EB approves Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Dec. 8, 2023) International Olympic Committee. https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/strict-eligibility-conditions-in-place-as-ioc-eb-approves-individual-neutral-athletes-ains-for-the-olympic-games-paris-2024
[25] See Emily Kaplan, supra note 15.
[26] Id.
[27] Tom Gulitti, World Cup of Hockey to return in February 2028 (Feb. 12, 2025) NHL. https://www.nhl.com/news/world-cup-of-hockey-to-return-in-february-2028
[28] Id.
[29] Id.
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