Inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Headed to Boston and Montreal

The Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston will serve as the host venues for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, which will feature international tournament play between NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States.

The 4 Nations Face-Off — which is taking the place of an NHL All-Star weekend in 2025 —will consist of seven games over a nine-day period from February 12–20, along with two designated training/practice days on February 10–11.

Each team will play three tournament games in a round-robin format with 3 points for a win in regulation time; 2 points for a win in overtime/shootout; 1 point for a loss in overtime/shootout and no points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game final.

“The players are just absolutely thrilled about this and the opportunity to get international competition again, kind of as a pre-tournament to the (2026) Olympics,” said NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh.

The Bell Centre has hosted international competition during the World Cup of Hockey in 1996, 2004 and pre-tournament in 2016. TD Garden was the host of the 1996 NHL All-Star Weekend, as well as three Stanley Cup Finals (2011, 2013, 2019).

“We thought it was important to have some exposure in Canada,” said Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner. “Obviously we have 32 franchises, so we could have put it anywhere, but those were the two that kind of rose to the top.”

Absent from the event is Russia. The IIHF has banned Russia and Belarus from international hockey until 2025 due to the war in Ukraine.

“There’s only so much we can do under the existing circumstances as we see them,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Whether it’s 4 Nations or World Cup, people are going to have opinions as to things we could have done differently. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of time and effort with the Players’ Association has led us to what we think is the best place for us to be right now.”

Four Nations Schedule

February 12: Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m., Bell Centre, Montreal
February 13: United States vs. Finland, 8 p.m., Bell Centre, Montreal
February 15: Finland vs. Sweden, 1 p.m., Bell Centre, Montreal
February 15: United States vs. Canada, 8 p.m., Bell Centre, Montreal
February 17: Canada vs. Finland, 1 p.m., TD Garden, Boston
February 17: Sweden vs. United States, 8 p.m., TD Garden, Montreal
February 20: Championship Game, 8 p.m., TD Garden, Montreal