The National Hockey League (NHL) recently held the four nations tournament from February 12th-20th, 2025. The tournament was between the United States, Sweden, Canada, and Finland. The four nations consist of seven games played in accordance with NHL rules, however overtime was ten minutes instead of the usual five for round-robin games.

This tournament followed a point system that worked as follows: if a team won in regulation, they would get three points; if a team won in overtime, they would get two points. A team would also be granted one point for a loss in overtime, however, a team would get zero points for a loss in regulation.

The first game, on February 12th, was between Canada and Sweden. The game was intense and very close. Montreal took a very early lead when Sidney Crosby and Conor McDavid were able to assist Nathan MacKinnon in scoring a goal only 56 seconds into the game. Canada was able to secure a second point in the 1st period with Brad Marchand scoring a goal 13 minutes into the game. In the 2nd period, Sweden found themselves scoring their first point, thanks to Jonas Brodin, who scored just about ten minutes in. Canada was able to score another goal during this period. Sidney Crosby was able to gain a second assist by passing the puck right to Mark Stone so he could score Canada’s third goal in the game. The 3rd period is when Sweden made their comeback. Adrian Kempe scored within the first 2 minutes of the period. About seven minutes later, Joel Eriksson received a pass from Jesper Bratt, allowing Eriksson to score and tie the game. In overtime, Sidney Crosby got his third assist of the night with a pass to Mitch Marner, who was able to score and win the 1st game for Canada. Sidney Crosby was named the star of the game, and Canada had their first win with a final score of 4-3.

The second game took place on February 13th between the United States and Finland. Henri Jokiharju scored the first goal of the game within eight minutes, giving Finland an early lead. However, this lead only lasted for three minutes before Brady Tkachuk was able to score a point for the United States, ending the first period with a tie. 17 minutes into the 2nd period, Matt Boldy was able to get the U.S their second point of the game with an assist from Kyle Connor and Brock Faber. The United States continued to dominate the game early in the 3rd period. Matthew Tkachuk scored a point for the U.S in the first 15 seconds of the period. Jake Guentzel was quick to follow. Jack Hughes passed Guentzel the puck, allowing him to score, securing yet another goal for the U.S just 26 seconds into the 3rd period. Brady Tkachuk got his second goal of the night right after the three-minute mark. His brother followed his lead. Matthew Tkachuk scored his second goal, and the last goal of the game, 11 minutes into the third period. The United States secured their first win against Finland with a final score of 6-1.

The next game took place on February 15th against Finland and Sweden. This game was yet another close one, and both teams had to stick it out if they wanted to win. Both teams were putting up a good fight until about 9 minutes in when Mika Zibanejad was able to score a goal unassisted. This gave Sweden the lead, but not even two minutes later, Anton Lundell scored for Finland, tying the game. Mikko Rantanen was then able to get Finland the lead by scoring off of Sebastian Aho’s pass at the end of the 1st period. Looking for a comeback, Ramus Dahlin scored in the first five minutes of the 2nd period, once again tying the game. However, thanks to William Nylander’s pass, Erik Karlsson was able to take the lead for Sweden, but Finland was not going down so easily. Seven minutes after Karlsson’s goal, Aleksander Barkov scored for Finland, ending the 2nd period in a tie as well. During the 3rd period, both teams were able to put out their best defense. Neither team was successful on their offence, so the game had to go into overtime. Less than two minutes into overtime, Mikael Granlund was able to score, giving the win to Finland. This was Finland’s first victory, and it ended with a final score of 4-3.

The fourth game also happened on February 15th between the United States and Canada. Many people had been waiting for this match up, and no one truly knew which side would become the victor. Canada started off strong, with Connor McDavid earning them a point five minutes into the game. However, this lead was tied about five minutes later when Jake Guentzel scored for the U.S. The U.S. was also able to score another goal 13 minutes into the 2nd period. They were also able to prevent Canda from scoring on them again. The U.S. found the same success in the 3rd period. Jake Guentzel was able to obtain his second goal of the night, the final goal of the game, 18 minutes into the period. The United States was able to hold off Montreal and get their 2nd victory in this tournament. Jake Guentzel was named the star of the game, and the final score was 3-1.

The fifth game was on February 17th between Canada and Finland. This was a very high-risk game because it determined which team would be going on to the final game. Canada started with a strong lead that they could hold on to for a while. Connor McDavid scored the first goal four minutes into the period, giving the lead to Canada. Not even a minute later, Nathan MacKinnon was able to score a second goal for Canada, strengthening their lead on Finland. Brayden Point was also successful in getting a point for Canada about 13 minutes into the 1st period. Canada stayed strong, and Nathn MacKinnon was able to score his second goal five minutes into the 2nd period. Canada was able to keep their defences up for the rest of that period, but Finland raised their defences as well. Praying for a comeback, Finland dominated the rink during the 3rd period. Esa Lindell scored 13 minutes into the 3rd period, finally getting Finland on the scoreboard. Mikael Granlund was able to use a pass from Patrik Laine to score Finland’s second point 18 minutes into the second period. 23 seconds later, Mikael Ranlund was able to score against Canada again. Finland, however, could not hold onto this streak. Sidney Crosby scored 19 minutes into the 3rd period, giving Canada their fifth goal. Canada beat Finland with a final score of 5-3. Canada made it to the finals, but who will they be using? 

Later that same night, Sweden and the United States went head to head to see who would be going to the final game. Both teams fought hard and played well. The U.S. took a very early lead. Zach Werenski assisted Chris Kreider in scoring the 1st point in the game only 35 seconds in. The U.S. held onto that lead for as long as they could, but Sweden was putting up a fight. Gustav Nyquist scored for Sweden 13 minutes into the first period. His teammate, Jesper Bratt, followed and scored about six minutes later. Throughout the rest of the game, both teams fought strategically. Sweden made sure their defense was protected as the U.S. was trying everything they could to land another shot in the net, but it just did not happen. No more goals were scored after the first period. Sweden won the game with a final score of 2-1. However, despite the United States’ loss, they had more points than Sweden. This means that the United States would be moving forward instead of Sweden. 

Then, it was the night of February 20th. The final game. The United States and Canada played a hardcore game and were both determined to win. The game was tight, with lots of twists and turns. No one could have truly anticipated who would win. Canada was able to take their early lead with Nathan MacKinnon scoring off of Sam Rehinhart’s pass within the first five minutes of the 1st period. The United States fought back. Brady Tkachuk was able to successfully score a goal for the U.S. about 17 minutes into the 1st period, tying the game. As the game moves into the second period, Jake Sanderson is going to score a goal, gaining another point for the United States. Anderson was able to break the tie, however, it did not last. With help from Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett was able to score on the U.S., tying the game once more. Neither team was willing to go down. Both sides put up a good fight throughout the entire 3rd period. Neither team had scored, bringing the game into overtime. Overtime was stressful, it was about eight minutes until one team scored the winning goal. It was evident that both teams wanted to win, but only one could. Mitch Marner sends a pass right to Connor McDavid, the star of the game, who is able to score, winning Canada not only the game but the entire four-nations tournament. 

The Four Nations tournament was a suspenseful, fun event that allowed fans from all around the world to see their favorite players work together to represent their country. It adds extra competition and excitement to the hockey season that is currently occurring. Hockey is a great game, and these four nations did a terrific job showcasing their skills during this tournament. Now the players have returned to their usual hockey teams, and who knows what the rest of the 2024-2025 hockey season will bring.