NHL: 4 Nations Face Off-USA vs Canada – Image Source: Imagn
It was no exaggeration to say that the 4 Nations Face-Off took over the attention of the sports world last week. Three fights in the first nine seconds of the Canada-USA rivalry game were nothing short of spectacular.
Brady and Matthew Tkachuk became the faces of the tournament for starting the mayhem at Bell Centre during Team Canada and Team USA’s first matchup.
The Tkachuk brothers have now been making the media rounds in the aftermath of the 4 Nations. On Wednesday, they appeared on the “New Heights” podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. The Kelce brothers raved about the 4 Nations Face-Off and the crazy first nine seconds of Canada vs. USA. Jason Kelce said (17:51):
“I mean, Trav, I was talking about it, I don’t, I haven’t seen the general country as excited for hockey as much as it was for this last week. There’s a lot of politics at play and other things that made it even more intense on the ice for you guys.
“But I love when hockey is that relevant. It’s exciting, it’s freaking aggressive. There was passion out there. Everybody loved what you guys are putting out there for Team USA.”
Travis Kelce added (18:16):
“And the product, the product, the games, were f**king fun as fuck to watch outside of you know what I mean, the two brawls or the three brawls within the first like minute of the game, Dude, it was electric, the entire tournament.”
It’s great for the sport of hockey to have high-profile athletes from other sports like the Kelce brothers watching and talking about the game. While Canadian fans certainly don’t like them, you can’t deny that the Tkachuks are great for hockey.
4 Nations final between Canada and the US had high viewership
The championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off between Canada and the US was one for the record books. A staggering 16.1 million viewers across North America (9.3 million in the US, 6.8 million in Canada) tuned in to see Team Canada take down Team USA in an overtime classic.
The final game was the second most-watched hockey game in North America over the last 10 years. Only Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers drew more, with 16.3 million viewers across North America.
The event was a smashing success for the NHL, NHLPA, and the hockey community as a whole. The sport reached an audience that nobody could have ever imagined. Fans are now eager in anticipation for the 2026 Winter Olympics.