Canada, Sweden thrilled by pace of play at 4 Nations: 'It's not an all-star game'

MONTREAL - NHL stars faced questions about what fans could expect entering the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Would players take the event seriously? Would it have the feel of an all-star game?

Connor McDavid believes Canada and Sweden put those doubts to bed with their electric tournament opener on Wednesday night.

"I've been saying we've been missing best on best,” McDavid said. “That's as high-end a game you're going to find, as fast a game as you're going to find. Skilled, great players doing great things.

“Yeah, that's what we've been missing for a decade now.” 

Canada edged Sweden 4-3 in overtime as NHL players returned to high-level international competition for the first time since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Canada scored 56 seconds into the night with a perfectly executed power-play sequence from McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.

Sweden fell down by two goals twice but battled back and ultimately forced the extra period.

And that’s where the pace skyrocketed.

MacKinnon alone carried the puck down the ice four times during the six minutes of frantic 3-on-3 play, the Bell Centre crowd gasping at every stride.

Canada goalie Jordan Binnington described the scene in front of him as “in some ways faster than a playoff game and more intense.”

Even Drew Doughty — a grizzled veteran with two Stanley Cup rings and two Olympic gold medals — wasn’t ready for the compete level.

"That's fast hockey,” he said. “Guys are just flying around. Pucks are flying around too, and it's impossible to prepare for that, to be honest.

"I'm sure everyone at first was like, ‘Holy crap.’”

Each country took one penalty Wednesday, but the physicality was present, with both sides finishing their checks at every opportunity. 

Sweden finished with 21 hits, while Canada threw its weight 20 times. As for blocked shots, Canada jumped in front of 25 pucks and Sweden totalled 15.

Canada even lost defenceman Shea Theodore for the tournament after he was crushed into the boards by Adrian Kempe early in the second period.

“I think people maybe have this tournament confused for an all-star game,” McDavid said. “It's not an all-star game. It's a competitive event. Everyone wants to win, and you saw that tonight.”

The feeling across the arena in Sweden’s locker room was the same, even after the team fell short of an epic comeback before a Canadian crowd.

“We played a hell of a game in here and so did they on that side. It was a very, very fun game to play,” defenceman Erik Karlsson said. 

“It was very fast and it took us a little bit to get adjusted probably. But I think once we did, it was a back-and-forth game and two good hockey teams playing some of their best hockey.”

Canada coach Jon Cooper remembers being blown away by McDavid and MacKinnon’s blazing speed on Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

“I thought that was the fastest hockey I ever witnessed up close,” Cooper said. “Well, this just trumped it. It was a lightning pace out there."

BE READY

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark took the news that Filip Gustavsson would start against Canada well, said Swedish head coach Sam Hallam.

"There are great players that don't get opportunities to be here at all, so just being here is an achievement" Hallam explained. "(Ullmark's) shown before that brotherhood he has with his goalie friends and he wants to do what's best for the team."

Hallam added that the message to any players on the outside is clear.

"This is what I based it on and I hope you do what you need to do be prepared," he said. "We could have one guy slip in the shower so just be ready."

PRAISING COOP

Cooper is the NHL's longest-tenured bench boss in his 13th season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Travis Konecny, who played for him at the 2017 world championship, said the coach's ability to adapt is a big reason why he's had longevity in a profession with plenty of turnover.

"He just learns as he goes," said the 27-year-old Philadelphia Flyers forward. "A lot of the stuff he talks about is about how the game's being played right now — current systems and things that he's trying to defend against ... how to beat certain things.

"Growing with the game and learning as he goes (is) what makes him so good."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.