It was news to me. I didn’t realize the NHL replaced their All Star weekend with a tournament called “4 Nations Face Off”. Considering how the rest of the major sports All Star festivities go, I guess it was worth a shot; hey, I still like the MLB All Star game/home run derby. Anyways, can’t really recall watching the NHL All Star game in a minute; I did like the fastest skater, the hardest slap shot, etc… had they still been doing those? This tournament would feature the US, Canada, Sweden, and Finland; I guess this is because those countries make up the majority of players in the NHL today? Makes sense. It’s sort of a mini-Olympics if you think about it; I love the Olympics. Still, thought it would be more widely publicized; I didn’t know about it until just before it started.
It started making headlines when the US National Anthem was booed during the first matchup up in Canada; I wonder why… I don’t claim to know all the ins and outs of all the BS going on; I don’t much want to know either. I never had a problem with Canada, still don’t; booing another country’s anthem… probably not the best move. So the anthem got booed, and then there were 3 fights in 9 seconds, or something like that; OK, smart move to get attention on the sport. Just like sex, and racism, violence sells. The fact that you can still “throw down” in hockey is pretty cool, although if you ask guys that have been watching hockey their whole lives, like back in the 70s and 80s, they would still say it’s soft. One of the famous sayings was.. I went to watch a fight, and a hockey game broke out… So yeah, US vs Canada… ding, ding.
The first round went to the US; I saw the highlights. Certainly seemed like some entertaining hockey. I tried to tune in for some of the game on Saturday night, but I dozed off; not sure if anything could have kept me up that night. So… round 2, and the finale of this mini mid-season tourney was to be held in Boston; it was US vs Canada to determine the championship. I tuned in at the start of the 3rd period. The whole USA chants were cool; the Johnny Hockey chants were cool. It was an amped up atmosphere; I guess the NHL got what they wanted with this new idea. I think it’s here to stay. The game remained tied all the way through the period; this one would be determined in OT.
In OT, the Canadian goaltender was absolutely standing on his head; the US was putting big time pressure on, with no luck… that sort of felt ominous. Sure enough, somehow, McDavid found himself open in front of the net with time, and top shelfed it for the Canada W; now only if he could do that in the Stanley Cup finals. Although for some, this may be more important than that; not sure if the Edmonton Oiler fans agree, but to each his own. Certainly winning a title for your country is pretty special, back to the whole Olympic feel.
Was I crushed the US lost? No. Of course I was rooting for them, but Canada is the home of hockey, right? It was certainly more entertaining, and felt like it meant a whole hell of a lot more, than the NBA’s attempt at an in-season tourney. When you put your country’s name on the sweater it tends to lead to that. Would the US vs the World in the NBA lead to this? They have to try something. Congrats to the NHL on a smashing success; congrats to Canada on the first title. Looking forward to more of this in the seasons ahead. Now, back to the regular season; as a Blackhawks fan, can we just fast forward to the end?
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