The NHL’s new 4 Nations Face-Off is drawing more eyeballs to the sport

This season, the NHL replaced its All-Star game with a new 4 Nations tournament in a bid to boost fan interest and viewership. And, as the tournament heads into the final matchup, data indicates the league’s plan has been a resounding success.

How we got here: Teams from four nations – Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US – each played each other once. The two teams with the highest points total after this round-robin play – the US and Canada – are scheduled to face off in the championship game.

How the rosters were chosen: ~85% of active NHL players hail from one of the four nations in the 4 Nations. Russia is the only other country present in the top five active-player nationalities (#4), but weren’t selected to compete for…obvious reasons. Each nation was responsible for fielding its own squad – but NHL players only, no college ringers like Mike Eruzione.

Prelim round highlights:

• Team USA earned a 3-1 win over Canada, in a politically charged grudge match that saw the Montreal crowd boo the US national anthem and three fights break out in the first nine seconds of gameplay (all of which were reportedly planned via group chat).
• Canada later defeated Finland in a do-or-die contest to set up a highly anticipated rematch against Team USA on Thursday, with the winner deciding whether Canada becomes the 51st state being crowned the inaugural 4 Nations champion.

📈 The league wanted the world to watch…and it got its wish. The 4.4 million average viewers for Saturday’s USA-Canada showdown was higher than all but Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, while Team USA’s 6-1 blowout of Finland on Thursday drew 1.55 million average viewers, outpacing each of the previous three NHL All-Star games.

+Dive deeper: How 4 Nations fits into the NHL’s growth strategy.