4 Nations Face-Off teams 'jump right in' with little time to spare before the tournament starts

 

[February 11, 2025]  By STEPHEN WHYNO

BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) — The last time Jon Cooper coached an international tournament featuring the NHL's best players, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey came with a training camp and a slate of exhibition games to get ready.

The 4 Nations Face-Off has none of that. Cooper's Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland took the ice Monday for each team's first practice knowing there's no time to spare. Canada and Sweden get just two practices and a game-day morning skate before playing each other, and the lack of a ramp-up period puts an emphasis on developing chemistry right away.

“This one we have to jump right in,” Cooper said. “Being in these situations, it’s not always the best players that win. It’s the best team that wins. And I think the team that jells the quickest and kind of plays for each other, especially in such a short tournament, will have the advantage.”

Establishing that advantage began Sunday night with team Super Bowl parties. The Philadelphia Eagles crushing the Kansas City Chiefs turned out to be background noise for bonding.

“Unfortunately the Super Bowl wasn’t too close of a game, but we still had a great time and it was good to see everyone,” Sweden captain Victor Hedman said. “Some of the guys I barely got a chance to hang out with before. No, it’s been great. Now you have to switch gears and focus on this and kind of put everything else away.”

All four rosters are full of Stanley Cup champions and All-Stars, but Canada's first practice stood out for the incredible amount of talent on the ice at the same time. The top power-play unit includes Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sam Reinhart.

That's what U.S. coach Mike Sullivan means when he says, “They’re all dream teams.” His group and Finland get some extra prep before their opening game Thursday night in Montreal, but the principles of figuring it out fast still apply.

“Becoming a team is the biggest challenge,” Sullivan said. “It’s going to take more than talent to win. I think a big part of it is becoming a team in the true sense of the word, and that’s the challenge. We’re going to try to do our best. It’s everything from the chemistry on the ice with our line combinations, defense pairs, whatever it may be, to accepting and embracing roles.”

United States' coach Mike Sullivan speaks to his team during a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Advantage, Finland? The small Scandinavian country of 5.5 million people might not have big-name talent that jumps off the page, but playing the same style of hockey as a national team has the chance to be a major benefit.

“Finland is known for being together,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. "Growing up in the Finnish system, the national team system, you kind of know how to play. But the most important thing (is) we play together no matter what the systems are. Everyone’s going to give their best, and that’s why Finland has been successful and it’s no different here.”

Finland was the only of the four teams to hold an optional skate — “a recovery practice day,” according to coach Antti Pennanen, who said they “wanted to save energy for the games.”

Canada and U.S. practices were high-energy and fast-paced with players whipping the puck around like kids getting together for the first time after summer vacation. That was actually more a result of being in midseason form, another difference from the World Cup in ’16 that took place in the fall.

“It’s tough not to go 100%,” Reinhart said. “You’ve got guys flying around like that, so I think everyone’s kind of amped. Everyone’s excited, and that’s what you want out of guys.”

Coaches also want to foster familiarity, with players getting used to each other even after playing on teams around the NHL.

“You already felt the chemistry right off the bat in practice, and that was nice,” Sweden's William Nylander said. “We’re just going to go out and play. It’s not too much thinking. Just do your thing.”

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