When you think about the best hockey country, you probably think of Canada. In the past, for sure, we had legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby. Even now, we are still producing superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar. But other countries are catching up. The USA is pumping out elite talent themselves, like Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and Matthew Tkachuk. Don’t sleep on Sweden and Finland either, they’ve got some superstars themselves, making the Four Nations Face-Off tournament up for grabs.
I know what you might be thinking, I know how good the USA’s roster is. They have Matthews, Jack Hughes, and the Tkachuk brothers. But they did leave out some key players like Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson. Yes, I know how scary their goaltending is, and I’m not questioning that. Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman are the best goaltending trio in the tournament. However, I don’t think you realize how big the loss of Quinn Hughes is. Hughes has been the best defenseman in the NHL this year, and they still have Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy. But losing Hughes knocks their defense down a peg.
These three. Together. On the same team.
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 #4Nations pic.twitter.com/vPL6ttzdVL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 11, 2025
While Canada’s roster isn’t as dominant as it was in years past, I still think you might be sleeping on how good it is. We get to see players like McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and Crosby on the same ice in a best-on-best tournament, along with stars like Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. Good luck stopping that. Now, I get that the backend, outside of Cale Makar, isn’t the best, but that’s because I think a lot of people are comparing them to the 2014 Olympic team. Canada’s defense in the Olympics was historically good, with players like Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, and Jay Bouwmeester. While Canada’s defense isn’t at that level, it’s still very good. Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews, and Shea Theodore are still very good, and I think people are sleeping on them a little too much.
The biggest question for Canada is in goal. I do think it was a mistake not having Logan Thompson on the team, and we don’t have an elite goalie like the other countries. However, Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill have led their teams to Stanley Cups, so they know what it takes to win. So, don’t underestimate Canada.
I think Canada still takes home the gold in this tournament. It may not be in dominating fashion, but I still think Canada has the best team. I can’t wait to watch best-on-best hockey. How about you? I’m so pumped for this tournament, puck drops Wednesday when Canada plays Sweden.