NHL stars going from friends to foes at 4 Nations

Auston Matthews spends a batch of clip with Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

The trio of Maple Leafs grew up unneurotic connected and disconnected the crystal arsenic they criss-crossed the continent. Their communal extremity is to assistance an Original Six franchise with a agelong Stanley Cup drought yet interruption through.

Matthews and Marner person mostly played connected the aforesaid enactment for Toronto successful caller seasons. Nylander sometimes gets thrown successful the premix erstwhile the squad needs an violative jolt. The prima forwards are each cardinal components connected the powerfulness play.

And similar overmuch of the world’s apical hockey talent, it’s each astir to beryllium enactment connected hold.

The 4 Nations Face-Off tourney — NHL players’ instrumentality to high-level planetary contention — gets going adjacent week successful Montreal and Boston.

The United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland are acceptable to instrumentality portion successful the round-robin showcase that concludes with a one-game last Feb. 20. Friends and teammates, meanwhile, volition rapidly displacement to opponents sporting other colours.

“It’ll beryllium different,” Matthews, the U.S. captain, said of facing Canada’s Marner and Sweden’s Nylander. “You’re utilized to having those guys connected your side.”

The 2016 World Cup represented the past clip men’s hockey saw thing resembling a best-on-best event. The NHL went to 5 consecutive Olympics betwixt 1998 and 2014, but skipped 2018 for fiscal reasons earlier COVID-19 shelved 2022 plans.

The 4 Nations won’t emergence to that level with Russia banned and reigning satellite champion Czechia caught successful a numbers crippled for the truncated tournament, but it’s being viewed arsenic an appetizer for the league’s Olympic instrumentality successful 2026.

Swedish-born Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm said it volition beryllium unusual going up against Edmonton teammate and Canadian superstar Connor McDavid erstwhile their countries unfastened the docket Wednesday astatine the Bell Centre.

“We conscionable haven’t had that experience,” Ekholm said. “It’s going to beryllium a caller happening for a batch of guys. But I’m definite erstwhile you enactment the skates connected and you get retired there, you privation to win.”

Nylander joked with reporters past week helium was going to situation Matthews to driblet the gloves.

“Representing our countries, it’s ever a large honour,” Marner added. “Always immoderate hard-fought games. We’re each excited.”

Canadian caput manager Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning faced respective of his players astatine the 2017 satellite championship. Tampa defenceman and existent skipper Victor Hedman of Sweden took golden implicit Canada successful a shootout.

“Disappointing,” Cooper said with a small smirk.

“It’s gonna beryllium a batch of fun,” Hedman, who volition deterioration the ‘C’ for his country, added of squaring disconnected against NHL teammates Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli of Canada.

Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson, meanwhile, is looking guardant to tangling with Canucks skipper and U.S. defenceman Quinn Hughes, who’s presently a question people with an injury.

“I cognize what he’s bully at,” Pettersson said. “I’m going to effort to not fto him usage that against us.”

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Dallas Stars caput manager Pete DeBoer volition person players from his nine competing astatine the 4 Nations, but he’s focused connected getting to cognize immoderate of Canada’s endowment amended arsenic an adjunct connected Cooper’s staff.

“I’ve seen them from the different seat rather a bit,” helium said. “Haven’t had a accidental to enactment with them. Really excited astir that opportunity.”

Minnesota Wild caput manager and U.S. adjunct John Hynes expects his NHLers volition amusement maturation competing successful a antithetic benignant of high-stakes environment.

“You anticipation that everything goes good for everybody,” helium said. “It’s a large experience. It’s lone going to payment america down the stretch.”

Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly — among the database of names thrown astir for Canada’s blue-line corps anterior to rosters being announced successful aboriginal December — said helium volition beryllium paying adjacent attraction to Matthews, Marner and Nylander.

“I expect those guys to beryllium acceptable to spell … they’re playing large hockey,” helium said. “It’ll beryllium a small bittersweet. You’ll beryllium cheering for everyone, but your loyalty lies with your country.”

Matthews, who’s successful his archetypal play arsenic Leafs captain, added determination won’t beryllium an contented flipping the power from person to foe.

“It’ll decidedly beryllium a small spot weird,” helium said. “At the extremity of the day, you’ve got to spell retired determination and compete.

“We each privation to win. We each privation to bash our best.”

-With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith successful Vancouver.

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Feb. 6, 2025.