By February 15, 2025 10:26 am
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David Kirouac-Imagn Images
For the first time since 2021, the NHL is not having an all-star weekend this season. Instead, it is holding an eight-day, round-robin tournament, in which four of the world’s best countries will compete against each other.
Saturday night is a highly anticipated matchup between Team USA and Team Canada, as the two lone winners in their first game will look to stay undefeated against their respective rival. We rarely see these two matchup, with both of their squads having some of the best players in the world competing.
We have witnessed some classic games between these teams, and both have something to prove tonight. Despite Team Canada’s stacked roster, Team USA will be victorious tonight against the Canada hockey powerhouse.
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It has been over 10 years since 2014 when Team USA and Canada showcased their best players at the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, there’s been a trend away from the top NHL players from these countries competing in the Olympics. This is why tonight’s matchup is so highly anticipated, with a lot on the line for the tournament and the rivalry between two of the best hockey countries in the world.
Both teams won their first game a few days ago, with Team USA dominating Finland and Team Canada winning an overtime nail-biter against Sweden. Since Team USA won their game in overtime and Team Canada didn’t pick up a regulation win, they have a one-point edge in the standings over Team Canada.
Team USA could already have a chance to clinch their spot in the tournament final, as they will have a better idea after this afternoon’s Finland v Sweden clash. A win against Team Canada would push Canada out of the running to finish ahead of Team USA, which would be a major story.
Tonight’s matchup will start at 8:00 PM EST, on Canada’s home ice at the Bell Centre in Montreal. It can be streamed/watched on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+.
The popularity and viewership have been nothing short of a success to this point in the early stages of the tournament. According to Front Office Sports, “Thursday’s ESPN matchup between USA and Finland, which resulted in a 6–1 U.S. victory, pulled in an average of nearly 1.5 million viewers in the U.S. That number is 276% higher than ESPN’s prime-time NHL game average this season, and it’s a larger audience than any NHL All-Star Game on ABC since reacquiring the rights in 2022.”
The fact that after just one game, the numbers are already pointing toward positive fan engagement with this brand-new tournament, is a great sign for hockey and what is to come. Fans want to see the best players play, and with the stakes of this tournament, we are seeing more competitiveness and effort than we would see in a typical all-star game. When players are wearing their countries’ colors, there’s a different type of mindset that they have to come on the ice with.
Tonight’s matchup between the two teams should be another classic and ratings are certain to do even better than the first games televised earlier in the week.
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