BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Coming in with zero expectations and a lot of questions, it's clear the 4 Nations Tournament has squashed any doubt and been a huge win for the NHL and hockey in general.
10.1 million viewers across North America watched Saturday’s Canada vs. USA epic #4Nations Face-Off showdown.They rematch in the championship game on Thursday (8 p.m. ET on @ESPN, @ESPNPlus, @Sportsnet, @TVASports). pic.twitter.com/shHs2eXqgR
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 18, 2025
The TV ratings speak for themselves as the USA/Canada showdown on Saturday night gained 10.1 million viewers in North America, the most for any non-Stanley Cup Final game since 2014.
"Somebody had asked me my thoughts on what it was going to be like, I said I wanted to see what the compete was like, and I feel like that answered the question," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said on Tuesday.
"That USA, Canada first period I think was the best first period of hockey I've ever seen," added defenseman Mattias Samuelsson. "It's been cool to see Ras (Rasmus Dahlin) and Joki (Henri Jokiharju) just to see how much those guys care about it and how much it means to put on the sweater of your country; it's cool to watch."
Now, of course, for someone like Tage Thompson, who was not named to the United States roster, this tournament hits a little different. He felt like he deserved a spot on Team USA's roster, but he won't let that cloud his progress for the second half of the season.
"4 Nations and the Olympics are goals of mine that I want to achieve and be a part of those rosters," Thompson said. "I think not being selected for 4 Nations kind of puts a chip on your shoulder to prove something moving forward. But I think those things will take care of themselves as long as you're doing the right things to help your team win."
And of course, the team was very happy to see Jokiharju score the opening goal in the USA versus Finland game last Thursday.
HENRI JOKIHARJU 🇫🇮Finland has the first goal of the game! #4Nations🇺🇸: @espn & @ESPNPlus ➡️ https://t.co/S5tPrXCygm🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/54bGd0ep7I
— NHL (@NHL) February 14, 2025
"I was really excited," Jj Peterka said. "Especially for him being a late add and making an impact right away when he was there was pretty cool to see."
Buffalo's next game is Saturday at home against the New York Rangers with puck drop scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
