The five Tampa Bay Lightning players participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off say they will put their typical allegiances aside as they push for international success.
In the moments after the Tampa Bay Lightning won their final NHL game before the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Sunday afternoon, captain Victor Hedman acknowledged it was time to prepare for a new challenge.
His Lightning comrades across the locker room are no longer his teammates, at least for the next two weeks.
“It’s time to flip the switch,” Hedman said. “Go see the Swedish guys tonight, watch the Super Bowl and get ready for practice tomorrow.”
The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament begins on Wednesday, when Hedman will captain Team Sweden in an international contest against Team Canada—a group which is led by Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and features three of Hedman’s Tampa Bay teammates in forwards Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.
All four teams practiced for the first time on Monday in Montreal.
The first four games of the tournament take place at the Bell Centre this week before the games move to Boston next Monday. The championship game will be held at 8 p.m. next Thursday, Feb. 20 at TD Garden.
The 4 Nations Face-Off marks the first organized tournament between the world’s best players since 2016, when Toronto hosted the World Cup of Hockey.
This year's tournament could serve as a primer for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
From Bolts Blue to jerseys anew
Cirelli and Hagel are a combination that has become an expectation in Tampa Bay’s lineup each night on NHL roster reports. That combination was replicated by Cooper on Monday in Canada red, with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett joining as their left wing.
Cirelli is excited for the tournament, one that marks his first time representing Canada since the 2020 World Junior Championships.
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. It's not something you get to do all the time, and to be able to be there with a couple teammates that you play with all the time is going to be pretty special.”
Hagel will represent Canada for the first time and called the opportunity “a dream come true”.
"You go up and down the list, I'm pretty excited to just get down there and meet all the guys,” he said of joining forces with the best Canadian players in the world. “There's some pretty special players out there, some players that have done some unbelievable things in their career. I think it will be an honor just to be able to meet them and share the ice with them."
Point was centering a line between Boston’s Brad Marchand and Carolina’s Seth Jarvis. He spoke on Sunday, saying he was excited to meet his temporary teammates for Team Canada.
“I’m just really excited to be part of that team, to meet the guys and get to hang out with them and play some hockey with them,” Point said.
The forward—who also spent time on Team Canada’s second power-play unit on Monday—is excited to compete against Hedman and Lightning forward Jake Guentzel, who will be Tampa Bay’s lone representative on Team USA.
“I’ve played Heddy before in the world championships, and it’s always fun to play against your teammates,” Point said. “It’s going to be exciting. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Guentzel debuted on the Americans’ top line at Monday’s skate, playing alongside New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes as well as Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
The 4 Nations tournament is Guentzel’s first time representing his country, and he said last week he’s eager for that opportunity.
“It's my first time representing the country, USA, wearing the jersey, so it's a pretty special moment to get that phone call and to be able to call my parents as well,” Guentzel said. “It's a dream come true.”
Guentzel and Team USA open the tournament against Team Finland on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Finland and Sweden kickstart Saturday’s games with a 1 p.m. matinee before the North American rivalry takes center stage at 8 p.m. in a Team USA versus Team Canada clash.
"I think it's going to be electric,” Guentzel said of playing against Canada. “I think the fans are going to be into it. It's kind of been a while since the best on best has played against each other. So for all of us, it's going to be a really exciting time. I'm sure that USA/Canada game in Canada will be really fun.”
Hedman will lead team Sweden from the back end. Like Guentzel, Hedman also looks forward to experiencing an international competition in Montreal, the place where the Lightning drafted him second overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
“It’s gonna be goosebumps. Playing with your country in a holy ground like this, a place I’ve been to a lot—drafted here, Stanley Cup finals, playoffs, you name it. It’s a holy ground. So it’s going to be a great experience for me Wednesday and the build-up to the game.”
The next two weeks are about representing home countries, their flags and competing on an international scale for the first time in nearly a decade.
When the puck drops on those games, the NHL brotherhood created by AMALIE Arena will temporarily subside.
“We’re best friends, but I think when it comes down to tournaments like this, I think you say it even if you get traded—no friends on the ice,” Hagel said.
“So when that time comes, we’ll go from there.”
The format
The 4 Nations tournament will follow typical NHL rules, and all four teams will play one another in a round robin format.
A regulation win is worth three points, an overtime/shootout win is worth two points and an overtime/shootout loss is worth one point.
After the initial six games, the two teams with the best tournament record will advance to play one another in the championship game, set for Thursday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET in Boston.
The Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Canada vs. Sweden @ 8 p.m. ET — Watch: MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
Thursday, Feb. 13
United States vs. Finland @ 8 p.m. ET — Watch: ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
Saturday, Feb. 15
Finland vs. Sweden @ 1 p.m. ET — Watch: ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
United States vs. Canada @ 8 p.m. ET — Watch: ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
Monday, Feb. 17
Canada vs. Finland @ 1 p.m. ET — Watch: MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
Sweden vs. United States @ 8 p.m. ET — Watch: MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
Thursday, Feb. 20
Championship @ 8 p.m. ET — Watch: ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
