SUNRISE, Fla. -- The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will begin on Feb. 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh announced Saturday.
Bettman and Walsh were speaking at Amerant Bank Arena, the site of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.
“We’re delighted at the progress that we’re making and the ability to button down the plans," Bettman said.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be a round-robin tournament featuring teams comprised of NHL players from the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. The first six players from each team are expected to be announced on June 28.
The first game will see Team Canada play Team Sweden at Bell Centre (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS). The next night, Team USA will play Team Finland, also at Bell Centre (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
The first leg of the tournament will also feature a doubleheader on Feb. 15, with Team Finland playing Team Sweden (1 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS) and Team USA playing Team Canada (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS).
The tournament will then shift to TD Garden in Boston, where another doubleheader will take place on Feb. 17. On that date, Team Finland will play Team Canada (1 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS) and Team USA will play Team Sweden (8 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, TVAS).
The final will be played on Feb. 20 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
“Just two iconic cities, and we thought it was important to have some exposure in Canada and a venue in Canada as well as a venue in the United States," Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "Obviously, we have 32 franchises, so we could have put it anywhere, but those are the two that kind of rose to the top and both of the clubs were very cooperative and very excited about hosting.”
Each team at the 4 Nations Face-Off will be comprised of 23 NHL players (20 skaters, three goalies) selected by each national association: Hockey Canada, Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Swedish Ice Hockey Association and USA Hockey. Players must be under an NHL contract for the 2024-25 season and on an NHL roster as of Dec. 2 to compete.
All games in the 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules and on NHL-sized rinks. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional round-robin format, with teams earning three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime or shootout, one point for a loss in overtime or shootout, and no points for a loss in regulation.
The two teams with the best record will advance to play in a one-game final.
The overtime format for round-robin games will be 3-on-3 sudden death for a 10-minute period, followed by a three-round shootout. The overtime format for the one-game final will be 5-on-5 sudden death through successive 20-minute periods until one team scores.
“The players are just absolutely thrilled about this and the opportunity to get international competition again, kind of a pre-tournament to the (2026) Olympics, which is going to be great," Walsh said. "... We can’t wait to see. You’re going to have 90 NHL players representing their countries while competing in one of the greatest games in the world.
“I know it’s going to be great for the game of hockey, but the fans of the game of hockey are really the benefactors here with all the great excitement that’s happening in the NHL right now along with the partnership of the NHLPA.”
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
