This wasn't so obvious before the tournament though, because after nine years, no one was really sure what to expect from this generation of international hockey. It's safe to say it was a massive success, both in terms of quality of play and viewership. Part of this could be attributed to the increasingly concerning rhetoric of Donald Trump and a surge in Canadian patriotism, but, as evident by the quality of games not between Canada and the United States, the representing their country is something that matters to the players and, in turn, the fans.
While this tournament was a best-on-best in terms of the rosters, limiting it to only four nations (they were facing off, didn't you hear) meant many of the best players weren't there. Putting aside Russia's exclusion, the tournament was still missing David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl, Nico Hischier, and more of the game's elite. This would be a bummer but the promise of more international hockey to come makes it easier to stomach.
In fact, the 4 Nations coincided with one of the world's major international sports tournaments, rugby's Six Nations Championship, which features England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Despite the naming similarities, this tournament is infinitely more prestigious than hockey's new equivalent, having been played since 1883. That said, if the NHL wants to keep this tournament going, they would be wise to follow rugby's lead, which highlights the rivalries and histories between the nations, rather than simply picking the very best teams (only two of the current top five men's rugby nations are in the tournament by the current rankings), as long as there continues to be World Cups and Olympics that feature the best of the best.
The return of regular best-on-best international hockey hopefully marks a new era in the sport, one where players expect they will be able to vie for roster spots and national glory on a regular basis. Regular Olympics and World Cups, with the occasional sort of corny tournament thrown into the mix would make these tournaments feel all the more meaningful.
It's possible that the NHL gets dollar signs in its eyes and overdoes it as we've seen with past successes-turned-annoyances like outdoor games or the shootout, but for now, we seem to be in the perfect spot.
The gold standard for international sports is soccer, as the most popular sport in the world also places a massive emphasis on the importance of international play. The recent rise in men's soccer popularity in Canada has been driven not by guys like Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David playing for top European clubs, but in seeing them don the maple leaf and go toe-to-toe with the best countries in the world and geographic rivals. The difference for a German watching Tim Stützle for Ottawa compared to the national team would likely be similarly huge.
Of course, growing the "game" on the world stage does not always mean growing the NHL. If the whole world tunes in to watch the World Cup or the Olympics but few of them become even casual NHL fans afterwards, Gary Bettman and the owners may begin to wonder if it's really such a success after all. Soccer doesn't have this issue because the international governing body is the ultimate power in the sports: FIFA.
FIFA's controversies are well-documented and two numerous to go over here, but anyone familiar with them probably feels that their model is not one to aspire to, so while simply having the IIHF overtake the NHL would probably guarantee regular best-on-best, it does not seem to be a great solution. This unfortunately leaves us with a situation where we have to rely on the NHL to continue to want to put on or participate in these events.
Relying on the NHL to do something simply because it's good for fans is always a dangerous game, but the involvement of the NHLPA in discussions about international play is encouraging. Marty Walsh was front and centre in the medal ceremony alongside Bettman, and international play is clearly more of a priority for the union than it was during the Donald Fehr era. The NHLPA has their own priorities, which may not always align with fans either, but in this case its clear that they value international play and the NHL either agrees or goes along with it.
This could all change, of course, if these priorities shift. But for now, it seems like best-on-best international hockey is back, and it's about time.
