‘A unique experience’: Four Carolina Hurricanes ready for NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off
Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin are headed to the 4 Nations Face-Off to play more hockey next week.
Andrei Svechnikov is headed to the Bahamas, to heal up and relax. Others on the Carolina Hurricanes plan to do the same, several seeking out sunny beaches and warm weather.
For the Hurricanes, the two-week break surrounding the international showcase event comes 56 games into their NHL schedule. The grind has been relentless and a half-dozen of the Canes recently have dealt with illnesses.
The Hurricanes are hoping to still be playing hockey in June, deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Which begs the question: would the players, given their druthers, prefer to represent their countries in the 4 Nations or have the time off?
“Hopefully, I’ll be happy to play a hundred or so games this year,” said Jarvis, who will compete for Team Canada. “I could care less about getting the rest. This is something I would never pass up, the chance to play for your country.”
Jarvis said it should be easy to “flip the switch” and put on a jersey bearing the Maple Leaf, calling it “super special.” He has talked about tearing up in first telling his family about his selection, and has joked about facing off against the likes of Aho, quipping, “I’ll kill Fishy.”
The 4 Nations Face-off will have teams from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States playing in Montreal and Boston in an event that begins Feb. 12. The championship game will be held at Boston’s TD Garden on Feb. 20.
Canada and Sweden will kick off the event Wednesday in Montreal. The next day will have Finland and Team USA going at it at the Bell Centre.
Aho and Rantanen were two of the first six players named to Team Finland. The Canes’ trade with the Colorado Avalanche has since made them NHL teammates before going to the 4 Nations, and they also have been named alternate captains for Finland in the competition.
“It’s a best on best tournament and it’s always an honor to play for Team Finland,” Rantanen said this week. “For the new generation, we haven’t had a tournament like this since 2016, so we have a lot of new (Finnish) faces playing for the first time, which is good.”
The 2016 World Cup was held in Toronto in September, just as NHL teams were gearing up for the start of the 2016-17 season. Teams from Czechia and Russia joined Finland, Sweden, Canada and the U.S. in the event, which also included a Team Europe and a Team North America in filling out the tournament field.
Aho, then 19, was on Team Finland along with then-Canes teammate Teuvo Teravainen, who is also on the 4 Nations roster. Team Canada won the gold medal as Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby was named MVP.
The 4 Nations Face-Off could help set the national rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, when NHL players will participate for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.
As Rantanen put it, “This could be a good warmup for next year, for the competition and in getting used to having a long break.”
The IIHF has banned Russia and Belarus from world competition in 2025-26, although the International Olympic Committee could alter that ruling for the Olympics. That could affect such players as the Canes’ Svechnikov, Dmitry Orlov and Pyotr Kochetkov.
“It’s a huge event,” Svechnikov said of the 4 Nations. “For me, as a Russian guy, we always want to play a World Cup or Olympic Games. I would like to be going to the 4 Nations and to be able to play for Russia, but it’s fine.”
Svechnikov said the Canes had seemingly been playing every other day, certainly in January, adding, “It’s been hard and it will be huge for us to get away from the hockey and relax your mind and everything else.”
The Hurricanes’ first post-break game will be Feb. 22 in Toronto, and the next home game Feb. 27 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour has said he has mixed emotions about the 4 Nations event, noting the risk of injury but at the same time realizing the importance and thrill of representing your country.
“It means a lot, and it’s a nice refresher to change things up and add a little spice during the season when it gets Groundhog Day-ish,” he said.
Slavin, who leads the Canes in ice time per game, said a long break from hockey would be helpful at this stage of the season, but playing for Team USA was worth it.
“It’s a unique experience,” the defenseman said. “It doesn’t happen all the time so you give up 10 or 12 days, hopefully 12 days until the (4 Nations) final. You just want to have fun with it.”
Including defending against Aho, Rantanen and Jarvis?
“It’ll all be in fun out there,” he said, smiling. “We’re going to have a good time.”
4 Nations Face-Off schedule
Montreal Bell Centre
Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Canada vs Sweden, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 13 – USA vs Finland, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15 – Finland vs Sweden, 1 p.m.
USA vs Canada, 8 p.m.
Boston TD Garden
Monday, Feb. 17 – Canada vs Finland, 1 p.m.
Sweden vs USA, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 20 – championship game, 8 p.m.
4 Nations Format
Each team plays three tournament games in a round-robin. Three points are awarded for a win in regulation, 2 points for an overtime/shootout win, one point for a loss in overtime/shootout.
The two teams with the best record/points advance to the championship game.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
