BOSTON – During the final years of the All-Star Game, hockey fans left doubting the quality of play seen in the 4 Nations showdown.
They were grossly wrong.
This never became a series of slow, abandoned All-Star games.
This certainly wasn't a competition of dull skills.
This was the first time the NHL has returned to the international stage in almost a decade.
At the beginning of the tournament, Team Canada's Conor McDavid, who held a big hand in designing the skills competition at last year's All-Star Weekend in Toronto, said: “It's not an All-Star Game. It's a competitive event. Everyone wants to win, and you saw it [on the first day of competition on Feb. 12.]”
Hosted in Montreal and Boston over the past 10 days, tournaments have thrust hockey into the mainstream spotlight.
It would have been impossible without a buy-in from the players. Team Canada coach John Cooper marveled at the way McDavid, Sydney Crosby and Nathan McKinnon were dumping the puck and chasing him.
The injuries have caused countries. That's how difficult it is for them.
The flu is rampant in each dressing room. The players fought through it.
No one wanted to miss a second of what has become the most thrilling display of the sport in recent memory.
“No one in this event does anything to win this tournament, and I think it's shared amongst everyone,” said Team USA's thrilling 3-1 Canada 3. said Charlie McAvoy, who played with a shoulder injury in a -1 victory. This is because Round Robin was diagnosed and infected first before missing the last two games. “I don't know. I've never been to an All-Star Game. I can have an All-Star Game. I want to play this instead.”
The tolls charged for each player are clear.
Between the emotions and intensity of each game, paired with a rough trip through the snowstorm from Montreal to Boston, the tournament has put a burden on everyone. At the Off Day press conference, we were able to see the fatigue in each player's face.
Logistically, asking players to do this every year is a big deal. Not only that, it will probably dilute the appeal of the product and tournament.
The NHL and NHLPA have insisted on planning to take part in the Best On Best Contest every two years, with NHL players scheduled to return in Milan, Italy next year between their tournaments and the Olympics.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the All-Star Game, last season's Saturday afternoon in Toronto, attracted just under 1.4 million viewers on ABC. The league also had 823,000 viewers due to the Primetime All-Star Skill Challenge, down 20% from the previous year.
According to the NHL release, the first USA-Canada clash rose 203% from the number of viewers seen when border neighbours squared at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
They had around 10.1 viewers in North America.
“For me, we're here to celebrate the game,” Cooper said at a press conference Thursday morning. “After this game, if all the little girls and boys there were inspired by the players who play this game and how they compete, then they become hockey players after watching tonight, it's a real victory And it's not who won, it's ice.”
