TORONTO — Phil Pritchard looked over at the groups of kids posing with the 4 Nations Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday and smiled.
“Look how popular it is,” he said. “So much for all those pre-tournament prognostications that the event was going to be just a bunch of exhibition games.”
In the end, it proved anything but.
Canada’s thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against the United States in the championship game at a raucous TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 20, courtesy of a goal by center Connor McDavid, was the dramatic culmination of the seven-game tournament and symbolized the popularity of the event, which also featured teams from Sweden and Finland.
To that end, the game was watched by 16.1 million viewers in North America, with 9.3 million in the U.S. and 6.3 million in Canada.
It was the second-most watched hockey game in the past decade behind Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, which the Florida Panthers won 2-1 against the Edmonton Oilers. That game drew 16.3 million viewers.
As the curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Pritchard was in Boston to see just how significant the impact of the 4 Nations Face-Off had on the sport, not only in North America but across the globe. As such, the Hall of Fame unveiled an exhibit complete with the newly engraved 4 Nations Cup.
“It’s a pretty special day for the Hall, it being the first time anyone has seen the trophy engraved,” Pritchard said. “We have artifacts from all four teams including Sweden and Finland. So, for the Hockey Hall of Fame, leading into the March break (March 8-16), it’s a pretty special event.
“As we know, the NHL is back in full force and everybody’s talking hockey right now. This is part of that celebration.”
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