Don't Expect The 4 Nations Face-Off Nastiness To Impact Olympic Rosters... At Least Not For Canada
Team Canada's coach is right not to pick his team based on potential fisticuffs
There's a lot of excitement about the upcoming men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo because of the return of NHL players.
Some of that excitement also has to do with the 4 Nations Face-Off, which happened earlier this year and gave us a pair of instant classics between the U.S. and Canada.
The first of those games will always be remembered for the hat-trick of fights that took place in the first 9 seconds of the game, which ended with a U.S. win (the second meeting, the tournament championship, was won by Canada).
However, don't expect that bit of rough stuff to inform the rosters that head over to Italy early next year… at least not for Team Canada.
Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong was asked if that level of rough stuff in the 4 Nations Face-Off would impact the way he picks his team.
"I've thought quite a bit about that tournament as a whole, and I think the Olympics are going to be played very similar to that, minus (nine) seconds," Armstrong said. "If you win the front of your net and the front of their net, you have a chance to win the game. We're going to build a team that can win in those areas, but we're not going to build a team that can participate in those (nine) seconds."
Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong says fighting won’t factor into roster decisions for the 2026 Olympics despite fireworks at the 4 Nations Face-Off. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
There's nothing wrong with a little sandpaper, but Armstrong is right not to pick his team based on potential fisticuffs. I promise you they won't be happening at the Olympics. Why? Because that tournament is played under IIHF rules, which punishes fighting with a game misconduct, whereas the 4 Nations Face-Off was played under NHL rules, which only gives players a five-minute major.
So, if the odds are against there being any fighting, why add an enforcer? Because it still might get a little rough.
Two of the Team USA players involved in those bouts — brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk — have already been named to the Olympic roster, while JT Miller, who was involved in the third fight, was at Team USA camp.
While I promise you not a single pair of gloves will be dropped, this will still be a pretty physical tournament, especially if Team USA and Team Canada meet up again.