"American sports fans didn't get their happy ending": NHL analyst labels 4 Nations Face-Off a failure due to Canada's win over USA

The 2026 4 Nations Face-Off failed to deliver the intended outcome, NHL analyst Sean McIndoe believes.

In a piece published on July 25 in The Athletic, McIndoe answered a reader's question regarding the overwhelming success the 4 Nations Face-Off brought to the NHL.

While McIndoe concurred that the tournament delivered on expectations, there was one particular aspect where it failed: The US didn’t win the tournament.

McIndoe stated:

“Short of a Team USA win, this year’s tournament delivered everything you could ask for, including a signature moment: The infamous Nine Seconds from the round robin, the rare hockey game that seemed to take over the sports discourse for days. Fans of other sports were hooked because what they were watching didn’t look anything like the leagues they were used to.”

That statement sums up the 4 Nations Face-Off’s purpose. The event was intended to market hockey, McIndoe states, to bring in more fans. However, the fact that the US didn’t win ended the tournament on a sour note.

That situation prompted McIndoe to write:

“American sports fans will dip in to sample best-on-best hockey, as the record ratings for the 4 Nations final show. But they want to see a happy ending. They didn’t get it this year…”

McIndoe highlighted how the lack of a US victory at a major tournament leaves American hockey fans recalling the famous 1980 win at the Lake Placid Olympics as the greatest moment in American hockey.

That perception prompted McIndoe to conclude:

“Until a Team USA can deliver that sort of moment again, nothing is going to be a 'success' for the NHL, in any way that matters to league leadership.”

Perhaps the US will get that chance at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games. A gold medal there would be the ultimate prize for American hockey.

2026 Olympics matter more than 4 Nations Face-Off

The US hopes to take home the gold at the 2026 Olympics - Source: Imagn

Team USA’s loss at the 4 Nations Face-Off final was a bitter one. The ending left American hockey players and fans in agony.

But the 4 Nations Face-Off is now in the past. The tournament that truly matters is the 2026 Olympics. As Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin stated in The Athletic back in February:

“There is something to look forward to with this group, which is great. That’s the big one. And I know that it’s a little bit of a different tournament, different rules, but we really feel like we can play any kind of game on any kind of surface and anywhere against anyone.”

The Americans hope that the squad led by superstars Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel can finally get over the hump and bring home a major best-on-best tournament win for the US.

Team USA’s biggest rival will be Canada. But there will also be other highly talented teams like Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, and Czechia. Plus, the expectation is that a Russian team will suit up even if it’s under neutral colors.

Ultimately, the 4 Nations Face-Off was a significant event for the US. But the one that truly matters will be next February in Italy. A gold medal there could make all the bad memories go away for good.