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‘Nowhere else I’d rather be’: Connor McDavid talks 4 Nations Face-Off after rosters get debuted
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Photo credit: Screengrab/Sportsnet
Zach Laing
Dec 5, 2024, 12:30 ESTUpdated: Dec 5, 2024, 12:20 EST
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There were some shockwaves Wednesday across the hockey world when the rosters were revealed for the 4 Nations Face-Off first-ever tournament.
Set to take place next February in Montreal and Boston in lieu of an NHL All-Star game, the Team Canada roster had a few notable snubs, including that of Edmonton Oilers players Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard, while there could be an entire team worth of players not selected who could make their own competitive group.
But that’s not getting Oilers captain and one of the first players named to the Team Canada roster Connor McDavid down, who joined the Sportsnet broadcast Wednesday night to talk about representing his country, and the tournament as a whole.
“(There’s) Nowhere else I’d rather be than in Montreal, in Boston on those two weeks,” said McDavid. “(It’s) special to represent your country, (this is a) special team to be a part of. It’s going to be a great event. All four countries, their rosters are ridiculous — loaded top to bottom. So it’s gonna be a great tournament. And I couldn’t be more excited to represent my country.”
McDavid won’t be the lone Oilers player at the tournament, though, as both Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson, the latter coming as somewhat of a surprise, were named to Sweden’s roster. All of Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland will play each other once in a round-robin format, followed by a one-game final between the top two teams.
There’s always a chance that some of McDavid’s teammates could join him, mind you, as teams will have right up to the opening day of the event — February 12th — to replace any players dealing with injuries.
The Oilers captain, meanwhile, said it’s hard to pick who he’s most excited to play with.
“Hard not to say Sidney Crosby, hard not to say Nathan McKinnon,” he said. “Two guys that are just amazing, some of the greatest ever do it. Gonna be special to play with them, (and) a guy like Cale Makar. Really excited about that. Sammy Bennett was my minor hockey linemate for eight years. So hopefully there’s a little chemistry there between us, still looking forward to playing with him as well.”
One of the marquee games will be between Canada and the United States, who will look to renew their international rivalry on the biggest stage. That game is set for February 15th in Montreal, with Canada opening the tournament three days earlier against Sweden, and closing it against Finland on the 17th.
“Canada, U.S., on a Saturday night in Montreal? Doesn’t get much better than that,” McDavid added. “Honestly, it’s going to be electric. But all three games against all three teams are going to be are going to be special. Sweden’s got an amazing team. That Finnish team is, is going to be hard-working and disciplined, and all three are great hockey-playing countries, and it’s gonna be a great tournament. I’m super excited about it.”
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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