NHL Scores With 4 Nations Face-Off, With a Politically Charged Assist

The NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off was a resounding success, with an average viewership of 16 million for the final game, significantly more than any other All-Star game in North America in recent years.

Key highlights include:
-- All-Star viewership has been steadily decreasing across North American sports leagues amid questionable levels of player effort and declining on-ice intensity. The leagues have largely failed to generate interest in their changing All-Star formats.
-- The 4 Nations Face-Off, the first in a planned regular rotation of international best-on-best tournaments, delivered intensity and passion from the players and provided a short-term source of revenue.
-- While future tournaments may not garner the same viewership as the politically charged 4 Nations Face-Off final, they will serve to provide long-term value to the NHL by increasing the international popularity of hockey. Other North American leagues, meanwhile, will have challenges hosting such tournaments.

"While it will be difficult to replicate the success of the 4 Nations Face-Off, the oncoming slate of best-on-best, international hockey will be a boon for the popularity of the NHL," said Alex Sterling, Senior Analyst, Sports Finance. "This will support the credit profiles of the League and its member clubs and may provide a blueprint for other leagues to follow.