The NHL’s marquee outdoor event is on New Year’s Eve this year, but why?
The Winter Classic has been a long-standing tradition in hockey, but the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field will be the first time the game is set to be played on New Year’s Eve.
In previous years, the NHL Winter Classic was part of New Year’s Day festivities — or on January 2 when the holiday fell on a Sunday — a tradition the NHL has held to since the event’s inception in 2008. So, why the change for this event? Well, you can look to college football’s domination of the holiday for that. According to the Sports Business Journal, the NHL moved the 2025 Winter Classic to New Year’s Eve to avoid the three quarterfinal College Football Playoff games set for New Year’s Day.
Only one quarterfinal game — Penn State versus Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl — will take place on New Year’s Eve, with the Winter Classic set for puck drop nearly three hours prior.
We’ll have to see if the NHL’s transition to the end of the year will have an impact on their viewership numbers. According to the Sports Business Journal, the 2024 NHL Winter Classic between the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights on January 1 only drew 1.1 million viewers on TNT and TruTV, the lowest number in the event’s history.
For now, however, enjoy the outdoor hockey on a busy day of sports!
Will Ferrell is the best, as always, and this is further proof.
Dude dressed up as his iconic character, Buddy the Elf from, well,ย Elf, for the Los Angeles Kings’ game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Ferrell, as you may know, is a big Kings fan, so this tracks. The funny thing was that he looked a little disheveled … and is that a faux cigarette in his mouth?
Per the report you can see below, Buddy told Carrlyn Bathe that it’s been “a tough holiday season … he’s looking for a Kings win.”
Too funny. Here’s that moment from the NHL broadcast.
Move over, Buffaslug, there’s a new bizarre mascot for the Buffalo Sabres and it has the dual meaning of both fan support as well as an epic troll: inflatable palm trees.
No, seriously. They’ve been popping up all over KeyBank Center in the last week after Sabres general manager lamented the difficulties of building a contender on shores of Lake Erie.
“We’re not a destination city right now. We don’t have palm trees, we have taxes in New York and these are things you deal with. I’m in conversations every day and there’s a lot of players that we’re on their (no-trade) list,” Adams said last week. “We need to earn the respect and it starts with getting over the hump, getting in the playoffs and competing.”
You can see how a comment like that wouldn’t sit well with Buffalonians. The Sabres, after all, have a proud history littered with hockey royalty like Tim Horton, Dave Andreychuk, Pat LaFontaine, Ryan Miller and Dominik Hasek and Rick Jeanneret.
Unfortunately, the Sabres have also been stuck in quite the rut for the last decade or so. Buffalo hasn’t reached the postseason since 2010-11 and the prospect of ending that streak in 2024-25 looks bleak. The Sabres are 11-14-4 (26 points) and have the second-worst record in the Atlantic Division.
Fortunately, Sabres fans heard Adams’ concerns and quickly sprung to action to make Buffalo a destination.
It’s worth noting many of those same Sabres fans were also chanting “Fire Adams” during the December 7 loss to Utah โ the first game after his palm tree comments. It’s also worth noting the NHL’s first place Winnipeg Jets also have zero palm trees within the city limits and are doing just fine.
Still, maybe the palm trees are just what this Sabres team needs to turn the vibes around.
“I have never seen so much unity across Sabres fans as I have with these stupid palm trees,” Buffalo season-ticket holder Rebecca Way told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “I hate it because we are a joke, but I love it because it’s funny. It brings us together.”
While some fans told ESPN that ushers at KeyBank Center have been patrolling for inflatable palm trees, the team’s president of communications, Nicole Hendricks, clarified the franchise’s stance:
“The only policy we have, which is the same for everything, is you just can’t have something that’s obstructing the view of other fans,” Hendricks told ESPN. “If it is not obstructing a view of other fans, it’s fine to have.”
And if the Sabres do turn things around this season, expect the team to embrace the mighty power of the palms.
“My dream is we turn things around, make the playoffs, and our playoff giveaway is rally towels with palm trees all over it,” Hendricks said.
After a day of drama with the New York Rangers, captain and veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba is off to the Anaheim Ducks.
It’s a sad ending for that whole situation, with Trouba wearing the “C”ย and helping the Rangers contend for the past five-plus seasons with some offensive game and a physical presence that developed in recent years. But Trouba struggled mightily this year and it was time for a trade.
For the Ducks? It’s a young team with a rebuilding core that will learn from a wily vet, and that’s especially true for their defensemen.
Let’s hand out some grades:
The Rangers and Ducks trade details
The Rangers get: D Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick
The Ducks get:ย D Jacob Trouba
Rangers grade
It stinks that the Trouba era had to end with this messiness and in this way, but with him and the Rangers struggling it was necessary to get him off the roster.
Vaakanainen is a former first-round pick of the Bruins who was part of the trade that sent Hampus Lindholm to Boston, and he’s not known for his offensive game as much. When he returns from injury, he might slot in as a third-pairing defenseman.
But this was more about subtraction than addition, and that might help the Rangers on the ice, even if it hurts in the locker room.
GRADE: B
Ducks grade
Trouba isn’t a move to necessarily turn a last-place team into a contender. It’s to help the team grow. Young defensemen like Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger will get some help from having Trouba there, so this could be a smart move for the Ducks long-term.
Could the Ottawa Senators really trade captain Brady Tkachuk to the New York Rangers as the latter franchise deals with a mess as of late that includes the Jacob Trouba situation?
That’s the talk from the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, who reported this on Friday: “Blueshirts targeting Brady Tkachuk in trade talks in what would be a whopper.”
Getting a bruising forward like Tkachuk would absolutely be a whopper of a deal. But Sens VP of communications Ian Mendes had a very funny response, posting a picture of the synonyms for “whopper,” very much implying that it was an “untruth.”
This situation has gotten ugly, but it’s not unprecedented.
The New York Rangers and Jacob Trouba are finally breaking up.
And with news on Friday that the Rangers were removing him from the lineup for “roster management,” there’s been some talk that forcing him out was somehow wrong. Either they’re going to trade their captain and veteran defenseman — potentially forcing him to waive his modified no-trade clause — or they’ll waive him.
And given his play this season, in which he has struggled mightily and hasn’t been as much of the physical presence he’s been for the franchise on the ice, it makes complete sense with the Rangers in complete disarray as of late.
But I’ve seen some folks thinking that it’s wrong to force Trouba out byย circumventing his no-trade clause. That’s absolutely not the case, especially when it felt like a trade this summer fell by the wayside because of that clause and his wife’s medical residency in New York (side note: I saw some fans say some awful things about that situation earlier this year, and how wrong was that? He exercised his contractual right to stay and that was that).
NYR dynamic with Trouba re trade/waivers is not unique. Lightning did it with Dan Boyle, Lightning also did it with Ryan McDonagh. Both of those guys were Cup winners, too.
Now? This is a business move, and it’s not unprecedented! If you’re not performing, you get traded or waived. That’s it. The Rangers have given him more than enough opportunities to rebound, and unfortunately, it’s come to this. It’s ugly and sad, especially for a player who has given a ton to the franchise that he’s captained.
Which players were snubbed from the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament?
The rosters have officially been revealed for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off and hockey fans are buzzing with the news.
In February 2025, the NHL will be replacing its typical All-Star weekend with the 4 Nations Face-Off, a round robin international tournament featuring some of the top names in the sport. And on Wednesday, the rosters for the tournament were revealed for the participants: the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
The rosters feature 23 players each, with 20 skaters and three goalies. However, with such limited rosters, some real good players were left off the lineup in favor of others.
With the rosters finally revealed, these are the biggest players that we believe were snubbed from the 4 Nations Face-Off.
United States: F Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
While it hasn’t been a banner year for the Canadiens, Cole Caufield is leading the team in goals (16), is second in points (23) and is currently on pace for a career-year in his fourth full season in the league. Not sure what else Caufield could have done here to earn a spot.
United States: F Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Likewise, Tage Thompson is the Sabres’ leading goal scorer (13) past the quarter pole of the season and is a point per game player despite losing time due to injury. I get that Thompson hasn’t hit the highs he hit in his 94-point season a few years ago, but he deserved a better look here from the Team USA brass.
United States: G Joseph Woll, Toronto Maple Leafs
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The goaltender selections for Team USA are all really solid, but Joseph Woll has put together quite a season so far in limited games since his return from injury. In eight games played in the 2024-25 season, Woll is 6-2-0 with a .923 save percentage for the Maple Leafs. If Team USA’s goaltending falters, one has to wonder if Woll would have been a better fit.
Canada: F Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Yes, Bedard hasn’t been playing well this season, but he’s an exciting hockey player all the same and honestly, probably would perform better with actual talent around him. At least this snub is for a mid-season tournament and not for, say, the Olympics.
Canada: D Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Coming off last season’s over point-per-game pace, Evan Bouchard received a lot of hype from the hockey community. Unfortunately, his slower offensive pace this season seemingly sidelined Bouchard here for more well-rounded defensemen for Canada.
Canada: G Joey Daccord, Seattle Kraken
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
There was buzz that Joey Daccord could be chosen for a Canadian team with a weaker goaltending pool. However, this never manifested because Daccord — while a Canadian citizen and born to Canadian and Swiss parents — doesn’t have a Canadian passport and cannot play for Team Canada. A shame, because he’s played really well with the Kraken this year (11-6-1 record and a .912 save percentage).
Sweden: F William Eklund, San Jose Sharks
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
The Sharks might be one of the NHL’s worst teams, yet William Eklund is still finding success as a play-driving forward on the ice. With five goals and 18 points — second overall on the team — at just age 22, Eklund’s exclusion from Sweden’s roster feels like a mistake when the team could have opted for a younger forward.
Sweden: F Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh Penguins
Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
Rickard Rakell is likely due for his best NHL season in some time in Pittsburgh, even with the Penguins in a bind this year. Of course, Sidney Crosby and company rule the roost in Pittsburgh, but Rakell is tied with 4 Nations Face-Off bound Erik Karlsson with 16 points and he leads the team in goals with 10 on the season.
Finland: G Joonas Korpisalo, Boston Bruins
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Juuse Saros was always going to be a lock for Finland in goal, but it’s interesting that Joonas Korpisalo didn’t make the cut. Korpisalo did his best to hold the Bruins together while Jeremy Swayman was out at the beginning of the season, an effort that has gone unrewarded so far. Plus, he’s an experienced goaltender who only sits behind Saros in total games played for a Finnish netminder (286 versus 371 games played).
The official rosters for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off have been revealed!
Fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the winner of the first 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but on Wednesday, the full rosters for the tournament were officially unveiled.
In place of the NHL’s hit-or-miss All-Star Weekend, the league and the NHLPA have teamed up to put on the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. The round robin tournament will include NHL players from four countries — the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland — and will be played in both Boston and Montreal across the seven-game slate.
It’s all very reminiscent of the NHL’s attempt to make the World Cup of Hockey happen back in 2016, so we’ll have to see how fans take to this version of a best-on-best international tournament. However, considering the amount of talent on these rosters — featuring the likes of Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid —ย we should be in for a treat.
Here’s the full set of rosters for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off!
New tournaments are sprouting up everywhere in the 21st century from the NBA Cup to the World Baseball Classic.
And now, the NHL has a new one: the 4 Nations Face-Off, which is coming in February (that’s closer than you think!). Why talk about it now, as of publishing this? Because the rosters of hockey players will be announced, and it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun.
If you’re totally confused? We’re here to help you. Here’s a breakdown of the tournament and why it’s going to be awesome.
Let’s dive in and talk about all things 4 Nations:
What’s the 4 Nations Face-Off?
It’s a new hockey tournament between — as you guessed — four nations of NHL players: United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.
When is the 4 Nations Face-Off?
It’s taking place from February 12 to the 20th in 2025.
Where is the 4 Nations Face-Off being played?
Another great question! It’ll be in Montreal and Boston.
What’s the format of the 4 Nations Face-Off?
Each team will have 23 NHL players. The games will be played with NHL rules and ice size, and it’ll start with three round-robin games, with three points for a regulation win and two for an overtime victory. A loss in overtime gets one point, and zero for a loss in regulation.
The two winners with the most points will play in a final.
This injury could not have come at a worse time for Alex Ovechkin.
While certainly not the worst case scenario, Alex Ovechkin’s quest to break Wayne Gretzky’s goals scoring record will be put on pause for a few weeks due to an unfortunate injury.
On Monday, Ovechkin was pulled in the third period from the Washington Capitals’ game against the Utah Hockey Club due to an injury. Ovechkin and Jack McBain collided knee-on-knee in the middle of the ice on accident and the Capitals forward had to be helped off the ice after the hit.
Ovechkin had already scored two goals in Monday’s game, bringing him within 26 goals of tying Gretzky’s record.
Alex Ovechkin is slow to get up after colliding knee-to-knee with Jack McBain. pic.twitter.com/gQNOiDMcPR
Then on Tuesday, the Capitals announced that Ovechkin would be out week-to-week with an injury to his lower leg and would be reevaluated in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
The news is an incredible blow to Ovechkin’s chase to break Gretzky’s record, if only because the 39-year-old was on such a tear in recent games. Over the last two games, Ovechkin put up five — yes,ย five — goals and was making a real push to close the gap on Gretzky. Not only that, Ovechkin’s recent surge has him sitting at the top of the NHL in goals scored this year with 15, marking an incredible start to his season.
It’s a shame Ovechkin will be out for a few weeks during this exciting chase, but at least he’s set to return sometime this season to continue the hunt. NHL fans, however, were distraught at the news amidst a historic race.
