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The 4 Nations Faceoff tournament was a massive win for the NHL, capped off by a thrilling overtime victory for Canada. Damon Amendolara breaks down why this could be a turning point for hockey in America, as the sport gains momentum while the NBA struggles with declining TV ratings, a lackluster All-Star Game, and growing dissatisfaction with its style of play.
With the NHL coming off a record-breaking Stanley Cup Final and the power of ESPN’s promotional machine behind it, could hockey carve out a bigger piece of the American sports landscape? D.A. makes the case for why the NHL has never been in a better position to grow its fan base.
#NHL #4NationsFaceoff #HockeyBoom #NBADecline #HockeyInAmerica #StanleyCup #DamonAmendolara #WatchDALive #NHLonESPN #SportsDebate
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0:00
the four nations faceof was phenomenal
0:03
in every single way it lived up to the
0:06
hype and created its own hype which is
0:08
pretty special in today's day and age
0:11
and yeah I think this is a jumping off
0:14
point for hockey and for the NHL to have
0:17
a really big spring and summer maybe
0:20
bigger than the NBA's more on that in a
0:23
moment just a reminder to subscribe to
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0:32
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0:40
below me and
0:42
subscribe this was an event that
0:45
happened organically this was not a huge
0:49
promotional item spread out through all
0:52
of the sports landscape because of what
0:55
happened on Saturday in Montreal because
0:58
of the fighting because because of the
1:00
intensity of that game between Team USA
1:03
and Canada it built its own hyp and so I
1:07
think just by virtue of that it's a sign
1:11
that hockey itself when it's at its best
1:14
can be so good that it creates its own
1:17
momentum and has the general public
1:21
paying attention and that says a lot
1:23
about the sport because if you love the
1:25
sport you already know this but a lot of
1:28
people grow up in areas where hockey is
1:30
not a first or second love of the sports
1:34
community so it takes you having to get
1:35
sucked into it because of something and
1:38
this four nations face off and
1:41
specifically the US versus Canada in
1:44
these two games did exactly that and
1:48
once you get eyes on the product I think
1:51
the product sells itself now this is
1:54
unique because you had the Nations on
1:57
the chest and of course there's
1:58
International animal
2:00
right now and that kind of ratchets up
2:02
the pressure at the same time hockey
2:05
players just love playing for Country
2:07
they love it and because of the
2:11
abundance of talent that now America
2:14
creates and birs as a hockey country
2:18
versus the tried andrue Canadian culture
2:21
of creating hockey stardom they are
2:24
equals they are truly equals in 2025 so
2:28
it means it's not Little Brother Big
2:30
Brother so much when you're on the ice
2:32
yes history of course but when you're on
2:34
the ice these are two equal countries
2:38
and there's something really special
2:41
about that there's something very
2:42
special about World Cup soccer versus
2:44
MLS or versus premier league and there's
2:47
something really special about World Cup
2:51
of Hockey Olympic hockey or in this case
2:53
you know your four nations hockey versus
2:55
the NHL but it can be a springboard and
2:59
I think for the NHL look a couple of
3:01
things are going their way right now
3:03
number one the style of the game is very
3:08
very palatable they've eliminated the
3:11
goonery they've eliminated the neutral
3:13
zone trap stuff and they've given space
3:16
to Playmakers and athletes and the skill
3:19
of hockey players is now on display now
3:22
combine that with I think a real boredom
3:25
when it comes to the way the NBA is
3:27
played the papa shots a three-pointers
3:31
and aesthetically speaking I think unbi
3:34
observers would say yeah it's just
3:36
better to watch a hockey game now than
3:39
it is to watch an NBA game secondly for
3:43
hockey they're in the ESPN ecosystem and
3:47
that is just an important part of this
3:49
you know this week a game being played
3:52
at
3:53
ESPN gets to have all of the internal
3:55
promotion of ESPN's multiple levers and
3:58
channels and Outlet
4:00
so on ESPN Radio you're hearing them
4:03
talk about the the four nations final
4:06
espn.com it's all about the four nations
4:09
final ESPN social media feeds where they
4:12
have millions of followers they're
4:14
pumping out content for the final ESPN's
4:17
app it's all about the final all of
4:20
these things and then of course the
4:21
television station itself the television
4:23
channels and shows are talking about the
4:25
four nations final once you're in that
4:28
ecosystem it really really helps promote
4:31
the product because they have so many
4:33
platforms and so many platforms that are
4:36
the number one most watched or most
4:38
consumed so that helped build this into
4:43
a thing and the Stanley Cup playoffs are
4:47
going to be once again on ESPN so you
4:49
can help leverage that that's been a big
4:51
win I think for ESPN and TNT's done a
4:53
really good job of handling hockey with
4:58
I think the significance and respect it
5:01
deserves and so I think it that's a fun
5:04
show it's a fun broadcast it always is
5:06
very well done I think hockey fans
5:08
appreciate it so the NHL has that going
5:10
for it it also has the momentum of last
5:14
year's postseason I mean in the Eastern
5:16
Conference Final between you know the
5:19
Rangers and and Panthers three
5:21
consecutive overtime games that was a
5:23
great series and then we get to the
5:24
Stanley Cup Final where you have a 3oh
5:26
series lead by the Panthers and then the
5:29
Oilers come roaring back to tie things
5:31
up and force a game seven and even
5:34
despite a series loss Conor McDavid kind
5:37
of stamps his place in the pantheon of
5:40
of alltime great by winning the K Smite
5:42
despite not winning the Stanley Cup so
5:44
you have that is a kind of a lifting
5:46
board as well coming into this season
5:49
and now the four nations final Once Upon
5:52
a Time in
5:52
1994 there was a thought that we were
5:55
going to see the NBA and the NHL flip
5:58
when it comes to significance
6:00
in the culture of American Sports
6:03
because the Stanley Cup Final was This
6:05
brilliant seven game series between the
6:07
Rangers and Canucks and the Rangers
6:10
their first Stanley Cup since 1940 and
6:13
every game was dramatic and the whole
6:15
playoffs was dramatic and messier's
6:17
guarantee and the Eastern Conference
6:19
Finals against the Devils all of that
6:21
built into this great
6:23
Crescendo and then you had the NBA
6:26
finals and there was no Jordan that year
6:29
he had been tired it was rockets and
6:31
Knicks and it was kind of a boring final
6:33
it went seven but most of America at
6:36
least aesthetically was not all into
6:39
that and there was this idea that we
6:40
were going to see the two flip obviously
6:42
that never happened Jordan comes back in
6:45
'95 he then wins 96 97 98 I don't
6:49
predict that we will see the NHL flop
6:52
spots flip spots with the NBA here in
6:54
terms of Pop Culture significance and
6:56
relevance but I do think it's a moment
6:58
in time where hockey can take advantage
7:01
what are all the storylines right now
7:04
about the NBA they're all negative
7:08
television ratings down the NBA Allstar
7:11
reformatting was a bust as well one of
7:14
the lowest rated All-Star games ever
7:17
Stars don't compete in the slam dunk
7:20
contest aesthetically nobody likes the
7:23
way the game is being played even
7:24
current players like Draymond Green is
7:26
saying it's accidental basketball
7:28
everyone's just chucking up shots in the
7:31
NBA your best teams are not traditional
7:35
powerhouses or big markets Cleveland OKC
7:40
Memphis now we might still get uh a
7:43
Celtics Knicks Eastern Conference Final
7:46
we might have the Lakers in the NBA
7:48
final or a traditional power but the
7:50
point is we could have an NBA Finals
7:53
that has Cavs and
7:55
Grizzlies versus a Stanley Cup Final
7:58
where maybe you have some a big star
8:02
like Conor McDavid maybe you have big
8:04
markets maybe you have a traditional foe
8:07
whatever that might be you have some
8:09
momentum because in the NBA everything's
8:11
have been about how to change the game
8:14
what's wrong with the game even the Luca
8:16
trade it was what's wrong with the
8:18
Mavericks why are they selling him for
8:20
pennies on the dollar what's going are
8:22
they're trying to drive away fans Mavs
8:25
fans saying that this that the franchise
8:27
have been stolen from them
8:30
everything has been a negative seemingly
8:32
for the NBA and now the NHL is coming
8:34
off this massive high this massive Sugar
8:37
High and the game itself lived up to the
8:39
billing an overtime win incredible goal
8:43
tending by Bennington in overtime to
8:45
save the bacon of the Canadians you have
8:48
the anthems you have the intensity you
8:51
had the great crowd you had great goals
8:54
I mean all of it the the night of hockey
8:58
for this game lived up to the hype so I
9:00
think you have some real momentum for
9:02
the NHL going into the postseason going
9:05
into the spring and summer and I think
9:07
they can ride this and they can't
9:09
probably flip spots with the NBA but
9:12
they can absolutely get a tow hold I
9:15
think into the sports Consciousness at
9:18
large I think this four nations Faceoff
9:21
was a huge indicator of what it looks
9:24
like when your guys are fully engaged
9:27
they want to be there and they're
9:29
playing for the crest or they're playing
9:31
for the nation or they're playing for
9:33
their team and hockey is all about team
9:36
and not about I and sometimes that hurts
9:38
branding for the NHL because it's so
9:41
anti what they stand for but you know
9:45
when you when you put it up against an
9:48
NBA which can often times feel like it's
9:51
about I I don't want to play too much
9:54
load management I don't want to compete
9:56
in the slam dong contest I don't want to
9:58
play defense of the all star game I want
10:00
to trade when you put those two up you
10:04
juxtapose the two there's a lot to love
10:07
about the NHL and I think they can take
10:09
advantage of it with this four nations
10:12
faceof being a springboard into their
10:15
playoffs into their postseason I'd love
10:17
to know what you think okay do you think
10:20
going into this spring and summer the
10:22
NHL can grab a tow hold from maybe
10:25
sports fans that have become I don't
10:28
know bored or apathetic for the NBA do
10:32
you think this is a a moment where they
10:34
can take advantage of it leave the
10:36
comment below I would love to hear from
10:37
you guys hey thanks for listening thanks
10:40
for watching Everybody once again
10:41
remember to subscribe to the channel by
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10:53
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