The "Four Nations Face-Off" hockey tournament between National Hockey League players divided into teams on the basis of nationality, Finland, Sweden, Canada and the US, was decided by an overtime goal by Canadian Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. This result seemed to prove that the Canadians, long regarded as the best hockey players in the world, had validated that assumption.
In reality, the game proved nothing other than that such a spectacle would be a financial boon for Boston, media companies and maybe some cell phone service providers and automobile manufacturers.
The players themselves know that at the highest level there is little difference between one group of hockey stars and another. There are physical limits to human dexterity. No center or winger can fly, they all must skate like the others. There is a difference in speed and talent but not very much. Tactics used by coaches are countered by their opposite numbers. The nuances of the sport are well-known.
If this be the case, what does a victory in a monumental game especially, really mean? Actually, not much. Most games between similar teams are decided by chance, hockey for sure. Shots can either enter the net or clang off a goal post, a difference of inches or less. A fifty-foot pass to a wide open forward can miss by the same amount. A goal tender might stop a puck he hasn't seen or be fooled by a visible shot. There's also a certain amount of ignoring the rules or even outright cheating.
Ultimately, the hockey results of the evening of February 20, 2025 don't really mean anything at all in the big picture of hockey or anything else. It was all just entertainment.
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