Dan Patrick believes the NHL All-Star game is trending up as it tries the 4 Nations Face-Off for the first time.
The longtime radio host fully supports hockey’s latest invention, which will see the best players from the USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland compete throughout the week. After Canada won the first match against Finland in overtime on Wednesday night, Patrick celebrated the players’ competitive spirit.
“I loved it. I thought it was wonderful,” Patrick said Thursday on his show. “I thought there was true excitement for what is deemed their All-Star Weekend. … I thought it was fun.”
“I thought there was true excitement for what is deemed their All-Star Weekend.”
DP believes the NBA could learn something from the #4Nations Tournament to improve NBA All-Star Weekend. pic.twitter.com/c9GUAz4yV2
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 13, 2025
The NHL All-Star game has never been a huge television draw, so the league is not panicking over a viewership decline like the NBA. This innovation was inspired by the NHL’s strong recent commitment to international hockey.
The league will release players to compete in the Winter Olympics again next winter. It will also host the World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and 2032.
The natural point of comparison for the unique tournament is in the NBA. Not only do the leagues’ seasons overlap, but the NBA also has a large international player pool. And as it looks to save its All-Star game, Patrick believes the NBA should look to hockey.
“You got that it meant something. I don’t know if it’s going to mean something to (Jokić) to be playing, or Giannis, whoever … are they going to be excited? How important is this to them?” Patrick suggested.
At this point, there are enough foreign-born NBA players to fill a top-level team. But in the past, commissioner Adam Silver has suggested international players may not want the distinction of being split into a separate group from American players. Unlike the NHL, there likely are not enough players from individual countries to fill multiple teams.
Still, Patrick noted that the 4 Nations Face-Off created a clear sense of purpose for the participating players, which was evident on-screen.
“Anything that you’re watching, you want to know, why am I getting invested if you’re not?” Patrick said. “Well, they were invested, and so was I … it exceeded expectations because they played hard.”
The NBA will try its own experiment this weekend in San Francisco with a pickup-style mini-tournament. Almost nobody in sports media has anything positive to say about it.
