Connor McDavid makes his expectations from star-studded Team Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off tourney extremely clear 

National pride is on the line for the next two weeks, as the United States, Finland, Canada and Sweden all face off against one another in the 4 Nations Face-off, a first-of-its-kind tournament that the NHL paused their schedule mid-season for.

All four squads are loaded with the top players from the respective nations selected to compete.

Canada, which boasts players like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sam Reinhart on their roster, has just as good a chance to win the tournament as any.

McDavid, who captained the Edmonton Oilers to within a single victory of the franchise's first Stanley Cup since 1990 last spring, talked about the expectations that come with playing for the birthplace of hockey as well as the competition that they'll be facing.

"Yeah, it's, I mean, four great teams, four really, really high end teams," McDavid said after Canada's first practice session. "You know, anybody can really win it. Obviously, we feel good about our group, but it's going to be about who can you know, peak at the right time. You know, it's a quick tournament, as I said, you got to come together quick.

"And obviously we're hoping to do that," he continued. "Today was good first step. And look forward to them all."

Connor McDavid nearly delivered the first Stanley Cup to a Canadian-based team since 1993

Canadians as a whole know that it's been far too long since a Canadian-based club was the last one standing on the last day of the NHL season.

The Montreal Canadiens were the last franchise not based in the United States to claim Lord Stanley, though there have been several opportunities since then. The Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Canucks and Canadiens have all advanced to the Stanley Cup Final and fallen short over the years.

For the Oilers, they became the latest Canadian-based team to lose in heartbreaking fashion in Game 7 of the Cup Final, joining the Flames and Canucks (in 1994 and 2011) to fall just short in a winner-take-all contest.

McDavid was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs, though he didn't return to the ice from the dejected Edmonton locker room to accept the award from Commissioner Gary Bettman.

He also became the first player not on the winning side to win the Conn Smythe since Anaheim Ducks goalie J.S. Giguere did so in 2003 – also after a heartbreaking Game 7 loss on the road.