NFL legend J.J. Watt hails success of 4 Nations Face-Off ahead of intense Canada vs USA championship game

Ahead of the Canada vs USA final, former NFL player J.J. Watt lauded the impact the 4 Nations Face-Off has had on hockey. On Thursday, Watt shared a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“It’s just incredible how much of a home run 4 Nations has been for the NHL and hockey in general. Friends who never watched a hockey game in their lives reaching out asking what the plan is for tonight’s game, what food we’re ordering, etc. Definition of growing the game,” Watt’s post read.

The 4 Nations Face-Off has proved to be wildly popular. The return to best-on-best hockey after a lengthy gap has had hockey fans and analysts alike on the edge of their seats.

The tournament has also seen record viewership numbers. The audience for the USA-Finland game on Feb. 13 surpassed that of the NHL All-Star game.

Saturday’s round-robin Canada-USA game also broke multiple records. Around 5.7 million Canadian and 4.4 million US viewers tuned in for the game, surpassing any TV audience for a hockey game since the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

Hockey writer Eric Fisher wrote on Front Office Sports that the tournament is becoming a "Super Bowl-level event in Canada." He added:

“Super Bowl LIX, which drew record-level U.S. viewership, had an average Canadian audience of 8.5 million. The hockey game Thursday is poised to at least challenge that figure, if not beat it.”

The USA defeated Canada 3-1 in Saturday’s game, which started explosively as three fights erupted between players within the first 10 seconds. Fans, analysts and the teams had an exhilarating night.

“Nothing’s done more for hockey in a decade than what this tournament’s done,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said via RMNB.

J.J. Watt is gearing up for explosive Canada vs USA final

Canada and the USA were the clear favorites going into the tournament and are set to face off in the final on Thursday. NFL star-turned-sports analyst J.J. Watt has closely followed the tournament this past week. During Saturday's game, he posted a message on X (formerly Twitter).

“4 Nations is the best idea hockey has had in a long time. Only thing missing is Doc Emrick on the call.” Watt’s post read.

Watt was one of a host of commentators and analysts who praised Saturday’s game and the 4 Nations Face-Off as a whole. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the tournament was a precursor to the return of best-on-best hockey to the NHL calendar.