Sports
4 Nations Face-Off Proves One Thing: The NHL Needs More of This
Before the puck dropped on the 4 Nations Face-Off final between the United States and Canada, it was clear that the NHL and NHLPA created a big hit with its return to best-on-best competition.
Players on both sides called Thursday’s game in Boston the biggest of their lives.
Coaches marveled at the speed and pace on display all throughout the tournament, and the 3-2 overtime win for Canada in the final was no exception.
A replacement for the NHL All-Star Game? No way.
“Anybody that thought they were going to come in here and see an all-star game was sorely, sorely mistaken,” Canada and Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper said prior to the title game. “This has been anything but. It’s been all stars, but it has not been an all-star game.”
The fans responded in a major way, with the round-robin games drawing an average of 4.6 million viewers across North America. A whopping 10.1 million watched last Saturday’s initial U.S.-Canada clash, marking the largest audience for a non-playoff game since the fourth-ever Winter Classic in 2011 at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field.
The tournament was a who’s who of NHL stars, featuring 28 different Stanley Cup-winning players, 16 winners of major league awards and six former No. 1 overall draft picks.
The likes of Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby—now a six-time champion in international best-on-best play—finally got back on the grand stage, doing anything possible for their respective nations.
Really, how could fans not respond?
“Just from a hockey purist or a hockey fan in general, it’s hard not to get excited about what we’re witnessing,” said U.S. coach Mike Sullivan, who is typically behind Crosby’s bench with the Penguins. “It’s all of the things you hope for in sports, and that’s why we love it. (The sport is) on display right now and I have to believe this tournament is going to have a lasting impact.”
Of course, it was a shining showcase of young talents like Sweden’s Leo Carlsson, the Anaheim Ducks’ No. 2 overall pick two years ago, and 22-year-old American defenseman Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild.
And while it was not hard to imagine recent No. 1 overall picks like the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini donning the maple leaf sweater in a future tournament like this, the real winners were those watching in awe.
In some ways, it was 1980’s Miracle on Ice all over again in terms of an impact on the sport as a whole.
“It’s pretty cool to think about the next generation and how much this might mean to them,” said U.S. goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner for the Winnipeg Jets.
After two Olympic Winter Games without NHL participation, the players—like Canadian forward and Florida Panthers alternate NHLPA rep Sam Reinhart—have advocated for this type of return for years.
What a return it was. And what an appetizer for Milano Cortina 2026 it was, too.
“It only helps the game; it only helps the league,” Reinhart said. “We both respect what each side is doing from a league and a player standpoint. We both want to push the needle forward, and that’s what an event like this is doing. Certainly a win-win.”
The international flavor will not be over following next year’s Olympics, as the NHL and NHLPA have already announced initial plans for the return of a World Cup of Hockey in 2028. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expects at least eight teams to participate in that tournament, with games possible outside of North America.
What else is on the horizon for the NHL remains to be seen. If another event like the 4 Nations Face-Off comes around, though, hockey fans certainly would not mind.
And there’s no doubt that players would fall in the same boat as well.
“It would be hard for anybody who watched this tournament not to get excited about participating in it. If you love hockey, it would be hard not to get excited about this,” Sullivan said. “It was just an incredible privilege to be a part of it, quite honestly. And the hockey might have been the best hockey that I’ve ever been associated with. It certainly was the fastest, without a doubt.
If anything has stood out over the past couple of weeks, it’s that best-on-best is the best.
Sports
Mets star Juan Soto (calf) goes on IL, could face lengthy absence
Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images New York Mets All-Star outfielder Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 2 left calf strain prior to Saturday’s home game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
An MRI exam revealed the damage that will cause Soto to miss a significant amount of time. New York didn’t immediately release a timetable.
“It’s not what we were hoping for,” Mets interim manager Andy Green told reporters. “He’s a guy we love having on the field. He’s a guy who loves being on the field competing. We’ll be without him for a period of time now.”
Soto missed 15 games with a right calf injury in April. The current injury is considered more serious.
Soto, a five-time All-Star, departed Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in the sixth inning due to the calf ailment. Green told reporters Soto aggravated it while running to second base in the second inning on Bo Bichette’s double-play grounder.
Recently, Soto has seen occasional time as a designated hitter to help with the calf issue. He played left field against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 16 and left the game in the eighth inning. He also sat out Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of the injury before the team’s Thursday off-day.
Still, the injury worsened, as evidenced by Friday’s departure while serving as the DH and culminating in Saturday’s news.
Green feels this is a situation in which nobody should have regrets.
“This last week, we gave him at-bats, we gave him rest in times when we felt it appropriate, and then yesterday he couldn’t get over the hump,” Green said. “Is it possible we could have looked back and thought we could have moved a little bit quicker on this, given where we’re at today? Yes.
“I don’t know that that ultimately changes the situation we’re in right now. I respect somebody who’s trying to get on the field and play through things.”
Soto is batting .283 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs in 84 games, his second with the Mets as part of a 15-year, $765 million contract.
Green doesn’t believe the injury is season-ending but thinks it’s wise to review Soto’s routine.
“Juan wants to be and expects to be a generational, Hall of Fame-type player,” Green said. “So the way he’s wired, he’s going to look at whatever he can to keep himself on the field going forward, and we’ll partner with him in trying to find what those answers are and if there are adjustments to make in anything from prep to recovery to anything that is possible to be considered.”
New York recalled first baseman Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. The 28-year-old Wagaman batted .162 (6-for-37) with two homers and four RBIs in 21 games with the Mets earlier this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nick Martinez stifles Guardians as Rays roll to victory
Jul 25, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez (28) delivers a pitch during the second inning against Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Nick Martinez tossed six shutout innings and Yandy Diaz recorded his 1,000th career hit with Tampa Bay as the Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Martinez (10-2) allowed four singles with no walks and five strikeouts. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of his 20 starts this season.
Cole Sulser and Garrett Cleavinger each pitched a scoreless inning before Bryan Baker worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his 27th save.
Chandler Simpson and Diaz had two hits apiece for Tampa Bay, which recorded its seventh shutout and won for the fifth time in its last six games.
Diaz lined a leadoff single to right field in the first inning against Tanner Bibee (4-10) to become the fourth player in franchise history to record 1,000 hits with the team.
Cleveland lost its fourth straight game and has scored a total of four runs in its last three.
Tampa Bay threatened to move ahead with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, but Bibee escaped unscathed on Ben Williamson’s groundout.
The Rays broke the scoreless tie in the fifth. Diaz hit a one-out double and moved to third on Jonathan Aranda’s single before scoring on Junior Caminero’s double off the right-field wall. Cedric Mullins followed with a sacrifice fly to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0.
With runners on the corners and one out in the sixth, the Rays added to their lead when Victor Mesa Jr. scored on Hunter Feduccia’s sacrifice bunt.
Bibee yielded three runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out five while throwing a season-high 107 pitches.
The Guardians were stymied by Martinez, who threw 60 of his 84 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 2.45, second best in the American League.
Cleveland drew its first and only walk of the day when pinch-hitter David Fry walked with two outs in the eighth. Steven Kwan followed by lining out to center.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Charlotte FC maintain early advantage to sweep Red Bulls
Jul 25, 2026; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; Charlotte FC offense Liel Abada (11) and midfield Ashley Westwood (8) celebrate after a goal by midfield Pep Biel (16) during the first half against Red Bull New York at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images A pair of early goals from Pep Biel and Ashley Westwood lifted Charlotte FC to a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening in Harrison, N.J.
The victory completes a season sweep for Charlotte (7-6-4, 25 points), who beat the Red Bulls (6-7-4, 22 points) 6-1 on March 21. The match extends Charlotte’s four-game unbeaten streak going into August.
The result also means the Red Bulls have gone 17 matches without a clean sheet. New York has lost its first two matches since returning from the international break in July. The loss puts them on the edge of the playoff picture as New York continues to battle for a postseason berth.
Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina ended the game with five saves, while New York’s Ethan Horvath saved one shot.
Charlotte struck first in the seventh minute when Liel Abada burst down the left wing past his marker. Abada laid the ball off to Biel at the top of the box, who slotted his shot into the bottom right corner to give Charlotte an early advantage. The goal was Biel’s eighth of the season, a team high.
Charlotte doubled its lead just five minutes later when Vargas found open room down the right wing on a counter-attack. Instead of dribbling to the baseline, Vargas cut inside with his left foot and found Ashley Westwood waiting outside the penalty box. Westwood cleanly sent his shot past Horvath to put Charlotte up 2-0.
New York’s best chance of the game came after an unforced error in the 64th minute, when Kahlina mishit a pass in front of his own net as Emil Forsberg closed him down. Kahlina did enough to toe Forsberg’s shot away and preserve Charlotte’s lead, but the pressure from New York’s attack remained.
Despite outshooting Charlotte 23-4 and holding 64% of the possession, New York failed to translate its chances into goals. Most of New York’s shots came from far away, and when they got close enough to have a clear look at goal, Charlotte’s compact defense quickly hustled them off the ball.
Red Bulls midfielder Anis Mehmeti received a second yellow card for dissent two minutes into stoppage time, capping off an exasperating night for New York. Mehmeti, who looked visibly frustrated while disagreeing with a call, will miss New York’s Aug. 1 game against Orlando City.
–Field Level Media
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Mets star Juan Soto (calf) goes on IL, could face lengthy absence
