New York Rangers Legend Mike Richter sounds off on Four Nations Face-Off and gives honest opinion
The Four Nations Face Off with take place on February 12th-20th, 2025. The tournament will be hosted at TD Garden in Boston and the Bell Centre in Montreal.
One former Rangers Stanley Cup winner, who was the netminder for the team's last championship in 1994 has shared his opinion on the round-robin tourney.
Mike Richter's no stranger to international play, as he backstopped Team USA during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. His legacy remains years later.
While Richter holds a unique victory, as the last U.S. goalie to win a best-on-best international tournament against Finland, Sweden, and Canada he hopes someone else will change that.
He wants someone like Jake Oettinger, or Jeremy Swayman to be the 2nd U.S.-born goalie to win the next Four Nations tournament.
«You're going to get some amazing hockey. I think sports, when you really can't predict the outcome, it's compelling, right. It's a 1-1 game in the last two minutes, you have to sit in your chair and watch this thing. Overtime too. That's why you do it. And every game in this tournament is going to be like this.»
Richter is a goalie who has represented the U.S. in multiple tournaments outside of the 1996 WCOH. He backstopped Team USA in the Olympics during the 1988 games in Calgary, the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and the 2002 Salt Lake City games.
He also backstopped Team USA at the 1991 Canada Cup which saw him share the net with Rangers teammate John Vanbriesbrouck.
The United States is in a unique position in the NHL currently as they have a wealth of riches in the net.
With Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman, and Jake Oettinger at their disposal they're loaded with talent in the net.
The most difficult thing is, is the USA has four games and so much talent to pull from.
The team will have to become acquainted with each other, as it's doubtful they've communicated with each other before. That may be a major hurdle for some of these athletes, as the sport of hockey becomes more, and more popular in the US.
Richter's won 301 games in the NHL and has a massive amount of admiration for Jonathan Quick who used to be the #1 goalie on Team USA and now is backup to Igor Shesterkin.
While Quick was thought to have been finished with his career in 2022-2023, he has revitalized his career in New York and is well on his way to 400 wins, with only two wins left to achieve the milestone.
«Igor Shesterkin is an amazing goalie, but when you get tapped to play that game it's an important win to get and he did nothing but play professionally. So, you know he's preparing like a madman for that time, and then he comes out, and this guy is stealing games like every time the guy plays. I mean, how lucky are we as sports fans that we get to see Shesterkin and Quick play. They're two of the best to ever play the game.»
All that's missing in the net from this tournament really, is Igor Shesterkin in goalie for his home country. But for now, we have to settle for Sweden, Finland, the USA and Canada which should provide an exciting spectacle.
| POLL | ||
Do you think that Team USA will win in the Four Nations Face-off in 2025? | ||
| Yes | 336 | 41.9 % |
| No | 465 | 58.1 % |
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