Everyone loves international competition. I, for one, love watching athletes don their nations’ colors and compete against one another.

So when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Feb. 2, 2024, a tournament where professional ice hockey players would compete against one another for their nation, I was counting down the days until the first game.

And coming from a die-hard hockey fan, who watched every game of the week-long tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off was a great addition to the NHL.

The 4 Nations Face-Off played from Feb. 12-20, consisting of six round-robin games and a championship game.

Starting with the rules of the tournament, the NHL decided to incorporate new rules that enhanced the excitement of each game played.

For round-robin games that went into overtime, teams would play a 10-minute sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, followed by a three-round shootout, if necessary. While none of the games went to a shootout, doubling overtime to 10 minutes increased the tension of fans and players, waiting for the game-winning goal.

Additionally, a new point system was added to the tournament rules, which determined the rankings of teams. For a win, a team would receive three points, or two points would be rewarded for an overtime or shootout win. When it came to a loss, an overtime or shootout loss gave a team one point, while a regulation loss resulted in no points.

When it came to the game action, watching each game ignited a part of my childhood, getting to watch my favorite athletes play alongside one another.

Watching Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was eye-opening seeing them from all different eras skate with each other in Canada’s red and white.

Watching the games, especially the championship game, I have never felt so much nationalism in one room at once. Anyone who walked by my friends’ common area would have thought we were crazy blasting the “Miracle on Ice” speech on repeat.

This heightened sense of nationalism was also felt by every fan of every team during the game. Watching fans fill the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and TD Garden in Boston, rooting on their home nations was a touching sight. Fans put the name on the front of the jersey before the names on the back, pushing aside their fan base’s dislike for certain players.

Being a “New York or nowhere” Rangers fan, I definitely had to put my fan base feelings to the side to root for players like New Jersey Devil forward Jack Hughes or New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson.

The feeling of nationalistic pride was not only present in the fans but could be seen in the athletes as well. When Canada played the U.S. in the round-robin game, three fights broke out in the first nine seconds of the game, ending with Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk dapping up his brother, Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk as he joined him in the penalty box.

With the U.S. and Canada being rivals since the early days of international competition, every athlete on the ice felt that fire and drive to be the one bringing the trophy home.

With NHL athletes not playing in the Olympic games since 2014, many athletes have not represented their country since World Juniors or younger, intensifying the pride they had wearing their nations’ colors.

On Feb. 12, the NHL announced that The World Cup of Hockey would be returning in February 2028 —  a massive step for the NHL and hockey community.

The World Cup of Hockey had previously run three times before the last tournament of its kind was played in 2016. The tournament also featured a greater variety of teams with eight teams.

Expanding the 4 Nations Face-off back to the World Cup of Hockey is an amazing move by the NHL, as it showcases more best-on-best hockey that fans have shown love and appreciation for.

My only hope is they expand the number of teams participating in the tournament.

International competition can’t be played with only four teams, whose country is the most represented throughout the NHL.

Expanding the tournament to more teams allows more players to play for their country, increases fan engagement and makes the tournament longer.

Players like Edmonton Oilers forward, and the 2014 third overall draft pick, Leon Draisaitl should not lose the opportunity to participate in the tournament simply because the professional world isn’t largely composed of German hockey players.

These expansions will make international tournaments even more exciting for the fans, while also bringing in more revenue for the NHL.

But for the time being, I’ll be counting down the days until international hockey returns in the 2026 Winter Olympics.