The biggest hockey game in ages, plus early March Madness intrigue

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Legacies: More important than the Stanley Cup? Maybe

I was not in the room when NHL officials planned the 4 Nations Face-Off, but I can tell you with certainty that tonight’s final, a matchup between Canada and the United States, is what they hoped for. 

The entire hockey sports world will be watching. Experts expect ratings rivaling a Stanley Cup Final, or even better. No matter what happens tonight, the 4 Nations experiment is a massive win — and don’t be surprised if other pro sports follow hockey’s lead on this, in some form. 

But what’s going to actually happen? Let’s hit some key points: 

Who’s the favorite? Our friends at BetMGM have this at even odds entering the game, despite the U.S. win over Canada earlier in this tournament. A survey of The Athletic’s hockey staff essentially confirmed that sentiment. 

Players to watch? I’ll give you three. First, for Canada, it’s always Sidney Crosby, no matter the young talent surrounding him. The 37-year-old is the center of Canada’s universe here. Just read his teammates’ quotes in this piece to see how revered the living legend is. 

• For the Americans, both players to watch have the last name Tkachuk. Both are healthy enough to play, and the pair have become the heart of an American team that’s been nearly flawless this tournament. Expect a big hit or two from either brother early in this one. Tone-setting, and all that.

Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images

The irresistible alternate history: Canada coach Jon Cooper could’ve easily been behind the opposite bench tonight, as the dual citizen was recruited by both countries’ programs at the same time. Literally — Hockey Canada and USA Hockey called Cooper within 10 minutes of each other back in 2017, when both needed a coach for the World Championship. Canada called first. 

• One major snag: The Americans are banged up. The U.S. has had multiple players go down this tournament, the latest blow coming with defenseman Charlie McAvoy falling ill with an infection. Quinn Hughes, the choice to replace him, is not with Team USA due to some light chaos with Hughes’ NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks. 

Above all, though, legacies are at stake, and we can look beyond Crosby for that. Sid the Kid is a legend, win or lose. But for Canada’s Connor McDavid and the U.S.’s Auston Matthews — two of the sport’s brightest stars — this will define their careers going forward. 

Can’t ask for much better than that.

News to Know

Seven charged with high-profile burglaries
Federal prosecutors charged seven members of a South American theft group for their alleged roles in a string of burglaries that targeted pro athletes over the last year, which totaled up to $2 million worth of stolen valuables. Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are among the victims, along with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Bucks forward Bobby Portis and others. All happened while the victims were playing games or otherwise away. Read our full report here.

Venus back?
Tennis legend Venus Williams will play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells next month, officials announced, thanks to a wild-card entry. The 44-year-old has not played a WTA Tour-level match in nearly a year and lost her only two appearances last year. We’ll be watching, and Williams has plenty of history with Indian Wells.

More news

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Bracket Busters? It’s time to adopt your tourney teams

Selection Sunday is less than a month away, which means it’s high time to check in on men’s college hoops. Two teams I want to talk about today: 

• The No. 15 Missouri Tigers, who beat No. 4 Alabama last night 110-98, arguably Mizzou’s best win of the season. It was the 20th win for Dennis Gates’ squad, which is quite nice, but is astounding when you remember this team went 0-18 in SEC play last year. Most coaches get fired after that season; Mizzou stuck with Gates, and now his team is thriving in the sport’s toughest conference.
  
• Then there’s the Drake Bulldogs, who could be our best Cinderella story this year. Drake is led by first-year head coach Ben McCollum, a Division II legend, and a cadre of transfers from McCollum’s former school Northwest Missouri State. Drake is atop the Missouri Valley Conference, which Jim Root says could be the most dangerous come tourney time. Remember this as you fill out your brackets. 

I can’t wait. Let’s keep moving:

Watch and Listen

📺 Hockey: Canada at USA
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
This is it. Tickets to get in the door are around $1,000 a pop. As we stated above, it’s a momentous night. Find a place to watch. 

📺 Soccer: USWNT vs. Colombia
8 p.m. ET on TBS/Max/Peacock
If you must avoid hockey, here’s a delightful alternative as the SheBelieves Cup kicks off. More international play in all sports, please. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

🎧 The “No Dunks” gang ranked all 30 NBA teams in five different tiers post-All-Star Game. Listen here or watch on YouTube. It’s fun.

Pulse Picks

Baseball season creeps closer, which means fantasy baseball season is basically here. We have a robust toolkit for all your draft needs. Study up before winning it all. 

Adam Crafton penned a startling tale about how the sons of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo became unwittingly entangled in a bizarre betting scandal.

Golf season is finally churning ahead, and Brody Miller has a useful PGA Tour stock watch guide. 

I really enjoyed the NBA All-Star player poll we conducted. I am against the 4-point shot … for now. 

Laughed out loud multiple times while reading this very serious article from Sean McIndoe, in which he poses the question we’re all wondering: Is Kyle Connor McDavid the best same-name combo in NHL history? 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Ken Rosenthal’s fantastic column on the Blue Jays’ mess. Read it here. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: The NFL 50 under 40 list, of course.

(Top photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)