NHL shows NFL, other sports how to properly create All-Star buzz

The NFL's Pro Bowl became a game of two-hand touch in full pads, so they replaced it with a game of flag football. The NBA's All-Star game has evolved into a two-hour shootaround. The Midsummer Classic is now a leftover firework that was left out in the rain.

The NHL has come up with something far more compelling.

The 4 Nations Face-Off, a tournament consisting of NHL players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, started on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday. All teams will play three games, with two facing off in the final.

Last night, Team USA secured a spot in the championship with a 3-1 win in a grueling, brawling showdown with Canada.

"That was one of the best experiences of my life -- just an unbelievable hockey game," Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who scored the go-ahead goal, said after the game. "What a start, and credit to those guys for answering the bell. And the crowd, just a great night for our sport and a great night for this rivalry."

It was real, full-speed, full-contact hockey. Does the 4 Nations Face-Off present extra injury risk for the players who are participating? Yes. Does that potentially impair the interests of their NHL teams? Absolutely.

But hockey doesn't care. Really, that's the essence of the sport. Hockey does not care.

Hockey players play hockey for the love of the sport, no matter how much or little money the players make. Is it wise from a business standpoint? Hell no. But that's what makes it stand out in a sports landscape where All-Star games have gradually become low-effort and no-sizzle.

None of this will change the way other sports handle their own league-wide exhibitions of the best their games have to offer. But it should give all fans a greater appreciation of hockey, which seems to be consistently fading in comparison to the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS.

Thursday night's game between the U.S. and Finland averaged nearly 1.5 million viewers in the United States — a 276-percent bump over ESPN's prime-time NHL average this year. It's the kind of response that can get more people to watch hockey over the balance of the season.

Hockey absolutely should have a significant presence in American sports. The skills required to play the game are rare. The men who spring over the boards for their next shift throw caution to the tornado and enter without blinking a minefield of sharp blades, wooden sticks, and a rubber projectile in front of which they throw their bodies, even when it's traveling at 100 miles per hour and frozen to the consistency of reinforced concrete.

The fact that they bring the same effort to games that don't count makes it more impressive. Then again, as far as hockey players are concerned, every single game counts.