It’s safe to say that the New York Rangers’ Great Mic Richter was a huge fan of the 4 Nations Face Off Tournament.
The 4 Nations showdown tournament took place during the NHL’s annual period, hosting the All-Star Game. Except this time, they held a tournament featuring four national teams: Team USA, Canada, Sweden and Finland, along with the best players of each country.
Needless to say, it was a huge success. It lost a 3-2 overtime to Team Canada in Team USA’s final game, attracting 9.3 million viewers, the biggest audience of the ESPN hockey game.
“It’s a tournament in those four countries, and it’s not easy to wear,” Richter told Sports Lens in an exclusive interview. “I don’t know if I can replicate it. What brought it to the forefront is the passion of sports and the pride of wearing team uniforms.
“I’ve always said that at the Olympics, and when the commissioner first said, “This is what I want to remove two years from World Cup hockey in ’96.” There’s a lot of competition out there, and there are probably five teams legally that can win gold medals,” Richter continues.
The 58-year-old believes the momentum and competitive strength that appears during the 4 Nations face-off tournament continue to carry over into the NHL regular season as the team plays the remaining 20 games before the playoffs begin.
“Back to the season isn’t as substantial as I thought it would,” Richter says. “You take a certain game. It’s very difficult to get to the playoffs right now. There are a lot of teams, lots of talent, lots of parity, so every game is important.”
Richter details why the four-country showdown tournament resonated with casual sports fans.
“You saw it on the ice, all the shifts were contested,” says Richter. “It’s a recipe for getting involved in a lot of fun stuff and it’s the perfect one to watch as a fan. It’s keeping getting better as hockey fans watch hockey. But a lot of people were drawn in and said, “I think the speed, strength and physicality of our sport are the best place ever.”
“It seems like the NHL is in a really healthy place,” says Richter. “The leadership is amazing, and the products on ice show that.”
Mike Richter gives a big tribute to Panthers’ Matthew Tokachuk
Matthew Tokachuk was already known to hockey fans for leading the Florida Panthers to a Stanley Cup victory last season.
However, he became the mainstream for the voices of joining Team USA during the tournament, vocal displays and the battle to open up a game with Team Canada’s Brandon Hagel.
Matthew is the son of Keith Tokachuk, one of the greatest American skaters of all time. Thelder Tkachuk was a five-time All-Star and became the first American-born player to lead the NHL with goals (52) during the 1996-97 season.
Playing from 1989 to 2003, Richter played against Tkachuk on multiple occasions during his playing career. He details how Matthew reminds him of many of his fathers – the people you don’t like playing against, but who you want to have as your teammate in the locker room.
“I played with his dad. He was an incredible player and a great guy,” Richter said. “The guy is awfully difficult to fight. They’re the type of player you don’t like to play against, but you like it in your locker room. I think it’s great. He plays with a lot of courage and strength.
“That’s what our sport is,” Richter continues to say about Tkachuk. “I’m sure there will be more than a few people who would like to give him lunch if possible. They respect him too. He’s a great player, a great personality and seems like a ridiculous person in the locker room.”
The best American-born goaltender of all time won the Rangers and the Stanley Cup in 1994. His pick, which will win the Stanley Cup this season, is Tkachuk’s Panthers, who currently leads the Atlantic division with 77 points.
“To be honest with God, my choice to win the Stanley Cup. It’s hard to resist the incumbent,” Richter said. “The Panthers won for a reason. They’re big, strong, mature. They can beat you a lot of ways and their weight really showed up in those long, tough playoffs.”
Richter believes he will be the Panthers, whose favorite is to win the Stanley Cup, but he won’t rule out the Edmonton Oilers or the Colorado Avalanche.
The Oilers fell to the Panthers in seven games in the Stanley Cup final, and Avalanche is currently competing for playoff spots at the Western Conference.
“I’m not saying it’s theirs that it loses,” says Richter of the Panthers. “We need to think Edmonton has so many motivations. They have guys like Connor (McDavid). He’s just that professional, he’s not just a fast skater or a good goal scorer. He’s like a total package and he’s going to go to his team where his team needs to go. I don’t think we can count that type of talent and that type of will.
“Colorado is a sleepless team, right? Richter continues to talk about potential teams that can win the Stanley Cup.
Mike Richter Partners with the Stars of Fanatics and Rangers to Will Cuylle from NHL Collection
The Rangers legend speaks on behalf of their partnership with fanatics. The Digital Sports Platform is partnering with fashion designer Todd Snyder to release a limited edition NHL clothing line. The collaboration includes 12 NHL teams, including Richter’s Rangers, Tkachuk’s Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid’s Oilers.
In the campaign, Richter films the commercial in 6-foot-4 Quill.
“Will is young and tall, I’m short and old,” says Richter with a laugh. “It was a great combo to be around. A strange combo? It’s fun. They make these shoots really cool, and that’s what this is supposed to be. You can have a bit of a casual vibe, but it looks good to do it. For me, it’s a thrill to be part of it.”
Ranked 6th in points and 4th in the Rangers in goal, Cuylle is one of their top young stars. The 22-year-old left winger has earned Richter’s respect, and the former goaltender says that Quiel has an incredible “rise.”
“He’s young, defensive and physical, but he has great players in his hands and skating,” says Quill’s Richter. “Smart, I know when to go to the net. These players can beat you in many ways, so it’s very difficult to compete, so you don’t have to always score to contribute.”
Richter details how the 6-foot-4 left winger brings more to the table than simply scoring a goal, and how these kinds of pieces are needed to compete.
“That’s how the championship was born,” says Richter. “That’s how they’re built. I don’t want to load it too much on Will, but he seems to have those components you’re really looking for where you’re really respectful and really respectful and great young guys. It feels like there’s only an advantage for such a player.”
The Stanley Cup champion continues to detail the value of the young winger in the middle of his second full season.
“When an organization can land those people, you’re watching the celebrations of Macklin, who come in at a young talent, the Connor Barners, and at that young age, gaining the targets and attacking abilities they have. “You have to have every puzzle piece, and people like Will are so valuable to the organization. His trajectory is really about to take off. I think you’re in a pretty good place when the young people coming in like Will.”
