Later this month, the National Hockey League is taking a break from play to allow the top players from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland to participate in the 4 Nations Faceoff, which takes place from February 12 through the 20th.
The break will come right on the tail end of what has been another lengthy winning streak for the Detroit Red Wings, who have now won 7-straight games for the second time in under 20 games since new coach Todd McLellan took over on December 26.
Patrick Kane, who recently became the NHL's all-time leading scorer in the shootout as part of Detroit's 5-4 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken, said that his preference is to continue playing in the midst of Detroit's hot streak rather than pause.
Kane knows it's still going to be a grind for his team to ultimately qualify for the postseason, which would mark the 1st time since 2016 that the Red Wings would get the chance to play beyond the regular season.
The scheduled tournament, which will be split between Boston and Montreal, will feature a pair of Red Wings players.
Captain Dylan Larkin will represent the United States, while Lucas Raymond will represent Team Sweden.
Both players have already played for their respective nations on the international stage previously in their careers.
POLL | ||
FEVRIER 7 | 149 ANSWERS Patrick Kane pushes back on the NHL for their recent scheduling Should the NHL be taking this break for a tournament that means nothing in the standings and presents the risk of injury? | ||
Yes | 45 | 30.2 % |
No | 104 | 69.8 % |
List of polls |