Christian McCaffrey Calls for USA, Canada to Play Best-of-3 After NHL 4 Nations Final

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was left wanting more after Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime to win the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament on Thursday night.

McCaffrey took to X on Thursday to express his desire for a best-of-three series between the U.S. and Canada:

The United States and Canada previously met in the round-robin portion of the tournament with Team USA winning 3-1 to secure a spot in the finals.

However, Thursday's title game was the one that counted most, and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid came through with a golden goal in overtime to give Canada the victory.

Prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off, there hadn't been a best-on-best international tournament featuring NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

Even that wasn't a true best-on-best, though, since the tournament featured a North American team comprised of players aged 23 and younger, meaning Canada and the United States were without some key players.

The NHL did not allow its players to compete at the 2018 or 2022 Winter Olympics either, breaking a string of five consecutive Olympics that involved NHL players.

As a result, hockey fans were starved for some high-level international play, and the NHL finally delivered it to them in the form of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Rather than holding a traditional All-Star Game, the NHL put together a four-team, round-robin tournament featuring the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland.

There is no question that the 4 Nations were a better product than the All-Star Game since all players gave maximum effort and almost every game was filled with drama due to the importance of players representing their country on the international stage.

It was such an enjoyable tournament that McCaffrey and many others wanted more of it, and there is historical precedent for major international tournaments having a best-of-three final.

The Canada Cup, which was the precursor to the World Cup of Hockey, was played five times between 1976 and 1991, and it traditionally featured a best-of-three final.

The same was true of the 1996 and 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which were won by the U.S. and Canada, respectively.

While the 4 Nations would have had a best-of-three final in a perfect world, the NHL has to protect the best interests of its teams.

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore and Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy suffered injuries during the 4 Nations that will likely cause them to miss significant time for their NHL teams.

Also, forward Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk all missed time for Team USA, and whatever injuries they suffered could impact their play in the NHL as well.

Those factors may be what prevented the NHL from wanting to extend the 4 Nations Face-Off even further, but if enough fans want a best-of-three final, it may be something worth considering when the World Cup of Hockey returns in February 2028.