Connor McDavid of the <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Edmonton Oilers</a> was recently interviewed regarding his selection on Team Canada at <a href='https://www.nhl.com/news/final-rosters-for-4-nations-face-off-revealed-united-states-canada-sweden-finland#' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Four Nations</a>, and not everyone liked his comments. The hockey world was abuzz Wednesday after <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/news/nhl-insider-leaks-canada-four-nations-roster-which-has-left-fans-in-a-state-of-shock' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the rosters for the inaugural Four Nations Face-Off tournament were announced</a>. Set for next February in Montreal and Boston, the event will replace the NHL All-Star Game, bringing together top talent from Canada, the U.S., Sweden, and Finland in a high-stakes competition. Surprisingly absent from Team Canada's roster included Edmonton Oilers stars Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard; that, of course, has led to some talks of the depth of talents not making the list, which were ample enough to make yet another team. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1864455044872937533'> </a></blockquote></div> But for star and captain Connor McDavid, pretty much one of the first names on Team Canada's sheet of paper, the optimism remained on full volume. Joining a Sportsnet broadcast, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/oilers/player/connor-mcdavid-8478402' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Connor McDavid</a> shared the excitement of representing his country in this unique tournament format. «(There's) Nowhere else I'd rather be than in Montreal, in Boston on those two weeks,» said McDavid. «(It's) special to represent your country, (this is a) special team to be a part of. It's going to be a great event. All four countries, their rosters are ridiculous - loaded top to bottom. So it's gonna be a great tournament. And I couldn't be more excited to represent my country.» <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1864497927122551219'> </a></blockquote></div> Not all fans were happy to hear him say this, as many felt he was throwing shade at the city of Edmonton by saying he could not want to be anywhere else but Montreal. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Tom_Seagul/status/1864502254285238516'> </a></blockquote></div> McDavid won't be going at it alone in Oilers colors. <a href='https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/12/report-sweden-sets-roster-for-4-nations-face-off.html' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Team Sweden also includes teammates</a> Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson, the latter a bit of a surprise selection. The tournament will be round-robin, with each team playing three games and the top two meeting in a one-game final. There's still hope for additional Oilers players to join the action. Teams have until the event's opening day, February 12, to make injury-related substitutions. McDavid, however, said he's most excited about the opportunity to skate alongside Canada's deep roster. «Hard not to say Sidney Crosby, hard not to say Nathan McKinnon,» he said. «Two guys that are just amazing, some of the greatest ever do it. Gonna be special to play with them, (and) a guy like Cale Makar. Really excited about that. Sammy Bennett was my minor hockey linemate for eight years. So hopefully there's a little chemistry there between us, still looking forward to playing with him as well.» One of the spotlight events of the tournament will be the game between Canada and the United States on February 15 in Montreal. Canada opens against Sweden on February 12 and wraps up the round-robin against Finland on February 17.