The Florida Panthers will be well-represented at the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off.
While the full team rosters will not be revealed until next week, we already know that Panthers captain Sasha Barkov will represent Finland, defenseman Gus Forsling will play with Sweden and forward Matthew Tkachuk will wear the jersey of Team USA.
Additionally, the Americans have also tapped Panthers General Manager Bill Zito to act as an assistant GM.
Odds are, there may be a few more Panthers added once the full rosters are announced on Dec. 4.
It’s hard to imagine Team Canada not requesting the services of Sam Reinhart and perhaps Carter Verhaeghe, while Finland will likely reach out to Anton Lundell and potentially Niko Mikkola as well.
On Monday, we learned of another member of the Panthers who will be taking part in the inaugural best-on-best tournament.
Longtime Panthers Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards will serve on Team USA’s equipment staff.
Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Richards has been Florida as their head equipment manager since 2016 after previously working with the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affiliate.
He is a native of Wilks-Barre, Pennsylvania and has been a part of two Stanley Cup winning teams: the Panthers in 2024 and the Penguins in 2016.
Speaking after practice on Tuesday, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice told a story about Richards that took place during last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
When Florida was traveling to Edmonton between Games 2 and 3, there was a horrible rain storm that hit just as the Panthers were trying to take off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“He’s wearing a tank top and it’s raining straight sideways…it’s a monsoon,” Maurice said. “They took a picture of him from the plane of him trying to get the bags loaded on the plane. It’s awesome.”
That photo became part of Florida’s rallying cry as they went on to defeat the Oilers and win the first Stanley Cup championship in Panthers history.
“We blew it up and we put it in the room in the Edmonton series and carried it around,” Maurice said. “That’s how the guys feel. They feel that way about him because there isn’t a thing that that staff won’t do.
“Good for him that he gets recognized for the work he does. That whole staff has earned it.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off is set to take place from Feb. 12-20, in lieu of the NHL All-Star Game.
Hosting the tournament will be TD Garden in Boston and Bell Centre in Montreal.
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