4 Nations Face-Off teams 'jump right in' with little time to spare before the tournament starts

BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) — The last time Jon Cooper coached an international tournament featuring the NHL's best players, the 2016 World Cup of Hockey came with a training camp and a slate of exhibition games to get ready.

The 4 Nations Face-Off has none of that. Cooper's Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland took the ice Monday for each team's first practice knowing there's no time to spare. Canada and Sweden get just two practices and a game-day morning skate before playing each other, and the lack of a ramp-up period puts an emphasis on developing chemistry right away.

“This one we have to jump right in,” Cooper said. “Being in these situations, it’s not always the best players that win. It’s the best team that wins. And I think the team that jells the quickest and kind of plays for each other, especially in such a short tournament, will have the advantage.”

Establishing that advantage began Sunday night with team Super Bowl parties. The Philadelphia Eagles crushing the Kansas City Chiefs turned out to be background noise for bonding.

“Unfortunately the Super Bowl wasn’t too close of a game, but we still had a great time and it was good to see everyone,” Sweden captain Victor Hedman said. “Some of the guys I barely got a chance to hang out with before. No, it’s been great. Now you have to switch gears and focus on this and kind of put everything else away.”

All four rosters are full of Stanley Cup champions and All-Stars, but Canada's first practice stood out for the incredible amount of talent on the ice at the same time. The top power-play unit includes Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Sam Reinhart.

That's what U.S. coach Mike Sullivan means when he says, “They’re all dream teams.” His group and Finland get some extra prep before their opening game Thursday night in Montreal, but the principles of figuring it out fast still apply.

“Becoming a team is the biggest challenge,” Sullivan said. “It’s going to take more than talent to win. I think a big part of it is becoming a team in the true sense of the word, and that’s the challenge. We’re going to try to do our best. It’s everything from the chemistry on the ice with our line combinations, defense pairs, whatever it may be, to accepting and embracing roles.”

Advantage, Finland? The small Scandinavian country of 5.5 million people might not have big-name talent that jumps off the page, but playing the same style of hockey as a national team has the chance to be a major benefit.

“Finland is known for being together,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. "Growing up in the Finnish system, the national team system, you kind of know how to play. But the most important thing (is) we play together no matter what the systems are. Everyone’s going to give their best, and that’s why Finland has been successful and it’s no different here.”

Finland was the only of the four teams to hold an optional skate — “a recovery practice day,” according to coach Antti Pennanen, who said they “wanted to save energy for the games.”

Canada and U.S. practices were high-energy and fast-paced with players whipping the puck around like kids getting together for the first time after summer vacation. That was actually more a result of being in midseason form, another difference from the World Cup in ’16 that took place in the fall.

“It’s tough not to go 100%,” Reinhart said. “You’ve got guys flying around like that, so I think everyone’s kind of amped. Everyone’s excited, and that’s what you want out of guys.”

Coaches also want to foster familiarity, with players getting used to each other even after playing on teams around the NHL.

“You already felt the chemistry right off the bat in practice, and that was nice,” Sweden's William Nylander said. “We’re just going to go out and play. It’s not too much thinking. Just do your thing.”

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United States Austin Matthews and teammates take part in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States' Austin Matthews skates past goaltender Connor Hellebuyck during 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

CORRECTS LOCATION TO BROSSARD NOT MONTREAL Canada players, from left, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby talk on the bench during 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Canada will face Sweden on Feb. 12. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

U.S. players Jake Sanderson, left and Brock Faber talk during a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Que., on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Connor McDavid, left, speaks with Sidney Crosby, second from left, as they work drills with teammates Nathan MacKinnon, third from left, and Sam Reinhart (13) during a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada players practice for the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament in Brossard, Que., on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Canada will face Sweden on Feb. 12. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States' Austin Matthews, second from left, Jack Eichel, left, and Jack Hughes, right, speak with coaching staff during during a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

United States' coach Mike Sullivan speaks to his team during a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey practice in Brossard, Quebec, on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.

This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.

Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.

He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.

Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”

“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.

In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”

Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)