The result was the culmination of a midseason tournament that featured stars from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States — and a surprisingly political atmosphere.

Canada’s men’s hockey team defeated the USA 3-2 in overtime Thursday to capture the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Championship as the NHL put on a show in the first edition of this midseason international tournament.

The entire concept of the thing felt a little half-baked from its initial announcement last February. NHL players from just four nations (the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland) taking a midseason break to compete in a four-day, seven-game tournament that awards a trophy nobody knows the name of?