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777pub game Israel launches new strikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with HezbollahAI investor focus arrives to Best Buy ( BBY ). Best Buy is set to report its third quarter results Tuesday before market open as demand for electronics continues to stabilize post pandemic. Wall Street expects revenue to come in at $9.63 billion, a touch lower compared to the third quarter of last year, while adjusted earnings are estimated to be flat year over year at $1.29 per share. Same-store sales are expected to fall nearly 1% for the quarter, compared to the 7.30% drop seen this time last year. Analysts anticipate appliance sales will continue to drag down results, followed by entertainment and consumer electronics. Computing and mobile phones are likely to see a gain. "We expect computing (notebooks & tablets) & services to partly offset softness in appliances and home theater," Bank of America analyst Robby Ohmes wrote in a note to clients. Preliminary credit and debit card data "suggests a comparable sales growth slowdown in October... as value-conscious consumers may have chosen to delay purchases and wait for Holiday sales," Ohmes added. In the prior quarterly results, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said customers are "seeking value and sales events" but are "willing to spend on high-price-point products" for new technology. Best Buy shares are up nearly 19% year-to-date, trailing behind the S&P 500's ( ^GSPC ) nearly 25% gain. New products, particularly surrounding AI, could boost growth. "The company should see a return to growth in the first half of 2025, following many consecutive quarters of negative comps, as newness and the replacement cycle kicks in, especially for products purchased in 2019-2020," Telsey Advisory Group Joe Feldman wrote in a note to clients. Copilot+ PCs, which are capable of accessing advanced AI models, launched earlier this year with roughly 40 products. In the previous quarter, Barry said the company is the exclusive retailer for about 40% of those new PCs. He previously said in the second half of 2024, Best Buy will see a much larger percentage of computers and tablets with AI capabilities, and more AI products available at various price points. Here's what Wall Street expects Best Buy to post for the third quarter, compared to a year ago, per Bloomberg consensus data: Adjusted earnings per share: $1.29 versus $1.29 Net sales: $9.63 billion, versus $9.76 billion Same-store sales growth overall: -0.92%, versus -7.30% Total US same-store sales growth: -0.74%, versus -7.30% Sales growth for: Appliances: -7.50%, versus -15.10% Entertainment: -4.00%, versus 20.60% Consumer electronics: -2.72%, versus -9.50% Computing and mobile phones: + 3.50%, versus -8.30% Services: +5.83%, versus 6.90% International: -0.57%, versus -1.90% Following its second quarter earnings results, the company updated its full-year outlook. It expected revenue to come in between $41.3 billion and $41.9 billion, compared to the previously expected range of $41.3 billion to $42.6 billion. Same-store sales are projected to decline 3% to 1.5%, compared to a previously expected decline of 3.5% to flat. The company also anticipated better-than-expected profitability. It expected adjusted earnings per share to come in between $6.10 and $6.35, higher than the prior guidance of $5.75 to $6.20. — Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @ BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com. Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategy

Isaac Guerendo gets his shot as lead runner in 49ers’ decimated backfield

Canada's top military commander calls out US senator for questioning a woman's role in combat

AP News Summary at 10:33 a.m. ESTOTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly welcomed president-elect Donald Trump's pick for the next U.S. ambassador in Ottawa, a former longtime Michigan congressional representative who voted for NAFTA and later wavered on new free trade deals. Joly said at a news conference on Thursday at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., that she takes it as a good sign that Trump endorsed the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free-trade deal when he announced Pete Hoekstra as his next envoy to Canada. She also posted on social media Thursday that Canada looks forward to working with Hoekstra to strengthen bilateral ties and advance shared priorities "as close allies and neighbours." The minister was in Washington to talk trade and security with U.S. senators from both parties. Her meeting schedule included top Republican senators Lindsey Graham, Rick Scott and Lisa Murkowski. Following this trip, Joly is headed to the Halifax International Security Forum, where she said she will be meeting with more U.S. lawmakers, including Sen. James Risch from Idaho. Hoekstra will still have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but his early nomination is being taken as a good sign by several former diplomats. Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson, who has met with Hoekstra before, said he's someone Canada can work with. "He's not from the (WWE) or Fox News. He's an ambassador in the Netherlands previously ... and he's from Michigan, so somebody who understands Canada," Robertson said. "He's well suited to the posting and I think it'll be easier to do business with somebody who has his depth of experience." Canada's ambassador in Washington, Kirsten Hillman, also congratulated Hoekstra on the nomination, posting on social media she looks forward to working with him to make the bilateral relationship "even stronger." Hoekstra was a nine-term border-state lawmaker and holds high esteem in Trump's world. His long career in politics left a wake of stunning headlines, including for a 2012 Super Bowl ad critics and even some Republicans slammed as blatantly racist. He was Trump's chosen chairman for the Michigan GOP during a power struggle between two pro-Trump camps. He spoke at Trump rallies in the swing state during the campaign and earned high praise from the president-elect. "This guy, Hoekstra — he's unbelievable," Trump said at a February rally in Waterford Township, Mich. "Everything he did in Congress, he was incredible, and then he was an unbelievable ambassador." In his first term as president, Trump tapped Hoekstra to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, where he was at one point embroiled in a political interference scandal for hosting a fundraiser at the U.S. Embassy with members of the far-right party Forum for Democracy. In a 2019 public talk organized by a Dutch news magazine, he said it's "not an unrealistic ask" that every member of NATO meets the target of spending the equivalent of two per cent of GDP on defence by 2024 — something Trump has railed about, and something Canada will not do until at least 2032. At an event in Ottawa last month, Trump's former ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft said his administration would expect Canada to meet that target much sooner than 2032. Hoekstra was a representative for Michigan from 1993 until 2011 and chaired the powerful House Intelligence Committee. In 2019, Trump floated him as a possible pick for national intelligence director. Not long after he was first elected, he voted in favour of the NAFTA trade deal in 1993 — something he called at the time a simple choice yet also the "toughest decision I have had to face in my first 11 months in office," according to Michigan newspaper reports from the time. By 2003, he was opposed to inking free-trade deals, including two proposed with Singapore and Chile, saying that NAFTA led to manufacturers in Michigan to "shift production to Canada and Mexico." Nearly a decade later, in 2011, he singled out NAFTA as something that had "come to symbolize what Americans believe is unfair trade." In the early 2000s, he was one of a number of Michigan lawmakers from both parties raising ire over Toronto shipping its trash into his state. "Michigan is better than taking Canadian trash," he was quoted saying in 2004 in the local Michigan newspaper the Ludington Daily News. The next year he co-signed a letter advocating for a bill that would clamp down on "foreign municipal solid waste" entering his state, according to an Associated Press report from the time. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press

NonePolice hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's masked killer after 'brazen, targeted' attack on NYC street NEW YORK (AP) — A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting "does not appear to be a random act of violence.” Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone emerging from behind a parked car, pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, then firing multiple times from several feet away. The gunman continues firing, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. He then walks past Thompson and out of the frame. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. UnitedHealthcare CEO kept a low public profile. Then he was shot to death in New York NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. Hegseth fights to save Pentagon nomination as sources say Trump considers DeSantis WASHINGTON (AP) — A defiant Pete Hegseth fought to save his nomination to be Donald Trump's defense secretary Wednesday as the president-elect considered possible replacements in the face of growing questions about the former Fox News host's personal conduct and ability to win Senate confirmation. Hegseth met with legislators on Capitol Hill, conducted a radio interview and released an opinion article denying allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking. He insisted he was “not backing down one bit," that Trump was still supporting him and he planned to return Thursday for more meetings with lawmakers. But the president-elect's team was looking at alternatives including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump himself remained quiet about Hegseth while issuing a flurry of statements on social media Wednesday about other nominees and his news coverage. Hegeth, asked if he'd meet with Trump on Thursday, said he'd meet with him “anytime he'd like." Hegseth is the latest nominee-designate to be imperiled by personal baggage after the recent withdrawal of Trump’s initial pick for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose vulnerabilities were well-documented. But Hegseth’s past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies, was not widely known. Supreme Court seems likely to uphold Tennessee's ban on medical treatments for transgender minors WASHINGTON (AP) — Hearing a high-profile culture-war clash, the Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed likely to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which bathrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people, showcasing the uneasy intersection between law, politics and individual rights. The Biden administration's top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender healthcare for minors. In arguments that lasted more than two hours, five of the six conservative justices voiced varying degrees of skepticism of arguments made by the administration and Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer for Tennessee families challenging the ban. Peter Navarro served prison time related to Jan. 6. Now Trump is bringing him back as an adviser WASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House adviser Peter Navarro, who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will return to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration, the president-elect announced Wednesday. Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump’s first term, will be a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump said on Truth Social. The position, Trump wrote, “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.” The appointment was only the first in a flurry of announcements that Trump made on Wednesday as his presidential transition faced controversy over Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief. Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement, and Trump has considered replacing him with another potential nominee. As he works to fill out his team, Trump said he wanted Paul Atkins, a financial industry veteran and an advocate for cryptocurrency, to serve as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He wrote on Truth Social that Atkins “recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.” Trump also said he was changing course on his choice for White House counsel. He said his original pick, William McGinley, will work with the Department of Government Efficiency, which will be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with the goal of cutting federal spending. Now David Warrington, who has worked as Trump’s personal lawyer and a lawyer for his campaign, will serve as White House counsel. Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes tore through a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza on Wednesday, sparking fires and killing at least 21 people, according to the head of a nearby hospital, in the latest assault on a sprawling tent city that Israel designated a humanitarian safe zone but has repeatedly targeted. The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants “involved in terrorist activities” in the area, without providing additional details, and said it took precautions to minimize harm to civilians. The strike on the Muwasi tent camp was one of several deadly assaults across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. An Israeli attack in central Gaza killed at least 10 more people, including four children, according to Palestinian medics. Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, launched after Hamas’ October 2023 attack, shows no signs of ending after nearly 14 months. Hamas is still holding dozens of Israeli hostages, and most of Gaza’s population has been displaced and is reliant on international food aid to survive. Israel is also pressing a major offensive in the isolated north, where experts say Palestinians might be experiencing famine. The Biden administration has pledged to make a new push for a Gaza ceasefire now that there's a truce in Lebanon between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, ending more than a year of cross-border fighting. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump demanded this week the release of hostages held by Hamas before he is sworn into office in January. South Korean President Yoon's martial law declaration raises questions over his political future SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning martial law declaration lasted just hours, but experts say it raised serious questions about his ability to govern for the remaining 2 1/2 years of his term and whether he will abide by democratic principles. The opposition-controlled parliament overturned the edict, and his rivals on Wednesday took steps to impeach him. One analyst called his action “political suicide.” Yoon’s political fate may depend on whether a large number of people in coming days take to the streets to push for his ouster. Here's a look at the political firestorm caused by the martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years. Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law on Tuesday night was accompanied by a pledge to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces at a single stroke.” He vowed to protect the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” Yoon, a conservative, cited repeated attempts by his liberal rivals in control of parliament to impeach his top officials and curtail key parts of his budget bill for next year. French lawmakers vote to oust prime minister in the first successful no-confidence vote since 1962 PARIS (AP) — France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet members to resign, a first since 1962. The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed. President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament. Macron will address the French on Thursday evening, his office said, without providing details. Barnier is expected to formally resign by then. A conservative appointed in September, Barnier becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s modern Republic. White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaign WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could still grow. The U.S. believes that the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. Harris found success with women who have cats, but Trump got the dog owner vote: AP VoteCast WASHINGTON (AP) — The lead-up to the 2024 election was all about cat owners. But in the end, the dogs had their day. President-elect Donald Trump won slightly more than half of voters who own either cats or dogs, with a big assist from dog owners, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. Dog owners were much more likely to support the Republican over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Cat owners were split between the two candidates. About two-thirds of voters said they own a dog or cat, but pet owners don't usually get much attention from politicians. This year, however, past comments by Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” briefly became a campaign issue — and Taylor Swift signed her Instagram endorsement of Harris in September as “Taylor Swift Childless Cat Lady.” Harris did end up decisively winning support from women who owned a cat but not a dog. Still, those voters were a relatively small slice of the electorate, and pet owners as a whole did not seem to hold Vance's remarks against the GOP ticket. Childless or not, women who only owned a cat were more likely to support Harris than were dog owners, or voters who had a cat and a dog. About 6 in 10 women who owned a cat but not a dog supported Harris, according to AP VoteCast. She did similarly well among women who did not own either kind of pet.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that wide receiver Treylon Burks , who's been on injured reserve since mid-October with an injured knee, recently had surgery to fix a partially torn ACL. “It was a loose ACL that wasn’t fully torn, and so they had to go see a specialist, so some weeks went by after he went on IR and he eventually had to have ACL surgery,” Callahan said. “The surgery was a couple of weeks back, and the time from when he went to IR until he had the surgery was also a couple of weeks.” Burks was hurt in practice the week after the Titans lost to Indianapolis on Oct. 13 and placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19. The 2022 first-round pick is no stranger to injuries. He suffered concussions in both 2022 against Philadelphia and last year against Pittsburgh. Burks missed six games in each of his first two seasons with the Titans and played in just five games this season before being placed on injured reserve. He finished 2024 with four receptions for 34 yards. For his three NFL seasons, Burks has 53 receptions for 699 yards and one touchdown catch. The Titans (3-9) host Jacksonville (2-10) on Sunday. The Titans opened the three-week practice window for offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan to return from injured reserve. Duncan has started two games, the second against Buffalo on Oct. 20 at right tackle and lasted four snaps before hurting his hamstring. He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 26. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Players of Pokémon Go may not have realized it, but they've been training more than their Pokémon. Niantic, the developer behind the popular mobile game Pokémon Go, announced last week it is building an AI model to map the physical world. This "large geospatial model" would utilize data collected from players to the company said in a blog post. , first released in 2016, is an augmented reality game where players use their mobile phones to find and catch virtual Pokémon in the real world. In the game, which has had more than since release, players can also collect items at PokéStops and battle at gyms, which are both located at real-world landmarks. Niantic's model is training and processing data using geolocation information from scans players submit of those real-world locations while playing Pokémon Go and other Niantic games. "Over the past five years, Niantic has focused on building our (VPS), which uses a single image from a phone to determine its position and orientation using a 3D map built from people scanning interesting locations in our games and Scaniverse," the company said in the announcement. The company said it currently has 10 million scanned locations from around the world for with about 1 million new scans each week. The model will process these geolocated images and create a 3D map, while also filling in information about geographic locations, "implementing a shared understanding of geographic locations, and comprehending places yet to be fully scanned," according to the blog post. Companies looking for more ways to utilize customer data is becoming the "new normal," , the executive director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University, told USA TODAY. Niantic said the data is unique since it is taken from a "pedestrian perspective," unlike other mapping systems that rely on images captured by vehicles and may not include places inaccessible to cars. According to Niantic's , the company collects location data, and other personal data, such as name and email address. The privacy policy outlines what is and isn't shared with third-party vendors, but not what the company does with the data. Niantic has a separate who play the developer's games, and a portal where parents can set up and manage their child's profile. "It's a typical problem with data privacy and the state of technology today," Dahbura said. "In fact, it's almost par for the course that companies are looking for ways to use their data, and it's even expected by investors." It's understandable for users to worry about how their collected personal data is being stored or shared. "Even with the best intentions, having troves of data that contain so much personal information can be dangerous," he said. "It can fall into the wrong hands, there can be a major data breach, and so on." For users who are worried about their privacy, Dahbura suggests players think carefully about their usage. "Use it exclusively in very public places, not places that you consider to be private, such as the interior of your home," he said. Users should also minimize having other people in images, "especially your loved ones," he said. Players should also be aware of location and how it is interwoven into so much personal data. "A lot of people really underestimate the importance of location data," Dahbura said. "Our critical infrastructure is much broader than people realize, including transportation systems, pharmaceutical, financial, food manufacturing and so on. If people with bad intentions figure out that you have access to these kinds of facilities, it can be used not only against you but also against national security."Redefining the Future of Shopping: Jingo Gains Silicon Valley's Backing

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Al Green scored 19 points and Sean Newman Jr. added seven in the overtime as Louisiana Tech knocked off Southern Illinois 85-79 in a first-round contest at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Monday night. Green had three steals for the Bulldogs (5-0). Kaden Cooper scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds and four steals. Amaree Abram went 8 of 13 from the field to finish with 18 points, while adding six steals. Kennard Davis led the way for the Salukis (2-4) with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Southern Illinois also got 15 points and eight rebounds from Jarrett Hensley. Ali Abdou Dibba also had 12 points and two steals. Cooper scored 12 points in the first half and Louisiana Tech went into the break trailing 31-27. Abram’s 16-point second half helped Louisiana Tech close out the six-point victory. NEXT UP These two teams both play Tuesday in the six-team, round-robin tournament. Louisiana Tech squares off against Richmond and Southern Illinois faces Eastern Kentucky. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .TORONTO — Mitch Marner will be sporting a different Maple Leaf in February. The Toronto Maple Leafs star was one of 15 players named Wednesday to round out Canada's 23-man roster for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. Joining the winger as part of an attack that already featured Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand and Brayden Point — all announced back in June — are Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers along with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also making the team up front are Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers and Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes. The defence corps led by Cale Makar, who was also tabbed in June, will see Colorado Avalanche teammate Devon Toews suit up in red and white, and also include the Vegas duo of Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo, Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia's Travis Sanheim. The biggest question mark for Canadian general manager Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and the rest of the country's hockey brain trust since the selection process began has been in the crease — especially with stud netminders like Carey Price and Roberto Luongo a distant memory. Canada doesn't have the same goaltending pedigree as at past international events, but head coach Jon Cooper of Tampa will likely lean on Stanley Cup winners Jordan Binnington of the Blues and Adin Hill of the Golden Knights. Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens rounds out the puck-stopping trio. "We are thrilled to unveil the group of players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada," Sweeney said in a statement. "We believe we have assembled a roster that features world-class talent, as well as success at the NHL and international levels. "We are confident this group will give us the best chance to accomplish our goal on the international stage." The 4 Nations tournament, which also includes the United States, Sweden and Finland, runs Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston, and will serve as an appetizer for the NHL's Olympic return in 2026. It's also the closest hockey has got to a best-on-best men's tournament since the 2016 World Cup. This showcase won't technically meet that threshold with Russia — because of its ongoing war in Ukraine — and reigning world champions Czechia not in the mix. But there should still be plenty of interest with McDavid, Crosby, U.S. star Auston Matthews and a host of other big names finally sharing the ice on the world stage. The NHL, which went to five straight Olympics between 1998 and 2014, announced at last season's all-star game players would participate at the next two Games after it skipped 2018 for business reasons and missed out in 2022 due to COVID-19. The goal of the league and NHL Players' Association is hold a World Cup in both 2028 and 2032 to get international events on a schedule of every two years. Canada opens the 4 Nations on Feb. 12 against Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal before facing the U.S. in the same building three nights later. The tournament then moves to Boston, where the Canadians will meet Finland on Feb 17. The teams with the two best records after the round-robin will battle in the final Feb. 20 at TD Garden. "This is an exciting time for the NHL and international hockey," Cooper said. "This event is an important part of the process as we continue to build teams that can be successful on the international stage." ___ Follow @JClipperton_CP on X. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press