Bruins captain Brad Marchand (right) will suit up for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Rest assured, said Bruins captain Brad Marchand, the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off will bring out the best in the players, unlike the low-simmering competition fans have come to expect come NHL All-Star time.

“I mean, when you’re playing for your country, it’s different,” mused Marchand, asked Tuesday by a Globe reporter how 4 Nations might avoid some of the challenges inherent in the All-Star Game.

“All-Star Games are what they are,” said the blunt Marchand, a frequent participant through the years. “Guys aren’t going there to show up. It’s still their break; they don’t get a break after that. They’re showing up there, no one is going to get hurt by trying too hard, you know, like, you’re obligated to be there.

“It’s a privilege to be there, but some of those guys are going to be there [for] their entire career and they’re obligated to [attend], or they’ll be suspended.”

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Thus, added the 36-year-old Marchand, “You’re not going to get everyone’s best” at the All-Star snoozer. The league and the players’ union this year opted for the 4 Nations tourney instead of an All-Star Weekend.

To Marchand’s point, the NHL increasingly has turned its All-Star Weekend into a celebration of skills and, in recent years, a three-on-three tournament. It is mainly positioned as a way to schmooze corporate sponsors and an attempt to capture eyeballs on TV, the latter the mantra of every pro sport.

“They try to make a show for the fans,” noted Marchand, reflecting more on All-Star festivities. “It gets long. It gets old. It can only be so repetitive, before it gets old for players and fans. I am a huge fan of the game, and those All-Star Games are terrible to watch.”

A different story altogether, said an enthusiastic Marchand, when it comes to elite-level international competition such as the World Cup, the Olympics, and the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, which begins Feb. 12 in Montreal.

Marchand will suit up for Team Canada, with the United States, Finland, and Sweden also in the field.

“These are a blast,” he said. “Guys put on the jersey for their country. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, they’re going to leave everything they have on the ice. They’re going to play as hard as they possibly can. When we’re going up against each other, it’s not going to be that All-Star mentality. You’re trying to win, you feel the weight of the entire country on your shoulders. You may never have the opportunity to put that jersey on again, so you want to make the most of it.”

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The 4 Nations Face-Off, added Marchand, “is going to be incredible for the sport of hockey,” feeling that players and fans will be sincerely excited.

“It’s something that we’ve been very vocal about in the past, to be part of these tournaments,” said Marchand, referring to the players and their union expressing perpetual interest in international play, particularly at the Olympic level. “It’s a great opportunity we have ahead of us.”

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at [email protected].