You can add Connor McDavid's voice to the chorus of impatient hockey fans who want to see a best-on-best tournament.

The instant-classic World Baseball Classic championship clash between Japan's best and the United States' best Tuesday renewed the debate about the missed opportunity for hockey fans who haven't seen their favourite players participate in a best-on-best tournament in more than six years.

Particularly, baseball fans were loving the confrontation between Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, who faced each other with two out in the ninth inning of the Japan-USA final. Ohtani, who was named tournament MVP, struck out Trout to salvage a 3-2 title win for Japan.

"I thought it was really cool," McDavid told reporters on Wednesday. "It's what we've been asking for in hockey for a long time, right, best-on-best?"