The NHL will return to Europe next season for the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal, with the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs playing a four-day, round-robin set of regular-season games in Stockholm.
The Red Wings will play the Senators on Thursday, Nov. 16 and then take on the Maple Leafs on Friday, Nov. 17. The Wild will play the Senators on Saturday, Nov. 18 and the series will wrap up with Wild playing the Maple Leafs on Sunday, Nov. 19.
All games will be played at Avicii Arena.
The series will include a global fan tour and viewing parties, coaching and officiating clinics and a concert and business summit.
The 2023 NHL Global Series is promoted by Live Nation Sweden, with official partners CCM, Fastenal, SAP and Upper Deck. Aftonbladet and Viaplay will serve as the official media partners of the event. Tickets and fan travel packages to the 2023 NHL Global Series - Sweden will go on sale at 10 a.m. CET on Wednesday, May 3, at LiveNation.se/NHL.
Of the 38 NHL regular-season games played outside of North America, 32 have been played in Europe and 12 of have been in Stockholm. The 2023 NHL Global Series - Sweden will mark the 10th season the League has gone to Europe for regular-season games.
These games reward the legions of loyal and passionate fans in Europe that enjoy live NHL games available via international broadcast and media partners, including Nova, MySports, Sky Sports, ProSieben, Viaplay and YLE, as well as the NHL's streaming service, NHL.TV. The NHL's biggest star players are also featured across numerous social media platforms, and on NHL.com in eight languages, for the League's international fans.
The NHL last played in Stockholm in November 2019 when the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning played two games there.
This is the second international event for the Wild. They opened the 2010-11 regular season with a two-game series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki as part of the 2010 Compuware/NHL Premiere and NHL Face-Off.
"It's going to be awesome," said Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson, who is from Skelleftea, Sweden. "I think it's going to be such a fun time there in Stockholm. And I think the plan was that we we're going to be there for a week, too. Have all family, friends come down if they want to and just play back home. It's going to be awesome."
This is the third trip to Stockholm for the Senators, who played the Colorado Avalanche there twice as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series. They began their 2008-09 season there as part of the Bridgestone NHL Premiere 2008, playing two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It's the second trip to Stockholm each for the Red Wings and Maple Leafs. Detroit opened the 2009-10 regular season there with two games against the St. Louis Blues. Toronto played Djurgarden and Farjestad Karlstad there in the 2003 NHL Challenge. The Maple Leafs began that trip with a game against Jokerit in Helsinki, Finland. They also played a two-game series against the New York Rangers in September 1993 in London.
Red Wings forward David Perron was with the Blues then and said he's excited to be going back now.
"I remember being a young guy, going around town, old Stockholm, was cool to get to know it," he said. "Going back there, remembering some of the things we did back then, I think we did a scavenger hunt around the whole city, had to get on boats and different things. I thought that was pretty cool."
Perron said one of the advantages to going again is when the games are being played.
"I think it's great timing in November, for also some team bonding, get tighter as a group," he said.
Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren, who was born in Kristianstad, Sweden, said he was excited that friends and family who can't see him play live in North America now will have that opportunity.
"I'm sure it's going to be a little bit expensive for us Swedes having to get tickets and stuff, but it's going to be fun," Liljegren said. "I remember when I was a kid and NHL teams would come to Sweden, it's a big thing for a lot of kids. It gets kids an opportunity to watch the NHL live so I think it's good for the game. Hockey is obviously big in Sweden so it will be fun."
NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
