NHL Czech stars thrilled to see League returning to Prague for Global Series

PRAGUE -- The next David Pastrnak or Radko Gudas could be in the stands when the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils open the season in the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal.

Pastrnak and Gudas each saw his first NHL game when the League visited O2 Arena in Prague, and they hope young Czechs have similar experiences when the Sabres and Devils play there Friday (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSGN, MSG-B) and Saturday (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSGN, MSG-B).

“You can’t follow the NHL besides the highlights because of the time change as a kid,” said Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins star forward, at the NHL European Player Media Tour in Prague on Aug. 21. “For the NHL to come all the way here, and all the young kids and young hockey players to watch it live, it’s huge for the sport and the country.”

Gudas, the Anaheim Ducks defenseman and captain, said few Czech fans will miss this.

“It’s a hockey holiday for Czech Republic,” Gudas said at the NHL North American Media Tour in Las Vegas on Sept. 10. “Expect nothing else than a great atmosphere and great time in Prague.”

Pastrnak was 14 when he saw Bruins play the Phoenix Coyotes at O2 Arena. Phoenix won 5-2 before 15,299 on Oct. 9, 2010, and Boston won 3-0 before 12,990 the next day. Among the players who appeared in both games for Boston: defenseman Zdeno Chara and forwards Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand.

Until then, the NHL seemed far away to Pastrnak. He didn’t have easy access to highlights on social media or the Internet the way kids do today. His goal was to play in the Czech Extraliga or for the Czech national team in the IIHF World Championship or the Olympics.

“I didn’t really dream of the NHL, because I didn’t know it that much,” he said. “I think now it’s different. Now every kid dreams of the NHL.”

The event literally brought the NHL close to home. At 16, Pastrnak moved to Sweden to play, and NHL highlights were on the TV in the locker room every day, so he was able to follow the League more closely. At 18, the Bruins selected him with the No. 25 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

When he made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden in Boston on Nov. 24, 2014, he played with some of the same guys he had watched in Prague four years earlier.

“That is actually crazy,” Pastrnak said.

Gudas was 18 when he saw the New York Rangers defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in the NHL Premiere Series before 17,085 at O2 Arena on Oct. 4, 2008. That was the first NHL regular-season game in Prague. It was also the NHL debut of an 18-year-old center named Steven Stamkos. New York also defeated Tampa Bay 2-1 before 17,085 there the next day.

“That’s pretty funny,” Gudas said. “I was the same age as ‘Stammer.’”

Gudas was working his way up in the Czech Republic at the time. Little did he know that the Lightning would select him in the third round (No. 66) in the 2010 NHL Draft and that he would play with Stamkos for Tampa Bay from 2012-15.

“You don’t really realize at that age or time that this could be a goal for you,” he said. “You just see how great those players are and what kind of plays they make, and you wish someday you’re able to do those plays as well and get to the point when you can make those things happen on the ice.

“Maybe it gives you a little more drive to work that much harder or a little more to make it to the next level. I think it’s a great thing for every young player or every young Czech hockey fan to go see, see the potential you can all hit.”

Of the 42 regular-season games the NHL has staged outside North America since 1997, seven have been at O2 Arena in Prague. Forward Tomas Hertl appeared in the past two in his hometown, skating for the San Jose Sharks in a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators before 16,648 on Oct. 7, 2022, and a 3-2 loss to the Predators before 17,023 the next day. When he scored in the first game, he pumped his fist and received a huge cheer.

“People love hockey here, and for sure, for me, it was something special,” said Hertl, now a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, at the NHL European Player Media Tour in Prague. “I think people waiting for it. They want to buy tickets, see NHL players and see the hockey, because with soccer and hockey, it’s two top sports, but they really enjoy it.”

Hertl hopes certain fans especially enjoy it.

“Hopefully, it helps when the NHL bring the teams here,” he said. “You got young kids, saying, ‘There is New Jersey, Buffalo. There is this guy, this guy, I want to follow.’ Hopefully, it makes motivation and more hockey players, and more players go from Czech again to the League.”