"It's important here, but the more important we can make it, the better," Deputy Commissioner Daly said. "If bringing an NHL team here with arguably the best German ice hockey player ever can help in that effort, that's something we wanted to pursue. That was part of the decision behind bringing a team here this year."
Deputy Commissioner Daly arrived in Cologne on Wednesday, and when he went to the hotel, he saw fans crowding around the front door waiting to see the Oilers board their bus.
"The buzz that a National Hockey League team and a National Hockey League game can create can do a lot for the sport, can lift the sport, can lift the importance and relevance of the sport, and I think I can already say without having dropped the puck that it's been a success being here," Deputy Commissioner Daly said. "From what I've heard from the Oilers, the players have enjoyed their two days here, and I think the German community, Cologne community, has embraced this event. So that's a win."
A reporter from the Netherlands asked Deputy Commissioner Daly if the NHL had reached the point where it could hold events in new markets like Amsterdam. The NHL has held preseason games in China each of the past two years.
"That's that ultimate goal, for sure," Deputy Commissioner Daly said. "We look at markets differently. Obviously, there are very well-established hockey markets. Then there are markets where hockey is relevant and significant but may not be the most popular or among the most popular sports. And then there are markets where we want hockey to be relevant and we want to kind of plant the seeds. I'd put Amsterdam probably a little ahead of China in that equation, where there's familiarity with the sport but we can be helpful in developing the sport on the ground, at the grassroots level. Yes, we're focused on doing that over time."
