'It just got better and better' | Peterka's journey comes full circle in memorable homecoming win

MUNICH, Germany – Dennis Peterka stood in the stands of a mostly quiet SAP Garden. The booming music and melodic chants that had filled the arena for the previous two hours had dissipated, replaced only by the sound of nearby children who called his son’s name.

“JJ! JJ!”

Finally, having completed his postgame media obligations, JJ Peterka emerged from the tunnel and signed autographs for the large contingent of children, many of whom wore Red Bull Munich jerseys bearing his name. Dennis noticed how his son’s journey had come full circle.

“Sometimes when you see the small kids, you remember all these hours you spent in your car or you spent at the rinks,” he said. “You can see the same thing we saw in the eyes of JJ.”

JJ Peterka’s homecoming week ended memorably on Friday. He scored a goal and was named the first star of the Buffalo Sabres’ 5-0 exhibition win over Red Bull Munich, the team he played for professionally prior to leaving for North America at 19 years old in 2021.

The Munich native twice heard his name chanted by the sold-out crowd, particularly by the standing-room section behind the visiting net that waved large flags and sang songs throughout the duration of the game. They chanted Peterka’s name first upon his pregame introduction and again when he received first-star honors postgame.

Peterka and all of his teammates arrived at the arena wearing lederhosen, the traditional Bavarian garb worn during Oktoberfest. He took a few solo laps to start warmups at the urging of his teammates (the most memorable part of his day, he said afterward). And, after missing on a golden opportunity to score during the second period, he received a third-period pass from Tage Thompson all alone in the right circle and buried his chance inside the near post.

Peterka had long been looking forward to the NHL Global Series arriving in his hometown since it was announced in March. But the reality exceeded his expectations.

“It was way better than I expected,” he said. “I mean, I was, I would say, a little nervous before today. [That hadn’t happened] in a long time. Just super excited for today. And then throughout the day, it just got better and better.”

The love shown to Peterka by his hometown was indicative of a passionate, growing German hockey community. Peterka is one of a handful of German players who have been drafted early and developed into stars in recent years, along with Ottawa forward Tim Stutzle and Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider. Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl, drafted in 2014, recently signed a deal worth $14 million annually, the highest cap hit in NHL history.

The presence of SAP Center – a brand new, state-of-the-art facility that houses four rinks – is meant to accelerate that growth, as was the Sabres’ presence. Dennis Peterka recalled how JJ fell in love with the game watching EHC Munich, a “small club without money” that preceded the arrival of Red Bull in 2012. JJ, four years old, said he wanted to try hockey.

One time on ice with a skate trainer, and JJ was hooked.

“The first time he was on the ice with this equipment, it was great for him,” Dennis said. “And he told us, ‘That’s the thing I want to do for my life.’ And he was four.”

But there was no SAP Garden in those days, and so ice was hard to come by. In the summers, in order to get JJ practice time, father and son would drive five hours from Munich to Czechia (coincidentally, the Sabres’ next stop on their Global Series trek).

“You have to support your kids,” Dennis said. “If you’re not willing to do that, there’s no chance for the kids.”

The road led back to Munich when JJ played his first professional game for Red Bull at 17 years old. Dennis recalls his son scoring that night and the crowd chanting the same way it did on Friday, when the road led back to his hometown once again.

JJ smiled as he reflected on what it all meant.

“Just super grateful,” he said.

Here are more notes from the Sabres’ win in Germany.

1. The Sabres’ NHL group played its third and final preseason game, with the regular season set to open next Friday against the New Jersey Devils in Prague, Czechia.

Buffalo won all three games and outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 18-4.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was asked if the play of his group gave him confidence heading into next week.

“I would say the answer is yes,” he said. “Our group has only played a couple of games together, three. We’ve practiced a lot together. We still have work to do in terms of solidifying some parts of our game. But I think the buy-in of how we need to play has been real good and the place we’ve got most people’s game has been real good.”

2. Sam Lafferty, Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn all scored goals in the win along with Peterka. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was credited with eight saves in 31:52 before giving way to Devon Levi, who played the remainder of the game and made nine saves.

3. Rasmus Dahlin played his first game as Sabres captain after receiving the title on Thursday. It was also his preseason debut, having missed the two previous games due to an injury he sustained during the opening practice of training camp.

“I thought he looked good,” Ruff said. “I thought he was rusty from missing a period of time, but Rasmus just has to be Rasmus. Play your game, be the person you are, and everything else will take care of itself. I thought him getting back in and engaged in the game, vocally engaged in the game, talking when he’s coming off the power play – I thought everything about the way he prepared to get into this game and played it was good.”

4. The Sabres will have a day off on Saturday, then hold one final practice in Germany on Sunday before departing for Prague.

The off day will be spent exploring Oktoberfest, Ruff confirmed.

“I’ve never been to Oktoberfest, so I am going to drop by and see what it’s like. … You’ve got an opportunity like this and an opportunity to be part of that tradition, I think it’s part of the team building we’ve been doing.”