Predators, Penguins to play in Sweden next season

NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson, will take the ice in Sweden as the Penguins and Predators face off in the Global Series at Avicii Arena on Nov. 14 and 16. Fans eager to see hockey’s biggest names, like Crosby and Connor McDavid, prompted the league’s international push

The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins will play two regular-season games in Sweden in November, the NHL announced Tuesday.

The Global Series games at Avicii Arena in Stockholm are scheduled for Nov. 14 and 16.

Sidney Crosby and the Penguins will be making their first trip to Europe since they began the 2008-09 season with an NHL Premiere Series against Ottawa in Stockholm.

The Predators played games in Bern, Switzerland, and Prague, Czech Republic, in 2022.

"Something we've heard a lot of -- and it's why we're bringing the Penguins -- is fans want to see Crosby, they want to see (Connor) McDavid," said David Proper, the senior executive vice president for media and international strategy for the NHL.

"We're so busy making sure they get to see (Filip) Forsberg, (Victor) Hedman and (Erik) Karlsson and all the great Swedes. But it was interesting to hear them say they'd like to see some of the top, top players in the world that aren't Swedes."

In addition to the Penguins' Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Sweden's Erik Karlsson, fans will get to see stars Steven Stamkos and Roman Josi of the Predators.

"You get why they want to see somebody like that in person," Proper said. "It's similar to someone like (Lionel) Messi where people who've never gone to a game will go to a soccer game because they're getting a chance to see Messi. We have to be thinking about a Crosby or a McDavid in that same way."

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