Advertisement

Senators, Avalanche to play regular season games in Sweden

Josh Cooper
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 18: Gabriel Landeskog #92 (l) of Team Sweden celebrates his second period goal against Team Russia and is joined by Erik Karlsson #65 (r) during the World Cup of Hockey 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on September 18, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Gabriel Landeskog of Team Sweden celebrates his second period goal against Team Russia and is joined by Erik Karlsson during the World Cup of Hockey 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on September 18, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty Images)

The Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche will play two regular season games in Sweden next November, the NHL and NHLPA announced Friday.

The games will be played on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. The name of this event is the SAP NHL Global Series.

The announcement of the games marks the first time NHL teams will face off on European soil in the regular season since a 2011 series that included the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.

[Follow Puck Daddy on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]

From 2007 through 2011 several NHL teams played regular season games in Europe to open the start of the year.

“We have more Swedish players than ever in the NHL, and we are extremely pleased that the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series will allow us to showcase a number of those players, with their NHL teams, in their homeland,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The return of regular-season NHL games to the international stage will provide yet another highlight for our Centennial celebration.”

Added NHLPA executive director Don Fehr, “Hockey is a global sport, with NHL players from the world over, and we are focused on continued international growth. Playing NHL regular-season games at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm is an integral part of that effort and promises to be especially memorable. Our Players on the Senators and the Avalanche are looking forward to the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series.”

The decision for the Avalanche and Senators to play in the games makes sense since both teams have Swedish captains in Gabriel Landeskog with Colorado and Erik Karlsson with the Sens.

Also, some of the greatest Swedish players in NHL history have played for both organizations, with Daniel Alfredsson in Ottawa and Peter Forsberg with Colorado.

“Like Canada, Sweden is a great hockey nation. The Ottawa Senators are proud of our rich history in drafting accomplished Swedish players including two of our hockey club’s greatest captains, Erik Karlsson and Daniel Alfredsson,” Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said. “The Ottawa Senators are excited and honored to be part of the 2017 NHL Global Series. Our return to Stockholm, Sweden is a truly unique opportunity to showcase the Senators and NHL brands to a larger worldwide audience. With our highly anticipated hosting of an NHL Outdoor Classic game in December, the celebrations for the NHL’s Centennial and now this special trip to Sweden, the 2017-18 hockey season is going to be an exciting one for all Senators fans.”

Added Avalanche president Josh Kroenke, “We are excited and proud to have the opportunity to play regular-season games in Sweden as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series. Sweden and the city of Stockholm have a rich history of hockey, and we look forward to playing in front of their great fans and continuing to showcase the NHL overseas. Hockey is truly a global sport and the Avalanche’s roster includes players from not only the United States and Canada, but from Sweden, Finland, Russia and Switzerland. We are especially pleased that our fans across Europe and especially Sweden will be able to enjoy this series.”

The game on Nov. 10 will start at 8 p.m. local time in Sweden (2 p.m. eastern time in North America), with Colorado serving as the home team. The game on Nov. 11 will start at 7 p.m. in Sweden (1 p.m. eastern time in North America) with Ottawa serving as the home team.

This announcement is part of what could be a big week for the NHL as it tries to push more global growth of the game. Late Thursday, the league sent a release saying it would make a “special announcement” in China next Thursday. People present for that event will include commissioner Gary Bettman along with NHLPA special assistant to the executive director Mathieu Schneider.

In January, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly went to China to scope out the possibility of a preseason game in the country and look into other business opportunities. In the past, it was reported that the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings were looking at staging a preseason game in China as early as next season.

– – – – – – –

Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS