The NHL will send two Canadian teams to Sweden next season, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will play Global Series games there in November.
The league on Wednesday specified its second and final excursion outside of North America in 2023: there will be one game every day in Stockholm from November 16-19.
The Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes are also scheduled to play two preseason games in Melbourne, Australia in September.
The NHL is trying to develop its product in Oceania, while cultivating the interest already present in Scandinavia and the rest of Europe.
The Bettman Tour will return to Sweden for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, when the Buffalo Sabers clashed with the Tampa Bay Lightning at Avicii Arena.
The Detroit Red Wings will face the Senators on Nov. 16 and the Leafs the next day, while the Minnesota Wild will face the Ottawa squad on the 18th and the Toronto club on the 19th.
The presence of four teams in a single amphitheater in Sweden could also allow the NHL to revive its plans for the World Cup of Hockey, a competition that the league and the Players Association hope to present in 2025 – after having canceled their plans in view of 2024.
With Stephen Whyno, Associated Press