NEW YORK/TORONTO (March 24, 2017) – The Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators will face off in a pair of regular-season games in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™, the National Hockey League (NHL®) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced today. The Avalanche and Senators will play each other at the Ericsson Globe on Friday, Nov. 10, and Saturday, Nov. 11. Tickets to the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™ will go on sale to the public starting on Wednesday, March 29.
The 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™ will mark the sixth time the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games and the first such time since the 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere™, which took place in Berlin, Germany; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden. These games reward the legion of loyal and passionate international fans by featuring some of the NHL’s biggest stars and generating interest in the League worldwide. The games between Colorado and Ottawa on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 will be the 21st and 22nd NHL regular-season games played in Europe. They also will be the seventh and eighth NHL regular-season games played in Sweden.
“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.”
“Hockey is a global sport, with NHL players from the world over, and we are focused on continued international growth,” said Don Fehr, NHLPA Executive Director. “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.”
“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,” said Senators Owner and Chairman Eugene Melnyk. “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.”
“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,” said Avalanche President Josh Kroenke. “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.”
“We’re proud to partner with the NHL and serve as the presenting sponsor of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series,” said Bjoern Ganzhorn, Global Head of Sponsorships, SAP. “Our association with the Global Series complements our League partnership that is focused on leveraging data-driven insights and enhanced statistics to transform the sport of hockey for fans around the world.”
“We are incredibly proud and pleased that we once again can bring the NHL to Sweden,” said Thomas Johansson, Chairman International Music at Live Nation. “This has become a tradition for us since we did this the first time in 1999 and the last time in 2011. Now, six years later, we will be able to give the Swedish hockey fans the very best of hockey.”
The game on Nov. 10 will start at 8 p.m. CET (2 p.m. ET / Noon MT), with Colorado serving as the home team. The game on Nov. 11 will start at 7 p.m. CET (1 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. MT) with Ottawa serving as the home team. Both games will be broadcast on TV3, Viasat Hockey and Viaplay. Additional broadcast details will be released at a later time.
“Our investment in the NHL is extremely comprehensive as we broadcast all games – around 1,300 per season – a unique package that Swedish TV viewers never have seen before,” said Per Nunstedt, Vice President of MTG Sport. “We also have an NHL studio on site every weekend to cover the games broadcasted in prime time in Sweden. To have the opportunity to move our workplace a slap shot toward the Globe to cover the 2017 NHL Global Series will be the highlight of the season for us.”
The NHL is a global League, with approximately 26 percent of NHL players this season having been born outside of North America. Senators captain and Landsbro, Sweden, native Erik Karlsson as well as Avalanche captain and Stockholm, Sweden, native Gabriel Landeskog will be playing in their home country for the first time as NHL players. Other Swedes currently playing for the two clubs include Ottawa’s Frederik Claesson (Stockholm) and Viktor Stalberg (Gothenburg), and Colorado’s Anton Lindholm (Skelleftea) and Carl Soderberg (Malmo).
Ottawa was one of four NHL teams that traveled to Europe to play in the Bridgestone NHL Premiere™ 2008. In two games to open their regular season in Stockholm, the Senators traded victories with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Ericsson Globe. The Club’s roster for the Bridgestone NHL Premiere™ 2008 included two players on its current roster, Chris Neil and Chris Kelly, as well as three members of the Senators front office, Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Phillips and Shean Donovan.
Colorado is making its second trip to Europe and its international regular-season debut. The Avalanche were part of the 2001 NHL Challenge Series™, and as defending Stanley Cup® champions defeated Brynas IF of the Swedish Elite League by a score of 5-3 thanks to Alex Tanguay’s hat trick. There are three players on the Avalanche’s current roster who have played in regular-season games overseas: Erik Johnson (2009 Compuware NHL Premiere™ in Stockholm as a member of the St. Louis Blues), Fedor Tyutin (2010 Compuware NHL Premiere™ in Stockholm as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets) and Francois Beauchemin (NHL Premiere 2007 in London and 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere™ in Helsinki, both as a member of the Anaheim Ducks).
Tickets to both games of the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™ in Stockholm will be available for purchase via LiveNation.se on Wednesday, March 29, beginning at 9 a.m. CET (3 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. MT). This opportunity is available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
The Senators and Avalanche will both be offering travel packages. More information will be published on each club’s website as it becomes available.
More information for the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™ will be released at a later date. As part of the League’s six international sites, NHL.com/sv will serve as the official home for the latest news and information about the 2017 SAP NHL Global Series™ as well as other features from around the NHL. Fans are encouraged to join the conversation on social media using the official hashtag #NHLGlobalSeries.
###(3/24/17)
