The NHL North American ice hockey league has confirmed plans for regular-season games to return to Avicii Arena in the Swedish capital of Stockholm later this year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic emerged.
The 2023 NHL Global Series, through a collaboration between the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association and promoter Live Nation, will feature the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first regular-season contests outside North America, as well as the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators.
Four regular-season games will take place from November 16-19, marking the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th games played in Stockholm, which has hosted more NHL regular-season encounters than any other city outside of North America.
All but one of the league’s visits to Sweden over the years have taken place at the same venue, which was called the Ericsson Globe when the NHL last visited in 2019.
Live Nation Sweden’s promotion of the event will be supported by official partners CCM, Fastenal, SAP and Upper Deck, with tickets and packages set to go on sale on May 3.
To date, there have been 38 NHL regular-season games played outside of North America, including 32 played in Europe. However, this will be the first time that four NHL clubs will compete in a single European city at the same time.
Just over a year ago, premium experiences company Legends International was appointed to lead the reimagining of Avicii Arena.
Two years earlier, the venue’s owner, Stockholm Globe Arena Fastigheter told TheStadiumBusiness how it was looking for “innovative and creative solutions” from companies across the world as it sought to secure the future of what was then the Ericsson Globe for the next three decades.
Image: Legends International
