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The NHL has announced today (Tuesday) that its 2024 Global Series will feature regular-season games at O2 Arena in the Czech capital of Prague and Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland, while an exhibition match featuring the Buffalo Sabres has also been scheduled to open the new SAP Garden arena in Munich.
The Sabres and the New Jersey Devils will begin the 2024-25 regular season by facing off in a pair of games at O2 Arena on October 4-5, before a double-header between the Dallas Stars and the Florida Panthers at Nokia Arena (pictured) on November 1-2.
Before travelling to Prague, the Sabres will finish their training camp in Munich and will meet Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) club Red Bull München in an exhibition match at SAP Garden on September 27.
This will serve as the grand opening event for SAP Garden, a new 11,500-capacity arena that will also serve as the home of basketball team Bayern Munich. Bayern will play its first game at the arena on September 29.
Christian Winkler, managing director of Red Bull München, said: “We always strive for the best and the NHL is of course the best league in the world. It really is great for everyone to be able to inaugurate our wonderful SAP Garden against the Buffalo Sabres.
“This game will be a unique goosebump moment for our players, our organisation and all spectators that we will all remember for a long time to come.”
The NHL will organise the games in association with Live Nation. The 2024 NHL Global Series will mark the 11th season that the league has travelled to Europe for regular-season games.
O2 Arena has previously hosted seven games, while Nokia Arena has staged two games since opening in December 2021. The Stars’ games at Nokia Arena will mark the team’s first experience of playing regular-season games outside of North America.
In November 2023, Stockholm’s Avicii Arena hosted four regular-season NHL games. The league also played two pre-season games at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena in September, marking its first-ever visit to Australia.
Prague’s O2 Arena will also be a host venue during this year’s Ice Hockey World Championship, which will take place in Czechia from May 10-26.
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