MANALAPAN, Fla. (AP) \u2014 The Country Music Association Awards ceremony kicks the Nashville Predators out of their arena for a long stretch every November. This year, they\u2019ll use that absence to travel to Sweden.<\/p>\n
The NHL announced Tuesday the Predators are facing the Pittsburgh Penguins in regular-season games in Stockholm on Nov. 14 and 16 as part of the league\u2019s Global Series.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019ll be a good event for us,\u201d Predators general manager Barry Trotz told The Associated Press. \u201cWe\u2019re either going on a long trip out West or we can go to Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The games at newly renovated Avicii Arena are set to be the 47th and 48th games the league has held in Sweden and make it the 15th season with regular-season action outside North America.<\/p>\n
The visit is perhaps one last chance for aging Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson to play in Scandinavia. The Predators have a prominent Swede in top-line winger Filip Forsberg, with starting goaltender Juuse Saros hailing from neighboring Finland.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be really fitting for us,\u201d Trotz said after a session at the NHL GMs meeting in South Florida. \u201cNot only we have some Swedish players \u2014 a guy like a Filip and a couple others that are really proud that they will go back and showcase their country, and I think Filip\u2019s going to try to showcase his hometown. I think for our players, there\u2019s not a better learning environment than travel and going to another country to learn more about the culture and understanding of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Penguins have not played in Europe since 2008, fresh off winning the third Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. They have since won it twice more, in 2016 and \u201917.<\/p>\n
For Trotz, it will be a return overseas a quarter-century after he coached Nashville against Pittsburgh for two-season opening games in Saitama, Japan, in 2000. He wants his players to look forward to and enjoy the trip while also appreciating they will be meaningful games.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have the excitement of the start of the season and then you get into November and it starts to get into a little bit of the grind,\u201d Trotz said. \u201cIt might be a really good thing for us just to focus on that. But we\u2019ve got to focus on it\u2019s not a vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NHL is returning to Sweden for the first time since 2023 after staging games in Finland and Czechia this season. Stockholm has hosted more NHL games than any other European city.<\/p>\n
Predators CEO Sean Henry said being selected to participate in a marquee event like this is a testament to the organization\u2019s support at home and abroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event will be particularly special for Filip Forsberg, who adores his home country, and the other Sweden natives on our team and in our organization,\u201d Henry said in a statement. \u201cWe had such an incredible time with our fans at the 2022 Global Series in Bern and Prague, and we can\u2019t wait for them to bring even more energy and enthusiasm in November.\u201d<\/p>\n
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