CHICAGO, IL — The Blackhawks and NHL recently released information regarding the 2019-20 NHL Global Series, and our boys are shipping off to Europe to start the season next year.
This had kind of been floating around for a couple of weeks, but the league made it official just yesterday—the Blackhawks will play an exhibition game in Berlin, and they’ll play their first game of the season in Prague. They haven’t released who the Hawks are playing against in Berlin, but they’re set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in Prague to open the season. The Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning are also set to play overseas, and will open their seasons in Sweden.
The league hosted a Global Series last year that took the Boston Bruins to China, and the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers to Finland—and it was wildly popular. The Jets and Panthers game pitted Finland-natives Patrik Laine and Aleksander Barkov against each other, and it was a pretty extraordinary match-up.
I personally love these global games, because—as I think the league intends—it brings more people into hockey across the world. Most of Europe is familiar with hockey, mostly thanks to spectacular Russian, Swedish and Finnish players, but by going to places like China or smaller European hockey markets like Prague or Berlin, the NHL is expanding the global interest in the sport. I know a lot of North American fans don’t like these games because it takes away a home game for the teams playing, but I think it’s important to try and see it from a different angle.
Sure, many countries, like Russia, Sweden and Finland, have their own leagues. And there’s the IIHF, which hosts Worlds every summer. But, these fans outside of the US and Canada rarely get to see NHL-caliber players actually play. Obviously, some players go to those smaller European leagues after a stint in the NHL, or some come from those leagues to the NHL. So, there is the potential to see NHLers play.
But, like I said, the NHL expanding their reach and actively scheduling regular season games overseas is brilliant. They’re drawing people from all over the world into this sport, and for the sport to grow, that is wildly important. I’d love to see more games in Asia, because I think that is a huge untapped market that could really make the NHL a true global sport (kind of like soccer is).
I know many hockey fans are sick of seeing the Hawks in marquee games. Believe me, I'm kind of there with you--the outdoor games were starting to get a little ridiculous. However, I think this particular move makes sense--and I hate to put it this way, but--if you're going to send two teams (four, really, in this case) outside of the US and Canada, it should be recognizable teams. I'm not saying that other teams aren't recognizable, but teams like the Blackhawks, Lightning, and the Bruins (last year) are just a little more recognizable to a non-hockey fan, or someone who doesn't watch hockey all that often. Growing the sport has to start somewhere. With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Pittsburgh Penguins or Toronto Maple Leafs heading overseas next year, as both of those teams are also pretty easily recognizable.
I really do think this is a great idea by the league, and I hope they continue it. I love that the league is trying to grow hockey and expand it past just Canada and the US. My mom jokingly asked if I was going out to Prague for the game, and honestly, if I could, I would! I'll definitely be catching the game stateside, and cheering my boys on as I always do.
Let's talk about the playoffs here for a second. With the loss to Philly last night, the Hawks are, by some miracle, still only 4 points out of a playoff spot. They sit behind Minnesota, Arizona, and Colorado. They've got two incredibly crucial games against Colorado this weekend, and the games down the stretch are all against Western Conference teams.
If they're going to pull this thing off, they really need to buckle down and get back in it this weekend. If they can manage 4 points out of this weekend, they'll be in a position to actually make the playoffs, in my opinion. If they net zero, they're likely ending their season that first week of April.
I've said it before and I'll say it again--I believe 100% in this team. They're not perfect by any means, but they've found a way to claw their way into the playoff race, and I really think they can do it. I'm all in.
Are you?
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