NHL Take Regular Season Game to Germany for First Time

The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced it will stage games in Finland, Sweden and for the first time, Germany, to launch its 2011-12 regular season.

The Anaheim Ducks will take on the Buffalo Sabres in Helsinki and the New York Rangers face the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm on October 7. The Sabres and Kings will then bring the NHL’s first regular-season game to Berlin the next day when the Rangers also meet the Ducks in Stockholm.

The games will represent the fifth consecutive season the League has played games in Europe and NHL Players’ Association executive director Donald Fehr said in a statement: “We want to grow the NHL game around the world, and the games are an important part of that effort.”

Anaheim and Los Angeles will additionally stage exhibition games on October 4 against Jokerit in Helsinki and the Hamburg Freezers in Hamburg, respectively.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman added: “The games underscore the strength of our game, the popularity of our players and the international appeal of our brand.”