New York. The party premiere doesn’t actually take place until Tuesday, but already tonight the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks are sneaking into the NHL season — in Prague.
“It’s a little special but it’s so much fun and we don’t have a problem taking these matches seriously, we’re ready,” Philip Forsberg tells Sportbladet.
During the pandemic, the NHL stopped sending its teams to Europe, but now what is being described as an ambitious international project has resumed.
In November, the defending champions will bring Colorado to Tampere, Finland, for two games against Columbus and now, even before the start of the regular season at home in North America, the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks are leading two games at the O2 Arena in Prague.
The first will be played tonight, the second tomorrow.
– It’s fun to go back to Prague. I’ve been here twice before and I think we should be able to have a good time during our visit, says the Swedish Nashville sniper Philip Forsberg When we got to him in a hotel room in the Czech capital.
Of course, it’s great to start the season abroad, but above all it’s fun and we’ve prepared for that. Preparing for the season seems to have two parts, one at home in Nashville and one out here.
I came to Europe early
Philippe and his teammates traveled across the Atlantic already last weekend and on Monday played a training match against Swiss SC Bern – captain and star-back of the old club Roman Jose.
– and he grew up in Bern, so it was really a celebration for him, and also for Nino Niederreiter, who is also from Switzerland. I’m glad we won just because of them. In fact, the score in such matches means nothing, but when they are at home now, I feel its importance. Philip continues: It was sad to lose.
– Will it be a similar match experience in Leksand? truly. We hope to make it sometime.
But now it’s getting serious against the Sharks – who themselves won a training match against Isbreen in Berlin on Tuesday – and Flipper doesn’t think the situation would be any less dangerous just because the season opener takes place in a foreign country.
– No, it’s a normal game of the season, we know what’s at stake, and like I said, we’ve been preparing for a while, he said.
It’s going to be a good measure of value, so we’ll know where we stand as a team. The sharks are in a bit “rebuilding” mode, but they’re still dangerous. They have many offensive weapons. Eric Carlson is definitely a single player, but there are some really outstanding strikers as well.
Team rebuilding
A year ago, it looked like Nashville was heading to rebuild as well, but after the 21-22 season, gray general manager David Boyle changed gears and started betting all over again. Above all, he tried to woo Tampa defender Ryan McDonagh and signed a contract with the aforementioned Niederreiter, most recently with Carolina Hurricanes.
So suddenly the Preds seem like a team with ambitions again.
– McDonagh and Nederiter are really great reinforcements, but at the same time other players, especially among the younger ones, have come forward. It feels promising, comments Philip.
who himself had an unusually eventful summer, when he signed a new eight-year contract worth $68 million – the equivalent of 748 million kronor – and then married Irene in France.
– Yes, a lot happened, but it was just good and fun things. Now I’m looking forward to starting this season, I think it’s been a good feeling for me so far.
Matthias Ekholm is also part of the Predators squad that starts the season stealthily in Prague, and in addition to Erik Karlsson, the Sharks lineup also includes Oskar Lindblom and William Eklund.
Both matches start at 20.00 Swedish time.