Eurolanche

A special regular game

“You could say that it’s just another regular game, that’s the way you have to approach it, but I think that it’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun and the fans will be pretty energetic about it,” says Colin Wilson about playing in front of European fans in the Ericsson Arena in Stockholm, where the Avalanche will play their first game against the Ottawa Senators as part of the NHL Global Series tonight. “It’s a little different when you come to play here. There are a lot of Ottawa fans, as well as our fans,” added Mikko Rantanen, who’s used to playing in Europe, beginning his career across the border in his native Finland. “Otherwise, it’s just two normal games for us. We have to stay calm and see these games through.” It may seem like the Avalanche are going to play just another regular game, but it still feels special to have to opportunity to play NHL hockey in front of European fans, who don’t have many opportunities to see NHL games in person. “Obviously, it’s going to be a lot of fun, the crowd’s going to be great. It’s really exciting, but you got to go in and treat it like any other game,” forward J.T. Compher told Eurolanche. Teammate Tyson Jost shares his opinion. “It’s awesome to come over here. It’s a different culture. You see the passion for hockey, so it’s pretty special to come over here and to see how much the fans love hockey,” said Jost.

European Avalanche players are especially excited to be back on “home soil”, as many will have family and friends in the stand when the Avs hit the ice tonight. “Landy has like, I don’t know, 50 tickets for friends and family for the games. Being born and raised in Stockholm, it’s pretty special for him. I would feel the same if the games were played in Zurich,” said Sven Andrighetto. Rantanen will also have family over from Finland and even Compher will have his sister cheering for him in the stands, as she’s currently studying here. Goalie Semyon Varlamov won’t have his family over, but is still excited to be in Stockholm. He said that he really likes the city, as he’s been to the Swedish capital several times and is looking forward to playing here again. Captain Gabriel Landeskog praised the Global Series for being a great way to grow the game, mentioning the impact seeing the Colorado Avalanche playing Brynas as part of their 2001 training camp had on him. “I think it would be great if this is something we could do on a regular basis." 

Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Forsberg, who were at the arena yesterday, also said that the games will be special for both teams. “I think the guys from both teams, even if they aren’t from Sweden, will play especially hard for their respective captains. I think both teams will be really excited for the games,” said Forsberg. Speaking from his own experience, Alfredsson mentioned that the games are a chance for the player to show off their skill in a different setting, where regular fans don’t watch a lot of NHL games. “They should enjoy it, take it all in, but at the same time, go out there and play the best as they can. I’m excited about these two games. Most NHL games are aired at night here in Sweden and only the hardcore fans watch them, so it’s definitely exciting.” 

Michal Hezely, the author of this article, was given media accreditation for the entire NHL Global Series and is reporting directly from Stockholm, Sweden.

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