The 2011-12 NHL season is long from over, but as the schedule quieted down in the past few days with the All Star Break, I thought I would touch on an idea that has been percolating in my head for a few months.
The NHL began the tradition of opening the regular season in Europe on September 29, 2007, when the Stanley Cup defending Anaheim Ducks took on the Los Angeles Kings at The O2 in London, England.
In the five years since, seventeen teams have made the trip across the Atlantic, including the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, to participate in what has become known today as the NHL Premiere Series. The Rangers, along with the Kings and the Ducks, have all participated twice.
The intent of these games is to extend the popularity of the NHL beyond the veil of North America. The NHL can showcase their talent while raising the interest in (and value of) broadcasting rights in Europe.
The venues for these regular season games have been spread out across Europe and include Stockholm (Sweden), Prague (Czech Republic), Helsinki (Finland) and Berlin (Germany).
The NHL Premiere Series has also included exhibition games between NHL clubs and European teams. In 2007, the LA Kings took on EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Hockey League while in 2008, the Rangers participated in the first Victoria Cup against Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL in Berne, Switzerland.
There are a number of challenges for any organization that agrees to include their team in the event. There are additional expenses, “home games” lost and extensive travel, to name a few issues. Once you get past the logistics, though, it’s a great opportunity for the players, many of whom began their careers in Europe, to share a unique experience abroad.
For the Philadelphia Flyers, taking the opportunity to start the 2012-13 season in Europe could be valuable for a team with so many young players. The organization has deep enough pockets to afford the expenses and they are in the midst of an arguably successful rebuild right now so there shouldn’t be any concerns about adding distractions.
For kicks, I thought I would throw out a handful of exhibition matches that have connections to past and current Flyers.
- Philadelphia Flyers vs. KalPa Kuopio: KalPa is the hometown team of Kimmo Timonen is the Finnish hockey league (SM-Liga). Timonen, along with Scott Hartnell, is a minority owner of the team while former Flyer Sami Kapanen is a majority stakeholder. KalPa has announced that they intend to retire Timonen’s #44 jersey some time next season; to combine the two events would be a slam dunk.
- Philadelphia Flyers vs. HC Kladno (Knights): This Czech team is owned by Jaromir Jagr and was also the former home of Jake Voracek. Assuming that both players are with the team next season (which is not a guarantee at all), it would be another nod to the players’ origins abroad.
- Philadelphia Flyers vs. Novokuznetsk Mettalurg: This KHL team is where the Flyers began scouting Sergei Bobrovsky. In spite of their terrible record (Bob was 9-22-3 that season), the Flyers scouts saw enough that they signed him to a lucrative three-year contract. Whether he ever truly becomes the Flyers’ starting goaltender or he gets shipped out, he has been a crucial member of the team since he opened the 2010-11 season in Pittsburgh.
- Philadelphia Flyers vs. AIK: The club team that Pelle Lindbergh began his career with, Hammarby IF, is no longer in existence. AIK, for whom Pelle moved to when Hammarby was no longer big enough to support his ambitions, is still in the Swedish Elitserien.
When I think about what the NHL Premiere Series hopes to achieve (aside from selling broadcast rights), I harken back to the history that Thomas Tynander and Bill Meltzer covered in the book “Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask.” Pelle first adopted the Flyers as his favorite NHL team because he liked the logo, but he became enamored with them after watching Bernie Parent lead the Flyers to back-to-back to Stanley Cup championships.
From Behind the White Mask: “With permission from Sigge and Anna-Lisa (Pelle’s parents), Pelle orders super-8 films of the 1974 and 1975 Finals directly from the NHL offices. He plays them over and over. By now, Pelle is consumed by Parent and the Flyers, and he wants to wear a mask exactly like Parent’s and wear Parent’s Number 1 on his jersey. From the films he’s bought, he studies every nuance of the future Hall of Famer’s style and mannerisms in net. Moreover, Lindbergh dreams of playing for Parent’s Philadelphia Flyers after his hero retires.”
That is why the Flyers should consider starting next season in Europe. Introducing them and their brand of hockey to another generation of Europeans is a win-win situation.
NO!!! Teams that go over there, struggle for a long time to recover from the trip, when they return. Not to mention the home fans get screwed with the lost games. The Champion from the prior year should go to promote the game. Just saying.
BTW, JJ, what did you here about the big rumor over the weekend, about Shea Weber coming here, with that 108 MPH slap shot? Hope it is true!
Well, Boston went last year and won the Stanley Cup, so I’m not too worried about how the travel will affect them longterm, but the concerns you mention are certainly legit.
I haven’t heard any new rumors that Shea Weber was coming here. The only discussion had this weekend was that Ryan Suter said to the media he has no intentions of signing with Nashville before the trade deadline, citing contract talks as a distraction. That doesn’t mean they will certainly lose him to free agency, but it does raise the question of whether they will try to move him before the deadline or not.