Back in mid-February when the Chicago Blackhawks sent out season ticket membership information, they wrote that the team had been selected to participate in a yet-to-be-announced league special event. The 2024 comments of NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly suggested that London may be the most likely destination, but that apparently won’t be the case.
On Friday, the NHL announced that the Blackhawks will play the Ottawa Senators in a pair of games at PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany next season. It’ll be featured as the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany on December 18 and 20 of this year.
“I think when we found out the whole team was pretty fired up. It’s a great opportunity for us. Just spreading [the game] to other parts of the world and showing our skill set and what we do over here, we’re excited.” — Connor Bedard
Chicago doesn’t currently have any German-born players on its NHL roster, so Ottawa will likely be a bit more of a home favorite with German star Tim Stutzle on their roster. He’s one of only a handful of German players on active rosters, so it’s cool that the league is trying to expand its reach into somewhat uncharted waters. Maybe the Blackhawks could go get Lukas Reichel back for these games?
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It’s also worth noting that at the press conference in Dusseldorf, the NHL and the NHLPA announced a new “joint long-term international growth strategy to deepen the NHL’s presence in Germany.” The Blackhawks and Senators will be the first teams to play in Germany since the Sabres went to Munich for a preseason game against EHC Red Bull Munchen in 2024. It seems these games won’t be the last for Germany.
