NEW YORK CITY — The world’s mast famous arena seems like a fitting first stop for what will be a trip of a career for many Predators players, and a trip of a lifetime for many of their fans, this week.
Their Smashville to Sweden adventure starts with a true road game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in the heart of the media capital of the world.
Then comes the long flight to Stockolm where the Preds will take the world stage as they take on the Penguins in the NHL Global Series.
It’ll be the third overseas trip in franchise history and the second in the past four years for a team, and a fanbase, known for bringing a good time to any arena they play in.
“It means a lot not just to everybody in the organization but to our fans,” Predators President and CEO Sean Henry said. “Because teams that get asked to play in these games it’s because the fans are going to show up and the ratings are going to be high. The fact our fans have propelled us to hosting All-Star games, stadium games, this is our second trip to Europe in three or four years, it’s a true compliment to the best fans in the world.”
After the game against the Rangers the Predators will bus to Newark International Airport. From there, they will board a plane for an overnight trip covering the nearly 4,000 miles to Sweden. A seven-and-a-half hour flight that will land just before 1 p.m. local time Tuesday afternoon.
It will be a homecoming for Predators all-time leading goal scorer Filip Forsberg and for defenseman Adam Wilsby, who grew up in Stockholm. It will also be the closest a trio of Finnish players are likely to play to their home country in a NHL uniform as well.
“It’s a unique experience, a unique opportunity for us so we’re really looking forward to this week,” Predators forward Luke Evangelista said. “It’s exciting for sure.”
The two games promise to be electric, but the opportunity to bond with teammates and experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity together is one the Predators hope can be a galvanizing moment for this team.
After a slow start to this season, they hope this trip can be a turning point for this team starting with Monday’s game against the Rangers.
“It’s fun,” Predators forward Steven Stamkos said. “I’ve done that exact trip before. Had some success. It can be a building block of just being around the guys and the camaraderie and trying to build something. And hopefully going over there and playing some good hockey.”
