Niederreiter is looking forward to the game in Switzerland for the NHL Global Series
PARIS– Nino Niederreiter was already looking forward to signing a two-year deal with the Nashville Predators on July 21 before realizing it would give him the chance to play in his native Switzerland.
The Predators take on SC Bern of the Swiss National League on October 3 as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series in a preseason game at the PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. The San Jose Sharks will play a preseason game against the Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on October 4 before the Predators and Sharks start the 2022-23 NHL regular season with two games at the O2 Arena in Prague open October 7th and 8th.
“I kind of focused on different things,” Niederreiter said at last week’s NHL European Player Media Tour. “Then I remembered, oh yes, that’s right. They play in Bern, so that was kind of the icing on the cake.”
The game in Bern has been a frequent topic of conversation this off-season between Niederreiter, a forward from Chur, Switzerland, and the Predators defender Roman Josiwho hails from Bern and played for SC Bern for four seasons before coming to North America in 2010 to play for the Nashville offshoot American Hockey League in Milwaukee.
“We definitely talked a lot,” said Niederreiter. “Of course it’s going to be very stressful for him because it’s his city. I live about four hours from there, but still a lot of people from my town come to see this game. It is exciting. I’ve never had the chance to open with a game in Europe, so it’s cool.”
sharks forward Timo Meier said he was a little jealous that his Swiss compatriots would be playing in Bern but was looking forward to playing in Germany and the Czech Republic.
“Really exciting,” said Meier. “I also have a lot of people coming to see the game, so there’s a lot of excitement for my friends and family too. They all want to come to Prague and watch. I’ve never been to either city so hopefully I’ll see some of the city, explore the cities in some way. But I find it really exciting to be in the same time zone as all my friends and family. So I’m really looking forward to it.
Meier, who hails from Herisau, said he will have more than 20 friends and family at the Prague games, but if the Haie played in Bern “there would have been a crowd of fans for sure”. Some of those who come to Prague haven’t seen him play since he was 16, when he left Switzerland to play for Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2013.
“That’s why it’s definitely exciting for them,” said Meier.
[RELATED: NHL Events 2022-23]
Similarly, Niederreiter said he has around 30 friends and family planning to attend the game in Bern. That includes his grandmothers, who have never personally seen him in an NHL game.
“It’s definitely something special,” said Niederreiter, who played 11 seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes. “They are both over 80 and one of them has never left the country. It’s a big step for them to go to Bern.”
The Global Series, which also includes two games between the Colorado Avalanche and the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 4 and 5 in Tampere, Finland, will be the first NHL games played outside of North America since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Niederreiter and Meier see these games as an opportunity to market the NHL game to those who don’t typically have the opportunity to see it in person.
“It’s going to be great to bring the NHL game closer to Switzerland to have a game there and with us in Berlin and Prague,” Meier said. “I think it will advertise well and hopefully inspire some young kids to get started and hopefully become NHLers soon.”
Swiss players are having a growing influence in the NHL.
Josi, who won the Norris Trophy and was voted the NHL’s Best Defenseman in 2019-20, was a finalist for last season’s Norris and the Ted Lindsay Award, presented to the league’s most outstanding player as judged by other members of the NHL Players’ Association after averaging NHL career bests in goals (23), assists (team lead 73), and points (team lead 96) in 80 games.
Forward Kevin Fiala posted the Minnesota Wild NHL career-highs in goals (33), assists (52) and points (85) in 82 games last season before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings on June 29 and signing a seven-year contract. Forward Nico Hischier in 70 games in his second season as the New Jersey Devils captain, he had career-high NHL goals (21), assists (39) and points (60).
Meier had NHL career-highs in goals (35 as a team leader), assists (41), and points (76 as a team leader) in 77 games for the Sharks. Niederreiter’s 24 goals and 44 points in 75 games with the Hurricanes were his best since he had NHL career-highs of 25 goals and 57 points with the Wild in 2016-17.
This has not gone unnoticed in her home country.
“I feel like a lot of North Americans don’t realize how big the NHL has become in Europe, especially in Switzerland,” Niederreiter said. “They follow so much [all the] News. It’s constant. … They keep putting everything out in the media and I think it’s become a big time and I feel like the NHL has also made it easier to watch the games online with the app and everything.