DUESSELDORF, Germany — The NHL is hosting its first regular-season games in Germany in 15 years, but the German league isn’t happy.
German Ice Hockey League managing director Gernot Tripcke has voiced frustration, saying the NHL scheduled its games without discussing the dates with his league and its teams, and arguing they should work together to promote the sport.
“They announced their games in isolation, without consulting with the clubs, with us or with the (German hockey federation). That conflicts with the schedules of the 28 professional clubs here in Germany,” Tripcke said in comments published by the dpa news agency on Monday. “This is something you can handle better.”
The NHL announced in March it was playing two regular season games in Duesseldorf in December, the first in Germany since a one-off 2011 contest. Germany forward Tim Stützle and the Ottawa Senators will play the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 18 and 20, which are in-demand, pre-Christmas dates for German teams, too.
The NHL said last month more games are scheduled for next year in Munich and Cologne, with Leon Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers among the teams playing.
Tripcke said he hadn’t been contacted about those games, either, and called on the NHL to work with German hockey organizations to create a “win-win situation” for local clubs and the NHL.
The NHL has said it aims to “grow the game” in Germany along with the NHL Players’ Association, with a focus on grassroots events and fan engagement, though details remain unclear.
“I don’t know what they’re doing around the games,” Tripcke was quoted as saying.
The Cologne-born Draisaitl has become the face of the NHL in Germany and carried the country’s flag at the Olympic opening ceremony this year after a vote by German athletes and the public.
