PARIS — Nino Niederreiter was already excited about signing a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators on July 21 before he realized it meant he’ll have a chance to play in his native Switzerland.
The Predators will face SC Bern of the Swiss National League in a preseason game at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland, on Oct. 3 as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series. The San Jose Sharks will play a preseason game against Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on Oct. 4 before the Predators and Sharks open the 2022-23 NHL regular season with two games at the O2 Arena in Prague on Oct. 7 and 8.
“I was kind of focused on different things,” Niederreiter said at the NHL European Player Media Tour last week. “Then, I remembered, oh yeah, that’s right. They’re playing in Bern. So that was kind of the icing on the cake.”
The game in Bern has been a frequent topic of conversation this offseason between Niederreiter, a forward from Chur, Switzerland, and Predators defenseman. Roman Josewho is from Bern and played four seasons for SC Bern before coming to North America to play for Nashville’s American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee in 2010.
“We’ve definitely talked a lot,” Niederreiter said. “Obviously, it’s going to be very stressful for him because it’s his city. I live like four hours away from there roughly, but still I’ve got a lot of people coming from my city to come watch that game. It’s exciting. I never had a chance to open up with a game in Europe, so it’s cool.”
Sharks forward Timo Meier said he is a little jealous of his Swiss countrymen getting to play in Bern but that he is looking forward to playing in Germany and the Czech Republic.
“Really exciting,” Meier said. “I also have a lot of people coming to see the game, so the excitement for my friends and family is high, too. They all want to come to Prague and watch. I’ve never been to both cities, so I hopefully get to see some from the city, kind of explore the cities. But I think it’s really exciting being in the same time zone as all my friends and family. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
Meier, who is from Herisau, said he will have more than 20 friends and family members at the games in Prague, but if the Sharks played in Bern “it would’ve been a full section of fans, for sure.” Some of those coming 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.
“So it’s definitely exciting for them,” Meier said.
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It will be similar for Niederreiter, who said he has about 30 friends and family members planning to attend the game in Bern. That includes his grandmothers, who have never seen him play in an NHL game in person.
“That’s definitely something special,” said Niederreiter, who has played 11 seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes. “They’re both over 80 and one of them has never left the country. It’s a big step even for her going to Bern.”
The Global Series, which also includes two games between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 4 and 5, will be the first NHL games outside of North America since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Niederreiter and Meier view these games as a chance to market the NHL game to those who usually don’t have an opportunity to see it in person.
“It’s going to be great to kind of bring the NHL game closer to Switzerland to have a game there and with us in Berlin and Prague,” Meier said. “I think it’s going to promote well and hopefully inspire some young kids to start and hopefully become NHLers soon.”
Swiss players have had a growing impact in the NHL.
Josi, who won the Norris Trophy voted as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2019-20, was a finalist last season for the Norris and the Ted Lindsay Award, given to the League’s most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHL Players’ Association. , after setting NHL career highs in goals (23), assists (team-leading 73) and points (team-leading 96) in 80 games.
Forward Kevin Fiala set NHL career highs in goals (33), assists (52) and points (85) in 82 games with the Minnesota Wild last season before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings on June 29 and signing a seven-year contract. Forward Nico Hischier Set NHL career highs in goals (21), assists (39) and points (60) in 70 games in his second season as captain of the New Jersey Devils.
Meier set NHL career highs in goals (team-leading 35), assists (41) and points (team-leading 76) in 77 games for the Sharks. Niederreiter’s 24 goals and 44 points in 75 games with the Hurricanes were his most since he set NHL career highs with 25 goals and 57 points in 2016-17 with the Wild.
This has not gone unnoticed in their home country.
“I feel like a lot of North American people don’t realize how big the NHL has gotten in Europe, especially in Switzerland,” Niederreiter said. “They’re following so much [all the] news. It’s constant. … They keep putting everything out there in the media and I think it’s grown big time, and I feel like the NHL also made it easier to watch the games online with the app and everything.”
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