PRAGUE — When the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks appear at the O2 Arena on Friday and Saturday (2 pm ET; NHLN, BSSO, NBCSCA) in the 2022 NHL Global Series, they will not play preseason games. They will open the 2022-23 NHL regular season.
These games will count.
But the Predators and Sharks are keeping in perspective that each of these games will count for more than two points in the standings. They’re balancing business with the bigger picture.
Instead of closing their practices to the public Thursday, the Predators and Sharks opened them. Music played while they skated before a few thousand fans at the arena, including many kids in NHL, Czech and youth jerseys.
“We were all those kids at some point,” Predators center Ryan Johansen said, “and it’s just cool with our platforms to inspire and encourage and just kind of make their days and show them that their dreams, if they want to play in the NHL, they can reach them.”
One father in the stands Thursday put his 4-year-old son on his shoulders to make sure he could see. The son was wearing a Thomas Hertl Sharks T-shirt.
Hertl is the main attraction here.
Born and raised in Prague, he played for Slavia Praha HC from 2010-13 before joining the Sharks in 2013-14. At that time, the team played in the Czech Extraliga, the country’s top professional league, and called O2 Arena home.
Hertl has become a brilliant player and personality in San Jose. Four times, he has scored at least 20 goals. Twice, he has scored at least 30. But Czech fans have had to follow him from afar.
This is their chance to see him in person. Some came to practice Thursday because they couldn’t get tickets to either game. Hertl spoke to the crowd in an interview on the ice at the end of practice.
“It was awesome,” Hertl said with his trademark smile. “I never had practice with a lot of people like that, and it was just a great feeling. You’re coming home after 10 years when I used to play in Prague. Now you’re playing for Sharks, and there’s so many kids cheering. , cheering for us. It was an absolutely great experience, and I can’t even wait for tomorrow’s game.”
Sharks coach David Quinn said Hertl’s homecoming could spur his teammates.
“We seem to be a close-knit group, and no one is more respected or liked than Tomas,” Quinn said. “Obviously, it’s a new season, it’s the opening of the season for the National Hockey League, it’s our opener, so there’s a level of excitement unlike the other games that you play throughout the season. I think playing in Tomas’ hometown and being able to watch how excited he is should certainly provide a little bit of extra motivation for our guys.”
The Sharks also have a defenseman Radim Simekwho was born in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic, about 40 minutes northeast of O2 Arena.
The Predators do not have a Czech player on their roster.
They had their homecoming game Monday, when defenseman Roman Jose returned to his native Bern, Switzerland, to play his former team, SC Bern, in a preseason game as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge. Predators forward Nino Niederreiterwho grew up about three hours east of Bern in Chur, Switzerland, also received a warm welcome.
Josi had two goals and an assist in a 4-3 win. When he was named first star, the fans showed their appreciation, and he showed his appreciation to them, raising his stick, pounding his chest.
The Sharks played a preseason game at Eisbaren Berlin on Tuesday as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge, but forward Nico Sturm, from Augsburg, Germany, sat out due to an upper-body injury. Quinn said he will be in the lineup Friday.
“I think you saw it there with Josi in Bern, when he went back home and you saw the crowd,” Sharks center Luke Kunin said. “You saw the success they had there and how exciting it was. We can kind of turn it up a little bit. It’s a big game for not only our team, but for him being back home, so I think you can kind of build off that emotion and hopefully have success.”
Each team can build off that emotion Friday and Saturday, though. The Josi experience showed the Predators what this means to the fans here, especially to the kids in the crowd.
“We’re just another group of young guys that they can look up to,” Johansen said, “and [we try to] be great role models for them over here and just lead by example and do our best to show them a great time.”
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