BERLIN — When the San Jose Sharks arrived at Olympiastadion Berlin for the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, there were several items on their agenda. Team bonding, avoiding jet lag and playing tourist topped the list for a moment before their focus turns to the regular-season games at the 2022 NHL Global Series in Prague against the Nashville Predators on Friday and Saturday.
But for Timo Meier, his eye was on something extra. Two players from his fantasy soccer team were about to take the field, Chidera Ejuke for Hertha and Angelino with Hoffenheim.
“I’ll be watching them closely,” said Meier, who saw Ejuke get an assist on the first goal for Hertha in a 1-1 tie. “I’m very committed to the fantasy league. So that’s going to be a nail-biter for me.”
Meier, who is from Herisau, Switzerland, had yet to see a Bundesliga game in person, but he’s an avid fan — with a self-interested bent.
“I’ve never been to this stadium,” Meier said. “It’s my first Bundesliga game, too. I watch like almost every game, if I can, in the league, because we have a fantasy league, ‘KickBase’ it’s called. I’ve got to make sure my team’s doing well, so I’ve got to watch some games.”
Before the Sharks head to Prague on Wednesday, they have business to attend to in Berlin. They will play the Global Series Challenge against Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday (2 pm ET; NHLN, NBCSCA).
But it’s not all about hockey.
After dropping their luggage at the hotel in Berlin, all 27 Sharks players and the coaching staff loaded back onto a bus and headed out to the historic stadium, built for the 1936 Olympic Games, to take in some soccer.
It was a raucous atmosphere, as is the norm for European soccer matches, with the Hertha fan section keeping up a steady drumbeat of chants, cheers, stomping and flag waving.
“We just got here,” Meier said. “I’m really excited to be here. Obviously, a big soccer fan. So even though a long flight, a little bit tired, this is getting me really excited. I think it’s great to have all the guys here and watch the game “
Nico Sturm, the Sharks only player from Germany, is a fan of FC Bayern Munich after growing up in Augsburg. The trip with the Sharks marked only his third time in the city of Berlin, having come twice before in juniors for hockey and playing in the rink where the Sharks will practice Monday, Wellblechpalast.
“I don’t really know much about the city,” Sturm said. “Guys keep asking me. I tell you, I’m a stranger here too.”
While Sturm was looking forward to watching the soccer match — he’s a veteran of Bundesliga games — he noted there were ancillary benefits to the quick trip out to Olympiastadion after their flight in from San Jose.
“It’s the reason we did this is also to get kind of acclimated in terms of our inner clock,” Sturm said. “You want to go right to bed once we hit the hotel but you’ve got to try to get as close to midnight as we can just so we can adjust to the time change. Stuff like that helps.
“And we do have a lot of new faces. Staff and roster, so this trip is about coming together as a team as well.”
Add in a couple of favorite meals and Meier is set.
“Currywurst is one of my favorites, not going to lie,” he said. “That’s going to have to fit in the schedule. Some kabob, I really like too. Just some German food. Pretty similar to the Swiss food in some ways. Being here in Germany kind of makes me feel like at home.”
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