Bruins, Oilers Added to NHL's Germany Global Series Push for 2027-28
NHL Global Series Germany includes Bruins and Oilers games in Munich and Cologne, marking the league's commitment to more seasons in Germany.
The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers will each play two regular-season games in Germany next season, the NHL and NHLPA announced, expanding the league’s Global Series push into one of Europe’s fastest-growing hockey markets. The opponents for those four games have not yet been determined.
Boston is scheduled for two games in Munich. Edmonton plays its pair in Cologne, a natural landing spot given the city is Leon Draisaitl’s hometown.
The league’s third trip to Germany
This is not the NHL’s first visit to the country. The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators are already set to play two games in Düsseldorf this December, and both of those Global Series stops follow the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings playing in Berlin back in 2011. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly framed the Boston-Edmonton addition as a continuation of that effort rather than a one-off promotional stunt.
“These events represent an important step in our commitment to grow the game in Germany,” Daly said in the league’s announcement. “By bringing more NHL games to one of Europe’s most dynamic hockey markets, we hope to continue to deepen engagement amongst our fans, partners and local communities, while at the same time creating a significant opportunity to grow the game throughout the country.”
More is coming, not less
The league and players’ association have committed to staging regular-season games in Germany for at least three more seasons beyond this announcement, which points to Munich and Cologne being early stops rather than isolated dates on the calendar. For two teams already carrying marquee names, Pastrnak in Boston, McDavid and Draisaitl in Edmonton, sending them across the Atlantic is as much a statement about who the league wants representing it abroad as it is about market expansion.
For Oilers fans in particular, sending Draisaitl’s team to play in his native city adds a storyline the schedule itself won’t repeat for these two franchises anytime soon.
Reporting for this story draws on Sportsnet’s coverage of the NHL’s announcement.
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