Being one of the most Swedish-friendly franchises in NHL history, the Vancouver Canucks will be highlighted overseas next week.
From March 21-22, the NHL will be holding the first-ever Hockey Day in Sweden in Linköping, Sweden, headlined by a meeting between the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers on Viaplay’s “NHL Saturday.”
The two-day festival will feature a NHL Global Fan Tour stop at Stora Torget Friday evening and all day Saturday leading up to the clash between the Canucks and Rangers. The 10 a.m. PT start time in Vancouver is a 6 p.m. local time start in Linköping.
As part of the broadcast on Viaplay, one of Europe’s largest broadcast companies, fans at Stora Torget will witness Niklas Holmgren and Jonatan Lindquist calling the game in person.
On top of the festivities, fans in the Scandinavian country will be treated to an intriguing and important game between Vancouver and the Blueshirts. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Canucks traded J.T. Miller to the Rangers, ending a months-long soap opera in Vancouver.
Tre Kronor is going to be well-represented when the Canucks and Rangers hit the ice. Vancouver has six players on its active roster from Sweden, headlined by Elias Pettersson, the other Elias Pettersson and Marcus Pettersson.
On the Rangers side, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Edstrom will be headlined in their home nation.
It will be the first time Zibanejad and the forward Elias Pettersson have faced off since they represented Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month.
Along with the off-ice storylines, it’s going to be an important game for both sides as the Canucks and Rangers are both fighting to get into a playoff spot. As of Thursday, the Canucks (30-24-11) are tied for fourth in the Pacific Division with the Calgary Flames, with the Canucks sitting just outside the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Rangers (31-28-6) are fifth in the Metropolitan Division, two points back of the final Wild Card position in the East.
It makes sense for the Canucks to be part of the first-ever Hockey Day in Sweden, as the franchise is synonymous with talented players from the country. From players like the twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin to former captain Markus Naslund and defenceman Alex Edler, many Swedes have spent significant time in Vancouver over the years.
In total, 37 players from Sweden have played at least one game with the Canucks.
