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    Jonathan Tovell
    Apr 26, 2023, 13:42

    The NHL announced the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild will play four regular-season games in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Lucas Raymond controls the puck against Timothy Liljegren. 

    The NHL is headed back to Sweden for more Global Series hockey.

    The league and NHLPA announced Wednesday that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild will head to Stockholm, Sweden. Each team is scheduled to play two regular-season games in Avicii Arena between Nov. 16 and 19.

    It will mark the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th matches played in Stockholm, which has hosted more regular-season games than any other city outside North America. Helsinki, Finland, and Prague, Czechia, are tied for second with seven games each.

    Detroit and Ottawa will face off on Nov. 16. The Red Wings then take on the Maple Leafs on Nov. 17 before the Wild and Senators play on Nov. 18. Toronto and Minnesota play the finale on Nov. 19.

    This marks the first time the NHL will have four teams heading to play in one European city for a Global Series event and the first occasion the Maple Leafs will play a regular-season match outside of North America. It will be the second time the Red Wings and Wild play regular-season games overseas and the third such voyage for the Senators. 

    Ottawa is the most recent team of the four to play regular-season matches outside of North America. The Sens played and won two matches against the Colorado Avalanche in 2017 at the Avicii Arena, then called the Ericsson Globe. They were in Stockholm again in 2008 when they split the wins against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    Detroit also played in Stockholm the last time it was overseas for a regular-season matchup, losing twice to the St. Louis Blues in 2009.

    Minnesota also lost both its regular-season Global Series games back in 2010 against the Carolina Hurricanes in Helsinki.

    While Toronto hasn't played a regular-season matchup outside of North America, the Leafs have participated in pre-season games. Back in 2003, they took on Farjestad and Linkoping in Stockholm and Jokerit in Helsinki. In 1993, the Leafs took on the New York Rangers in London, England, with the latter winning twice. 

    November's games will mark the 10th season the NHL has played regular-season games in Europe. There have been 32 regular-season matches played in Europe to date, which the league said "reward the legions of loyal and passionate fans in Europe that enjoy live NHL games" in a statement.

    At the moment, the Wild have eight Swedish players on their roster, while the Red Wings and Maple Leafs have six each, and the Senators have two.

    The Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes are the other two teams announced to play games outside of North America next season when they will face off in pre-season matchups in Melbourne, Australia, in September.