Mexico City was revealed as a possible destination for an NHL Global Series last month.
STOCKHOLM — The NHL just wrapped up the 2023 edition of the NHL Global Series after the Toronto Maple Leafs finished it off with a 4-3 overtime win against the Minnesota Wild. After the game, Auston Matthews was asked about where he thinks the NHL should look next for its annual event.
"I don't know, maybe Mexico City? That would be fun," Matthews replied. "Go home for a bit."
The NHL has never ventured into that market but NHL's chief content officer Steve Mayer revealed on ESPN's The Drop podcast last month that Mexico was on the short list as a possible destination for the Global Series, an event the NHL has held annually since 2017.
“Mexico City is on a short list because our teams are very interested in going there and exploring that market,” Mayer said. “There are teams that would really love to go to Mexico.”
Matthews' mother Ema is from Mexico City so the star's interest in going south is understandable and Maple Leafs Sheldon Keefe seemed on board with the idea.
"It sounds like a wonderful idea. I think it’s good for Auston. I know that’s a very important place to him," Keefe said. "I think more probably, more importantly, to have somebody like Auston, that would be so important to him, to speak to how diverse our game is, and, and how much it's grown."
While teams closer to the sunbelt would make the most sense as candidates down south, the Maple Leafs being one of the teams due to Matthews' connection to the country makes a lot of sense. Players on the current teams being from the area have been a big factor in the league's criteria for selecting host cities for the event.
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