The National Hockey League is bringing back its Global Series event for the 2022-23 season after postponing it prior due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be two exhibition games and four regular-season games played in four European cities, starting with the Nashville Predators facing off against SC Bern at PostFinance Area in Bern, Switzerland on October 3 and the San Jose Sharks heading to Berlin, Germany to face off against Eisbaren Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena on October 4.

The first regular-season games will be between the Predators and Sharks at O2 Arena in Prague on October 7 and 8.

The Predators, Sharks, Avalanche and Blue Jackets will play in the 2022 NHL Global Series.

There will be two exhibition games and four regular-season games played in four cities outside of North America next season.https://t.co/qM5OoTWVfa

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) April 21, 2022

A month later, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche will play in Tampere, Finland, for two games at Nokia Arena on November 4 and 5. Tampere is the hometown of Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.

“What’s different here for North American guys, they get to play in their hometowns but for Europeans, it’s pretty rare that we get that opportunity, so it’s pretty sweet,” Laine said.

The league has played 32 preseason games and 28 regular-season games in Europe since 2007.

“I’m looking forward to showing what we can do on the ice but also looking forward to showing the players and the staff what it’s about in Tampere, and we’ll spend a few days in Helsinki as well, so it should be fun,” Kekalainen said.

Here’s the full press release from the NHL:

Predators-Sharks, Avalanche-Blue Jackets to play in NHL Global Series

NEW YORK/TORONTO (April 21, 2022) – The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), in conjunction with Live Nation, today announced plans for the 2022 NHL Global Series and 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge, which will feature the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Sharks and Predators will open the 2022-23 regular season against each other in Prague, Czech Republic, at O2 Arena with games on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8.

Prior to their games in Prague, the Predators and Sharks will complete their training camps in Europe and will each play in an exhibition match as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge. The Predators will report to Bern, Switzerland, and play an exhibition game against SC Bern at PostFinance Arena on Monday, Oct. 3. The Sharks will report to Berlin, Germany, and play an exhibition game against Eisbären Berlin at Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

Tickets to the 2022 NHL Global Series and 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge will go on sale to the public at the dates and times listed below. Ticket sale opportunities are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

Tickets and VIP hospitality packages to the Oct. 7, and Oct. 8 NHL Global Series games between the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, will go on sale at 9 a.m. CET on Friday, April 29.

Tickets and VIP hospitality packages to the Oct. 3 NHL Global Series Challenge between the Nashville Predators and SC Bern at PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland, will go on sale on at 10 a.m. CET on Thursday, May 19.

The 2022 NHL Global Series will mark the ninth season overall that the NHL has traveled to Europe to play regular-season games. These games reward the legions of loyal and passionate fans in Europe that enjoy live NHL games available via international broadcast and media partners. The NHL’s biggest stars are also featured across numerous social media platforms and on NHL.com in nine languages for the League’s international fans. There have been 28 regular-season NHL games played in Europe. To date, there have been five NHL regular-season games played in the Czech Republic, which have all been played at O2 Arena in Prague. This year’s games in Finland will mark the first NHL regular-season games to ever be played in Tampere.

The NHL is a global League, with more than 30 percent of NHL players this season having been born outside of North America. All four clubs feature a number of international stars on their rosters, including natives of the countries they are visiting. In October, Roman Josi of the Predators will be playing in his hometown of Bern, Switzerland, against his former team, SC Bern. Czech Republic natives Tomas Hertl and Radim Simek of the Sharks and David Rittich of the Predators will be playing in their home country for the first time as NHL players.

San Jose, Colorado and Columbus have all played regular-season games in Europe, while Nashville has played two regular-season games in Japan and will be making its European debut.

More information on the 2022 NHL Global Series and 2022 NHL Global Series Challenge will be announced when available.

Headline photo via NHL