The NHL Premiere for 2012 has not been confirmed yet and as far we we all know; might not happen. It most likely will as I discussed in Part 1, which for those of you who haven’t read it yet can check out here. This article is going with the presumption that there will be NHL games in Europe this season, however if the games do not happen for some reason then don’t come calling us liars.

Possibly the most exciting and interesting debate for any NHL Premiere is most definitely its location. With (currently speaking) 50 countries making up Europe there is a huge choice, however it is worth considering that many countries such as Greece and Portugal for example do not have much of if any following of hockey and in many European countries Soccer is king.

However, the Nordic Countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway), the Baltic’s (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania), Germany, Hungary, The Czech Republic, United Kingdom and heck even Italy all have some interest in hockey varying from a semi pro standpoint all the way through to a Professional level with players from these countries being internationally regarded as legends. The following is not a definitive list and I am almost certain that I will have forgotten a few major options off the list but its a list that I would say holds some good candidates.

Helsinki, Finland
The capital of Finland is of course home to SM-Liga team Jokerit and with it a huge hockey following. The city has had great success with previous Premieres and is evidently a great place to hold games. With big names like Selanne coming from Helsinki the people of Finland deserve a chance to see their homegrown talent on the ice once a year. However on the flip side Finland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe to do business with and additionally whilst a minor point; it is in the -2 UTC timezone leading to an even bigger time change for players to work with.
Pros: Sell out crowds, lots of Finnish / hometown players in the NHL
Cons: Costs, Time zone is +2 UTC

Tampere, Finland
This large Finnish city has a healthy population and a love for Ice Hockey. Random fact, the first Finnish ice hockey game was played in Tampere and therefore the city is regarded as the Hometown of Finnish hockey. The city has one large arena for hockey named Tampereen jäähalli which holds just 7800 specatators – not enough by far for NHL hockey. Additionally the city has less of a brand impact and is nowhere near as recognizable, in fact I am almost sure half of you reading this city have never heard of Tampere.
Pros: Hockey heritage
Cons: Small arena, Less recognisable

Stockholm, Sweden
This city regarded as the capital of Scandinavia boasts one of the largest populations in the region along with a decent size arena, a great following for hockey so long as it features Swedish players and has in the past posted some good attendance figures. However the attendance for games has fluctuated based on what teams are playing. The San Jose / Columbus match ups for example lead to disappointing figures which were largely based on lack of key Swedish players and additionally over priced tickets. This city could be a good choice for the next premiere however it has to have the right teams and ticket prices.
Pros: Fantastic hockey venue, Good following of Swedish Players
Cons: Can be expensive, Market will not work with the wrong teams

Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and is home to the team Frölunda HC. However, this city is considered to be the birth place of Soccer in Sweden and is home to 3 major soccer teams providing strong competition between the sports for interest and whilst many fans have an interest in Hockey chances are they may not be so willing to spend the larger amounts associated with the NHL. The city however has a more than capable arena, the Scananavium which can hold roughly 13,000 which is well on par with Stockholm and Helsinki.
Pros: Hockey interest, Hockey arena with big enough capacity
Cons: Soccer following very high

Olso, Norway
Norway is not usually the first country on anyones mind when they consider hockey, however this city was home to the 1999 IIHF tournament  and has two Pro ice hockey teams playing in GET-Ligen. This however is where the positives stop. Neither arena seats over 4000 people and Norway is a country which has a strong Soccer preference. Additionally add to this that Oslo is considered one of the most expensive countries in the world due to its high quality of life it becomes less attractive to outsiders and the NHL.
Pros: Has hosted international hockey tournaments
Cons: Lack of interest in Hockey in comparison to Soccer; no real big names in NHL, Expensive

Hamburg, Germany
Germany is a country that has a good overall following of hockey and in 2011 hosted its first NHL Premiere game though this was in Berlin and not Hamburg.
Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and sometimes called Germany’s city of sport.  Hamburg whilst being home to a strong soccer following is also big on Ice Hockey. The Hamburg Freezers play in the DEL and is regarded as the nation’s hockey capital being home to strong hockey teams with a good following. The city has a great venue for hockey also, being home to the very modern o2 World Arena that can hold just shy of 13,000. With these arguments an NHL game could be very well received in Hamburg.
Pros: Arena is ready to go, Considered Hockey Capital, Local Teams = Supporters
Cons: Competitive market?

Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt is the fifth largest city in Germany and is home to many professional teams, however since 2010 hockey is not one of them. The Frankfurt Lions of the DEL ceased to exist in 2010 due to financial struggles. In addition to this, Frankfurt lacks a decent sized arena to make an NHL game possible and is home to several major Soccer teams so hockey support is considered to be thinner in this city.
Pros: Fifth largest city in Germany, Was home to DEL team
Cons: Hockey team folded thus market is possibly weak, Lack of decent sized arena

Berlin, Germany
The capital of Germany is home to the 7th most populous region in the EU and is the largest city in Germany. It is regarded as have being home to many historic sporting events and has previously hosted an NHL Premiere game. It is home to the team Eisbären Berlin and the arena o2 World (Berlin not to be confused with Hamburg). Given the cities credentials another NHL game would do well here and it seems less driven on hometown names which is a huge plus.
Pros: Huge populous, Ice hockey fans and a DEL team
Cons: Less hometown players in NHL

London, United Kingdom
The capital of the United Kingdom is surprisingly not home to an Elite League team. It has however got a decent sized following at grass roots level in the local area and the smaller size of the United Kingdom leads to London being more accessible for people across the UK versus other cities in larger European Countries. This allows for London to attract fans from Elite League cities. A previous set of NHL premiere games sold well, however it was debatable what mixture of fans was European / British. This is even more questionable being the only games held in Europe at the time so it had no competition.
The major downside to the United Kingdom however is its fans and how it regards hockey. Ice Hockey is closer to being a distant ugly Cousin in regards to other sports such as Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Tennis etc. and many people in the UK have no interest or knowledge of such a sport’s existence in their country. This leads to a severe lack of media coverage and less of a market for the NHL to tap into and with rising costs in the UK which could make a game a risky move financially; especially in comparison to the wealthier Scandinavian countries.  And also, how many UK players are there in the NHL to watch?
Pros: Accessible location, NHL ready arena
Cons: Hockey’s fifth class status, rising costs, lack of NHL players from the UK, Country tied up post-Olympics

Riga, Latvia
This former soviet state is home to KHL team Dinamo Riga. This team plays in Arena Liga which can hold up to 14,000 people. This would more than happily hold a good NHL crowd and would have the local interest to help fill it.
However, in the former east Politics at times can be difficult and the NHL has had previous issues with the KHL in regards to achieving games in Europe (Russia) and as Latvia is home to a KHL team this could be an issue.
Pros: Hockey interest, Suitable arena
Cons: KHL, Less recognizable internationally by name

Prague, Czech Republic
Home to a large population and has been home to two NHL premieres in the past, Prague is a city that has proven in the past that it can be home to an NHL game. In addition it hosted the 2004 World Ice Hockey Championships and is home to HC Slavia Praha who play in the CEL. In addition, Prague has one of the largest Ice Hockey arenas in Europe (the o2 Arena Prague). The city however is also home to a number of soccer teams like many are in Europe and this may thin support out compared to other cities.
Pro: Big Arena, Good following, Past Experience
Cons: Busy sports market

So that is my list of the main contenders along with a few smaller oddballs. Of course what it will come down to in the end is what city offers the NHL the best deal, and best combination for teams and schedules. Chances are someone at the NHL already has their eye on the NHL Premiere and behind the scenes talks are happening or set to happen.
The question of what teams and combinations for the NHL premiere is an exciting one and there are millions of reasons why some teams will go and some teams won’t. Join us net time in Part 3 where we will look into what teams might take part in the NHL Premiere.

Im KevKev, and this is PowerPlayGoal.com

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