NHL Will Play Two 2023 Preseason Games In Melbourne, Australia

For more than three decades, hockey fans watch the NHL go south.

The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas. The original Winnipeg Jets relocated to Arizona. And expansion franchises popped up in places like Florida and Nashville.

This fall, the league will head farther south than ever before. On Tuesday, it was announced that the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes will play a pair of preseason games in Melbourne, Australia in September as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series.

“Melbourne is recognized worldwide for embracing anything and everything sports, making it the ultimate destination to host NHL players in the upcoming NHL Global Series games,” said Marty Walsh, the newly installed executive director of the NHL Players’ Association. “The players on the Kings and Coyotes look forward to introducing themselves to Australians this September and experiencing the excitement of their renowned sports fandom firsthand.”

It’s not the first time that hockey has been played at Rod Laver Arena, the premiere venue for tennis’s Australian Open. The arena, which seats around 15,000 fans, has previously hosted summer hockey tours, including one that was branded as the ‘Wayne Gretzky Ice Hockey Classic’ in 2016. One of the promoters from that event, TEG, has also had a hand in enticing the NHL to make its longest journey yet for a Global Series game — nearly 8,000 miles.

The Kings know what they’re getting into. They travelled more than 6,000 miles to China in 2017 for a two-game preseason series in Shanghai and Beijing against the Vancouver Canucks, and they have participated in a number of games in Europe. The Coyotes’ international experience is limited to one trip in 2010, with games in Latvia and Czechia.

In the Pacific Rim, the NHL also mounted games between the Canucks and the Anaheim Ducks in Japan in October of 1997, ahead of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. International events have continued to be an important part of the league’s global marketing strategy — both to give European stars an opportunity to play NHL games in front of fans in their hockey-mad countries and to help grow the game in non-traditional markets, like Australia.

Just one player from Australia has reached the NHL to date. Nathan Walker, 29, was born in Cardiff, Wales, but grew up in Australia and started playing hockey there. He then went on to spend two seasons in Czechia as a teenager as he pursued his hockey career, before landing in the U.S.

After being drafted in the third round by the Washington Capitals in 2014, Walker made his NHL debut on Oct. 7, 2017. That same season, he appeared in one playoff game for the Capitals on their run to the 2018 Stanley Cup. Walker is now a member of the St. Louis Blues, and has dressed for 109 NHL games.

“We are delighted to bring the excitement and passion of the National Hockey League to the dynamic city of Melbourne and the great sports fans of Australia with the 2023 Global Series games,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. “The Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings are two of our league’s rising young teams and among our most innovative and adventurous franchises. We look forward to their two games at Rod Laver Arena and know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia and cause so many more throughout the sports-loving nation to be captivated by our great game.”

The NHL Global Series is a partnership between the NHL and the Players’ Association, so this event is the first tangible collaboration between the league and the NHLPA’s new head, Marty Walsh, who assumed his position in mid-March. The possibility of games in Australia has been rumored for months. It seems promising that the two sides were able to get the deal finalized and announced so soon after Walsh took office.

Former Kings captain Dustin Brown and Coyotes alumnus Darcy Hordichuk were on hand in Melbourne for the announcement, which took place on Wednesday morning local time.

“Nowhere does major events like Melbourne and that’s why we are able to attract the biggest sporting spectacles from around the globe,” said Steve Dimopoulos, the minister for tourism, sport and major events, who was also on hand. “Securing the NHL’s first-ever games in the southern hemisphere is not only a win for fans but will deliver big benefits for tourism businesses in our city. These games will also promote Melbourne to millions of potential visitors watching through global broadcasts.”

Hospitality and travel packages for the event, which runs Sept. 23-24, are on sale now. Fans can also sign up for a waitlist to secure early access to general admission tickets.