- Bayern Munich left back Alphonso Davies grew up in Edmonton and still follows the Oilers
- Davies shared a stage with Leon Draisaitl and JJ Peterka in Munich on Thursday
- Read below for what Davies said about Draisaitl and where he would play him in soccer
Alphonso Davies is one of the best soccer players on the planet, and he still watches Oilers games.
The Bayern Munich left back spent Thursday morning at his club’s training ground with Leon Draisaitl, and he made it clear where his hockey loyalty sits.
Davies was asked about his connection to the sport during the press conference announcing a partnership between Bayern and the NHL, per Shawn P. Roarke of NHL.com.
“For me, hockey is a great sport, which I grew up with. The fact that Leon plays for Edmonton is special for me. I always cheer him on when I watch the Oilers.”
His family emigrated from Liberia to Edmonton when he was five, so the hockey part is not a bit. Take a look at Bayern’s photo of Peterka, Davies and Draisaitl together:
Before the formal announcement, Bayern’s social team put the three of them through a trivia challenge. Davies handled the hockey questions while Draisaitl and Peterka tried to answer soccer ones about the Bundesliga and their hosts.
The partnership itself is a multiyear deal aimed at growing hockey in Germany and building Bayern’s profile in North America. It arrived the same morning the league confirmed that the Oilers are headed to Cologne and the Bruins to Munich for the 2027 NHL Global Series.
Draisaitl framed the tie-up as a signal rather than a business item.
“The fact that the NHL and FC Bayern are establishing this cooperation sends a huge message for Germany and the NHL.”
Davies also got the question every crossover event eventually produces. If Draisaitl played soccer, where would he go?
“I think he would be a good right back, to be honest, or maybe a holding midfielder. A right back in football is pretty offensive nowadays. He can get up the pitch and defend. Do it all.”
Flip it around and Davies wants the middle of the ice. He said he would be a center, in on the goals and back on defense.
This year has not been kind to him either. A lower-body injury held Davies to one appearance for Canada at the World Cup after he went in as the team’s clear leader.
He is expecting more from his hockey team this year. Edmonton lost in the first round last spring after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final.
“In sports you always have ups and downs, but these guys, they go out there each week and do what they need to do. I mean, it is a long season, but I’m sure this season, they have something to prove because last year was not what we expected as a fan.”
A Champions League regular calling himself an Oilers fan is a decent start for a league trying to sell hockey in Germany.
