- Oilers will play two games in Cologne, Bruins two in Munich, during 2027-28
- NHL also announced a multiyear partnership with soccer giant FC Bayern
- Read below for the venues, the German history and what Draisaitl is giving Cologne
Leon Draisaitl and JJ Peterka are getting NHL games in their hometowns.
The NHL and NHLPA announced Thursday that the Edmonton Oilers will play twice in Cologne and the Boston Bruins will play twice in Munich during the 2027-28 season.
Neither city has ever hosted an NHL regular season game. Cologne gets its pair at Lanxess Arena, Munich at SAP Garden.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly was asked about what the trip means for the league’s German plans.
“The National Hockey League is thrilled to bring our first-ever regular-season games to the passionate fans in Munich and Cologne,” Daly said. “These events represent an important step in our commitment to grow the game in Germany.”
Opponents and ticketing details are coming at some point during the 2026-27 season.
These will be the fourth through seventh NHL regular season games ever played in Germany. The first came on Oct. 8, 2011, when the Sabres faced the Kings in Berlin.
Before any of that, Düsseldorf hosts the 2026 NHL Global Series on Dec. 18 and 20 at PSD Bank Dome, with the Senators and Blackhawks meeting twice.
Here’s the league dropping the news on Germany:
Thursday’s other announcement came out of a soccer stadium. The NHL and FC Bayern announced a multiyear partnership, unveiled at Säbener Straße with Draisaitl, Peterka and Bayern’s Alphonso Davies on hand.
Their plans include street hockey events in Munich, watch parties, matchday activations at Allianz Arena, youth programming and co-branded merchandise.
Draisaitl remains the only German player to reach 1,000 NHL points, and he’s up to 1,053 in 855 games. He captained Germany to a sixth-place finish at the Milano Cortina Olympics, the country’s best Olympic result ever.
Peterka is heading into his first season in Boston after Utah traded him in June for a pair of first-round picks. He put up 47 points last year and already sits among the top 10 German scorers in league history.
Cologne is getting something out of this before a puck ever drops. Draisaitl and NHLPA Goals & Dreams are donating 58 complete sets of hockey equipment to Kölner Haie youth teams.
