Throughout the history of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL), there has been a long-standing tradition of international games played by NHL teams. The following is a list of games played by NHL teams against other NHL teams and non-NHL teams outside the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, as well games played by NHL teams in the United States and Canada against non-North American teams. The NHL began playing games around the globe, with 30 teams traveling to 15 countries across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

since the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

and

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

first went to Europe for a postseason exhibition tour in 1938. The game played on 21 April 1938 was the first one organized by any

Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada The major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada commonly refer to the highest men's professional competitions of team sports in those countries. The four leagues traditionally included in the definition are Major League Bas ...

, to take place outside

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. In the tables below bolded team names denote winners.

Europe

1938 Detroit Red Wings–Montreal Canadiens European tour

In 1938, for the first time in NHL history two of the league's teams, the

and the

, went on a tour of Europe with a nine-game series in England and France. The Canadiens won the series with a record of 5–3–1.

1959 Boston Bruins–New York Rangers European tour

In 1959, the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

(aided by

Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull OC (born January 3, 1939) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high veloc ...

Ed Litzenberger Edward Charles John "Eddie" Litzenberger (July 15, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was a Canadian ice hockey right winger from Neudorf, Saskatchewan. Litzenberger was "donated" to the Chicago Black Hawks by the Montreal Canadiens in his first year in ...

Eric Nesterenko Eric Paul Nesterenko (October 31, 1933 – June 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1956 and for the Chicago Black Hawks from 1956 until ...

, and

Pierre Pilote Joseph Albert Pierre Paul Pilote (December 11, 1931 – September 9, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and perennial All-Star, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), for which he served ...

of the

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) went on a 23-game tour of Europe, visiting England, Switzerland, France, Belgium, West Germany, and Austria. The Rangers won the series with a record of 11–9–3. The first game in Geneva was attended by a sell-out crowd of 11,000, the attendance for the Zürich games was 4500 and 2000. In Berlin, only 600 people went to see the first game.

1975–76 Super Series

In late 1975 and early 1976, two

Soviet League The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

teams from Moscow,

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

( CSKA, also known as "Red Army", and Krylya Sovetov, also known as "Soviet Wings") played an eight-game series against several NHL teams (the

, the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

, the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

, the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

, and the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

). The games took place in the US and Canada. The Soviet teams won the series with a record of 5–2–1. Individually, CSKA had a record of 2–1–1 and Krylya Sovetov had a record of 3–1–0.

1977–78 Czechoslovak NHL tour and Super Series

In late 1977 and early 1978, two

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

n teams ( TJ Poldi SONP Kladno and

Tesla Pardubice HC Dynamo Pardubice is a professional ice hockey club that plays in the Czech Extraliga. Its home venue is Enteria arena located in Pardubice. The club was originally named LTC Pardubice, acquiring its current name at the start of the 2015– ...

) along with one

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

team (

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * WB ...

) went on a 13-game tour of the NHL, playing against several NHL teams (the

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

, the

Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team. *Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978 *Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...

, the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

, the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

, the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

, the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

). Games took place in the US and Canada. Both sides finished the series with 6–6–1 records. Individually, Kladno had a record of 2–1–1, Pardubice had a record of 1–3–0 (combined Czech record of 3–4–1), and Spartak had a record of 3–2–0.

1978–79 Super Series

In late 1978 and early 1979, Soviet Union's Krylya Sovetov from Moscow played a four-game series against NHL teams (the

, the

, and the

). Games took place in the United States. Krylya Sovetov won the series with a 2–1–1 record.

1979 Challenge Cup

The 1979 Challenge Cup was a series of international

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

games between the

Soviet Union national ice hockey team The Soviet national ice hockey team was the national men's ice hockey team of the Soviet Union. From 1954, the team won at least one medal each year at either the Ice Hockey World Championships ...

and a team of All-Stars from the

. The games were played on February 8, 10, and 11 at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in New York City. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the

1978–79 NHL season The 1978–79 NHL season was the 62nd season of the National Hockey League. The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals four games to one for their fourth consecutive Cup. The Cleveland Barons merged with the Minneso ...

. The Soviets defeated the NHL All-Stars 2 games to 1.

1979–80 Super Series

In late 1979 and early 1980, two

teams from Moscow, CSKA and

Dynamo file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...

, played a nine-game series against several NHL teams (the

, the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

, the

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...

, the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

, and the original

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

). Games took place in the US and Canada. The Moscow teams won the series with a record of 5–3–1. Individually, CSKA had a record of 3–2–0, and Dynamo had a record of 2–1–1.

1980 DN-Cup

In 1980, the

and the

participated in the DN-Cup, a round-robin tournament in Sweden sponsored by the newspaper

Dagens Nyheter ''Dagens Nyheter'' (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record. History and profile ''Da ...

, with Swedish teams

AIK AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...

and

Djurgården Djurgården ( or ) or, more officially, ''Kungliga Djurgården'' (), is an island in central Stockholm, Sweden. Djurgården is home to historical buildings and monuments, museums, galleries, the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum ...

from Stockholm. Six games were played in total, five involving the NHL teams (AIK beat Djurgården 1–0 on September 21, attendance: 2,668). Washington won the tournament with a 3–0–0 record, Minnesota finished second with 2–1–0, AIK finished third and Djurgården last.

1981 DN-Cup

In 1981, the

and the

participated in the round-robin DN-Cup in Sweden with Swedish teams

Västra Frölunda Västra Frölunda, sometimes referred to as just Frölunda, is one of 21 boroughs in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. It is located in the south western part of the city, and is the smallest of the boroughs with a population of 12,855 (2004) on 3.7 ...

, and

. The New York won the tournament with a 4–0–0 record, ahead of AIK, Västra Frölunda, Washington (1–3–0) and Djurgården. The list of DN-Cup games excludes three games played without NHL participation. Each NHL team played an additional game in Finland, against

HIFK HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK ) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...

and

Oulun Kärpät Oulun Kärpät (Finnish for "Oulu Ermines", sometimes referred to as Kärpät Oulu) is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Oulu and playing in the top-tier Finnish Liiga. Kärpät have won the Finnish championship title eight times ...

. In total, the NHL teams posted a record of 5–3–0 against the European teams, New York finished 3–1–0, Washington 2–2–0 (excluding the NHL-only game).

DN-Cup

Other games

1982–83 Super Series

In late 1982 and early 1983, the USSR national team played a six-game series against several NHL teams (the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

, the

, and the

). Games took place in the US and Canada. The USSR team won the series with a 4–2–0 record.

1985–86 Super Series

In late 1985 and early 1986, two

teams from Moscow, CSKA and

, played a ten-game series against several NHL teams (the

, the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

, the

, and the

). Games took place in the US and Canada. The Moscow teams won the series with a record of 7–2–1. Individually, CSKA had a record of 5–1–0 and Dynamo had a record of 2–1–1.

Rendez-vous '87

Rendez-vous '87 was a series of international

games between the

and a team of All-Stars from the

. The games were played on February 11 and 13 at

Le Colisée Le Colisée is an indoor arena in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. It is primarily used for basketball games, and it is the home arena of the French Pro A League club Élan Chalon. The arena seats 5,000 people. History In 2016, the 2016 FIBA Europe ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

. It replaced the NHL's all-star festivities for the

1986–87 NHL season The 1986–87 NHL season was the 70th season of the National Hockey League. The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup by beating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to three in the Cup finals. League business The Chicago-based club officially chang ...

. Both teams won one of the two games, with the Soviets winning overall on total score, 8–7.

1988–89 Super Series

In late 1988 and early 1989 two

teams,

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

and

Dinamo Riga Dinamo Riga ( lv, Rīgas Dinamo) is a professional ice hockey team based in Riga, Latvia. It is a member of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. The club is affiliated with HK Zemgale/LLU. The club was re-founded on 7 April 2008 as a successor of ...

, played a 14-games series against several NHL teams (the

, the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

, the

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

, the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

, the

, and the

). Games took place in the US and Canada. Both sides finished with a record of 6–6–2. Individually, CSKA had a record of 4–2–1 and Dinamo had a record of 2–4–1.

1989 Friendship Tour

In 1989, the

and the

went on a twelve-game European tour, playing against teams from Sweden (

Färjestad BK Färjestad Bollklubb (; abbreviated as FBK) is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 21 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning ten times since the Swedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien) ...

and

Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club currently plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden. The club has played in the top-tier league since 1960, longer than any other team. History ...

) and the

(

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

Khimik Voskresensk Hockey Club Atlant Moscow Oblast (russian: ХК Атлант Московская область, en, Atlas Hockey Club Moscow Region) was a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast. They were members of the Bobro ...

Krylya Sovetov Moscow HC Krylya Sovetov (russian: link=no, ХК Крылья Советов; ''Soviet Wings'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Moscow, Russia. The team played in the top divisions of Soviet and Russian hockey. In 2008, the team was expell ...

SKA Leningrad The Hockey Club SKA (russian: Спортивный клуб СКА), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg. They are members o ...

, Sokol Kiev, and

). The Flames preceded these games with a two-game series in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

against the Czechoslovakia national team, losing both. The NHL teams won the series with a record of 7–5–0 (0–2–0 against Czechoslovakia, 1–1–0 against the Swedish teams, and 6–2–0 against Soviet teams). Individually, Calgary had a record of 3–3–0 and Washington had a record of 4–2–0.

1989–90 Super Series

In late 1989 and early 1990 a record four

teams (

, and

went on a 21-game tour of North America, playing against every NHL team (the

, the

, and the original

). Games took place in the US and Canada. The Soviet teams won the series with a record of 11–9–1. Individually, CSKA had a record of 4–1–0, Dynamo had a record of 3–2–0, Khimik had a record of 3–3–0, and Krylya Sovetov had a record of 1–3–1.

1990 Edmonton Oilers–St. Louis Blues European tournament

In 1990, the

and the

participated in the

Epson Seiko Epson Corporation, or simply known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational electronics company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, ...

Cup played in Düsseldorf with hosts

Düsseldorfer EG Düsseldorfer EG (short DEG) is a German professional ice hockey team in Düsseldorf. It was Germany's most successful hockey club for a long time and had many international players. The famous Eisstadion at the Brehmstrasse was the home venue for ...

. The Oilers then played two more games against

EC Graz EC Graz was an Austrian ice hockey team from Graz, Styria, playing in the Austrian Hockey League and Alpenliga in the 1990s. History The EC Graz (also called "the elephants") emerged in 1990 when the UEC Graz and ATSE Graz were merged. ATSE Graz ...

of Austria, and EC Hedos Munich of Germany. The NHL teams posted a record of 4–0–0, excluding the NHL-only game.

1990 Friendship Tour

In 1990, the

and the

went on a nine-game tour of Europe, dubbed the Friendship Tour '90, with a game in Sweden against

, and the rest in the

against

, a

Torpedo Yaroslavl Hockey Club Lokomotiv (russian: ХК Локомотив, en, Locomotive HC), also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team, based in the city of Yaroslavl, playing in the top level Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) ...

joint squad, Sokol Kiev,

, and

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n (the country declared its independence from the

on 4 May) team

. The European teams won the series with a record of 5–4–0. Individually, the Canadiens had a record of 3–2–0 and the North Stars had a record of 1–3–0. For the game in Sweden, the NHL had required the Canadiens to wear generic orange jerseys with the NHL shield, but backed off when the organisation was uncooperative.

1990–91 Super Series

In late 1990 and early 1991 three

teams (

) went on a 21-game tour of North America, playing against every NHL team (the

, the

, and the original

). Games took place in the US and Canada. The Soviet teams won the series with a record of 12–6–3. Individually, CSKA had a record of 6–1–0, Dynamo had a record of 3–2–2, and Khimik had a record of 3–3–1.

1992 Chicago Blackhawks–Montreal Canadiens English games

In 1992, the

and the

played a two-game series in England. Each team won one game.

1993 New York Rangers–Toronto Maple Leafs English games

In 1993, the

and the

played a two-game series in England. The Rangers won both games.

1994 NHL International Challenge in Finland, with the Winnipeg Jets

In 1994, the original

played in a four-team compressed tournament with HIFK Helsinki, Helsinki

Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...

, and

Tappara Tampere Tappara (; Finnish for "Battle axe") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga. They play at '' Tampere Deck Arena'' in Tampere, Finland. The team has won 18 Finnish league championships (1959, 1961, 1964, 1975, 1977, 1979, ...

in Finland. The Jets won their first game against Tappara, and then HIFK in the final. The tournament had been set up for a final game between Teemu Selänne's old team (Jokerit) and current team (the Jets).

Ninety Nine All Stars Tour

During the

1994–95 NHL lockout The 1994–95 NHL lockout was a lockout that came after a year of National Hockey League (NHL) hockey that was played without a collective bargaining agreement. The lockout was a subject of dispute as the players sought collective bargaining and ...

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

formed a team called the ''Ninety Nine All Stars'' to play a tour of exhibition games across Europe against various European club teams, in order to stay in game shape and raise money for charity. * December 1, 1994: 3–4 loss vs

Detroit Vipers The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their mascot was a polar bear named Vipe-bear. History Beginning The Vipers were originally formed as the Sal ...

(IHL) * December 3, 1994: 7–1 win vs

(Finland) * December 4, 1994: 3–4 OT loss vs

Ilves Tampere Ilves (; Finnish for " Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Tampere Deck Arena. The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the cit ...

(Finland) * December 6, 1994: 6–3 win vs ''Norwegian Spectrum All Stars'' (Norway) * December 9, 1994: 8–3 win vs

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is named ...

(Sweden) * December 10, 1994: 5–2 win vs Västra Frölunda HC (Sweden) * December 12, 1994: 5–6 OT loss vs

Malmö IF Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popu ...

(Sweden) * December 14, 1994: 8–5 win vs ''German All Stars'' in Freiburg (Germany)

1998 Buffalo Sabres–Tampa Bay Lightning Austrian tournament

In 1998, the

and the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

played in a three-game tournament in Austria against the Austrian teams KAC Klagenfurt and

VEU Feldkirch VEU Feldkirch is a professional ice hockey team from Feldkirch, Austria. The team currently plays in the Ö Eishockey Liga. They Play Their Home Games At Vorarlberghalle. They formerly Play in the Austrian National League and Alps Hockey League. ...

. The NHL teams won the tournament with a record of 2–0–0, excluding the NHL-only game.

2000 NHL Challenge

In 2000, the

played a two-game series in Sweden against the Swedish teams Djurgården Stockholm and MoDo Örnsköldsvik. The Canucks won both games.

2001 NHL Challenge

In 2001, the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

played a single game in Sweden against the Swedish team Brynäs Gävle. The Avalanche won. Two more games were scheduled (against Djurgarden and

), but the tour was cut short due to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

2003 NHL Challenge

In 2003, the

played a three-game series in Finland and Sweden against the Finnish team

Jokerit Helsinki Helsingin Jokerit (English: Joker (playing card), Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002) ...

and the Swedish teams Djurgården Stockholm and Färjestad Karlstad. The Maple Leafs won all games.

2004–05 season NHL Worldstars

During the 2004–2005 NHL labour dispute, the NHL Worldstars team played.

2007 NHL Premiere

In 2007, the NHL opened its regular season in Europe for the first time. The

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

and the

played a two-game series in England. Each team won one game. Prior to this, the Kings played a two-game series in Austria against the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg and the Swedish team Färjestad Karlstad, winning both.

2008 NHL Premiere

In 2008, four teams from the NHL (the

, the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

, the

, and the

) opened their regular seasons in Europe. The Rangers and the Lightning played a two-game series in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, with the Rangers winning both games. The Senators and the Penguins played a two-game series in Sweden, with each team winning one game. Prior to this, the Rangers played in the inaugural Victoria Cup against

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Metallurg Magnitogorsk (russian: Металлург Магнитогорск) is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. They a ...

from Russia. All four teams also played against various European teams (

Eisbären Berlin Eisbären Berlin (; English: ''Berlin Polar Bears'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey, and is also one ...

from Germany,

SC Bern Schlittschuh Club Bern (''Ice-skating Club Bern'' in English language, English) is an ice hockey team based in Bern, Switzerland. They play in the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL), the top tier of the Swiss hockey league system. ...

from Switzerland, Slovan Bratislava from

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

from Finland, and Frölunda Gothenburg from Sweden). The NHL teams won all games.

2009 NHL Premiere

In 2009, once more four teams from the NHL (the

, the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

, and the

) opened their regular seasons in Europe. The Blackhawks and the Panthers played a two-game series in Finland, with each team winning once. The Red Wings and the Blues played a two-game series in Sweden, with the Blues winning both games. Prior to this, the Blackhawks played in the second annual Victoria Cup against

ZSC Lions The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions (ZSC Lions) are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and playe ...

from Switzerland. All four teams also played against various European teams (

and

from Finland,

HC Davos Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos plays in the National League (NL). The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team players and ...

from Switzerland, and

and

Linköpings HC Linköpings may refer to: *Linköpings ASS, Linköpings Allmänna Simsällskap is a Swedish swim team *Linköpings FC, an association football club *Linköpings FF, premier men's football team *Linköpings HC, Linköpings Hockey Club See also ...

from Sweden). The NHL teams had a record of 4–2–0 against the European teams.

2010 NHL Premiere

In 2010, a record six NHL teams (the

, the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

, the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

, the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

, the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

, and the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

) opened their regular seasons in Europe. The Hurricanes and the Wild played a two-game series in Finland, with the Hurricanes winning both games. The Blue Jackets and the Sharks played a two-game series in Sweden, with each team winning one game. The Bruins and the Coyotes played a two-game series in the

, with each team winning one game. Prior to this, all six teams also played against various European teams (

Adler Mannheim The Adler Mannheim (English: ''Mannheim Eagles'', formerly Mannheimer ERC) is a professional ice hockey team of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest-level ice hockey league in Germany. The team is based in Mannheim, a city in the northern pa ...

from Germany, Belfast Giants Selects from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

(an all-star team of the

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

SKA Saint Petersburg The Hockey Club SKA (russian: Спортивный клуб СКА), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg. They are members o ...

from Russia,

from Finland,

HC Bílí Tygři Liberec Bílí Tygři Liberec (English: ''Liberec White Tigers'') are a professional ice hockey club based in Liberec, Czech Republic. The team competes in the Czech Extraliga, the highest level of play in professional Czech ice hockey. History The firs ...

from the Czech Republic,

Malmö Redhawks The IF Malmö Redhawks (colloquially referred to simply as Malmö or by past abbreviation MIF) is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Malmö which plays in the SHL, with Malmö Arena as the venue for home games. The history of the ...

from Sweden, and

from

). The NHL teams had a record of 6–1–0 against the European teams.

2011 NHL Premiere

In 2011, four teams from the NHL (the

, the

, and the

) opened their regular seasons in Europe, marking the fifth straight season of the NHL Premiere games. On October 7, the Ducks and the Sabres played a game in Finland, while the Kings and the Rangers played a game in Sweden. The next day, the Ducks and the Rangers played a game in Sweden, while the Sabres and the Kings played a game in Germany. These teams also played exhibition games against

HC Sparta Prague Hockey Club Sparta Praha, commonly known as HC Sparta Prague, is a Prague-based Czech ice hockey team playing in the Czech Extraliga. The club has won four Czech championships (most recently in 2007) and four Czechoslovak championships, as ...

from the

Frölunda HC Frölunda Hockey Club, previously known as the Frölunda Indians, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They currently play in the highest Swedish league, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), formerly the Elitserien, where th ...

from Sweden, Slovan Bratislava from

EV Zug EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena. History EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...

from Switzerland,

from Finland and

and

Hamburg Freezers The Hamburg Freezers were a German professional men's ice hockey club from Hamburg, Germany that played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The club announced its withdrawal from the DEL and ceased operations on 24 May 2016 when Anschutz Entertainment ...

from Germany as part of their pre-season schedule. The New York Rangers, playing four games in five days in four countries, had a record of 3–1–0 against the European teams. The NHL teams had an overall record of 6–1–0 against the European teams. In March 2012, the NHL announced that it would not schedule an NHL Premiere event for 2012.

2017 NHL Global Series

On March 24, 2017, the NHL announced the return of regular season games played outside North America in a new event called the NHL Global Series. The

and

played two regular season games at the

Ericsson Globe Avicii Arena, originally known as Stockholm Globe Arena and previously as Ericsson Globe, but commonly referred to in Swedish simply as Globen (; "the Globe"), is an indoor arena located in Stockholm Globe City, Johanneshov district of Stockho ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

on November 10 and 11, 2017. Unlike the previous regular-season series played in Europe by the NHL, these games were played a month into the regular season rather than the start of it.

2018 NHL Global Series

On March 26, 2018, the NHL announced the 2018 slate of NHL Global Series games. The

and

played their regular season opening game in Sweden on October 6, preceded by two exhibition games against European teams. The

and

then played two regular season games in Finland on November 1 and 2.

2019 NHL Global Series

On March 21, 2019, the NHL announced the 2019 lineup of hockey games in Europe. The

and

played their regular season opening game in Prague on October 4, preceded by two exhibition games against European teams. The Blackhawks played

on September 29 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and the Flyers played

Lausanne HC , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

on September 30. The

and

then played two regular season games in Sweden on November 8 and 9.

2022 NHL Global Series

After a two-year hiatus, the Global Series returned for 2022. The slate of games was revealed on April 22. The

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

and

will begin the 2022–23 season with two games in Prague. Ahead of such games, both teams will have preseason games against

and Eisbären Berlin. The

and

have games in Tampere.

Japan

1976 Kansas City Scouts–Washington Capitals Japanese tour

In 1976, the

Kansas City Scouts The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, the Rockies relocated to New Jersey where t ...

and the

played a four-game series in Japan. The Capitals won the series with a 3–1–0 record.

1997 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim–Vancouver Canucks Japanese games

In 1997, the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty may refer to: * ''Mighty'' (The Planet Smashers album) * ''Mighty'' (Kristene DiMarco album) * ''The Mighty'' (1929 film), a 1929 American action film *''The Mighty'', a 1998 comedy-drama film * ''The Mighty'' (comics), a DC Comics title *Th ...

and the

played a two-game series in Japan to open the 1997–98 regular season. This marked the first time that games played by NHL teams outside of North America counted in the league standings. Each team won one game.

1998 Calgary Flames–San Jose Sharks Japanese games

In 1998, the

and the

played a two-game series in Japan. The teams tied one game, and the Flames won the other. These games counted in the regular-season standings.

2000 Nashville Predators–Pittsburgh Penguins Japanese games

In 2000, the

and the

played a two-game series in Japan. Each team won one game. As with the previous season-opening series in Japan in 1997 and 1998, these games counted in the regular-season standings.

China

2017 NHL China Games

On March 29, 2017, the NHL announced that the

and

would play two exhibition games in China in a new event called the ''NHL China Games''. Both teams faced each other in Shanghai, on September 21, 2017, and then in Beijing, on September 23. This was the first time NHL teams played in China.

2018 NHL China Games

On May 2, 2018, the NHL announced that the

and

would play two exhibition games in China for the second consecutive year. Both teams faced each other in Shenzhen on September 15, and then in Beijing on September 19.

Puerto Rico

2006 Florida Panthers–New York Rangers Puerto Rican game

In 2006, as part of the pre-season for the 2006–07 NHL season, the

and the

played an exhibition game at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The Rangers won the game.

References

External links

NHL overseas history at NHL.com

Slapshots list of NHL vs. European games

2006 game in Puerto Rico

{{NHL topics

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...