Sweden has already been exposed to the NHL’s presence for a number of years, ever since 1980 where the Washington Capitals and Minnesota North Stars entered a round robin tournament with AIK and Djurgårdens IF. As the capital of Sweden, Stockholm would be the best place for the NHL’s first wave of teams in Europe. The country is a perennial threat to win nearly every international tournament they’re in and they continuously produce top-end talent. Sweden is already a hockey hotbed in Europe. Most of these places have already had glimpses of the NHL in their cities. Either they are already a hockey hotspot, they have the population, or they have a rink that could maybe be expanded into an NHL-size rink. There are many other places that may be considered, but these seven spots would be the easiest for the NHL to transition into.
So, here are five serious options for getting the first NHL teams in Europe: In order to make a European expansion viable, there would probably be around four or five teams needed. There are so many cities that could be possibilities for getting an NHL team, some of which are already hockey towns. It’s looking more and more likely that it will happen one day, which it should. These all must be considered when thinking about growing the NHL across the Atlantic Ocean. When would the Europe expansion h appen?.Would both the NHL and NHLPA support the expansion?.There are many questions that arise when looking at a potential European expansion: Men's Division I Hockey Attendance: 2018-2019 Rank Team Dates Total Attendance Average Attendance Capacity Cap.