Melbourne scores historic US ice hockey series
Melbourne will host the first National Hockey League game to be played on Australian soil in a major coup for the sporting capital.
Victoria
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Melbourne is set to score a historic US ice hockey series with the first National Hockey League game on Australian soil to be played in the nation’s sporting capital.
Two blockbuster matches featuring the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes will be announced on Wednesday morning, in a coup for Victoria.
The matches will be played as pre-season NHL friendlies at Rod Laver Arena on September 23 and 24 – the weekend before the AFL Grand Final.
It means Melbourne will become the first city in the southern hemisphere to host an NHL match as part of the “2023 NHL Global Series”.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed Melbourne had pipped other Australian cities including Sydney to stage the historic series.
“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,” he said.
“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 know this history-making visit will thrill our many avid fans in Australia.”
Rod Laver Arena will be transformed to provide a temporary ice hockey rink to NHL standards and activities and entertainment will be staged throughout the event precinct.
Both matches are expected to sell out and attract interstate and overseas fans, with the Coyotes and Kings to offer travel packages to lure visitors from North America.
The matches will also be screened to a global TV audience.
Tourism, sport and major events minister Steve Dimopoulos said no city does major events like Melbourne.
“And that’s why we are able to attract the biggest sporting spectacles from around the globe,” he said.
“Securing the NHL’s first ever games in the Southern Hemisphere is a win for fans and will deliver big benefits for our tourism businesses.”
Ice hockey exhibition matches have previously been played in Australia, including a 2016 series featuring ice hockey legend and former Kings star Wayne Gretzky, but an NHL match has never been staged down under.
Mr Dimopoulos said the matches added to a blockbuster calendar of international sporting events in Melbourne including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, F1 Australian Grand Prix and Bledisloe Cup.
“These games will also promote Melbourne and Victoria to millions of potential visitors watching around the world,” he said.
Jordan Spence, the first Australian-born NHL player, plays for the Kings.
Tickets will go on sale via ticketek.com.au from 1pm on April 18.
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