SENATORS IN SWEDEN
As ambassadors for NHL
Erik Karlsson couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to share this experience with his teammates.
As the Senators landed in Sweden on Tuesday to prepare for their two-game series against the Colorado Avalanche later this week at the Ericsson Globe, the Ottawa captain was looking forward to showing his teammates around Stockholm and letting them savour some of the culture his homeland has to offer.
“Most guys in the league these days have either played with one or more Swedish teammates over the course of their careers,” Karlsson said. “As a nation, we produce a lot of quality players around the league and we carry a lot of respect” in North America.
“To be able to bring them over here and show them what it’s really like to be in Sweden ... because we talk a lot about it in the dressing room. They ask a lot of questions. That experience is something they’re going to appreciate a lot and they’re going to get a better understanding for the way things work and how we operate.
“To see it first hand is going to be something that’s extremely special. Just having them in the city, going around eating the food, seeing the culture and how it works, it’s going to do it all. We don’t have to talk it up any more than it already is.”
Karlsson said Sweden isn’t considered a prime travel destination.
“They probably wouldn’t have been to Sweden otherwise,” he said. “I don’t think any of them had any trips to come here. It’s not really that exotic destination that you take in the off-season. It’s great to show people around the league how good our country is and what it’s all about and how passionate we are about hockey.”
NEW SURROUNDINGS
Matt Duchene is getting a crash course in playing with the Senators, which is why the practice time is important for him this week.
Acquired Sunday from the Colorado Avalanche in a deal that sent Kyle Turris to Nashville, Duchene skated for the second straight day with Mike Hoffman and Zack Smith on his wings. That’s the way it could line up Friday when the Senators face his former team here at the Ericsson Globe.
“It’s great. It’s going to be weird playing against my old team, but I think getting it done right away is a good thing. You don’t have time to overthink it. It’s going to be weird playing against the guys. I have a lot of friends over there, but it’s going to be fun, though,” Duchene said.
Duchene said the last week hasn’t been easy for him and that’s why he’s using this time to try to get to know his teammates.
“The last five days have been a little bit crazy. It was normal until Friday and then I started hearing this and hearing that,” Duchene said. “It was crazy how it all went down. It’s something I will always remember and it’s been a whirlwind.”
OFF THE GLASS
This trip is also nice for Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, another native Swede. “The fact that I’m an NHL player doesn’t change how things look for me or just the fact of being back. Coming home is a great feeling every time,” Landeskog told NHL.com after the Avs skate here. “It’s a little different this time, obviously, rolling in with a bus and having all my teammates that I spend all year with, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I think all the guys on the team were a little annoyed with me yesterday, coming in from the airport. I was telling them about every single house and every single building that we passed on the way in. At one point everybody was just yelling at me to be quiet and to let them enjoy the bus ride on their own, but I’m enjoying it.” ... Ottawa brought Swedish rookie goalie Marcus Hogberg overseas because they needed to have an emergency netminder. Under an agreement with the NHL and the players union, both teams were allowed to bring an extra goalie that doesn’t count under the cap.
THE LAST WORDS
Turris posted a thank you to the Senators, the late Bryan Murray and Ottawa hockey fans on his Twitter account Tuesday. “(His wife) Julie and I came to Ottawa as kids focused on hockey and now we’re leaving Ottawa with kids of our own and so many meaningful relationships outside of hockey,” Turris said. “It’s impossible to express how lucky we feel. We are very thankful we called Ottawa home.” ... Alternate captain Dion Phaneuf, who hadn’t been on the ice because of a nagging issue, skated Tuesday. He is expected to play against the Avalanche on Friday . ... The Avs have opted to leave goalie Andrew Hammond in Belleville for the time being. They don’t have room for Hammond in their system and the Senators were happy to keep him in Belleville because he’s been one of their best players.