Every year, some time in June or July, I am spending hours and hours looking into flight schedules, checking out travel distances by car and air and typically use a lot of bad words: This is the time when the NHL is releasing their schedule for the following season. Time for me to check out if I can make it to another trip following my beloved Pittsburgh Penguins like I did on my March 2022 or my February 2020 trip – and many time before. This is more or less how I spend most time of my last weekend. I finally created a schedule for me (way before there are any tickets on sale).
While my aim is typically to “optimize” the number of Penguins matches I am able to watch with a “limited” travel budget (which is still a couple of thousand Euros), I also looked for some interesting routes and series of matches. Thereby, I don’t want to do too many “Follow Your Team” optimizations – I am sure that you can do it on your own for your team easily. This posting is especially for Europeans, who would love to see a series of NHL matches and thereby see a lot of different teams and venues. Hope you like my ideas.
The 2022-23 NHL Season Schedule
The National Hockey League announced the schedule of the following season on 6th July 2022, right before the NHL Drafts. You can find the posting here. The link also includes a link to a .pdf file, which is listing the matches per team. This may be very handy if you follow a specific team – but I felt it is rather unhandy if you want to base travel planning on it. Thus, I transformed the data into a simple Excel file:
Please note that all times are ET and that I use European notation, i.e. home team first. I chose both majorly to ease my travel plannings. My Excel file may of course contain errors or miss any updates.
Some NHL Trips suggested for the 2022-23 Season
Okay, that’s why I at least feel it is quite an interesting posting for many for you. I am very thankful for any feedback – mistakes or even when you finally did one of my suggested ice hockey trips next season.
Conditions
As said, these trip suggestions are very biased from a European perspective. I tried to find trips which are economic for a European ice hockey fan. This especially means:
- Avoid longer travel distances, which you can typically only do by expansive plane tickets, where possible.
- Especially the Northeast region of the USA is very attractive for these kind of trips. Flights to New York City are typically significantly cheaper than to any other US destinations. For my 2022-23 trip, for example, I decided to drive from New York to Pittsburgh. I hate the trip, but it significantly saves money. Flights to West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas) are typically also rather bearable financially.
- Some trips do not even need a rental car.
- I try to avoid border crossings as much as possible. This especially affects potential trips including Vancouver and Seattle or Buffalo and Toronto. I do believe that there is a risk that during winter Covid-19 restrictions might be raised again, especially by the Canadian government. Thus, having multiple test requirements on the same trip might be bothering
- I also did not especially focus on the NHL in Europe. You got the tickets anyway already, I guess.
The Trips
Hope you like my trip suggestions. I sorted them chronologically.
The Alberta Overkill
I sad that I do not promote one-team travels – but what’s going on in Alberta at the beginning of the season is just notable. Edmonton begins the season with six home matches in a row, Calgary is hosting nine of their first ten matches (traveling to the Alberta rival for the away match. I just put all the matches below and did not suggest any specific commute between the cities – the final duration of your trip and the weighing between being in Edmonton and in Calgary may be rather based on your personal preferences.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 12.10.2022 | Edmonton | Vancouver | 22:00 |
| 13.10.2022 | Calgary | Colorado | 21:30 |
| 15.10.2022 | Edmonton | Calgary | 22:00 |
| 18.10.2022 | Edmonton | Buffalo | 21:00 |
| 18.10.2022 | Calgary | Vegas | 21:00 |
| 20.10.2022 | Calgary | Buffalo | 21:00 |
| 20.10.2022 | Edmonton | Carolina | 21:00 |
| 22.10.2022 | Edmonton | St. Louis | 16:00 |
| 22.10.2022 | Calgary | Carolina | 22:00 |
| 24.10.2022 | Edmonton | Pittsburgh | 20:00 |
| 25.10.2022 | Calgary | Pittsburgh | 21:00 |
| 29.10.2022 | Calgary | Edmonton | 22:00 |
| 01.11.2022 | Edmonton | Nashville | 21:00 |
| 01.11.2022 | Calgary | Seattle | 21:00 |
| 03.11.2022 | Calgary | Nashville | 21:00 |
| 03.11.2022 | Edmonton | New Jersey | 21:00 |
| 05.11.2022 | Edmonton | Dallas | 16:00 |
| 05.11.2022 | Calgary | New Jersey | 22:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
- none
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
East Coast in October
The Greater New York teams, including the New Jersey Devils, are definitely the easiest destination for European ice hoppers. This trip with four matches in four days, featuring four venues (you can reach Philadelphia by Amtrak easily), seven teams and the New York City derby is definitely a nice one!
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 24.10.2022 | New Jersey | Washington | 19:00 |
| 25.10.2022 | NY Rangers | Colorado | 19:00 |
| 26.10.2022 | NY Islanders | NY Rangers | 19:30 |
| 27.10.2022 | Philadelphia | Florida | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- UBS Arena, New York Islanders
Lake Ontario & More
I am a bit of shy suggesting trips with too many Maple Leafs home matches, just as Scotiabank Arena tickets are that extremely expansive. This one is a nice trip, which you may start from Montreal. Most of the transfers can easily be done by public transport. And the risk of border crossing in October should still be reasonable.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 25.10.2022 | Montréal | Minnesota | 19:00 |
| 27.10.2022 | Ottawa | Minnesota | 19:00 |
| 29.10.2022 | Buffalo | Chicago | 19:00 |
| 31.10.2022 | Buffalo | Detroit | 19:00 |
| 02.11.2022 | Toronto | Philadelphia | 19:00 |
| 03.11.2022 | Ottawa | Vegas | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- Scotiabank Arena, Toronto Maple Leafs
Seatlle & Vancouver, Pt. 1
I suggest two trips for this season, which include Seattle and Vancouver home match. This one is in mid-November. Both are really beautiful cities, so that you may skip one of the matches to avoid additional border crossings.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 17.11.2022 | Seattle | NY Rangers | 22:00 |
| 18.11.2022 | Vancouver | Los Angeles | 22:00 |
| 19.11.2022 | Seattle | Los Angeles | 22:00 |
| 21.11.2022 | Vancouver | Vegas | 22:30 |
| 23.11.2022 | Seattle | San Jose | 22:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
- none
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
Michigan & Illionois
Not only a nice one for Moritz Seider fans, having three Detroit home matches in five days. I especially like that trip, as the travel distance is convenient and as it features two teams I have rare run into during my travels, Arizona and Winnipeg.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 25.11.2022 | Detroit | Arizona | 19:30 |
| 27.11.2022 | Chicago | Winnipeg | 19:00 |
| 28.11.2022 | Detroit | Toronto | 19:00 |
| 30.11.2022 | Detroit | Buffalo | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
Five Times Philly
Okay, I should not suggest this one. West side is best side and you will definitely have sad feelings when you stay in Philadelphia for five matches. But it is a really nice series of opponents – and it gives you the opportunities to visit places like Washington D.C. or New York City.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 29.11.2022 | Philadelphia | NY Islanders | 19:00 |
| 01.12.2022 | Philadelphia | Tampa Bay | 19:00 |
| 03.12.2022 | Philadelphia | New Jersey | 19:00 |
| 05.12.2022 | Philadelphia | Colorado | 19:00 |
| 07.12.2022 | Philadelphia | Washington | 19:30 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
A Longer East Coast Trip in December
That’s a nice one. Watching the Christmas tree on Rockefeller Center, feeling New York City getting ready for Christmas… and having six matches in five days (there are parallel matches twice below). Unfortunately, St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville pop up in here multiple times, but it is a cool – and rather affordable – trip.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 01.12.2022 | New Jersey | Nashville | 19:00 |
| 02.12.2022 | NY Rangers | Ottawa | 19:00 |
| 02.12.2022 | NY Islanders | Nashville | 19:30 |
| 03.12.2022 | NY Rangers | Chicago | 19:30 |
| 04.12.2022 | NY Islanders | Chicago | 19:30 |
| 05.12.2022 | NY Rangers | St. Louis | 19:00 |
| 06.12.2022 | New Jersey | Chicago | 19:00 |
| 06.12.2022 | NY Islanders | St. Louis | 19:30 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- UBS Arena, New York Islanders
A Short Trip To My Hockey Home Town
Even though it is just a short drive from Pittsburgh to Columbus, I never made it there. This series of matches gives a nice set of opponents, which might compensate for the commuting between the cities.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 03.12.2022 | Pittsburgh | St. Louis | 19:00 |
| 04.12.2022 | Columbus | Detroit | 18:00 |
| 06.12.2022 | Pittsburgh | Columbus | 19:00 |
| 07.12.2022 | Columbus | Buffalo | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
Happy New Year, West Coast
The Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Fireworks and some really interesting teams in Greater Los Angeles thereafter. This could really be a nice choice, especially if you wanted to be in the casino city for the big event anyway.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 31.12.2022 | Vegas | Nashville | 15:00 |
| 02.01.2023 | Anaheim | Philadelphia | 22:00 |
| 03.01.2023 | Los Angeles | Dallas | 22:30 |
| 04.01.2023 | Anaheim | Dallas | 22:00 |
| 05.01.2023 | Los Angeles | Boston | 22:30 |
| 06.01.2023 | Anaheim | San Jose | 22:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- Honda Center, Anaheim Ducks
- Staples Center, L.A. Kings
- T-Mobile Arena, Vegas Goden Knights
Seattle & Vancouver, Pt. 2
I would personally maybe skip the first Vancouver home match in here and have some good time in Seattle first, Vancouver thereafter. Nice closing match with Vancouver hosting the Oilers on 21st January 2023.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 16.01.2023 | Seattle | Tampa Bay | 16:00 |
| 18.01.2023 | Vancouver | Tampa Bay | 22:00 |
| 19.01.2023 | Seattle | New Jersey | 22:00 |
| 20.01.2023 | Vancouver | Colorado | 22:00 |
| 21.01.2023 | Vancouver | Edmonton | 22:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
- none
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
East vs. West
This one is especially interesting if you like West Coast teams and don’t feel like traveling the long way from Europe. I am sure that especially that region offers even more options for good match-ups during the entire season.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 06.02.2023 | NY Rangers | Calgary | 19:30 |
| 07.02.2023 | NY Islanders | Seattle | 19:30 |
| 08.02.2023 | NY Rangers | Vancouver | 20:00 |
| 09.02.2023 | New Jersey | Seattle | 19:00 |
| 09.02.2023 | NY Islanders | Vancouver | 19:30 |
| 10.02.2023 | NY Rangers | Seattle | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- UBS Arena, New York Islanders
Last, but Not Least: 7 Pens Matches in 11 Days
Okay, I at least need to give you my favorite series as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan as well. Unfortunately, it is rather tricky to arrive in time for a 19:00 hrs match at PPG Paints Arena if you travel in from Germany. I will take parts of this series for my 2023 trip to the Pens as well – I won’t do the whole trip though. Unfortunately, I miss the opportunity to see a match at Madison Square Garden as well – both Rangers away matches on the same weekend is very unfortunate in my point of view.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 07.03.2023 | Pittsburgh | Columbus | 19:00 |
| 09.03.2023 | Pittsburgh | NY Islanders | 19:00 |
| 11.03.2023 | Pittsburgh | Philadelphia | 15:30 |
| 12.03.2023 | Pittsburgh | NY Rangers | 16:00 |
| 14.03.2023 | Pittsburgh | Montréal | 19:00 |
| 16.03.2023 | NY Rangers | Pittsburgh | 19:00 |
| 18.03.2023 | NY Rangers | Pittsburgh | 20:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
Follow Your Nation’s – Special Trips
In this section, I decided to find trips which are especially for Germans and Swiss people who want to see their best national players in a short time. Finding potential trips was significantly more difficult, as there are typically more. It does not make too much sense for other European nationalities, as many countries have either just a few NHL players – or so many that a single trip is rather useless. Even for Germany and Switzerland, I just concentrated on a few key players. In addition, I used the team assignment I have been aware of at the beginning of July 2022 – trades (and, of course, also injuries) may significantly influence the number of beloved players you in fact see
Follow the Germans
For the trip suggestions below, I decided to concentrate on the following players and franchises:
- Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton
- Philipp Grubauer, Seattle
- Moritz Seider, Detroit
- Tim Stützle, Ottawa
- Nico Sturm, Colorado
I excluded Thomas Greiss, as he is a free agent at the time of writing.
Germany I
Traveling from Ottawa to Pittsburgh and then to New York is a bit of travel effort, but therefore you have a chance to see all the German players listed above in a rather short time. You may, of course, also skip the trip to Rayleigh and close the trip in Washington.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 03.11.2022 | Ottawa | Vegas | 19:00 |
| 05.11.2022 | Pittsburgh | Seattle | 19:00 |
| 06.11.2022 | NY Rangers | Detroit | 17:00 |
| 07.11.2022 | Washington | Edmonton | 20:00 |
| 10.11.2022 | Carolina | Edmonton | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
Germany II
No Grubauer / Seattle in here – but overall, this trip might be a bit more friendly, if you don’t like the large distances. There are some really good options for the trip between New York City and Boston. I would suggest flying from Buffalo to the Big Apple on 2nd December 2022.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 28.11.2022 | Detroit | Toronto | 19:00 |
| 30.11.2022 | Chicago | Edmonton | 21:30 |
| 01.12.2022 | Buffalo | Colorado | 19:00 |
| 02.12.2022 | NY Rangers | Ottawa | 19:00 |
| 03.12.2022 | Boston | Colorado | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
Germany III
Even though you likely have at least two flights in here, I feel that this February 2022 trip with a Moritz Seider home match and two appearances by Draisaitl and McDavid could be a real treat.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 07.02.2023 | Pittsburgh | Colorado | 19:00 |
| 09.02.2023 | Philadelphia | Edmonton | 19:00 |
| 10.02.2023 | NY Rangers | Seattle | 19:00 |
| 11.02.2023 | Detroit | Vancouver | 12:00 |
| 12.02.2023 | Montréal | Edmonton | 12:30 |
| 13.02.2023 | Ottawa | Calgary | 19:30 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
Follow the Swiss
There are already so many Swiss players in the NHL that you likely won’t see them in one trip. In general, there are also quite a lot of Swiss players in the Western teams, which makes it more difficult to find good itineraries. The players I watched out for are
- Roman Josi, Nashville
- Nino Niederreiter, Carolina
- Kevin Fiala, Minnesota
- Timo Meier, San Jose
- Nico Hierschier and Jonas Siegenthaler, New Jersey
- Dean Kukan, Columbus
Here are a few trip suggestions
Switzerland I
Unfortunatley, I could not manage to find a slot for a Nino Niederreiter match in this trip, but it has some nice matches, including Minneota and San Jose. You have to choose between certain matches on three days, though
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 20.10.2022 | NY Rangers | San Jose | 19:00 |
| 20.10.2022 | NY Islanders | New Jersey | 19:30 |
| 22.10.2022 | Boston | Minnesota | 13:00 |
| 22.10.2022 | New Jersey | San Jose | 13:00 |
| 23.10.2022 | NY Rangers | Columbus | 17:00 |
| 23.10.2022 | Philadelphia | San Jose | 19:00 |
| 24.10.2022 | New Jersey | Washington | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- UBS Arena, New York Islanders
Switzerland II
For Swiss fans, this one is my favorite – especially as you should also be able to get from Chicago to Boston early on 2nd January 2023 and add the NHL Winter Classics between Boston and Pittsburgh.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 01.01.2023 | Chicago | San Jose | 19:00 |
| 03.01.2023 | NY Rangers | Carolina | 19:00 |
| 05.01.2023 | New Jersey | St. Louis | 19:00 |
| 06.01.2023 | Washington | Nashville | 19:00 |
| 08.01.2023 | Washington | Columbus | 17:00 |
| 10.01.2023 | Carolina | New Jersey | 19:00 |
| 12.01.2023 | NY Islanders | Minnesota | 19:30 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- UBS Arena, New York Islanders
Switzerland III
The travel distances on the West Coast are just massive (if you exclude Los Angeles to Anaheim and Seattle to Vancouver). Thus, this one is a rather “handy” trip, even though it already requires a lot of commuting. The match in the tiny ASU Multi-Purpose Arena in Tempe, Arizona, might be a treat… if you manage to get tickets.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 25.02.2023 | San Jose | Chicago | 22:30 |
| 26.02.2023 | Arizona | Nashville | 19:00 |
| 28.02.2023 | San Jose | Montréal | 22:30 |
| 01.03.2023 | Vegas | Carolina | 22:00 |
| 03.03.2023 | Vegas | New Jersey | 22:00 |
| 05.03.2023 | Arizona | New Jersey | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- SAP Center, San Jose Sharks
- T-Mobile Arena, Vegas Goden Knights
Switzerland IV
After long traveling distances, this one is rather handy again (Buffalo might require flights, though). Nice trip in March.
| Date | Home | Away | Time ET |
| 19.03.2023 | NY Rangers | Nashville | 19:00 |
| 21.03.2023 | NY Rangers | Carolina | 19:00 |
| 23.03.2023 | Philadelphia | Minnesota | 19:00 |
| 24.03.2023 | Buffalo | New Jersey | 19:00 |
| 25.03.2023 | New Jersey | Ottawa | 19:00 |
Cities / Regions featured on Flyctory.com
Venues reviewed on Flyctory.com
- none
Title picture: NHL Overview of home openers, copyrighted by the NHL
Flyctory.com about Ice Hockey
Here are all ice hockey postings on Flyctory.com:
Watching the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center
NHL Schedule 2024-25 – My Suggested Trips
Henderson Silver Knights at Dollar Loan Center
San Diego Gulls at Pechanga Arena
EHF Euro 2024 (Handball) at the Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
NHL Schedule 2023-24 released – Here are my suggested Trips
Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum (Pittsburgh)
Watching the Boston Bruins at TD Garden
Visiting the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Sites in 2022
A St. Louis Blues Match at Enterprise Center
Visiting Storhamar Hockey at CC Amfi (Hamar, Norway)
UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex (Pictured Story)
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships 2022 at Helsinki Ice Hall
Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 4, 28.4.2022)
A Nashville Predators Match at the Bridgestone Arena
Watching the New York Islanders at UBS Arena
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 8, 17th March 2022)
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 6, 15th March 2022)
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 4, 13th March 2022)
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 2, 11th March 2022)
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Day 1, 10th March 2022)
KEC “Die Haie” Cologne – ESC Planegg-Würmtal 1-6 (1-2, 0-1, 0-3)
A Match of the Mississauga Steelheads at Paramount Fine Foods Centre
Flyctory.com Best Ones 2021
Toronto Maple Leafs At Scotiabank Arena
HC Ambri-Piotta at Gotthard-Arena (Gottardo Arena)
Visiting Jokerit Helsinki at Hartwall Arena
Hertz Deildin Div. 1(Icelandic Ice Hockey League) with Fjölnir Reykjavik at Egilshöll
A San Jose Sharks Match at SAP Center
Visiting the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center
Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center Anaheim
Visiting T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas (Vegas Golden Knights)
California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Day 2, 26th Feb 2020)
California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Preview)
Visiting PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh)
A Visit at the NHL Stadium Series 2019
Hockey Hall of Fame
Trip Report Inceptions
Here are the starting postings of each Trip Report I posted in here so far
On Tour With Rock of Ages 2024 (Episode 1 – Bochum, 12th/13th March 2024)
Traveling on Iceland’s Ring Road (Preview)
All German States (and the eleven biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 1
Exploring Hamburg with the HADAG Public Ferries – Lines 62 & 64 & Overview
3,337 Waffle Houses Away – A Walk through Paola, Kansas
Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Preview)
Following The Pittsburgh Penguins in March 2022 (Preview)
Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Preview)
California With The Pittsburgh Penguins 2020 (Preview)
Exploring Barra With Barra Island Tours
Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Preview)
A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Trip Report Preview)
Bergisch Historic Trams Wuppertal
Flying with Southern Airways Express
One Day in Bonaire
Sao Miguel on two wheels (Part 1)
Six Intercontental Flights in 72 Hours (Overview)
Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Preview)
