Inside Scoop: Penguins in Sweden

Det var klart (THAT’S A WRAP)

We touched down in Pittsburgh after 11 PM local time, which is 5 AM in Sweden, after three practices, two games, and one off day that consisted of numerous excursions, as well as plenty of eating and walking around Stockholm.

There’s only a handful of people in the organization who had made this trip in 2008, including Sidney Crosby. The staff back then brought a digital camera to capture content on the trip, and we made sure to recreate the photo of Crosby taping his stick in the same spot, 17 years apart.

A media member referenced the then-and-now when asking Crosby if anything has changed when it comes to his approach.

“Not much, to be honest with you,” the notoriously superstitious captain quipped with a smile. “I think that you try to use that experience to your advantage, as far as what to expect and trying to just focus on playing and eliminating distractions. But I think I get just as excited for those opportunities that I did back then.”

Crosby did say their schedule was more packed this time around.

“It's been busy,” he laughed. “It's definitely evolved since the first time we came here. But, couldn't be more grateful for the reception and just the hospitality and being able to spend a few days here in the city.

“When you get an atmosphere like that, and you guys get to come home and play, and you're talking about growing the game, it doesn't really get any better than opportunities like this. So, it was really special. And I think Karl really enjoyed it, too.

Funnily enough, Erik Karlsson was also there in 2008, having been drafted 15^th overall by Ottawa that summer. With then-captain Daniel Alfredsson from Gothenburg, home to Karlsson’s team at the time – Frolunda of the Swedish League – Ottawa played an exhibition game against that organization in addition to facing the Penguins. Karlsson then returned home with the Senators in 2017 to play Colorado in that year’s Global Series in Stockholm.

“Obviously, on a personal level, it’s pretty fantastic to be able to have this opportunity,” Karlsson said. “Been in the league for 17 years and played four games over here. Pretty lucky to have that. In general, I think it’s a great thing to do.”

MEETING THEIR IDOLS

There were several Swedish hockey legends in the crowd over the weekend, including Carl Hagelin and Patric Hornqvist, two-time Stanley Cup Champions with the Penguins.

Hornqvist actually helped facilitate stick exchanges between his old teammates Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg. The one with the captain actuallyhappened on the bench during a Swedish TV interview that Forsberg was a part of.

“Didn't know that's how it was going to work, but pretty cool to be able to do that,” Crosby said with a smile. “Something I probably didn't do as much when I was younger, collecting sticks. But I think as I've gotten older, I've learned that that's something that's pretty cool to be able to do. Especially someone like him that I grew up watching and really admiring the way he played, and had some good battles playing against him as well. So, glad I was able to do that.”

During the interview, Crosby joked that he was a minus-4 the first time he lined up across from Forsberg. He learned the hard way that every matchup against Forsberg would be a tough one.

“I think anyone who played against him knew you were going to have to compete that night,” Crosby has told me before. “It didn’t necessarily mean he was a defensive specialist. I think he knew how to defend and play well defensively, but offensively, you knew you were going to have to compete and play hard against him. I got to understand that pretty quickly. Those kinds of experiences help you, for sure.”

Forsberg also brought a stick for Malkin, with that exchange happening in the hallway outside of the Penguins locker room. Malkin also has a tremendous amount of respect for the two-time Stanley Cup Champion and Triple Gold Club member, writing on the blade, ‘To my idol. You are best!”

Malkin got to provide the same moment he got with Forsberg to Predators forward Matthew Wood, the 15^th overall pick in 2023. Wood wears No. 71 “because Malkin’s been my favorite player since I was little,” he said on Wednesday.

“He’s an unbelievable playmaker. I wish I could do everything that he does. I think his playmaking is incredible. Obviously, he’s an incredible goal-scorer as well, but I think his vision and his smarts are just so, so high level. I just try to watch what he does and how he is kind of trying to see the play, also just appreciating him and their whole team.”

The Penguins made sure to facilitate a postgame meeting between Malkin and Wood, who had said earlier in the week that he didn’t want to force anything.

“Huge fan. Really appreciate you taking the time,” the rookie forward told Malkin. “You better, for sure,” Malkin joked back before adding in all seriousness, “Just keep going, okay? Play hard. Play smart. And good luck.”

While that moment happened to be captured on camera (video and story here), Malkin going to dinner with goalies Arturs Silovs – who is Latvian and speaks Russian – and Sergei Murashov was not. So after the game, I aske Murashov about what it’s been like getting to know Malkin.

“He’s Geno," Murashov said with a big smile. "He's funny. He’s an unbelievable guy. It's nice to speak to him in Russian. I would say he's staying himself. He never pretends, and it's precious, actually. So, it's a great opportunity for me to be with him as well.”

PENGUINS RETURN HOME WITH THREE OF FOUR POINTS

After the puck dropped for the second and final game of the 2025 Global Series between Pittsburgh and Nashville in Stockholm, it took all of two minutes and 19 seconds for the Penguins to get on the board with a goal from Parker Wotherspoon.

Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby followed that up with goals of their own, much to the excitement of the nearly 13,000 who packed Avicii Arena to see the future Hall of Famers and two of the best to ever do it.

“Probably 99% of the people in this building idolized Geno and Sid. Like, even myself,” Sweden native Rickard Rakell said yesterday.

The Penguins went into the first intermission with that 3-0 lead and an 11-2 edge in shots. After letting Nashville tie the first matchup late in regulation before Steven Stamkos won it in overtime, the Penguins were determined to bounce back. They ended up with a 4-0 win, taking three of four points back to Pittsburgh.

“I don't think as a group we performed the way that we wanted to (on Friday),” Erik Karlsson said. “I think everybody felt that. Our first period was huge, being able to capitalize on a few chances and get an early lead. And I think for the rest of the game, we did a good job at managing the situations out there.”

Read more.

GLOBAL SERIES GAME 2: PREGAME NOTES

Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse said that rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov starts between the pipes for Pittsburgh. Rookie forward Ville Koivunen is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

As Muse has said a handful of times, coming overseas to Stockholm is a fantastic opportunity. However, these are two regular-season games, not exhibition contests, and grabbing points is crucial. So, the Penguins are looking to return home with three of four.

"Ths is a business trip. And so, we didn't get the job done (Friday)," Muse said. "We didn't like our game. There’s things we talked about (Saturday morning before practice). But we got to bounce back, we have to be ready to go, and we have to be better than we were."

Muse said it's about getting to the inside more, and Sidney Crosby said they need to generate more shots.

"I think we'd like to generate a little bit more offensively and hopefully get out of our end a little bit cleaner," the captain said. "We clean up those two things, and we give ourselves a much better chance, for sure."

TOAST SKAGEN

PENGUINS ENERGIZED BY OPEN PRACTICE, HAPPY TO GIVE BACK

When the Penguins took the ice for practice on Saturday at Avicii Arena, they were greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic fans who filled the seats for an open session as part of the 2025 Global Series.

“It’s a cool opportunity to be part of this,” Sidney Crosby said. “You have a tough game last night, you lose in overtime, and then you come out and you have a bunch of people that are really happy to see you, and I think that brought some energy to practice. I think it's probably something we needed after a tough one last night.

“So, hope they're enjoying it, and it's been a pretty cool thing to be a part of. Be even better to finish it off with a win.”

While the guys were skating, Rickard Rakell – who is currently sidelined after undergoing hand surgery – took the time to sign autographs and pose for pictures with kids anxious to meet him.

Rakell then went to a different part of the rink to meet with youth hockey players from the Spånga organization. He started playing there when he was around 8 or 9 years old through age 14.

Rakell said it was a fairly small organization, and not many players made it all the way to the NHL. So, he was happy to spend time with them and be part of inspiring the next generation of Swedish hockey players.

“It's huge, because I think it's easy to forget what these kind of things meant to you when you were a kid,” said Rakell, who was born and raised about 15 minutes outside of Stockholm.

“I grew up with Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg, and all the Swedish legends. And if I were able to see those players come to my hometown and play hockey games... or even that people are coming from all over Europe to get a chance to watch us play... it's such a cool thing to do. I think it's hard for us to understand sometimes how big it is and what it means to these kids and all the people to come here and get a closer look to what a day in the life looks like for us.”

Erik Karlsson echoed that sentiment.

"I started playing hockey because of the generation before me. I watched them on TV and followed them, and that's why I wanted to become a hockey player, for a lot of reasons. And hopefully now, we can inspire the next generation of Swedish hockey players."

More from the three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman...

GLOBAL SERIES GAME 1: POSTGAME NOTES

The first matchup between Pittsburgh and Nashville was nothing to write home about for those back home. While goaltender Arturs Silovs was superb, the rest of the guys just didn’t have it, and ended up falling in overtime.

But outside of that, the atmosphere was fantastic. Avicii Arena started filling up early, with so many fans wearing Penguins gear. So, I went around and talked with a few of them. The first person I met was Alvin Brolin, who is from Sweden and became a Penguins fan because of Marc-Andre Fleury – I’ll be sharing his story in an upcoming Colorful Fan feature.

I then chatted with folks from England, Scotland and France, and saw kids holding signs in Russian and Latvian. It was surreal to actually see the reach that the Penguins have. Some have been following the team for a long time, others for a few years. But most were seeing NHL action for the first time, or have only gotten the chance on one or two other occasions. It gives you such an appreciation that we are able to see the Penguins play on a consistent basis, and gratitude that these fans from around the world are getting the chance to watch them closer to home.

Experiencing the crowd singing the Swedish national anthem was truly special, and from there, they kept the energy going. They gave the Swedish players such warm welcomes, with Erik Karlsson getting the chance to soak in the reception as part of the starting lineup. Bryan Rust, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby were in it as well. Everyone was thrilled to be there, from the fans in the stands to the volunteers and workers who staffed the building. They love the Hey! Baby song, singing it even when they weren’t prompted to. And the Let’s Go Pens/Let’s Go Penguins chants were strong.

“For (the Swedish players) to experience this and us be a part of it, we still feel fortunate. It’s a great opportunity,” Crosby said. “It would have been nice to get two to start.”

GLOBAL SERIES GAME 1: MORNING SKATE NOTES

Chatted with Sergei Murashov on the way to the team bus this morning about Olaf's trip to the Vasa Museum (the story behind the snowman is here). They also visited the National Museum, which features art and design, where Sergei was excited to come across a piece of artwork from his hometown in Russia.

As the guys got off, I noticed that Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell both had gotten haircuts. Rickard's wife Emmeli said that was a priority on the to-do list for this trip to Sweden, as her sister Lisa is a stylist there and the only one who cuts his hair. Lisa usually does it when she is visiting them in Pittsburgh during the season, but it worked out that Rickard could come to her this time. Turns out she cut Erik's hair, too.

The Penguins then held an optional morning skate, with Dan Muse saying that Arturs Silovs will start in goal, and the rest of the lineup will be announced closer to game time (8 PM locally, 2 PM in Pittsburgh).

Rookie Ben Kindel and veteran Kevin Hayes went to the podium for post-skate availability. Since Hayes is such a locker room glue guy, and usually in the middle of everything the boys have going on, I asked about what a trip like this can do for team bonding.

"We spend a lot of time together at the rink, and then when you're at home in Pittsburgh, you kind of go back to your families and live your everyday life. But when you get a trip like this, you get to talk to guys," he said. "I've learned more about Kindy this trip than I have all season. So, it's kind of nice just being able to go to dinner. Last night, eight of us went to dinner. And it's older guys, younger guys, coming together and just chatting about each other's lives. I'm a big chatter, so it's nice to go to dinner and find out info about guys."

The trip was well-planned, allowing the Penguins three days to acclimate and explore their surroundings. Now, they're ready to get down to business.

"I feel like at the beginning of the season, I think we played 16 or 17 games in about 32, 33 days. And now we have two games in 12 days, it's definitely a different vibe," Hayes said. "But it is kind of nice to come to a new country, see some new cultures, and see Raks and Karl kind of show us the way and find out about the Swedish culture.

"But at the end of the day, we're here for two games, four big points. No matter where you're playing, you want to set yourself up for later down the line in the season. So yeah, starting this morning, starting last night, it's kind of back to business. And when the puck drops, you're going for two points."

RUSTY'S ROOTS

There has obviously been a lot of talk surrounding Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell’s return to their native Sweden. But Bryan Rust also has some roots in this country, as his paternal grandmother’s family is from Gothenburg (which is where Karlsson played his junior hockey).

“It's actually really exciting for me to come back here and just kind of see way back in the history that some of my family came from,” Rust said.

Bryan’s dad Steve and mom Betsy – who celebrated her birthday on Thursday – made the trip overseas to see him play and see Stockholm, going to dinner on Wednesday.

“They've seen a couple of museums, and they went on a bus tour of the city. My mom was rattling off stats to me last night,” Bryan said with a smile after practice. “It was fun. I think they're having a really good time with it. I could see how excited my dad is to see where more of his heritage is, too.”

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VISIT

NHL.com went with Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Iceburgh to the cancer center at Karolinska University Hospital on Thursday afternoon, as Gnash and Nashville Predators forwards Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly had the day before to commemorate Hockey Fights Cancer Month.

“To be able to do this in Sweden -- I haven’t done this in, I think, my 17-year career -- for me is really cool,” Karlsson said. “Obviously Sweden means a lot for us. We’re still prominent people here, even though we don’t spend as much time here anymore. So it’s fun to see how engaged and how well known we still are in this community, in this country, even though we don’t see it on a daily basis anymore.

“For us to just show up as ourselves and give them a few moments of smiles and some other thoughts is ... it’s hard to put words on how much it means for us.

Full feature here.

EXPLORING STOCKHOLM

Bryan Rust joked that the Vasa Museum actually be Sidney Crosby's favorite place on earth.

“I think on the plane over here, and when we first knew we were coming over here, he was like, if you're walking around the city, make sure to head into the Vasa Museum,” Rust said.

Though, as Crosby said with a smile, “I try not to tell people too much, just because it's actually pretty hard to describe it until you see it. So, I try to just say, hey, this is one of the things that's worth it to see, and let them kind of decide for themselves whether they like it. But usually, it gets good reviews.”

Rust and Anthony Mantha made their way over after Thursday’s practice, and reviews were stellar. Meanwhile, rookies Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke did the SkyView Glass Gondola Ride right outside Avicii Arena:

“That's what makes these kind of trips fun. You get to spend time with the guys, and you get to learn a new a new way of living,” Mantha said. “Like, Hayesy (Kevin Hayes) is talking about this coffee and pastry thing all day because Karl (Erik Karlsson) brought him yesterday, and then we're here visiting this, which is one of the biggest ships.

"It's just cool, and makes us smarter a little bit, learning a little bit. And we'll go back home, and we can show the kids and the wife and talk about it a little bit.”

THURSDAY PRACTICE

We caught up with Evgeni Malkin, which is always a treat. Bryan Rust got a version of the rookie treatment, having to sit and wait in a neighboring stall while Geno did media from his (he claimed head equipment manager Jon Taglianetti was taking up his stall).

Rickard Rakell also met with the media, and shared his thoughts on how his teammates have embraced being in Sweden: "I think everybody's done a really good job of trying different things and exploring, and I've only heard good things so far. So, I think it's been a really good trip for everybody."

CATCHING UP WITH CARL

Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Carl Hagelin, who retired a couple of years ago, is going to be around for the Global Series. He lives about 40 minutes outside of Stockholm and works in player development for Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild.

"He's a great guy," Sidney Crosby said. "Happy to cross paths. It's always nice to see guys."

Before practice started, he stopped by the locker room and caught up with Nick Bonino, now an assistant coach for Pittsburgh. “My old center, he's looking good. He's done a good job. He really looks like a coach on the bench,” Hagelin said with a smile. They posed for a photo, just missing their other linemate, Phil Kessel - who just had an accomplishment that was the talk of Avicii Arena.

"I saw he had a hole in one the other day here," Hagelin said. "But yeah, we're missing him."

He also chatted with Rickard Rakell, his teammate in Anaheim for a short time before Pittsburgh acquired Hagelin in January of 2016, and got a stick from his old friend Erik Karlsson.

“We went to high school together, so we go way back,” Hagelin said before adding with a laugh, “But he quit after a year and switched teams. So, he's been a bit of a troublemaker. But yeah, we're good friends. I've seen him a lot throughout the years. Played on the national team with him, obviously played against him.

“The thing you love about him is his energy, and he always believes in himself, whatever happens. And that's why he's still such a good player.”

Hagelin had similarly good things to say about the rest of the crew: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust:

“They're both top 10 in scoring, Sid and Geno right now. And Tanger plays hard, like he always does. He skates like the wind still. And Rusty, he's gotten better every year. So, it's amazing to see what hard work and dedication can do. And we obviously love the game. I think that's the number one factor.”

Hagelin will be at both games, and plans to bring his family to the Sunday afternoon matchup.

“There's so many Swedish fans that called me and said they’re going to the game just to be able to bring their kids to watch Sid,” Hagelin said. “It’s important. It grows the game.”

OFF/SPA DAY!

The team was off on Wednesday, and Rickard Rakell helped arrange for the boys to have a day at the Yasuragi Spa.

"Oh, everybody had a great time," Rakell said. "We had a long flight, and it's just nice to settle down and enjoy a nice couple of hours to relax and recover. So, it was wonderful."

Rakell has been fully embracing the tour guide role, just as he said he would.

“He's had this little smile on his face ever since we got here. It's cool,” Bryan Rust said. “I think it's super exciting to see guys that don't usually get to play at home, be able to come home and kind of show us around their cities and show us everything that they know, and everything that we should know.”

FIRST DAY IN SWEDEN: PRACTICE DAY AND PIZZA TASTING

Hej from Sweden!

The Penguins had a 9 PM flight out of Pittsburgh on Monday night, which was about seven and a half hours. Every seat had pillows and blankets, along with pouches that contained an eye mask, earplugs, a toothbrush and toothpaste, hand lotion, lip balm and socks.

I resurrected my digital camera from college - which means it's at least 15 years old (I don't feel old at all) - to take some photos of the guys before we took off. They were good sports about it:

We landed in Stockholm and bused straight to Avicii Arena for practice. Some of the guys managed to sleep on the plane; others had trouble getting some shuteye. But they all got on their gear and took the ice for a spirited session. “It feels fine,” Kris Letang said. “It’s good to sweat it out and get our legs going. It’s not the ideal sleep you get, but to move around gets you going a little bit more.”

They ended practice with a shootout competition, which was quite entertaining. The coaching staff upped the stakes by adding Viking ‘helmets’ for the winner and loser. The idea came to Dan Muse right before takeoff last night, and Penguins director of team services Jason Seidling relayed the request to the crew in Sweden, who got the goods in time. Digital camera pic below...

The equipment team had been playing a Spotify playlist called ‘Top Classic Rock Hits of All Time’ while the guys were getting ready, which must have fired up Eagles fan Ben Kindel. The 18-year-old rookie ended up coming out on top, and got to rock the Viking helmet that mysteriously had one braid undone for some reason. Kevin Hayes had to wear the other one.

“They did a great job there with their Viking helmets... that’s what you want,” Muse said with a laugh. “You’re getting off the plane, that’s what you want on a day like this. You gotta have some fun at the end. Especially because it’s not something we do normally. It was good. The guys had fun with it, and when you have that, the two different groups going at the end, everybody’s looking at who’s going to be the last one.”

After practice, Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson and Muse spoke with the media:

From there, we went to our hotel, with Karlsson, Rakell, Hayes and Evgeni Malkin going straight to Swedish pizza tasting. Video is here.

2025 GLOBAL SERIES: PITTSBURGH VS. NASHVILLE

The Penguins are playing a pair of regular-season games against Nashville at Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Friday, November 14 and Sunday, November 16 for the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden (more details here).

The team arrived on Tuesday, and they will be doing plenty of activities throughout the week. Stay tuned for practice, game and off-ice coverage!

I also had the opportunity to chat with Rickard Rakell about embracing the tour guide role, as he is sidelined due to injury but still got to make the trip. Check out the piece here.