If you’re going to have a dinner consisting of somewhat unfamiliar Swedish cuisine, you might as well sit with someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
Nick Perbix had that good fortune on night one in Stockholm as he found himself next to Filip Forsberg at a traditional Swedish spot, and the defenseman was more than happy to take a pointer or three.
“I literally just copied exactly what he did, because I didn't know what half the stuff we were eating,” Perbix smiled. “So, I just put whatever he put on his food on mine, mixed it the same way, and it was good. It was enjoyable.”
Adam Wilsby, a Stockholm native, was also a popular figure at the table, and Luke Evangelista took advantage.
“He was really helpful when it came to the Swedish meatballs,” Evangelista said of Wilsby. “They had some berries that I wouldn't have touched otherwise, but he told me it's a must have on the meatballs. So, I gave it a go and it was really good. It’s good to have a guy like that at your table.”
Even Erik Haula, a Finn, was pleased with his first night in his rival country.
“It's pretty clear that this is ‘Willy’s’ city, and he's been taking good care of us,” Haula said. “We had a great dinner last night, just traditional Swedish food, and even as a Finnish guy, I can say it was good.”
Regardless of what was on the plate, the Preds are enjoying the chance to see Forsberg and Wilsby relish the time in their home country during the 2025 NHL Global Series. Nashville will face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and Sunday at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, and while those games will be paramount later in the week, the Predators made the most of their first few days abroad.
That included a team dinner shortly after arriving on Tuesday, and following Wednesday’s practice at Hovet Arena, a number of Preds players set out for excursions across the city, including a visit to the Karolinska Hospital from Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly.
Indeed, the opportunity to play NHL games and simply spend time in a place that is foreign to everyone else is exciting enough, but witnessing the joy of a teammate under these circumstances is special.
“I was thinking that on the way over here with how excited I get for that one game a year we get in [my hometown of] Toronto and seeing all my family, all my friends, in the stands after the game,” Evangelista said. “I grew up going to games in Toronto, watching the [Maple] Leafs, and so I can only imagine how cool it is for them. They don't get to do this every year, and it’s kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we're doing this. I can only imagine how excited they are, so super happy for them, and just super happy to be involved in participating with them.”
The two Swedes are equally excited to be showing their country off to the rest of the group, and following the first dinner, Forsberg was left impressed with the openness to try something new.
“I think the overall feedback was very happy,” Forsberg said of the meal. “Guys were very excited. They had a great time. Started off with a very Swedish typical cuisine and guys loved it. A couple guys were skeptic to some of the stuff that we had on the menu, but they tried it, and I'm proud of that.”
And other than the desire to collect a couple of wins, there was one other thing Evangelista was hoping for in Sweden. He didn’t waste any time.
“Honestly, the Swedish meatballs were on my bucket list,” Evangelista said. “I checked it off on night one. They did not disappoint.”
