Another country on the list of exotic destinations. The NHL wants to go to Mexico!

The Canadian-American NHL kicked off another season last week. Just a few weeks before that, the league also took an unusual look at Australia in the lead-up to the season. Now the competition wants to target another exotic destination from a hockey perspective. It could prospectively look to Mexico.

That the NHL is increasingly targeting markets outside the North American continent is not news. Visiting Europe can now be considered a virtually annual affair. Last year, San Jose and Nashville opened the season in Prague. Colorado and Columbus were in Finland for a change.

This year, four teams will head to Sweden in November. Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs will play four regular season games in Stockholm. This is the largest mission on the European continent so far.

Every now and then, however, the NHL decides to visit a country where hockey isn’t exactly the number one controversy. On the other hand, these are countries where the winter sport is practically unpopular.

The Arizona Coyotes and the Los Angeles Kings visited Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia this preseason. It was the NHL’s first ever legal event on this continent. The two teams played a preliminary match at the venue made famous by the Australian Open tennis tournament. The whole event was accompanied by quite big problems with the ice surface. Nevertheless, this experience did not deter the league management.

Will there be another NHL stop in Mexico?

Despite the major problems and high costs, the NHL wants to continue to promote its brand worldwide. One of the next places that is being talked about is Mexico.

“Mexico City is high on our list. Our teams are very interested in going there and exploring that market,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s director of content, said on ESPN’ s “The Drop” podcast a few days ago. He acknowledged that some teams have even inquired about Mexico.

“There are teams that would really like to go to Mexico,” Mayer noted. One such team is Arizona, which has been selling to local Latin American fans for years.

“If you think there’s a rabid fan base in Australia, any American sporting event in Mexico is a huge deal for the country,” Coyotes team president Xavier A. Gutierrez said on the subject.

One of the other draws for the Mexican crowd would undoubtedly be Auston Matthews with his Toronto. Although born in California, this one of the NHL’s biggest stars is of Mexican descent. Even in his own words from 2021, hosting an NHL game in Mexico would literally be amazing.

The Dallas Stars and LA Kings have already held hockey camps in Mexico City. There is even speculation that it could be played at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, which can hold up to 105,000 fans. But that could be a problem because of the local climate. Mayer also said the league is also considering the possibility of playing the game indoors.

Source: NHL, ESPN