Last year, Los Angeles and Anaheim kicked off the 2007-08 NHL season by playing two regular-season games at the new O2 Arena in London, England. This year, there was an explosion of overseas activity kick-started by the Victoria Cup, a new IIHF driven tournament featuring an NHL team (New York Rangers) and the European club champions (Mettalurg Magnitigorsk, from Russia) in a one-game showdown. Indeed, NHL presence in Europe to start the 2008-09 season was unprecedented. The Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning played two NHL games in Prague, and Pittsburgh and Ottawa also played two NHL games in Sweden.

It's clear the NHL wants to capture the attention of the huge European fan base, but it's also clear the league isn't yet exactly sure how to go about it. Any suggestions? Mixed Mate dot com Reported this.