"Rarely a fortnight passes without Kristian Huselius witnessing another happy homecoming for one of his Blue Jackets teammates.
He listens to Derick Brassard and Antoine Vermette speaking French to childhood acquaintances outside the locker room in Montreal. He sees R.J. Umberger talking Steelers football with buddies in Pittsburgh. He spots family members of Derek Dorsett, Mike Commodore and Kris Russell on swings through western Canada.
But Huselius' old friends and extended relatives seldom can attend NHL games without reaching for passports and putting dents in their bank accounts.
"When you come to North America, you understand that's how it's going to be," Huselius said. "You never dream there would come a day when you play a game in your country, in your hometown."
It's why Huselius and fellow Swedes Sammy Pahlsson and Anton Stralman probably will raise a pint of Falcon this week to toast their good fortune.
The Jackets, who arrived in Sweden yesterday, open the regular season with two games in Stockholm against the San Jose Sharks on Friday and Saturday. It marks the fourth consecutive year the NHL has held games in Europe.
The Sharks and Jackets will play in the nation's most famous arena, the Ericsson Globe, which resembles a giant, white Christmas bulb.
As a kid, the 31-year-old Huselius attended hockey games in the Globe. He later played Swedish Elite League games there. The Stockholm native has lots of stories to share with teammates.
That's another part of what makes the trip special for the three Swedes.
For once, they are the hosts, not the outsiders. They are the ones making restaurant recommendations, explaining cultural nuances and pointing out how their capital city, dubbed the Venice of the North, sits on 14 islands connected by picturesque waterways."
