NHL partners with Düsseldorf’s Ko on Ice for 2026-27 winter season

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The National Hockey League has announced a partnership with Düsseldorf’s Ko on Ice for the 2026-27 winter season, with the NHL becoming a sponsor of the seasonal ice-skating and holiday attraction at Kӧnigsallee. The announcement ties the League’s on-site presence to Düsseldorf’s preparations for the 2026 NHL Global Series Germany, when the Ottawa Senators will play the Chicago Blackhawks in two regular-season games at PSD Bank Dome on Dec. 18 and Dec. 20.

Under the agreement, the NHL will be featured through prominent logo placements throughout Ko on Ice, including on the ice resurfacing machine and around the rinks, with branding applied to rink boards as well. The partnership is scheduled to coincide with the venue’s winter season, which runs from Nov. 6, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027 at Corneliusplatz, at the northern end of Kӧnigsallee.

Ko on Ice will serve as an opening centerpiece for the broader “two-month hockey celebration across Düsseldorf,” according to the NHL’s International Partnerships announcement. The League said the Ko on Ice program is designed to connect with visitors during the peak holiday period ahead of Global Series Germany, while also positioning the attraction as part of a connected fan experience across Düsseldorf that the NHL says will include additional activations at the city centre and at the arena.

The NHL partnership also includes a set of themed activations. Among the named elements is a five-meter-tall Christmas tree constructed from 264 used hockey sticks and topped with a large illuminated NHL logo, intended to link the venue’s holiday presentation directly to hockey imagery and materials. The NHL also described photo and social media experiences as part of the season-long programming at the site.

Visitors, the NHL said, will be able to take part in the NHL Holiday Card Factory, described as an up-to-date digital experience, and the NHL Memory Studio, which is presented as a more traditional photo booth setup. The League said the venue will also host appearances by the Stanley Cup during the week of the Global Series Germany games, connecting the local winter spectacle with the NHL’s championship trophy.

During the same week as the Global Series Germany matchups, the NHL said an episode of the German NHL podcast “Schlagschuss” will be recorded live at Ko on Ice. The NHL did not provide further details on which hosts or guests will appear, but the League stated that the recording will take place during the Global Series Germany week.

The Ko on Ice announcement specifies that the NHL’s winter-season activities begin when the attraction opens on Nov. 6, 2026 and continues until Jan. 10, 2027. Opening hours are listed for ice-skating, Bavarian curling and food stalls from Nov. 6 through Dec. 31, 2026 and from Jan. 1 through Jan. 10, 2027, with the venue located at Corneliusplatz.

The Global Series Germany games that Ko on Ice will build toward are identified by the NHL as a two-game set between the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks at PSD Bank Dome on Dec. 18 and Dec. 20. The League also said the winter programming and partnership efforts fall within a broader European growth strategy, with a stated emphasis on Germany.

As part of its wider international slate, the NHL announcement also referenced NHL Monday Night Hockey, a new initiative described as bringing NHL games to hockey fans across Europe in local primetime viewing windows on Monday nights throughout the 2026-27 season beginning Nov. 30. The League further noted additional Global Series Germany details, including the 2027-28 Global Series Germany plan described as featuring four regular-season games, with Boston Bruins contests in Munich and Edmonton Oilers games in Cologne.

In the NHL’s announcement, John Lewicki, the NHL Senior Vice President, International Partnerships, said Ko on Ice is intended to start the League’s two-month hockey celebration in Düsseldorf and called the city’s Christmas market and winter destination appeal a reason the League expects broad visitor interest. The NHL’s release also includes remarks from Oscar Bruch Jr., Managing Partner of Winterwelt, the organizer behind the Winterwelt event hosting Ko on Ice, who said the attraction continues to grow and that Düsseldorf’s winter cultural program is distinctive.

According to the NHL, the Ko on Ice partnership adds to the League’s list of events, partnerships and media initiatives tied to the NHL’s ongoing presence in Europe, including regular-season Global Series Germany games. The League presented the announcement as part of a connected fan experience leading into the two Senators-Blackhawks games in Düsseldorf, with Ko on Ice operating as the seasonal launch point for NHL festivities in the city.

The NHL’s release also provided general context about the League, including its 32-member-club structure and the Stanley Cup as professional hockey’s championship trophy, along with details about where NHL content is distributed internationally. For Ko on Ice, the announcement states the experience is located at Corneliusplatz in Düsseldorf and is positioned by its organizers and the NHL as a major winter and Christmas destination for families, friends and businesses.