Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider engaged in the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour yesterday, and today, after exchanging jerseys with Inter Milan’s goaltender, Yann Sommer, the players participating in the media tour took in a game played by Inter Milan’s rival, AC Milan, as noted by NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger:
One day after more than two dozen players completed a saturated schedule of interviews as part of the NHL/NHLPA’s European Player Media tour in Milan, a group of them were awestruck as they were standing on the pitch prior to the opener of the Lega Serie A season for legendary AC Milan and newly promoted Cremonese, the visitors, on Saturday. It was part of the groundbreaking Content Collaboration Partnership between the NHL/NHLPA and Italy’s top soccer league, and it already seems like an ideal marriage.
Just ask any one of Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond of the Detroit Red Wings, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo Sabres, or William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were all on the verge of being awestruck at being on the playing surface, at this venue, at this time, for this occasion.
“It’s unreal,” said Seider, the German defenseman who grew up cheering for Bayern Munich. “Just seeing how passionate they are about it, seeing what football means in Milan, it’s quite special. Having the experience to see that on the pitch is quite unique and obviously an unforgettable moment. There are 80,000 fans in the stands right now. You can feel the energy … They live for coming here, they live for supporting this team. It’s quite special.”
Prior to the game…
Earlier in the day, the NHLers were given a tour of the training grounds of Inter Milan, AC Milan’s arch rivals. There they were able to watch practice and chat with goalie Jan Sommer, a good friend of Hischier’s from their native Switzerland.
“It was fun to get a look into their world and see what they’re doing and their facilities,” Raymond said of the experience with Inter Milan. “It was fun. It was pretty awesome.”
Raymond said the chance for players to get an inside look at the highest level of soccer prompted some to eagerly stay behind in Italy’s second largest city rather than immediately bolt back to their home countries after the completion of their media responsibilities Friday.
“Just the whole Milan as a city, lots of stuff to do, good restaurants, it attracts a lot of guys to stay,” he said. “And being able to see it down here (on the pitch), it’s awesome.”
Continued; given that the 2026 Olympics are taking place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, Raymond and Seider were able to do a little reconnaissance ahead of time.
