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A “hockey-obsessed” German family is offering Ottawa Senators fans travelling to Düsseldorf for this December’s NHL Global Series a free place to stay.
The only catch? Guests must be ready for some deep conversations about the game they love.
“All that we want is to have some nice talks about hockey,” Ingo Schmitt told CBC’s Ottawa Morning on Thursday. “We said, why not have people here in our house for those days, show them around, show them what’s here … that’s something we want to do as a family.”
Schmitt, his wife Jutta and their son Ben are offering a comfortable room for up to two in their modern home in Neukirchen-Vluyn, a town about 35 minutes from the Düsseldorf arena where the Senators will face off against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 18 and 20.
They recently extended the offer to Ottawa fans on Reddit, and have even built a website to help explain their motivation.
“This isn’t a business. There’s no fee and no commercial listing — we just think hockey people should meet more hockey people,” says the site.
The Schmitt family’s home in Neukirchen-Vluyn is decorated with memorabilia from their local hockey teams. (Submitted by Ingo Schmitt)
Schmitt said he learned to skate on frozen lakes when he was a boy, but it wasn’t until an aunt took him to a local game that he fell in love with the sport. The family is now an active part of Germany’s relatively small but passionate hockey community.
Schmitt says while it’s difficult due to the time difference to watch many NHL games on TV, they are avid supporters of their local team. And while Senators star Tim Stützle hails from a nearby town and has said he’s looking forward to his homecoming in December, Schmitt insists his family doesn’t play favourites.
“It’s not about Tim Stützle. We really don’t have a favourite here,” he told Ottawa Morning.
Guests may come and go as they please, but are welcome to join the family to prepare meals and hear about other local attractions such as the popular Christmas markets and Düsseldorf’s Altstadt, which claims to host the longest bar in the world.
LISTEN | The Schmitts’ full Ottawa Morning interview:
Ottawa Morning8:38German family offers to host two Sens fans when the team plays in Düsseldorf
Ingo Schmitt is offering to host fans of the Ottawa Senators at his family’s home in Düsseldorf, Germany in December, when the Sens play two regular season games against the Chicago Blackhawks during the NHL’s Global Series.
While the Senators have played several games in Sweden, this will be the team’s first foray to Germany, where the NHL is hoping to continue growing the sport.
Schmitt says they’ve received lots of positive feedback about the offer, but so far have had no takers. He’s confident the right hockey fans will come along.
“For us it’s important to meet people from abroad, to get to know them, to talk about hockey,” he said.