Global Nashville | International Athletes | Mattias Ekholm of the Nashville Predators

Germany, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Kenya, Venezuela, Finland, Panama, Costa Rica, Sweden and more. Nashville is home to athletes who have come from around the world. Among the many elements that make Nashville a global city is the athletes from around the world who come to play in the city’s professional sports teams — hockey, soccer, football. Take the Nashville Predators for example. In addition to the many Canadian players the roster includes talented athletes from Switzerland, Russia, Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Just two of 22 players are from the U.S. Twenty came to Nashville from abroad. To explore the route of international players to Nashville and their experiences in Music City, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean spoke with Mattias Ekholm, veteran defenseman and alternate captain of the Nashville Predators. Mattias hails from Borlange, Sweden and has adopted Nashville as his new home to work his trade on the NHL ice and to raise his family of four. We’re sure you’ll enjoy this conversation about professional hockey and life in Nashville from a premier international athlete.