NHL announces schedule, will begin in Europe

The National Hockey League announced the 2008-09 regular season schedule Thursday, and the NHL Premiere event will take place in Sweden and the Czech Republic on October 4-5. In back-to-back games, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will battle in Prague, while the past two Eastern Conference champions -- the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins -- will meet in Stockholm to open regular season play overseas. The four teams will also play in exhibition games in Germany, Finland and Switzerland prior to the historic duels. Stateside, the Detroit Red Wings begin their quest of defending the Stanley Cup in their October 9 opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Three other games share the slate with the Red Wings, but all eyes will be on Joe Louis Arena for the unveiling of the championship banner. The next night,... [read full story]