European openers light up NHL regular season schedule

TORONTO (Reuters) - Four games in Europe, an All-Star game in Montreal and the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field are the highlights of the 2008-09 NHL regular season schedule released on Thursday.

For the second consecutive year, the NHL will open the season on European ice with Sidney Crosby and the Stanley Cup finalist Pittsburgh Penguins facing off against the Ottawa Senators in back-to-back games in Stockholm on October 4-5.

That same weekend, the New York Rangers will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a pair of games in Prague.

They follow a hugely successful opening last year in London where the Anaheim Ducks took on the Los Angeles Kings in a two-game set.

The NHL spotlight will be on Chicago on New Years day, when the Blackhawks host Original Six rivals the Detroit Red Wings in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, better known as the home of the Chicago Cubs.

It is the second straight year the NHL has staged an outdoor game in the United States following last year's contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium that attracted a league record crowd of over 71,000.

As part of the Canadiens centennial celebrations, Montreal will be the venue for the NHL All-Star weekend of January 24-25.

The North American schedule will open on October 9 on four fronts and will feature the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings raising their championship banner in pre-game ceremonies before taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The annual Hall of Fame game is set for November 8 in Toronto and will feature the NHL's two greatest rivals with the Maple Leafs facing off against the Canadiens.  Continued...