The National Hockey League will open its 2013-14 season October 1 with new divisions and a revamped schedule that has all 30 teams hosting each rival at least once.
The league announced the 1,230-game lineup only an hour after revealing an agreement to send players to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which will require the NHL to shut down next year from February 9-25.
Teams will be divided into four divisions this season rather than six, a new alignment agreed upon after the settlement of a money dispute between owners and players last January.
The Eastern Conference will feature an Atlantic Division of Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto and a Metropolitan Division of Washington, Carolina, Columbus, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders.
The Western Conference features a Central Division of Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg and a Pacific Division of Vancouver, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Calgary, Anaheim, Phoenix and San Jose.
On opening night, the Chicago Blackhawks will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner when they host Washington while Toronto visits Montreal and Edmonton entertains Winnipeg.
Six regular-season NHL games will be played in outdoor venues next season, starting with the January 1 matchup bewteen Toronto and Detroit at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where a crowd of more than 100,000 spectators is expected.
Other outdoor games include Anaheim and Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25, New Jersey and the Rangers the next day at Yankee Stadium, where the Rangers and Islanders meet on January 29, Pittsburgh and Chicago at Chicago’s Soldier Field on March 1 and Ottawa against Vancouver at Vancouver’s B.C. Place on March 2.
The season will conclude on April 13 with the 16-team championship playoffs starting three days later.
NHL season to open October 1 with new divisions
