2011 NHL Pre-Season Schedule

NEW YORK (August 9, 2011) –The return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg and

seven overseas games against international opponents highlight the National

Hockey League’s 2011-12 pre-season schedule from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

 

Winnipeg fans will have the first opportunity to cheer their team on

Tuesday, Sept. 20 when the Jets make their pre-season debut with

home-and-home, split-squad games against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m.,

ET in Columbus, 8:30 p.m., ET in Winnipeg).

 

Four clubs — the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings

and New York Rangers — will play seven pre-season games in six different

countries against international competition as they prepare to open the

regular season with the 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere series, featuring games

in Berlin, Stockholm and Helsinki on Oct. 7 and 8.

 

The Rangers have the busiest pre-season tour, playing four games in

four countries in a five-day span. They will face Sparta Prague in the

Czech Republic capital Sept. 29, followed by games in Gothenburg, Sweden

(vs. Frolunda, Sept. 30); Bratislava, Slovakia (vs. HC Slovan, Oct. 2) and

Zug, Switzerland (vs. EV Zug, Oct. 3).

 

The Sabres, Kings and Ducks will play their lone pre-season games in

Europe on Oct. 4. The Sabres and Kings will be in Germany, visiting Adler

Mannheim and Hamburg Freezers, respectively, while the Ducks travel to

Helsinki to take on Finnish club Jokerit.

 

The people of Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, winners of the

Canada-wide Kraft Hockeyville competition, will celebrate the grand prize

when the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets visit their community Sept. 26.

In order to accommodate ticket demand that far exceeded the 600-seat

capacity Robert French Memorial Stadium, the Senators and Jets will face

off in nearby St. John’s at Mile One Centre.

 

The schedule features several other contests that will be played

outside NHL cities, including Albany, N.Y. (New Jersey vs. NY Rangers,

Sept. 21); Baltimore, Md. (Nashville vs. Washington, Sept. 20); Bridgeport,

Conn. (Boston vs. NY Islanders, Oct. 1); Charlotte, N.C. (Carolina vs.

Winnipeg, Sept. 25); Halifax, N.S. (Boston vs. Montreal, Sept. 25); Kansas

City, Mo. (Los Angeles vs. Pittsburgh, Sept. 27); Las Vegas, Nev. (Colorado

vs. Los Angeles, Oct. 1);

London, Ont. (Detroit vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 22); Orlando, Fla. (St. Louis

vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 21); Quebec City, Que. (Montreal vs. Tampa Bay, Oct.

1) and Saskatoon, Sask. (Chicago vs. Edmonton, Sept. 20).

 

The 2011-12 NHL regular season opens Oct. 6.

Win Puck the Media’s Summer Reading Contest #3: James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales’ Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

Had a couple of busy days that put me off schedule for doing a review, but you’ve all heard the stories, and probably even read the excerpt on this site a couple months back. Now here’s your chance to get a free copy.

1. Enter your name and e-mail address in the comments, all folks who have never commented before will be approved.

2. Name your favorite NHL on ESPN moment. Anyone who can link to a video of the moment scores bonus points.

(Next Week: an excerpt and chance to win a free copy of Ted Starkey’s Transition Game)

The person with the most interesting moment (provided it seems somewhat true) will win a free copy of the book. Deadline for submission 5 p.m. ET tonight, winner will be notified via e-mail. Good luck!