Dates NHL Fans Should Have Marked on Their Calendars for the 2016-17 Season
The National Hockey League will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this season, and it should be a special one.
There will be four outdoor games featuring some big rivalries and historic firsts, and new NHLers will be introduced to hockey's biggest stage and play important roles for their new teams.
We'll see how some stars adjust to their new homes after a busy offseason, and we'll hopefully get full seasons from some of the most talented young players in the game from the past couple of drafts. We'll see how Shea Weber looks in a Montreal Canadiens jersey and how P.K. Subban impacts the Nashville Predators. We'll enjoy Taylor Hall's return to Edmonton as a member of the New Jersey Devils and Connor McDavid's first appearance in his hometown of Toronto after injury kept him from playing there last season.
There will be a lot happening across the continent. In order to help narrow down the biggest of them all, here are some key dates to mark on your calendar for the 2016-17 season.
Some of them you'll want to watch on TV, others might need you to take a trip to enjoy in person. If there is another game you are looking forward to most next season, share it in the comments section.
Information via NHL.com unless otherwise noted.
A Banner Night for the Pittsburgh Penguins
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Date: Thursday, October 13
Significance: When the rival Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals play, it's always an intense game. That's probably even more true with last year's second-round playoff battle still fresh in their minds.
The Pens won in six games to eliminate the Presidents' Trophy winners, and now Alex Ovechkin and Co. have to watch Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and the rest of the Penguins raise the 2016 Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters in person before dropping the puck on their seasons. Ouch.
While Crosby is doing it for the second time in his NHL career, Ovechkin is still seeking his first. That makes Ovechkin one to watch, as he should be motivated to get the Caps off to a great start against Crosby, the franchise player to whom he's always compared.
Calder Trophy Front-Runners Go Head-to-Head
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Date: Wednesday, October 19
Significance: The top two picks of every draft are forever connected. Whether or not there was ever any serious debate over who deserved to be the top selection, they will be compared throughout their careers, and one day, a winning team will be declared. In the meantime, fans get to watch a couple of extremely talented young players make the transition into the NHL.
This year, it's the Toronto Maple Leafs' new center Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets. The season will be a week old, and the two will still be trying to make massive impressions with their new teams, proving they should stick around beyond the "free" nine-game tryout window before their entry-level deals kick in.
The game also features a couple of Canadian clubs that missed the playoffs a year ago and are expected to makes strides this season. Their young players will be key to any progress, and seeing the two top rookies going head-to-head provides a great opportunity for direct comparison.
The Heritage Classic Heads to Winnipeg
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Date: Saturday and Sunday, October 22-23
Significance: Even fans south of the Canadian border should care about this weekend's events in Winnipeg. The Heritage Classic marks the earliest outdoor game in NHL history, taking place at the home of the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the new Investors Group Field. The Bombers have often played in blustery conditions, and it could be a chilly weekend in Winnipeg in late October.
Perhaps even more exciting than the idea of the first outdoor game of the season is the lineup of stars committed to play in Saturday's alumni game—including Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier for the Oilers and Teemu Selanne, Alex Steen and Dale Hawerchuk for the Jets.
The throwback jerseys are great, and after the old guys relive their glory days, a couple of youngsters will go head-to-head when Connor McDavid and Patrik Laine clash.
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Celebrating 100 Years of Hockey
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Date: Sunday, January 1, 2017
Significance: The NHL will be celebrating its 100th year in 2017, and the party kicks off with the second of four outdoor games this season—the Centennial Classic.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Detroit Red Wings at BMO Field, where the Toronto FC soccer club suits up. The league will have a hand in making the events of the weekend memorable as it celebrates a century of games.
Interestingly enough, if there were to be an alumni component, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan would have to suit up for the Red Wings. And Leafs head coach Mike Babcock could just as easily coach the Red Wings alum after spending a decade in charge of the Detroit bench before heading to Toronto last season.
This will be a rematch of the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic that took place at The Big House at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Toronto won 3-2 in a shootout on that cold and snowy day.
The Winter Classic Blues
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Date: Monday, January 2, 2017
Significance: The Chicago Blackhawks are veterans of the outdoor game, with four on their resume so far. Their Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, will be taking part in their first when hosting the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Blues are celebrating their 50th anniversary after making a great run to the Western Conference Final in last spring's playoffs—which started with a seven-game first-round battle against the Blackhawks. There is no shortage of offensive firepower in this one, with Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko headlining.
On top of the dozens of great shots of the Arch you're sure to see and all the other events surrounding the third outdoor contest of the year, the game itself should be a great one with standings implications. The two teams finished just four points apart last year.
It's about time this rivalry was taken out into the open air.
All-Star Weekend Hits Tinseltown
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Date: Saturday and Sunday, January 28-29, 2017
Significance: The All-Star Game got a new look last year in Nashville, as the three-on-three tournament format proved a huge success. It helped to have the John Scott storyline, and that's what people will be keeping their eyes on leading up to the event this year as it heads to Los Angeles' Staples Center for the first time since 2002.
There is plenty of star power in L.A., and the stands will likely be full of celebrities taking in the action as the Kings celebrate their 50th anniversary. The league will want to capitalize on last year's successful revamp, so some surprises on the entertainment side of things should be expected.
Drew Doughty will likely be front and center as a surefire local representative, and there may not be a more likable interview in the game outside of bearded San Jose Sharks blueliner Brent Burns.
Stadium Series Features Battle of Pennsylvania
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Date: Saturday, February 25
Significance: Once again, a heated rivalry hits the open ice. In the last of the outdoor games this season, the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will take on state rival the Philadelphia Flyers.
They'll do it at Heinz Field, where the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers play. Both the Pens and Flyers are celebrating their 50th anniversaries next season, and there will be a celebratory atmosphere on the big stage.
State bragging rights are on the line in their first meeting in an outdoor game. It's in prime time, too, with an 8 p.m. EST start, so there will be a long day of tailgating—which could make things very interesting from a fan-participation perspective. Philly fans can be nasty.
The Flyers made the playoffs with a solid late-season run last year, and the Pens won the Cup. Both should be icing strong teams with plenty to play for late in the 2016-17 campaign.
The NHL Trade Deadline
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Date: Tuesday, February 28
Significance: It's not official yet, but the NHL's trade deadline should be right around the end of February again, and despite last year's relatively quiet final day, this year's should see more certainty around the salary-cap picture and perhaps more movement surrounding teams' pending unrestricted free agents.
Last year, teams held on to their players, like the Boston Bruins' Loui Eriksson. This year, names to watch could include San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns and forwards Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Dallas Stars' Patrick Sharp, Kevin Shattenkirk of the St. Louis Blues and Brad Marchand of the Bruins, to name a few.
Regardless of how much action actually takes place, the anticipation is enough to pay extra attention all day long. With an expansion draft on the horizon, things could be busier than ever.
Top Prospects One Year Later
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Date: Sunday, October 16
Significance: Fans didn't get to see as much head-to-head action from last year's top draft picks Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres, thanks to McDavid's injury, which kept the rookie superstar from suiting up for almost half the season. Their one and only battle last year was a pretty good one, though, with McDavid scoring twice—including the overtime winner in a 2-1 Oilers victory.
We can't get enough of the top young talent in the league, and both teams look like they could potentially take a step out of the basement in their respective conferences this season. Interestingly enough, they will be teammates for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September, then quickly return to their roles as rivals in October.
Bidding Goodbye to "The Joe"
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Date: Sunday, April 9, 2017
Significance: It's the last day of the regular season, and 20 of the 30 teams in the league will be closing out their schedules.
None of those endings will have the same impact as the one happening in Detroit, however, where the Red Wings will say goodbye to Joe Louis Arena. The Wings move into Little Caesars Arena in 2017-18 after nearly 40 years at The Joe.
They could extend the party with yet another playoff appearance, but either way, the building will get a great sendoff in the regular-season finale against the New Jersey Devils.
The Joe has seen its fair share of superstars, including decades of the late Gordie Howe.
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