Schedule alert: It will be out next week
Look for the NHL's complete 2009-10 schedule sometime next week after baseball's All-Star Game is wrapped up.
Might be Wednesday, when the NHL is holding a press conference in Fenway Park to announce the next Winter Classic (opponent still TBA, although NBC is known to be pushing the Flyers over Alex Ovechkin's Caps). Might be Thursday.
Always interesting to see how the Sabres' Western Conference foes will be broken down. In particular, will we see Brian Campbell make his return to HSBC with Patrick Kane and the rest of the Blackhawks?
It should be a dramatically different schedule as well with nearly three weeks off in February for the Olympic break. That will compress things before and after February. And the Sabres know they'll be on the road for basically a week in March when the NCAA basketball tournament comes back to HSBC.
So in TO speak, getcha popcorn pencils ready!
---Mike Harrington
Calgary or another Canadian team should host the 2011 Winter Classic -- but will NBC commit to showing the game live on the East Coast (It'll be late afternoon-early evening on the East Coast)or will they show football and tape-delay the game? The game should not have to be played in the morning in western Canada in order to accommodate NBC or east coast viewers
Posted by: jan | July 14, 2009 at 03:45 PM
Calgary,
I think the NHL made the right move. Too many "winter classics" and the gimmick loses it's appeal. It loses its uniqueness. Frankly, I think having an outdoor game every year is overkill. Make it a special occasion.
Posted by: Vandy Adam | July 11, 2009 at 03:33 PM
interesting. perhaps they're afraid of stepping on their own feet. why not on a different day? why do they have to feed this undeclared war of the nations? hasn't been a canadian team in the winter classic yet. the original "winter classic" had two canadian teams; and now they're stomping on canadian teams wanting to do again something that they started. i'm not too upset about it, because my favorite team belongs in junior hockey. so i have bigger things to get upset about.
Posted by: lounotinafghanistananymore | July 11, 2009 at 01:23 PM
People in Calgary are really upset (I could use a stronger word, but you fill it in so it does not get deleted) that the NHL's euphemistically named "Competition Committee" vetoed the second half of the winter classic - the one that was supposed to be at McMahon stadium in Calgary between the Flames and either the Oilers, Habs, or Leafs. Is even the competition committee (Ryan Miller being a member) afraid of what happens when you sell 40,000 tickets to two NHL games in the same day? (you know, like getting good media exposure and making money. Bad stuff like that).
Posted by: CalgarySabre2 | July 11, 2009 at 01:01 PM
BTW,
Does anyone else find it troubling/amusing that in the heart of free agency period, we are putting out press releases about the upcoming schedule???
We have to talk about SOMETHING!!!!
Posted by: Buffalo Excuses | July 11, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Will it have the date that The Excuses announce next years ticket prices???
You know the one where ticket prices kinda, well...sort of, you know...almost go down, IF and ONLY IF, we make the playoffs???
How flippin funny is it that the organization's pricing model has an INCENTIVE to under perform???
Let me get this straight:
You EXCEED expectations...NO RAISE?
You BRICK and MISS THE PLAYOFFS, you get a FLIPPIN RAISE????
CHA CHING!!!!
We are being played as fools by the ownership group.
Posted by: Buffalo Excuses | July 11, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Maybe the Sabres will get 80 byes and sneak into the playoffs.
Posted by: Chris | July 10, 2009 at 03:34 PM