The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A year after paying its schedule-makers for naught, the National Hockey League has released its calendar of games for the upcoming season. The schedule opens Wednesday, October 5 on a historic note when, for the first time in league history, all 30 teams will be in action to start the season. The Montreal Canadiens will start their season against the Boston Bruins in their decades' old rivalry. Opening night will be an exciting one in Ontario, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators facing off. Out West, the Vancouver Canucks will host the Phoenix Coyotes at GM Place. The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, meanwhile, will take on the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche respectively. The 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning will belatedly raise their championship banner prior to hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. A new rivalry-based system is in place that will see clubs in the same division battle each other eight times throughout the season. That means 32 of each team's 82 match-ups will be against a division rival. Meanwhile, teams will each play four games against each of the 10 non-division clubs within their conference. Of disappointment to some fans will be the lack of an All-Star Game. The annual classic has been canceled so players can participate in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. As such, the league will take a break after the games of February 12, with play resuming on February 28. CBC's "Hockey Day in Canada" tripleheader involving all six Canadian squads will take place again. On Saturday, January 7, Toronto will be in Edmonton, Ottawa in Montreal and Calgary in Vancouver. The regular season will conclude on April 18, with the playoffs set to start on April 21 and end no later than June 19.
