NHL Releases Schedule, 10 Dates to Circle Now

The NHL released the 2011-2012 schedule Thursday, with the season set to start in early October. Below are ten dates to circle as some of the best regular season games.

1. October 6- The season opens up on this night, with three games. The Flyers travel to Boston to take on the Stanley Cup champion Bruins, the Canadians take on Canada rival Toronto, and the Stanley Cup loser Canucks take on coach of the year Dan Bylsma and the Penguins.
2. October 7/October 8- The rest of the NHL teams kick off their seasons on these dates, but the real reason I pointed them out is because of the games being played overseas. The Rangers, Sabres, Kings and Ducks will all travel to Europe, with games in Stockholm, Helsinki and Berlin.
3. October 9- The first game in Winnipeg since 1995 will be when the still to be named Winnipeg team hosts Montreal.
4. October 15- The past two Cup winners play each other in Chicago. Also of note the Islanders and Rangers square off in what is my personal favorite rivalry in hockey.
5. October 28- With the Oilers selecting #1 Friday and the Avalanche selecting #2, this could be the first time these two players face off when Edmonton travels to Colorado.
6. December 1- Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin meet in the Verizon Center as the Penguins visit the Capitals.
7. January 2- The Winter Classic is a day later this year, but that won't make it any less exciting as the New York Rangers take on the Philadelphia Flyers in an Atlantic division rivalry.  The game will be played at Citizens Bank Ballpark, the regular home of the Phillies.
8. January 7- A Stanley Cup rematch, the Bruins will welcome Vancouver to an arena that saw Roberto Luongo completely collapse.
9. March 20- With a bunch of games on the schedule as the season winds down, what that I really focus on is the Sharks taking on the Kings in a battle between LA and San Jose.
10. April 7- The last day of the season is also the busiest, when all 30 teams play in 15 games that could mean a lot to not only the playoff seeding, but who is in and who is out. Very smart by the NHL to do this as opposed to staggering the games.

This is of course just a taste of what the NHL schedule has to offer. If there is an important date I left out please let me know in the comments section.