Red Wings announce 2008-09 schedule
Season highlighted by games against all 15 Eastern Conference teams
For the first time in three seasons, the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings will play at least one game against every team in the league in 2008-09.

In the NHL schedule released on Thursday, the Red Wings will play each of their three Central Division rivals (Chicago, Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis) three times at home and three times on the road. The Wings will play another 40 games inside the Western Conference with two home and two road games against the remaining 10 Western teams.

The remaining 18 games involve at least one game each against all 15 Eastern Conference teams. The Wings will face Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Atlanta each twice – both home and away.

The Wings will face the Penguins -- the team they beat to win their 11th Stanley Cup in franchise history – on Tuesday, November 11 at Joe Louis Arena, and on Sunday, February 8 at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena.

The Wings will open the season against Original Six rival Toronto on Thursday, October 9 when a championship banner ceremony is planned.

Besides the Maple Leafs and Penguins, the nine home games against Eastern rivals include meetings with the New York Rangers (Oct. 18), Atlanta (Oct. 24), New Jersey (Nov. 8), Montreal (Nov. 26), Buffalo (Jan. 10), Philadelphia (March 17), and the New York Islanders (March 27).

The 2008-09 schedule will feature five Friday games, eight Saturday games, and three Sunday games at Joe Louis Arena. Last season, the Red Wings hosted eight Friday games, four Saturday games, and four Sunday games.

An obvious omission to the 2008-09 schedule is the traditional New Year’s Eve game that has been a regular staple in the Red Wings’ schedule since 1950. Instead, the Wings and Blackhawks will play a home-and-home series on Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The New Year’s Day game will be the league’s second annual Winter Classic, an outdoor contest, which will be played at the 41,000-season Wrigley Field.

The Wings only have four home games in January with nine games on the road, including a season-long, six-game trip that begins in Dallas on Jan. 12 and finishes at Columbus on Jan. 27.

Last November, the NHL’s Board of Governors approved the new scheduling matrix, which ensures that each team plays every club at least one, either home or away.

The new format represents a change from a matrix approved by the Board for the 2005-06 season that called for four games (40 total) against each non-division conference opponent, eight games (32 total) against each in-division opponent and 10 inter-conference games.

Fans can still lock in to last year’s ticket prices by becoming a season-ticket holder prior to August 4. For season ticket information, call the Red Wings Ticket Sales and Service Department at 313-396-7575.

Code:
Red Wings 2008-09 Regular-Season Schedule
Day 	Date 	  	Opponent 	Time
Thu 	Oct 9 	  	Toronto 	8 p.m.
Sat 	Oct 11 	at 	Ottawa  	7 p.m.
Mon 	Oct 13 	at 	Carolina 	7 p.m.
Thu 	Oct 16 	  	Vancouver 	7:30 p.m. 
Sat  	Oct 18 	  	N.Y. Rangers 	7 p.m. 
Wed 	Oct 22 	at 	St. Louis  	8:30 p.m.
Fri  	Oct 24 	  	Atlanta 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Oct 25 	at 	Chicago 	8:30 p.m.
Mon 	Oct 27 	at 	Los Angeles 	10:30 p.m.
Wed 	Oct 29 	at 	Anaheim 	10 p.m.
Thu 	Oct 30 	at 	San Jose 	10:30 p.m.
Sun 	Nov 2 	at 	Vancouver 	10 p.m.
Sat 	Nov 8 	  	New Jersey 	7 p.m.
Tue 	Nov 11 	  	Pittsburgh 	7 p.m.
Thu 	Nov 13 	at 	Tampa Bay 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Nov 14 	at 	Florida 	7:30 p.m.
Mon 	Nov 17 	  	Edmonton 	7:30 p.m.
Thu  	Nov 20  at  	Edmonton 	9 p.m.
Sat  	Nov 22 	at 	Calgary 	10 p.m.
Mon 	Nov 24 	at 	Vancouver 	10 p.m.
Wed 	Nov 26 	  	Montreal 	7:30 p.m.
Fri  	Nov 28 	  	Columbus 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Nov 29 	at 	Boston  	7 p.m.
Mon 	Dec 1 	  	Anaheim 	7:30 p.m.
Thu 	Dec 4 	  	Vancouver 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Dec 6 	  	Chicago 	7 p.m.
Wed 	Dec 10 	  	Calgary 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Dec 12 	at 	Dallas  	8:30 p.m.
Sat 	Dec 13 	at 	Phoenix 	9 p.m.
Mon 	Dec 15 	  	Colorado 	7 p.m.
Thu 	Dec 18 	  	San Jose 	7:30 p.m.
Sat  	Dec 20 	  	Los Angeles 	7 p.m.
Tue 	Dec 23 	  	St. Louis 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Dec 26 	at 	Nashville 	8 p.m.
Sat 	Dec 27 	at 	Colorado 	9 p.m.
Tue 	Dec 30 	  	Chicago 	7:30 p.m.
Thu 	Jan 1 	at 	Chicago * 	1 p.m.
Sat 	Jan 3 	at 	Minnesota 	8 p.m.
Tue 	Jan 6 	  	Columbus 	7:30 p.m.
Thu 	Jan 8 	  	Dallas  	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Jan 10 	  	Buffalo  	7 p.m.
Mon 	Jan 12 	at 	Dallas  	8 p.m. 
Wed 	Jan 14 	at 	Anaheim 	10 p.m.
Thu 	Jan 15 	at 	Los Angeles 	10:30 p.m.
Sat 	Jan 17 	at 	San Jose 	10:30 p.m.
Tue 	Jan 20 	at 	Phoenix 	9 p.m.
Tue 	Jan 27 	at 	Columbus 	7 p.m.
Thu 	Jan 29 	  	Dallas  	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Jan 31 	at 	Washington 	12:30 p.m.
Mon 	Feb 2 	  	St. Louis 	7 p.m.
Wed 	Feb 4 	  	Phoenix 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Feb 7 	  	Edmonton 	3 p.m.
Sun  	Feb 8 	at 	Pittsburgh 	3 p.m.
Tue 	Feb 10 	at 	Nashville 	8 p.m.
Thu 	Feb 12 	  	Minnesota 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Feb 13 	at 	Columbus 	7 p.m.
Sun 	Feb 15 	  	Colorado 	5 p.m.
Wed 	Feb 18 	  	Nashville 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Feb 20 	  	Anaheim 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Feb 21 	at 	Minnesota 	8 p.m.
Wed 	Feb 25 	  	San Jose 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Feb 27 	  	Los Angeles 	7:30 p.m. 
Sat 	Feb 28 	at 	Nashville 	8 p.m.
Tue 	Mar 3 	at 	St. Louis 	8:30 p.m.
Wed 	Mar 4 	at 	Colorado 	9 p.m.
Sat 	Mar 7 	  	Columbus  	7 p.m.
Tue 	Mar 10 	  	Phoenix 	7:30 p.m.
Thu 	Mar 12 	  	Calgary 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Mar 14 	at 	St. Louis 	2 p.m.
Sun 	Mar 15 	at 	Columbus 	5 p.m.
Tue 	Mar 17 	  	Philadelphia 	7:30 p.m.
Fri 	Mar 20 	at 	Atlanta 	7:30 p.m.
Mon 	Mar 23 	at 	Calgary 	9 p.m.
Tue 	Mar 24 	at 	Edmonton 	9:30 p.m.
Fri 	Mar 27 	  	N.Y. Islanders 	7:30 p.m.
Sun 	Mar 29 	  	Nashville 	5 p.m.
Thu  	Apr 2 	  	St. Louis 	7:30 p.m.
Sun  	Apr 5 	  	Minnesota 	5 p.m.
Mon 	Apr 6 	at  	Buffalo 	7 p.m.
Thu  	Apr 9 	  	Nashville 	7:30 p.m.
Sat 	Apr 11 	  	Chicago 	3 p.m.
Sun 	Apr 12 	at 	Chicago 	5 p.m.