NHL Pre-Season Begins Sept. 14, 2009

Seriously, it feels like the Pittsburgh Penguins just won the Stanley Cup a few weeks ago and already we’re getting ready for the pre-season.  I don’t know about you but this summer just flew by (the crappy weather in my area certainly didn’t help) and, while I hate to see it end, I am looking forward to the new season. 

So many changes have been made to the rosters in the last coup le months so some teams are going to look really different.  Should be interesting!  When it gets closer to the season opener, I’ll do an overview and preview of what to expect and what I think could happen.

The pre-season kicks off on September 14, 2009 as the Vancouver Canucks take on the New York Islanders in Terrace, BC as part of a 109-game exhibition schedule.  Here are the deets (in Eastern Time):

MONDAY, SEPT. 14

• NY Islanders vs. Vancouver, at Terrace, B.C. (Terrace Sportsplex), 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

• Florida vs. Ottawa, at Halifax, N.S. (Metro Centre), 6 p.m.
• Boston at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• Columbus at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
• Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Los Angeles (split squad) at Phoenix (split squad), 10 p.m.
• Phoenix (split squad) at Los Angeles (split squad), 10:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

• Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• NY Rangers at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
• Florida at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
• NY Islanders at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
• Phoenix at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

• Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia vs. Toronto, at London, Ont. (John Labatt Centre), 7 p.m.
• Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
• Atlanta at Nashville, 8 p.m.
• Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.
• NY Islanders at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Vancouver at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
• Los Angeles vs. San Jose, at Ontario, Calif. (Citizens Business Bank Arena), 10:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 18

• Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m.
• Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.
• Ottawa at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
• Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
• NY Rangers at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
• Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Columbus at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Florida at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
• Anaheim at Phoenix, 10 p.m.
• Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

• NY Rangers at Boston, 4 p.m.
• Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Buffalo at Detroit, 7 p.m.
• Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m.
• Columbus at Nashville, 8 p.m.
• Calgary vs. NY Islanders, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 8 p.m.
• Washington at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
• Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
• Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.
• Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 20

• Chicago at Minnesota, 6 p.m.
• Boston vs. Montreal, at Quebec City, Que. (Colisée Pepsi), 7 p.m.
• Edmonton vs. NY Islanders, at Saskatoon, Sask. (Credit Union Centre), 8 p.m.
• St. Louis at Colorado, 9 p.m.
• Florida at Calgary, 9 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 21

• Carolina at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
• Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• Minnesota at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
• Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay, at Regina, Sask. (Evraz Place), 9 p.m.
• Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
• San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

• Pittsburgh at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Boston at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Los Angeles vs. NY Islanders, at Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center), 8 p.m.
• Florida at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
• Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, at Everett, Wash. (Comcast Arena), 10:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

• Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
• New Jersey at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
• Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m.
• Nashville at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
• Dallas at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
• Phoenix vs. Tampa Bay, at Loveland, Colo. (Budweiser Events Center), 9 p.m.
• Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.
• San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

• Washington at NY Rangers, 7 p.m.
• New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Columbus, 7 p.m.
• Boston at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
• St. Louis at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
• Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
• Edmonton vs. Tampa Bay, at Winnipeg, Man. (MTS Centre), 8:30 p.m.
• Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

• Boston at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
• Atlanta at Carolina, 7 p.m.
• Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
• Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
• Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

• Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
• Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
• Columbus at Boston, 7 p.m.
• St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.
• Carolina at Nashville, 8 p.m.
• Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
• Colorado vs. Los Angeles, at Las Vegas, Nev. (MGM Grand), 9 p.m.
• San Jose at Phoenix, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

• NY Rangers at Washington, 12 p.m.
• Pittsburgh at Detroit, 5 p.m.
• Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 5 p.m.
• Nashville at Columbus, 5 p.m.
• Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
• Vancouver at Edmonton, 8 p.m.
• Los Angeles at Anaheim, 8 p.m.

MONDAY, SEPT. 28

• Florida vs. Tappara, at Tampere, Finland (Hakametsan Arena), 12 p.m.
• Chicago vs. HC Davos, at Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion), 2:15 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29

• St. Louis vs. Linkoping HC, at Linkoping, Sweden (Cloetta Center), 1 p.m.
• Chicago vs. ZSC Lions, at Zurich, Switzerland (Hallenstadion), 2:15 p.m.
• NY Islanders at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
• Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30

• Florida vs. Jokerit, at Helsinki, Finland (Hartwall Arena), 12 p.m.
• Detroit vs. Farjestad, at Karlstad, Sweden (Lofbergs Lila Arena), 1 p.m.

The Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, will play six games in five European cities against local teams before the regular-season openers overseas when Detroit and St. Louis face off on October 2 and October 3, 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden while Chicago and Florida battle on the same days in Helsinki, Finland.

image: Newscom