New York, NY – With an agreement reached to accommodate the players' Olympic participation, the NHL revealed its 2013-14 schedule.
The regular season is slated to begin on Oct. 1, with the Chicago Blackhawks raising their second Stanley Cup championship banner in four years before taking on the Washington Capitals in one of three opening-night matchups.
The schedule also includes six games to be played outdoors, highlighted by the league's annual matchup on New Year's Day.
The extended lockout led to the cancellation of the 2013 Winter Classic between Toronto and Detroit, but the pair of Original Six clubs will battle at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1. There will also be two contests at Yankee Stadium and one each at Dodger Stadium, Soldier Field and BC Place.
The league will shut down from Feb. 9-25 to enable its players to compete in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The regular season concludes April 13, with the playoffs beginning three days later.
Next season will feature a previously unveiled new division alignment. There are two eight-team divisions known as the Metropolitan and Atlantic in the Eastern Conference, while seven teams make up both the Pacific and Central Divisions in the Western Conference.
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