MVN - Most Valuable Network

Ducks Announce Home Opener

After three years of suffering with NHL scheduling that saw more intra-division games and zero play against one opposite conference division, the NHL has finally modified the error of their ways. Mind you, they still have a ways to go, but clearly the idea of playing only 10 games per year against opposite conference teams did not work. Instead of seeing every team home and away each year, it boiled down to the Ducks seeing an Eastern Conference team once every three years at home. When they met Ottawa in the Stanley Cup Finals, it had been several years since they had last played. No rivalry there.

This year it begins to change for the better. Intra-division games are reduced from eight to six, which is still plenty. Games within the conference are still four per year. Now there are 18 games with teams from the opposite conference. It is not enough for home and away games with each team, but you will play every team once and three teams will have the home and away games.

Today the NHL gave a teaser by announcing home openers and who the home and away teams from the opposing conference would be. For the Ducks, they will have their first home game on Sunday, October 12, against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes have been slowly improving and rebuilding in the right way (not like the Kings “rebuilding”) and it should be a good game.

The Ducks will also get to see the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres (who now will use the Ducks’ former AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates) and the Sean Avery-less, Jaromir Jagr-less New York Rangers.

Tickets for the regular season will not go on sale until September 20. The remaining schedule will be released tomorrow.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 4:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.