NHL and HDNet Announce HDTV Schedule

The National Hockey League (NHL) and HDNet have announced the first two months of their live, high-definition television (HDTV) schedule for the 2005-06 regular season. From the release:

"The 52-game NHL on HDNet schedule begins Opening Night on Wednesday, Oct. 5th at 10 p.m. (ET) featuring Wayne Gretzky’s debut behind the bench as his Phoenix Coyotes take on the Vancouver Canucks.

The first week of the NHL on HDNet also features the intense Central Division rivalry between the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings (Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., ET). The NHL on HDNet will then showcase the much-anticipated national television debut of Pittsburgh's teenage hockey phenomenon, Sidney Crosby, as the Penguins battle the Boston Bruins (Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m., ET).

The NHL adopted new rules this season to create more offensive flow, which will provide more excitement for fans and will further enhance the television viewing experience. In particular, the newly adopted shootout will make certain that every game has a winner."

And here's the schedule:

Day Date Visitor Home Time (ET)
Wednesday 5-Oct Coyotes Canucks 10:00PM
Thursday 6-Oct Red Wings Blues 8:00PM
Saturday 8-Oct Bruins Penguins 7:30PM
Thursday 13-Oct Predators Coyotes 10:00PM
Saturday 15-Oct Lightning Penguins 7:30PM
Thursday 20-Oct Rangers Islanders 7:00PM
Saturday 22-Oct Hurricanes Capitals 7:00PM
Thursday 27-Oct Blackhawks Red Wings 7:30PM
Saturday 29-Oct Hurricanes Penguins 7:30PM
Wednesday 5-Oct Coyotes Canucks 10:00PM
Thursday 6-Oct Red Wings Blues 8:00PM
Saturday 8-Oct Bruins Penguins 7:30PM
Thursday 13-Oct Predators Coyotes 10:00PM
Saturday 15-Oct Lightning Penguins 7:30PM
Thursday 20-Oct Rangers Islanders 7:00PM
Saturday 22-Oct Hurricanes Capitals 7:00PM
Thursday 27-Oct Blackhawks Red Wings 7:30PM
Saturday 29-Oct Hurricanes Penguins 7:30PM
Thursday 3-Nov Capitals Flyers 7:00PM
Saturday 5-Nov Stars Avalanche 9:00PM
Thursday 10-Nov Flames Coyotes 9:00PM
Saturday 12-Nov Capitals Devils 1:00PM
Thursday 17-Nov Canucks Kings 10:30PM
Saturday 19-Nov Avalanche Kings 10:30PM
Thursday 24-Nov Kings Predators 8:00PM
Saturday 26-Nov Canucks Coyotes 10:00PM