Oct. 4-5 - NHL Premiere. Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins at Stockholm, Sweden; New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning at Prague, Czech Republic.
Oct. 9 - 2008-09 NHL regular season begins in North America.
Nov. 8 - Hockey Hall of Fame Game, Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs.
Nov. 10. - Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Toronto.
Dec. 1 - Signing deadline for Group 2 free agents.
Dec. 19-27 - Holiday roster freeze in effect. No waivers, trades and loans permitted.
Dec. 26-Jan. 5 - IIHF World Under 20 Championship, Ottawa.
Jan. 1 - NHL Winter Classic 2009. Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Wrigley Field, Chicago.
Jan 22-26 - All-Star break.
Jan. 24 - NHL SuperSkills Competition, Montreal.
Jan. 25 - NHL All-Star Game, Montreal.
March 3 - Trade deadline, 3 p.m. EST.
April 9-19 - IIHF Under 18 World Championship, Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn.
