The Key Dates

With the NHL season ready to unfold before us, there are a number of dates that should be noted this year. Whether it be for specific events or simply due to the importance it could have on the rest of the season, these are the dates that should be circled on your calendar. Personally, I'm looking forward to the hockey season in 2008-09, and I'm going to try to catch as many of these dates on television, mainly because no one will pay for my travel nor will they grant me a press pass. But that won't deter me from using television and the good ol' Interweb from catching these dates. Here are your "key dates" in the 2008-09 hockey season.

October 4-5: NHL Premiere occurs in Prague, Czech Republic and Stockholm, Sweden. The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning tangle in Prague while the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins battle in Stockholm.

October 8: The AHL regular season starts. The IIHF Champions League plays their first games in their respective groups for semi-final qualification.

October 9: First NHL games in North America take place.

October 17: The ECHL regular season starts.

October 22: The IIHF Champions League plays their second games in their respective groups for semi-final qualification.

October 29: The IIHF Champions League plays their third games in their respective groups for semi-final qualification.

November 9: Hockey Hall of Fame Game takes place in Toronto with the Montreal Canadiens squaring off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

November 10: Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto.

November 12: The IIHF Champions League plays their fourth games in their respective groups for semi-final qualification.

November 19: The IIHF Champions League plays their fifth games in their respective groups for semi-final qualification.

December 3: The IIHF Champions League plays their sixth games in their respective groups for semi-finals qualification.

December 10: The IIHF Champions League plays their first games in semi-final action for finals qualification. The semi-final winners on aggregate will advance to the final.

December 19-27: NHL holiday roster freeze takes place.

November 22: Patrick Roy will be honoured with a jersey retirement ceremony by the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

November 27: Bobby Orr will be honoured with a jersey retirement ceremony by the Oshawa Generals at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario.

December 26: IIHF World Junior Championship begins in Ottawa, Ontario.

January 1: NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field takes place between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.

January 5: Gold medal game at the IIHF World Junior Championship takes place in Ottawa.

January 7: The IIHF Champions League plays their first games in semi-final action for finals qualification. The semi-final winners on aggregate will advance to the final.

January 18: Glenn Anderson will be honoured with a jersey retirement ceremony by the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

January 21: The Reading Royals and the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania host the ECHL All-Star Game. The IIHF Champions League plays their first finals game. The finalists on aggregate will win the Champions League championship.

January 24: NHL SuperSkills Competition takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

January 25: NHL All-Star Game takes place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The AHL All-Star Skills Competition takes place at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

January 26: The AHL All-Star Game takes place at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

January 28: The IIHF Champions League plays their second, and final, finals game. The finalists on aggregate will win the Champions League championship.

March 3: NHL trade deadline.

April 4: IIHF Women's World Championship begins in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The ECHL regular season closes.

April 9: IIHF World Under-18 Men's Championship takes place in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota.

April 11: IIHF Division I Men's World Championship takes place in Vilnius, Lithuania.

April 12: Last day of NHL regular season. The AHL regular season closes. The gold medal game for the IIHF Women's World Championship takes place in Hämeenlinna, Finland.

April 15: 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.

April 17: IIHF Division I Men's World Championship gold medal game takes place in Vilnius, Lithuania.

April 19: IIHF World Under-18 Men's Championship gold medal game takes place in Fargo, North Dakota.

April 24: IIHF Men's World Championship begins in Bern and Kloten, Switzerland.

May 10: IIHF Men's World Championship gold medal game takes place in Bern, Switzerland.

May 15: The Mastercard CHL Memorial Cup starts in Rimouski, Quebec.

May 24: The Mastercard CHL Memorial Cup finals are played in Rimouski, Quebec.

June 15: Last possible day for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals to be played on.

June 26-27: NHL Entry Draft takes place in Montreal, Quebec.

I'm sure there are other dates as well, but that's the start of all the important dates I could find for the upcoming hockey season. If you feel like contributing any additional dates, add them in the comments season below.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!