National Hockey League releases schedule for 2012-'13 regular season

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Four Canadian teams will be in action when the 2012-'13 NHL regular season kicks off with a four-game schedule on Thursday, Oct. 11.

The Montreal Canadiens will host the Ottawa Senators and the Calgary Flames will entertain the Vancouver Canucks, the league announced Thursday in a release. Also that night, the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins will play the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues will take on the Colorado Avalanche.

A night later, the Los Angeles Kings will raise the first Stanley Cup championship banner in franchise history. The Kings will play the New York Rangers that evening.

The home openers for four Canadian teams are set for Saturday, Oct. 13. The Ottawa Senators will entertain the Washington Capitals, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host Montreal, the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets are home to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Oilers' home opener is set for Tuesday, Oct. 16 against Los Angeles.

The Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at in the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day at Michigan Stadium on the campus of the University of Michigan. The 2013 NHL all-star weekend is set for Jan. 24-28 in Columbus.

The 1,230-game regular season will wrap up on Saturday, April 13 with 14 games.

Release of the national TV schedules will occur at a later date.