Through the course of 1,230 games, a few are going to stand out. Naturally, we have to wait for the players to find out how the contests will unfold, but these games on the 2009-10 schedule, released Wednesday, will carry a bit of pre-game hype.

Oct. 1, Opening Night
Four games are on tap to open the NHL's 92nd season, highlighted by an always-entertaining Montreal vs. Toronto tilt at Air Canada Centre. The Avalanche will undoubtedly welcome a capacity crowd to the Pepsi Center for their contest against San Jose which will also feature the retirement of No. 19 in honor of Joe Sakic. His is the third number honored in team history -- following Patrick Roy (33) and Ray Bourque (77) -- and the seventh in franchise history dating back to the Quebec Nordiques. Other games include Washington at Boston, and Vancouver at Calgary.

Oct. 2, NY Rangers at Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Rangers at Mellon Arena and will raise the third Stanley Cup championship banner in franchise history and first since 1992.

Oct. 2 and 3, NHL Premiere
The Blackhawks, Panthers, Red Wings and Blues will get their passports stamped first before opening the season. Chicago and Florida will meet for two games in Helsinki, Finland, while Detroit and St. Louis will faceoff in Stockholm, Sweden, marking the third-straight season the NHL is playing regular-season games overseas.

Oct. 3, Super Saturday
All 30 teams will be in action, starting with a Vancouver at Colorado matinee. Nine contests will be intra-division and another five will be intra-conference.

Oct. 3, Pittsburgh at NY Islanders
One of the most eagerly awaited debuts in recent memory takes place when John Tavares, who will be 19 years old, is expected to play his first NHL contest as the new face of the Islanders franchise. The No. 1 pick of the 2009 Entry Draft enjoyed a junior career studded with numerous awards and New York hopes Tavares can do for the team what Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have accomplished in Pittsburgh and Washington, respectively.

Oct. 3, Philadelphia at New Jersey
The amazing career of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur takes another turn as he is expected to appear in his 1,000th career regular-season game on opening night. He would become only the second goaltender to reach the mark, joining Patrick Roy (1,029).

Oct. 8, Chicago at Detroit
His one season in Detroit was a statistical success, but Marian Hossa didn't secure his first Stanley Cup title, falling tantalizingly close. He'll return to Joe Louis Arena for the first time since joining division rival Chicago as a marquee free-agent signee.

Oct. 17, Ottawa at Montreal
Since joining the Canadiens late in the 2003-04 season, Alexei Kovalev had been much maligned and celebrated in seemingly equal parts. Now a member of the Ottawa Senators, he returns to the Bell Centre for the first time to play in front of the fans who cheered him as the MVP of the 2009 All-Star Game.

Oct. 24, Super Saturday, Part II
All 30 teams will be in action, starting with a Toronto at Vancouver matinee. Five contests will be intra-division and another seven will be intra-conference.

Oct. 30, NY Rangers at Minnesota
For the first 502 games of his career, Marian Gaborik was the face of the Minnesota Wild dating back to 2000-01. The man who owns virtually every offensive record in franchise history returns to the Xcel Energy Center as a member of the New York Rangers.

Nov. 7, Detroit at Toronto
Hockey Hall of Fame Game
Two days before the induction of Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille and Steve Yzerman to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Red Wings.

Dec. 4, Boston at Montreal
The Canadiens will host their most-storied rival at the Bell Centre on the day the franchise celebrates its 100th anniversary. Montreal was founded on December 4, 1909 by businessman J. Ambrose O’Brien as a member of the National Hockey Association, the precursor to the NHL.

Jan. 1, Philadelphia at Boston
2010 Bridgestone/NHL Winter Classic
For the third-consecutive season, the NHL goes old school with an outdoor game, and it doesn't get any older than Fenway Park, the fabled and quirky ballpark built in 1912. This will arguably be the biggest meeting between the franchises since the 1974 Stanley Cup Final, won by the Flyers. In 165 regular-season meetings, the Bruins hold an 85-55-21-4 advantage.

Jan. 2, New Jersey at Minnesota
New-old Devils coach Jacques Lemaire makes his return to the Xcel Energy Center, where from 2000-01 through 2008-09 he guided the Minnesota Wild as the first head coach in franchise history.

Jan. 23, Hockey Day Minnesota
In a state where hockey is celebrated on many levels, the Minnesota Wild will do their part by hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center during the fourth annual Hockey Day in Minnesota. Several high school and college games also round out the day's festivities in the North Star State.

Jan. 26, Los Angeles at Toronto
Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn, the No. 5 pick of the 2008 Entry Draft, could face little brother and center Brayden, the No. 5 pick of the 2009 draft, for the first time when the Kings visit Air Canada Centre.

Jan. 30, Hockey Day in Canada
All six Canadian-based franchises will face off -- Montreal visits Ottawa in a matinee, Toronto hosts Vancouver, and Edmonton plays at Calgary.

Jan. 31, Detroit at Pittsburgh
The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings meet for the first time since their entertaining seven-game Stanley Cup Final last June.

Feb. 13-14
Every team except for Toronto will be in action on the final weekend of NHL games before the League breaks for the Olympic Games in Vancouver.

March 1, Detroit at Colorado
After two weeks off, the NHL regular season resumes with one game on the docket.

March 5, New Jersey at Calgary
Flames coach Brent Sutter welcomes the Devils to his home province of Alberta for their only meeting of the season. Sutter coached New Jersey in 2007-08 and 2008-09 before resigning with a year left on his contract, citing homesickness.

March 7, Montreal at Anaheim
It should be an emotional game for Saku Koivu as he plays against the Canadiens for the first time in his career. From 1995-96 through last season, Koivu, the second-longest tenured captain in Montreal franchise history, played all 792 games of his career in a Canadiens sweater. The Ducks do not visit Montreal in 2009-10.

April 8, NY Islanders at Pittsburgh
The Penguins will play their final regular-season home game at Mellon Arena, built in 1961 and the oldest building in the NHL. They will move into the Consol Energy Center, currently under construction, in 2010-11.

April 11, Boston at Washington
The quest for a third-career Stanley Cup title is the driving force behind Mark Recchi's 21st and last season in the NHL. The winger with 545 career goals announced in the offseason that 2009-10 will be his last go-around, and this is expected to be his final regular-season contest.

April 11, Edmonton at Anaheim
Teemu Selanne, who announced in the offseason that 2009-10 will be his final campaign, will lower the curtain on a 17-year career by playing in what is expected to be his last regular-season game. Selanne is currently the third all-time leading goal scorer in NHL history among European-born and trained players.

Contact Rocky Bonanno at rbonanno@nhl.com