The 2016-17 NHL regular-season schedule was released Tuesday. Fans studied their favorite team's calendar of games and circled those dates and cities that interest them the most. Hotel rooms were booked and group texts were sent to organize the annual road trip amongst friends.
There are no doubt some popular games on the schedule, including the four season-openers on Oct. 12; the Pittsburgh Penguins raising the Stanley Cup banner to the rafters at Consol Energy Center on Oct. 13; the first-ever NHL Centennial Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings on Jan.