OTTAWA -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and seven of the NHL's Top 100 players were on hand Friday as the formal announcement was finally made for an outdoor game between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 16, 2017.
"We also all know we have three important games coming up this week as well," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said when it was his turn at the podium. "We're going to hope those three games are great as well."
At the very least, they will have plenty of significance.
When the Canadiens (39-23-8) visit Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, they will be holding a one point lead on the Senators (39-23-7) in the battle for first place in the Atlantic Division, and Ottawa has a game in hand.