Planning and Hoping: 2004-05 NHL Schedule Released

The arenas may well be dark come October. But for now it's business as usual for the National Hockey League. The 2004-05 NHL schedule is set, with games due to begin on Wednesday, October 13. The media consensus is that the current labor impasse will wipe out much, if not all, of next season. In the meantime, fans in Tampa Bay can only hope that they will see the Stanley Cup banner raised when the Flyers visit the Lightning on opening night.