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Four NHL teams will play their opening games of the season in Scandinavia.

October 2 and 3, the second and third nights of the campaign, will see Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom (pictured) and team-mate Henrik Zetterberg return home to Sweden to lead the Red Wings against the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm.

On the same nights, the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers will meet in Helsinki.

The season will begin on October 1 with four games, including San Jose at Colorado, where the hosts will retire Canadian star Joe Sakic's number 19 jersey.

Other first-night features include Washington at Boston, Montreal at Toronto and Vancouver at Calgary.

New Year's Day will feature the NHL's fourth outdoor game with the Boston Bruins hosting Philadelphia at historic Boston baseball venue Fenway Park.

The NHL will take a break between February 14 and March 1 so the top players can compete for their homelands in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The Vancouver Canucks will play a record 14 consecutive road games from January 30 to March 10 as a result of the Olympics being played in their home arena.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will raise their Stanley Cup championship banner in their home opener on October 2 against the New York Rangers.

The Montreal Canadiens will celebrate their 100th birthday on December 4 with a home game against Boston, their oldest US rival, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of their first game on January 5 when they play at Washington.

The season concludes on April 11 with the Stanley Cup play-offs starting three days later.

AFP