NEW YORK (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins will open a new arena and the Chicago Blackhawks will unfurl a long-awaited championship banner in the first week of the 2010-11 NHL season.
The league said Tuesday the Blackhawks will mark their first Stanley Cup since 1961 on Oct. 9 when they host Detroit, a fellow Original Six member.
Pittsburgh, the 2009 Cup winner, will play its first game in the CONSOL Energy Center two nights earlier on NHL opening night against defending Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia. The Penguins had played at Mellon Arena since joining the NHL in 1967.
On New Year’s Day, the Penguins host the Winter Classic against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field — home of the NFL’s Steelers.
