NHL Opens Its Season in North America With Original Six Match-Up, Stanley Cup Banner-Raising Ceremony and Live Musical Performances

NHL TV & Online Partners Bring the Action, On & Off the Ice, to Fans Around the World

When the National Hockey League opens its season in North America and the Detroit Red Wings raise their 2008 Stanley Cup championship banner on Thursday, Oct. 9, prior to their season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Joe Louis Arena, NHL TV and online partners will bring the full night of festivities to fans around the world. VERSUS, CBC, NHL.com and CBCSports.ca will present not only the Red Wings-Leafs game at 7 p.m. ET, but also NHL Face-Off Rocks(TM) 2008, a viewing party and concert spectacular from Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit featuring multi-platinum rock band Def Leppard and Grammy winner Alanis Morissette via satellite from Montreal.

The opening night of the season in North America will begin with Def Leppard's live Fox Theatre performance of its hockey-inspired song, "C'mon, C'mon." The championship banner-raising ceremony will immediately follow, leading into the 641st meeting between the Red Wings and Leafs at Joe Louis Arena.

At the conclusion of the game, Alanis Morissette will give a special performance via satellite from Place des Arts in Montreal. Def Leppard then will take the Fox Theatre stage again to close the Red Wings-Leafs broadcast and open the second halves of the VERSUS and CBC doubleheaders -- Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks, respectively -- with an exclusive arena rock show performance of its smash hits and songs from the band's latest album, "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge."

Fans can view the performances online. NHL.com and CBCSports.ca will provide streaming coverage of NHL Face-Off Rocks 2008.

"NHL Face-Off Rocks is a marketing platform to unite fans in all 30 markets in celebration of the start of the NHL season," said John Collins, NHL Chief Operating Officer. "It allows us to thank our fans for their incredible loyalty, and at the same time, provides our partners with a unique platform that enables them to speak directly to our fans."

Fans in attendance at Fox Theatre for NHL Face-Off Rocks 2008 not only will see Def Leppard's live performance in person, they'll also be able to view the telecast of the Red Wings game and Morissette's via satellite performance. A DJ will entertain the audience throughout the event.

About the NHL

The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the four major professional team sports leagues in North America. Today, the NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League's international makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 100 million fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television (VERSUS, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, NASN, ASN and NHL Network) and radio (NHL Radio, Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada). Through the NHL Foundation, the League's charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and the Stanley Cup word mark and NHL Face-Off Rocks logo and word mark are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. All Rights Reserved.