AHL Breaking News: 2004-05 AHL schedule released
August 10, 2004

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: The AHL.com

Tue, August 10, 2004

2004-05 Team Schedule
2004-05 AHL Day-by-Day Schedule
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The American Hockey League today released the complete schedule of regular-season games for the 2004-05 season, the league's 69th year of operation. The season, comprising 1,120 games, begins on Wed., Oct. 13 and concludes on Sun., Apr. 17. Each of the league's 28 clubs will play 80 games: 40 at home and 40 on the road.

With the AHL again employing a divisional playoff format in 2005, nearly two-thirds of this year's schedule (744 of 1,120 games) will be between division rivals.

For the fifth year in a row, the AHL's regular season opens with a game at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza, as the defending Eastern Conference champion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins take on the visiting Manitoba Moose on Oct. 13. Later that night, the Utah Grizzlies face off against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

The Milwaukee Admirals begin defense of their Calder Cup 2004 championship on Oct. 15 when they host the arch-rival Chicago Wolves at the Bradley Center. Also on Oct. 15, AHL hockey comes to western Canada as the Edmonton Roadrunners host the Hamilton Bulldogs in their first game at Rexall Place. And after starting the season with four home games at Winnipeg Arena, Manitoba christens the MTS Centre with a contest against the St. John's Maple Leafs on Nov. 17.

The 2004-05 AHL schedule also features several games in NHL arenas. The Philadelphia Phantoms will skate twice at the Wachovia Center, home of the parent Flyers (vs. Hamilton, Oct. 22; vs. Bridgeport, Oct. 27). The Staples Center in Los Angeles will be the site of a clash between the Kings' affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, and Utah on Oct. 23. Toronto's Air Canada Centre will host a two-game series between St. John's and the Binghamton Senators on Dec. 1 and 3. And the Rochester Americans will take on Edmonton at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo on Dec. 28.

Manchester hosts the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Feb. 13-14.

The American Hockey League serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League clubs. The 2003-04 season again saw 28 teams competing for the coveted Calder Cup, and, for the third straight year, more than 6.6 million fans attending games across North America. Over 80 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2003-04 were AHL graduates, and more than 400 players took the ice in both leagues last year alone.