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After quiet summer, NHL ready to begin in London

The Calgary Flames' Dion Phaneuf, left, and Matthew Lombardi unveil the team's new uniforms in Calgary on Sept. 4 for the upcoming NHL hockey season. The new uniforms use advanced fabrics designed to enhance performance. PHOTO: AP

The National Hockey League stood out this summer by simply laying low.

There was no talk of lockouts, doping, rogue referees or police blotters in the North American ice hockey league during the few short months following the Anaheim Ducks' landmark championship for California.

The league that usually gets noticed when things go wrong was glad to let the other US sports own the scandal-focused spotlight. Ice hockey escaped embarrassment and turmoil and now is readying its next attempt to matter in the US sports landscape.

From new streamlined uniforms with peculiar colors and designs to season-opening games played outside North America, to one played out of doors, the NHL is trying gimmicks and novelty to create a buzz.

Having a star like 20-year-old Sidney Crosby doesn't hurt, either.

It all begins this weekend in London, where the champion Ducks begin defense of their Stanley Cup title against their closest neighbor and biggest rival, the Los Angeles Kings.

"Obviously the purpose in going to England is opening up a new building for the Kings' owner," the Ducks' Chris Pronger said, "but at the same time it's a chance for us to go over there and show off our product and try to bring some fan following in England."

The Kings and Ducks will play two games at the 02 Arena owned by US billionaire Phil Anschutz and his Anschutz Entertainment Group, which besides the Kings also owns David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy and fellow Major League Soccer club the Houston Dynamo, in addition to German ice hockey clubs the Berlin Eisbaren and Hamburg Freezers.

Anaheim is already a team in transition as the Ducks take the ice without top defenseman Scott Niedermayer -- last season's playoff MVP -- and 48-goal scorer Teemu Selanne, both of whom are contemplating retirement.

"Certainly two big holes that we are not going to be able to fill," Pronger said.

And that's not all.

Top goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, checking forward Samuel Pahlsson and Niedermayer's replacement, Mathieu Schneider, will all miss the start of the season with injuries. No team has raised the Cup in consecutive years since Detroit in 1997 and 1998.

"We didn't have very many injuries last year at the start of the year and we were able to kind of play with pretty much the same lineup through the first probably 25, 30 games," Pronger said. "We were able to rattle off a pretty good start to the season and I think that's going to be imperative for us again to get off to that good start and get some wins under our belt and kind of get that chemistry and that flow that we had going last year."

The two-game set between southern California's finest is the first highlight of the season that also features an outdoor spectacle on New Year's Day between Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins against the Sabres in Buffalo.

As cold as it will surely be at Ralph Wilson Stadium in January, that could be just the latest chill surrounding the Sabres. After reaching the Eastern Conference finals the past two seasons, the Sabres will be in rebuilding mode following the free-agent departures of top forwards Chris Drury (New York Rangers) and Daniel Briere (Philadelphia).

Another on-ice change is the elimination of traditional sweaters, replaced by sleek, lighter, and drier jerseys. Each team will only sport two this season instead of last year's three. One club after another has unveiled their new duds featuring new logos and altered designs.
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