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Fear the five: NHL schedule released

Posted on by Erika Towne

The NHL has released the schedule for the season, and many NHL teams have found original ways to debut their lineups. We scrolled through Twitter and highlighted some of our favorites, bringing back an old series, Fear the Five. You can jump to the bottom of the page if you want to see what the Sharks’ line up looks like for the season.

5. Washington Went Cute

There’s something incredibly wholesome about the release of Washington’s schedule. It’s just each opponent as jellycats and I couldn’t look away.

4. Devils Dodgeball

That said, wholesome can only take you so far, which is why my fourth favorite reveal of the season is the New Jersey Devils. The Devils’ marketing team decided to dress kids up in the shirts of other teams and then started pegging the kids with dodge balls.

He was not against face contact.

3. Columbus Blue Jackets flashed back with “Jackets”

For those of us of a certain vintage, the opening five seconds of this video are all you need to see to know that this video is going to be ridiculous. The Blue Jackets marketing team gives you just the right amount of nostalgia without going overboard in absolute stupidity, a fine line to walk, considering the ’90s television show it’s trying to emulate.

2. Florida man Panthoogle

Credit to the Florida Panthers for leaning right into the Florida man jokes.

1. Lombo

The Calgary Flames’ Ryan Lomberg is on a mission. I tried to embed the video, but for some reason, it won’t let me. Trust me, it’s worth heading to this link on Twitter to check it out. It will be the best video you watch all day.

All the rest

But honestly, props to all the marketing teams that came up with some fun ideas for their schedule release videos, because it takes time, energy, and thought to make something inherently boring interesting.

Jarvy’s Road Trip with the Boys

Seth Jarvis and the boys from the Carolina Hurricanes pile into the car and hit the road to check out some of the teams the Canes will be playing this season and they grab some grub along the way.

Star-Studded Schedule Release

The Vegas Golden Knights called out some of the Strip’s stars to help announce the team’s latest schedule. From local news anchors to Wayne Newton to the Blue Man Group, it was a star-studded announcement.

Wild Smash Shit

There’s something extremely satisfying about smashing things, and the Minnesota Wild delivered in the classiest way possible.

Cal Clutterbuck’s new role with the New York Islanders

Well, now we know what Cal Clutterbuck is doing in retirement.

How very OC of them

The Anaheim Ducks introduced the team’s schedule in the OC-est way possible.

Just up the road

And just up the road, the Los Angeles Kings were doing a thing.

Celebrating 100 years of the Winged Wheel

I get what the Detroit Red Wings were trying to do, and I give them props for taking the shot, it just missed for me.

New York Rangers go classic

The Rangers also celebrated 100 years with its schedule release video, but did so in a more boring, yet more classic way.

Canadiens use the EBUG

The Montreal Canadiens are putting the team’s EBUG to work early. Gotta earn his keep.

Ottawa’s TikTok Video Thing

Ottawa did some weird TikTok video mashup thing.

Winnipeg video mashup

I don’t know why, but Winnipeg did some weird video mashup thing too.

Only in Smashville

The Preds featured country singer Dustin Lynch in the schedule release. It was fine.

Dallas Stars know Kids are Cute

Dallas used cute kids to sell the schedule.

Toronto Maple Leafs Dogs Looking for Forever Homes

Then Toronto upped the ante and used dogs looking for forever homes.

St. Louis Blues Old School Sega

The Blues busted out the old school Sega Genesis for the team’s schedule reveal. While it was a bit difficult to follow. You get the idea.

From old school to new school

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks schedule drop featured BBNO$, a Canadian rapper playing video game hockey and debuting the schedule.

Avs Schedule Drop in the DMs

I’m not sure the Colorado Avalanche’s schedule release video hit just right, but its heart was in the right place.

Chicago, Just the Facts

The Chicago Blackhawks make a video to tell us they’re not going to make a video.

Kraken is also in a Marketing Meeting

Also in a marketing meeting, the Seattle Kraken.

Utah Mammoth A Day in the Life

This one was not for me.

Gritty Gonna Knock You Out

If the Philadelphia Flyers knock out half of the teams featured in this clip next season, I’d be shocked.

Penguins on Life Support?

Completely get what the Penguins were going for with this one, but did anyone else feel like the first few seconds of this skit were poking fun at the fact that the team was on life support last season and they were trying to resuscitate it?

San Jose Sharks Schedule

Okay, but what about the Sharks’ schedule?

Here’s the Sharks’ schedule release video:

The Sharks will kick off the season at home against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Oct. 9. San Jose will play three games at home before its first road trip. One of the biggest changes in the team’s schedule this year is that the start times for the home games will be 7 p.m. instead of the usual 7:30 p.m.

This year, there will be a 21-day break in February so that players can participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

Celebration Games:

  • Los Tiburones – Saturday, October 18 vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Native American Heritage Celebration Game presented by Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino – Saturday, November 1 vs. the Colorado Avalanche
  • Black Excellence Celebration Game – Thursday, February 26 vs. the Calgary Flames
  • South Asian Culture Celebration – Friday, March 6 vs. St. Louis Blues
  • Women of Teal presented by Kaiser Permanente – Saturday, March 7 vs. the New York Islanders
  • Vietnamese Heritage Celebration – Thursday, March 19 vs. Buffalo Sabres
  • Pride Celebration, Thursday – April 2 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Cool Collabs & Giveaways:

  • Opening Night – Thursday, October 9 vs. the Vegas Golden Knights
  • Sharks X WWE Theme Game – Saturday, October 11 vs. Anaheim Ducks
  • SharKPOP X Anime Game – Saturday, November 22 vs. Ottawa Senators
  • Sharks X Earthquakes Bay Area Unite – Saturday, January 3 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Sharks X 49ers Bay Area Unite – Friday, January 23 vs. the New York Rangers

You can see the full Sharks schedule at sharks.nhl.com/schedule.

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