NHL in London, England

in case you missed this

NEW YORK/LONDON — The National Hockey League announced today the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings will open the 2007-08 NHL regular season in London, England at Europe's most state-of-the art entertainment venue, the O2 Arena.

"Our commitment to grow the game globally has never been stronger," said NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly. "The NHL is extremely proud to be represented in London by two great hockey organizations in the Ducks and Kings as well as to be recording NHL history at such a fantastic facility in the 02."

After three successful Game One events in Japan in 1997, 1998 and 2000, NHL Premiere will mark the first time the NHL will have played regular-season games in Europe.

The home-and-home series will take place on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 8:00 p.m. (GMT) and Sunday, Sept. 30, at 5:00 p.m. (GMT).

It also marks the third trip to London by the NHL. In 1993, the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs played a two-game preseason series at Wembley Arena, as did the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens in 1992.

"This is a historic and exciting announcement for the Kings, the NHL and the new O2 Arena," said Timothy J. Leiweke, who in addition to serving as Kings Governor serves as President & CEO for AEG, the parent company of the Kings and the owners and operators of the O2.

"Everybody associated with the Kings and AEG are thrilled with the unique opportunity to take our team and the great game of hockey overseas, and there could not be a better venue than the O2 to host such an event. The Kings-Ducks rivalry has been a lot of fun for a lot of years in Southern California. The NHL Premiere 2007 series in England takes it to an unrivaled and unprecedented level."

"This a great honor for us, to be chosen to play in the NHL's first regular-season games in Europe," said Anaheim Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. "Showcasing a great rivalry between two clubs from the Southern California market will be terrific for the NHL."