The NHL has announced the cancellation of all preseason games up to September 30. This means that the previously scheduled game at home against the Los Angeles Kings, the game in the Honda Center against the Anaheim Ducks, and Frozen Fury XV. The Avalanche have also decided personally to cancel the Burgundy and White game.

The really big disappointments to come out of this are the cancellations of Frozen Fury XV, an annual game played in Las Vegas, and the Burgundy and White Game, an annual intramural squad scrimmage open to the fans. Each of these novelty events is always eagerly anticipated by fans and players alike.

By cancelling these games, the NHL has handed us our first loss of the 2012-2013 season. Hopefully we won’t face too many more.

Bringing this out again, because I can’t think of another picture. Plus, it’s always good to start the season out with a little faith.

While the Colorado Avalanche have yet to make an official announcement regarding their preseason schedule, the games have now appeared on the official calendar on the sidebar of the official website. So, without further ado, here it is:

September 26: vs. LA Kings

September 28: at ANA Ducks

September 29: at LA Kings

October 1: vs. ANA Ducks

October 3: vs. DAL Stars

October 5: at DAL Stars

October 6: vs. NY Rangers

Overall, it seems like a pretty decent schedule. Every year the Avalanche and the Kings play each other twice, and the Avalanche and the Stars play each other twice during the preseason. There are two back to back sets, however, I’m sure the rosters will have significant differences between the two nights. Preseason ends on the 6th, giving the team five days of preparation before the actual season starts. I tend to like this format, as it helps the team to keep more players up throughout the preseason, and work on finalizing the roster for a couple of days before the real games start.

As a sidenote, please remember that two of the games in the Avalanche preseason are being played in novelty locations. On September 29, the Avs “away” game against the Kings will not be played in Los Angeles, but in Las Vegas. This will be the 15th Frozen Fury game. On the 6th of October, the “home” game will be played in Kansas City. This is a new event between the Rangers and the Avs. It’s pretty exciting that the Avalanche are a part of two different games that take place in specialty locations, and are helping to expand the NHL’s fandom in cities that do not have an NHL franchise. #GoAvsGo