Jets players watch the ice during a game against the New York Islanders on April 5, 2012 in Uniondale, New York. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Winnipeg Jets were delivered the bad news late Saturday evening.
The 2013 shortened schedule will be a bleary 99-day odyssey, in which the Jets will rack up about 52,991 kilometres in the air. That's a few kilometres shy of nine round trips from the Manitoba capital to Sunrise, Fla., where the Florida Panthers call home.
The Vancouver Canucks usually lead the NHL in travel, but because the 48-game shortened season due to the lockout will consist of intra-conference play only, even the Canucks travel distance of 45,797 km will be shorter than Winnipeg's.
Because re-alignment was shelved until next season, the Jets remain in the Eastern Conference and play all 24-road games in the Eastern time zone.
Winnipeg's 48-game schedule consists of five games each versus Southeast Division opponents in the Panthers and Washington Capitals, four games each against the other division opponents in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, and three games each versus the remaining 10 teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Jets longest road trip is five-game stint in mid-to-late February. Their longest home stand is a six gamer in mid-April.
Probably, the most difficult part of the schedule for the Jets will be the month of March when they play 16 times in 31 days.
At the end of the month they finish a stint on the road in Pittsburgh on Mar. 28, return home for a game against Carolina later on Mar. 30 and then fly to New York for another game against the Rangers on April Fool's Day.
Key dates
After the lengthy 119-day lockout, the 2013 NHL schedule will finally open its doors with 26 teams in action on Saturday. Here are the highlights to the 720-game shortened schedule:
Tim Wharnsby
Tim's worked the sports beat at The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun, specializing in Canada's one true sporting obsession - hockey. He knows the players, the coaches, the backroom boys and most importantly, the fans. That's what he brings to his stories. Knowledge, fairness and understanding are trademarks of a Wharnsby story. That's what you will get here as he writes for CBCSports.ca.
