The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday released their schedule for the 2010-11 season, their 15th overall and 10th as members of the American Hockey League. The primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings will begin its 80-game slate by hosting the Abbotsford Heat on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. It will mark the Griffins’ earliest home opener since 2005-06, which was also the last time they opened their season at Van Andel Arena.
Highlights of the 2010-11 schedule include:
• Twenty-six prime home dates (17 Fridays and nine Saturdays). All Friday games this season will once again feature the popular Dollar Dogs, Dollar Beers promotion;
• Grand Rapids’ first-ever New Year’s Day game, on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. against the Peoria Rivermen;
• The Griffins’ 14th annual New Year’s Eve celebration, which will feature a new 6 p.m. start time;
• Numerous other holiday home games, including the day before Halloween (Oct. 30), the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), and the day after Christmas (Dec. 26);
• Grand Rapids’ 10th annual Matinee Game presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union, on Nov. 10 at noon versus the Milwaukee Admirals;
• The first visits to Van Andel Arena by the Oklahoma City Barons (Oct. 29 and March 16). On March 11, the Griffins will reciprocate with their first trip to the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, marking the 50th arena, 42nd city and 20th state in which they’ve played since their 1996 inception (including Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena);
• A run of 12 of 15 games at Van Andel Arena from Dec. 4 to Jan. 5, balanced by a season-ending stretch (March 8-April 10) in which 11 of 17 contests will be played on the road.
Griffins full-season, mini-plan and group ticket packages for the 2010-11 season are now on sale. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com or call the Griffins office at (616) 774-4585. Single-game tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, Sept. 10.Griffins 2010-11 schedule options: PDF Outlook Graphic
