After a summer of courtroom battles, allegations of a mutiny among union hierarchy and a soap opera involving a talented scorer and his demand to be traded, hockey returns Thursday night to where it belongs.

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Montreal Canadiens' Brian Gionta (C)celebrates his goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs with team-mates Andrei Markov (L), Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri (R) during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Toronto October 1, 2009.

Photograph by : Reuters

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On the ice.

The National Hockey League drops the puck on its 92nd season Thursday night, highlighted by a matchup of Original Six rivals - the Montreal Canadiens and the Maple Leafs in Toronto - with both teams sporting new looks and carrying high hopes.

On Friday, four more games are on tap, including two in Europe. The Florida Panthers face the Chicago Blackhawks in Helsinki, while the Red Wings face the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm.

On Saturday, there are 15 games, including the season openers for the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers.

It's what hockey fans have been waiting for since June, when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

Since then, hockey has been in the news for less-palatable reasons, chief among them the nasty U.S. Bankruptcy Court fight involving Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie facing off against the NHL_for control of the Phoenix Coyotes, which basically came to an end Wednesday, and the sudden ouster of Paul Kelly as executive director of the NHL Players' Association.

The Canadiens have a new coach and a bushel of new players, while the Leafs loaded up on toughness and, as GM Brian Burke would say, "truculence." Although woefully outshot by the Leafs, the Canadiens won 4-3 in overtime.

Later Thursday night, the Vancouver Canucks - considered to have the best shot among the NHL's six Canadian-based teams at bringing the Cup north of the border for the first time since 1993 - take on the Calgary Flames in a rivalry rapidly increasing in intensity.

The night's other games feature a marquee matchup and a ceremony that promises to be emotional.

The Boston Bruins host superstar Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a matchup of two teams favoured to challenge Pittsburgh for the Eastern Conference title, while in Denver, the Colorado Avalanche will honour future Hall-of-Famer Joe Sakic prior to their game against Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks.

Sakic, a Burnaby, B.C., native who played all 20 of his NHL seasons for the Avalanche franchise, won two Stanley Cups with the Avalanche and played in 13 NHL all-star games. More important to Canadian fans, he helped Canada end a 50-year gold medal drought by winning it all at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

The spectacle and location should please Heatley, who drew the ire of Senators fans when he demanded a trade, sparking a summer-long saga that had hockey fans labelling him an ingrate or worse. Heatley eventually got his way. He was traded to San Jose, his desired landing spot, the day Senators players reported to training camp.

As of Thursday night, all that seemed like ancient history as the quest for Lord Stanley's cup got under way.