Red Wings home opener is vs. Babcock and his Maple Leafs on Oct. 9

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will host former head coach Mike Babcock and his Toronto Maple Leafs for their 2015-16 season home opener.

The full NHL schedule is set to be released on Thursday, but the Red Wings couldn't resist announcing their home opener ahead of that. It will be 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.

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How will the Joe Louis Arena crowd greet Babcock? Cheers? Boos? Silence? I would expect mostly cheers.

This will be Babcock's first game aginst the Red Wings since he coached the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2004.

Side note: Sergei Fedorov scored 31 goals in 80 games as a Mighty Duck that season with Babcock as his coach -- weird.