THE FLC DEPARTED NOT KNOWING THEIR HDG ASSIGNMENT AFTER TKOF. IN ABSENCE OF BEING ABLE TO CONFIRM THEIR HDG DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION THEY GUESSED THE WRONG HDG. TRACON ASSIGNED A NEW HDG AND ALT.

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WE HAD A VERY RUSHED PREFLT AND DEP OUT OF DEN DUE TO SHORT SCHEDULED AIRPLANE CHANGE FROM INBOUND LGA FLT; SCHEDULED 40 MINS BUT 30 MINS LATE. THE FO AND MYSELF DISCUSSED THE ROCKIES 2 DEP BRIEFLY; BUT DID NOT REINFORCE INITIAL DEP HDG/RTE; OTHER THAN VECTORS ON COURSE. WE DELAYED OUR TKOF SEQUENCE AT DEP END OF RWY 17R DUE TO DELAY ON FINAL WTS. ONE ACFT WENT IN FRONT OF US AND AS THE 2ND TAXIED UP; WE RECEIVED OUR WTS AND I TOLD TWR WE WERE READY. HE SAID IF WE COULD GO FROM OUR TXWY (M9); ONE SHORT OF THE END; WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI INTO POS; RWY 17R; AND HOLD. I SAID WE COULD; SO WE WENT INTO POS AND FINISHED OUR FINAL CHKLIST AS WE TOOK THE RWY. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF AND THE FO ASSUMED THE CTLS AND PF DUTIES. OUR TKOF WAS NORMAL AND ROUTINE TO A 1000 FT AGL WHEN TWR TOLD US TO CONTACT DEP. THE FO CALLED LNAV FOR THE DEP MODE; AND I REPLIED NO-HDG SELECT FOR RWY HDG. HE LOOKED AT HIS CHART AND CONFIRMED DEP HDG SHOULD BE 250 DEGS. I CHKED IN WITH DEP AND ASKED 2 TIMES TO CONFIRM DEP HDG. DEP DID NOT RESPOND TO REQUEST. I FELT THE FO HAD CONFIRMED A NOISE ABATEMENT NOTE I HAD MISSED; OR HEARD TWR ASSIGN THE 250 DEG HDG AFTER TKOF; SO I TOLD THE FO TO GO AHEAD AND START TURN UNTIL I COULD CONFIRM WITH DEP. AT ABOUT HDG 220 DEGS; DEP ASKED OUR HDG AND I REPLIED TURNING TO 250 DEGS. DEP ADVISED THAT TWR COULD NOT HAVE ASSIGNED 250 DEGS; AND THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TURN TO 290 DEGS AND LEVEL AT 12000 FT; RATHER THAN THE 17000 FT HE HAD JUST ASSIGNED. HE THEN TOLD US TO LEVEL AT 11000 FT WHICH WE DID. THIS TOOK US AWAY FROM OTHER DEPARTING ACFT WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. CAUSED BY FREQ CONGESTION AND A RUSHED PREFLT FOR PF NOT AWARE OF FIRST PHASE OF DEP SEQUENCE. DON'T ASSUME -- KNOW; BEFORE YOU GO! FINAL NOTE: THIS WAS FINAL LEG OF 3-DAY; W TO E COAST; ALL NIGHT FLT; 24 HRS OFF; EARLY MORNING E COAST DEP WITH ATC DELAYS LGA. THROW IN A LITTLE FATIGUE FOR DISRUPTED SLEEP CYCLES.