| 2008–09 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 2008 – June 12, 2009 |
| Games | 82 |
| Teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC,TSN,RDS (Canada) Versus,NBC (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Steven Stamkos |
| Picked by | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | San Jose Sharks |
| SeasonMVP | Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals) |
| Top scorer | Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) |
| Playoffs | |
| PlayoffsMVP | Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Runners-up | Detroit Red Wings |
| NHL seasons | |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → | |
The2008–09 NHL season was the92nd season of operation (91stseason of play) of theNational Hockey League (NHL). It was the first season since prior to the2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the other conference (one division at home and one on the road).[1] It began on October 4, with the regular season ending on April 12. TheStanley Cup playoffs ended on June 12, with thePittsburgh Penguins taking the Stanley Cup over the defending championDetroit Red Wings. TheMontreal Canadiens hosted the57th NHL All-Star Game at theBell Centre on January 25, 2009, as part of theCanadiens' 100th season celebration.[2]
National Hockey League announced that the regular season salary cap would be going up for the fourth straight season. The 2008–09 salary cap is being increased by $6,400,000 (US) per team to bring the salary cap up to $56,700,000 (US). The salary floor is at $40,700,000 (US), which is higher than the salary cap on 2005–06 season.
The NHL brought in a number of rule changes for the start of the 2008–09 NHL season aimed at increasing offence and safety. The first rule change was to Rule 76.2 on faceoffs. The first faceoff of a power play will now be in the defending zone of the team that committed the foul, regardless of where the play was stopped. The second rule dealt with the issue of safety while players are pursuing the puck on a potential icing call. Rule 81.1 states that,"Any contact between opposing players while pursuing the puck on an icing must be for the sole purpose of playing the puck and not for eliminating the opponent from playing the puck. Unnecessary or dangerous contact could result in penalties being assessed to the offending player." The third rule change also dealt with faceoff position: if a puck is shot off the goal frame, goal post or crossbar, the subsequent faceoff will remain in the end zone where the puck went out of play.[3] Another rule change prohibits TV commercials, game breaks, and any line changes immediately after an icing call.
The 2008–09 schedule returns to the pre-lockout schedule. The new schedule eliminates the three-year rotation where teams would only play teams in two of the three divisions of the opposite conference; instead the new schedule guarantees that each team plays every other team at least once. In this new schedule, each team played their divisional rivals six times for a total of 24 games; they played all other conference teams four times for a total of 40 games, and played every team in the opposite conference at least once for a total of 15 games. To obtain a total of 82 games there are an additional three-wild card games; for the Canadian teams, the three-wild card games are composed of playing the three Canadian teams in the opposite conference an additional time.[4]
The2008 NHL entry draft was held on June 20–21, 2008, atScotiabank Place inOttawa, Ontario, the home of theOttawa Senators.Steven Stamkos was selected first overall by theTampa Bay Lightning.
The NHL andNational Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agreed to move thetrade deadline from Tuesday, March 3, 2009, to Wednesday, March 4, 2009. This was done mainly because the schedule has twelve games on March 3 and only two on March 4.[5]
At the meeting, held inNaples, Florida from March 9–11, 2009, general managers of the teams discussed issues that concerned them. Consensus on any topic would lead to action by the Board of Governors or the Competition committee in later meetings. Paul Kelly, executive director of the NHLPA, made a presentation on the topic of dangerous hits to the head, proposing new rules to penalize intentional hits.[6] The general managers could not agree on the planned rule change and took no further action. Kelly intends to review the issue at the future Competition committee meeting, which is held after the Stanley Cup Finals. The general managers also discussed the topic of fighting in hockey, and agreed to penalize further players who start fights directly after face-offs and to further enforce the existing 'instigator' rule.[7] The managers agreed to award a second-roundcompensatory pick in the2009 entry draft to theNew York Rangers due to the death ofAlexei Cherepanov.[8]
The regular season started with four games played in Europe. TheOttawa Senators and thePittsburgh Penguins played each other twice inStockholm, Sweden with the two teams splitting a two-game premiere, and theNew York Rangers and theTampa Bay Lightning played each other twice inPrague, Czech Republic. The Rangers swept Tampa Bay 2–0, going on to represent the NHL in theinaugural Victoria Cup challenge game as part of the club's pre-season schedule. The four teams also played some pre-season exhibition games in Europe.[9]
Other than the four overseas regular season games starting October 4, October 9 was the actual first day of regular season games as far as widespread continental North American broadcast from most providers, including pay per view hockey packages. Other teams still played preseason games between October 4 and 6.
By February 23, 2009, all four teams who started the season in Europe had fired their coaches.
Because of the success of the2008 Winter Classic, another outdoor game was held in the 2008–09 NHL season. WhileYankee Stadium was considered an early favorite, in a game to be hosted by the Rangers, cold-weather issues involving the old stadium put that location out of the mix. Another site considered wasBeaver Stadium atPenn State University, with that game to likely involve the Penguins and the Flyers.[10]
On May 29, 2008,TSN reported that the2009 NHL Winter Classic would be held in Chicago, Illinois on January 1, 2009, played between theChicago Blackhawks and defending championDetroit Red Wings.[11]Soldier Field was considered an early candidate, however theNFL'sChicago Bears objected, citing a possible home game for the2008 NFL playoffs that weekend (January 3–4); ironically, the Bears ended up being eliminated from contention in the last week. It was decided that the game would be played atWrigley Field, theNorth Side home of theChicago Cubs, as confirmed by theMinneapolis Star-Tribune on July 6. Ten days afterward, the NHL confirmed the reports that the game would officially be held on New Year's Day.[12] Faceoff was scheduled for 1 pmEST (12 noonCST). The Red Wings won the game 6–4.
TheAll-Star Game was held on January 25, 2009, at theBell Centre inMontreal, home of theMontreal Canadiens, in conjunction with theCanadiens' centennial celebrations.
The first goal of the season was scored byMarkus Naslund of theNew York Rangers in Prague against theTampa Bay Lightning.[13] On October 16, 2008, the Blackhawks fired head coachDenis Savard and replaced him with formerColorado Avalanche andSt. Louis Blues head coachJoel Quenneville.[14] On Saturday, October 25, the NHL scheduled fifteen games—with all 30 teams playing—for the second time in league history.[15]
On November 3, 2008, in a game between theColumbus Blue Jackets and theNew York Islanders, Islanders defencemanChris Campoli scored twice in one overtime. First, Campoli retrieved a loose puck and fired a shot past Jacket's goaltenderFredrik Norrena. The shot went through the net and, while Campoli celebrated, the game continued. Campoli then received a pass in front of the goal and shot the puck again into the net.[16]
Tampa Bay Lightning head coachBarry Melrose would record his first win as a head coach in over 13 years on October 21, 2008, with a 3–2 victory over theAtlanta Thrashers. However, the Lightning did not get off to a great start as hoped, and Melrose was fired by the Lightning with a 5–7–4 record.Rick Tocchet, who had been hired as assistant coach during the previous offseason, was promoted to interim head coach. Melrose subsequently re-signed with broadcasterESPN. Melrose proceeded to get into a war of words with the Lightning management, accusing the management of interference during an interview on a Toronto radio station.[17]
On December 2, 2008,Carolina Hurricanes' head coachPeter Laviolette was fired andPaul Maurice was rehired in his place.Ron Francis became the team's associate head coach.
During the annual December board of governors' meeting, the issue of the state of the economy was raised. ThePhoenix Coyotes were reported to lose up to $35 million on the 2008–09 season. Asked to comment on Phoenix's loss, CommissionerGary Bettman was quoted as saying "They're going to get through the season just fine."[18] TheBuffalo Sabres, while not for sale, had been approached for purchase.
On December 5,Sean Avery of theDallas Stars was suspended six games for 'off-colour' remarks prior to a game against theCalgary Flames.[19] On December 14, the Stars' management announced that he would not be returning to the team. After Avery's reinstatement by the league, he reported to theHartford Wolf Pack of theAHL. He was placed on re-entry waivers and was claimed by theNew York Rangers, his team in 2007–08.
The Christmas holiday roster freeze went into effect on December 19, 2008, and ended on December 27, 2008.
On December 23, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that thePhoenix Coyotes were receiving financial assistance from the league in the form of advances on league revenues. The Coyotes pledged all of their assets to New York company SOF Investments LP to cover an estimated debt of $80 million. The team lost an estimated $200 million since 2001 and lost about $30 million this season. One of the team's owners,Jerry Moyes' principal source of revenue, Swift Transportation was also in financial difficulty.[20] ESPN reported that the league had gotten involved with the operations of the Coyotes and their revenues. The NHL reportedly wanted to work with the city ofGlendale, Arizona, which owns the arena and receives revenues from the team. ESPN also reported that Moyes wanted to sell his share of the team and that Hollywood film producerJerry Bruckheimer was a possible interested purchaser.[21]
In February 2009, three head coaches were relieved from their duties. On February 1,Craig Hartsburg was fired as head coach of theOttawa Senators following a 17–24–7 start to the season and was immediately replaced byBinghamton Senators head coachCory Clouston.[22] On February 15,Dan Bylsma of theAmerican Hockey League'sWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was promoted to replaceMichel Therrien of thePittsburgh Penguins as interim head coach. Bylsma would later be announced as a permanent head coach of the team.[23] On February 23, theNew York Rangers firedTom Renney following an overtime loss and he was replaced on the same day byTSN analyst and formerTampa Bay Lightning head coach,John Tortorella.[24]
In March, goaltenderMartin Brodeur returned to theNew Jersey Devils after a long injury. He became the goaltender with most wins in league history, surpassing the record ofPatrick Roy.Guy Carbonneau was also fired as the head coach of the Canadiens when the team was in danger of being eliminated from the playoffs.
In April, theColumbus Blue Jackets qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. TheCarolina Hurricanes qualified for the playoffs for the first time since their 2006 Stanley Cup victory. TheOttawa Senators missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995–96 season.
In an ironic twist, considering his injury woes of past seasons,Jordan Leopold played in all 64 games for theColorado Avalanche. Upon being traded to theCalgary Flames Leopold played in all 19 remaining games for the Flames becoming the only NHL player to play 83 games of the 82 game 2008–09 season.[25]Jacques Lemaire resigned as the first head coach of theMinnesota Wild on April 11 after missing the playoffs.
Scoring in the regular season improved somewhat from 2007–08, with an average of 5.7 goals scored per game (7,006 goals scored over 1,230 games).[26] Goaltenders combined for 156 shutouts.[27]
In May 2009, it was revealed that the NHL had taken control of the Phoenix Coyotes from the start of the season and had known of the financial difficulties of the team prior to the start of the 2008–09 season. After owner Jerry Moyes petitioned the club into bankruptcy against the league's wishes, so as to sell the team toJim Balsillie who plans to move the team toHamilton, Ontario, the league challenged the right of Moyes to file for bankruptcy. In the documents filed with the Phoenix bankruptcy court, the NHL stated that the league took official control of the team on November 14, 2008. The league then began advancing money to the club from league revenues, and made a loan to the club in February 2009, for a combined estimated total of $44.5 million over the full season. During the season, commissioner Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly had made a series of denials and obfuscations, while firing the Coyotes CEO and laying off 18 Coyotes employees. Moyes' documents filed with the court indicated that the team had lost $73 million over the last three years, and that the projected loss was $45 million for 2008–09.[28]
Jacques Martin became the head coach of theMontreal Canadiens on June 1 when former coachBob Gainey returned to his general manager status. On June 3,Tony Granato was fired as the head coach of theColorado Avalanche and was replaced on the next day byJoe Sacco, head coach of the Avs' top minor league affiliate theLake Erie Monsters of theAHL. On June 9, despiteBrent Sutter winning 51 games (a franchise record), he resigned as head coach of theNew Jersey Devils after two first-round playoff losses because of family reasons. One day later on June 10,Dave Tippett was fired as head coach of theDallas Stars after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2001–02 season, whenRick Wilson took over as coach.Marc Crawford was named the new head coach for the 2009–10 season the next day.Todd Richards would be named the second head coach of the Minnesota Wild on June 15.
GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime/shootout losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points.
| R | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z –Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 53 | 19 | 10 | 274 | 196 | 116 | ||
| 2 | y –Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 50 | 24 | 8 | 272 | 245 | 108 | ||
| 3 | y –New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 51 | 27 | 4 | 244 | 209 | 106 | ||
| 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 264 | 239 | 99 | ||
| 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 264 | 238 | 99 | ||
| 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 239 | 226 | 97 | ||
| 7 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 210 | 218 | 95 | ||
| 8 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 249 | 247 | 93 | ||
| 8.5 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 234 | 231 | 93 | ||
| 10 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 250 | 234 | 91 | ||
| 11 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 217 | 237 | 83 | ||
| 12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 250 | 293 | 81 | ||
| 13 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 257 | 280 | 76 | ||
| 14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 210 | 279 | 66 | ||
| 15 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 201 | 279 | 61 | ||
bold – qualified for playoffs,y – division winner,z – placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division,NE – Northeast Division,SE – Southeast Division
Tiebreakers
| R | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | p –San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 53 | 18 | 11 | 257 | 204 | 117 | ||
| 2 | y –Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 51 | 21 | 10 | 295 | 244 | 112 | ||
| 3 | y –Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 246 | 220 | 100 | ||
| 4 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 264 | 216 | 104 | ||
| 5 | Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 46 | 30 | 6 | 254 | 248 | 98 | ||
| 6 | St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 233 | 233 | 92 | ||
| 7 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 226 | 230 | 92 | ||
| 8 | Anaheim Ducks | PA | 82 | 42 | 33 | 7 | 245 | 238 | 91 | ||
| 8.5 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 40 | 33 | 9 | 219 | 200 | 89 | ||
| 10 | Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 40 | 34 | 8 | 213 | 233 | 88 | ||
| 11 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 38 | 35 | 9 | 234 | 248 | 85 | ||
| 12 | Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 230 | 257 | 83 | ||
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 36 | 39 | 7 | 208 | 252 | 79 | ||
| 14 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 207 | 234 | 79 | ||
| 15 | Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 32 | 45 | 5 | 199 | 257 | 69 | ||
bold – qualified for playoffs,y – division winner,p –Presidents' Trophy winner
CE – Central Division,NW – Northwest Division,PA – Pacific Division
In the event of a tie in points in the standings at the end of the season, ties are broken using the followingtiebreaking procedures.[29]The higher ranked team is the one with:
In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team withhome ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winnersseeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8.
The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.
| Conference quarterfinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Boston | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Montreal | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Boston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Carolina | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | New Jersey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Carolina | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Carolina | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Washington | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | NY Rangers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Washington | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Pittsburgh | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Philadelphia | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Pittsburgh | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Detroit | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | San Jose | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Anaheim | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Anaheim | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Columbus | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Vancouver | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | St. Louis | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Vancouver | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Calgary | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
First All-Star team
Second All-Star team
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 35 | 78 | 113 | +17 | 80 |
| Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | 79 | 56 | 54 | 110 | +8 | 72 |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 77 | 33 | 70 | 103 | +3 | 76 |
| Pavel Datsyuk | Detroit Red Wings | 81 | 32 | 65 | 97 | +34 | 22 |
| Zach Parise | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 45 | 49 | 94 | +30 | 24 |
| Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta Thrashers | 79 | 43 | 48 | 91 | −12 | 50 |
| Ryan Getzlaf | Anaheim Ducks | 81 | 25 | 66 | 91 | +5 | 121 |
| Jarome Iginla | Calgary Flames | 81 | 35 | 54 | 89 | −2 | 37 |
| Marc Savard | Boston Bruins | 82 | 25 | 63 | 88 | +25 | 70 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | Washington Capitals | 82 | 22 | 66 | 88 | +16 | 46 |
Source: NHL[30]
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | Min | W | L | OT | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Thomas | Boston Bruins | 54 | 3,258:49 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 114 | 5 | .933 | 2.10 |
| Steve Mason | Columbus Blue Jackets | 60 | 3,604:58 | 33 | 19 | 7 | 135 | 10 | .917 | 2.25 |
| Niklas Backstrom | Minnesota Wild | 71 | 4,088:03 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 159 | 8 | .923 | 2.33 |
| Jonas Hiller | Anaheim Ducks | 45 | 2,446:26 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 95 | 4 | .920 | 2.33 |
| Roberto Luongo | Vancouver Canucks | 54 | 3,181:05 | 33 | 13 | 7 | 124 | 9 | .920 | 2.34 |
| Pekka Rinne | Nashville Predators | 52 | 2,999:12 | 29 | 15 | 4 | 119 | 7 | .917 | 2.38 |
| Nikolai Khabibulin | Chicago Blackhawks | 41 | 2,407:15 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 96 | 2 | .917 | 2.39 |
| Scott Clemmensen | New Jersey Devils | 40 | 2,355:56 | 25 | 13 | 1 | 94 | 2 | .917 | 2.39 |
| Martin Brodeur | New Jersey Devils | 31 | 1,813:35 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 73 | 5 | .916 | 2.41 |
| Chris Mason | St. Louis Blues | 57 | 3,214:54 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 129 | 6 | .916 | 2.41 |
The following is a list of players of note that played their first NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their first team:
The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their team:
In June 2008, the NHL reached a new Canadian television deal withTSN, allowing the network to broadcast 70 regular season games per season featuring at least one Canadian team.CBC continued to air Saturday nightHockey Night in Canada regular season games. The league also removed the restriction that only allowed all playoff games involving Canadian teams to air only on CBC, even if it meant such games had to be broadcast regionally. CBC and TSN continued to split the first three rounds of the playoffs, and CBC still maintained exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals. But under the new deal, CBC and TSN selected the rights to individual series using a draft-like setup, regardless if they involve Canadian teams.[53]
This was the fourth season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals withNBC andVersus. During the regular season, Versus aired games generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, while NBC had games on selected weekends. During the playoffs, NBC had the rights to air selected weekend games during the first three postseason rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and games 3–7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, while Versus televised selected first and second round playoff games, all Conference Finals games not aired on NBC, and the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Media related to2008-2009 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons