| 2019–20 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 2, 2019 – March 11, 2020 August 1 – September 28, 2020 |
| Games | 68–71 |
| Teams | 31 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC,Sportsnet,TVA Sports (Canada) NBCSN,NBC,CNBC,USA (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Jack Hughes |
| Picked by | New Jersey Devils |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Boston Bruins |
| SeasonMVP | Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) |
| Top scorer | Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) |
| Playoffs | |
| PlayoffsMVP | Victor Hedman (Lightning) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Runners-up | Dallas Stars |
| NHL seasons | |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → | |
The2019–20 NHL season was the103rd season of operation (102nd season of play) of theNational Hockey League. The regular season began on October 2, 2019, with playoffs originally planned for April and the Stanley Cup Finals planned for June. The season was suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
On May 22, 2020, the NHL andNational Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agreed to a framework for the resumption of play, which would see the remainder of the regular season scrapped, and the top 12 teams in each conference (by points percentage) competing in a modified and expandedStanley Cup playoffs, which the NHL planned to hold in two centralized "hub cities",Toronto'sScotiabank Arena andEdmonton'sRogers Place, withno spectators and only essential staff present.[1]
The playoffs began on August 1, 2020, and ended on September 28, with theTampa Bay Lightning defeating theDallas Stars in theStanley Cup Final in six games, winning their secondStanley Cup in franchise history.[2]
Thecollective bargaining agreement (CBA), previously signed to end the2012–13 NHL lockout, entered into its eighth season. Before the season started, both the NHL and the NHLPA had the choice to opt out of the CBA on September 1 and September 16, 2019, respectively. If either of them had opted out, the CBA would have expired at the end of this season instead of at the end of 2021–22.[3] The NHL announced on August 30 that they would not opt out,[4] and the NHLPA then also agreed on September 16 not to opt out.[5]
The salary cap was set at US$81.5 million, as announced on June 22, 2019.[6]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the christening of theSeattle Kraken was delayed to July 23, 2020.[7][8] The expansion team, set to begin play during the 2021–22 season, originally planned to announce the club's name in early 2020.[9]
Ron Francis was hired as Seattle's first general manager on July 17, 2019.[10]
The following rule changes were proposed June 19, 2019, and approved the next day:[11][12]
To put more emphasis on teams winning in regulation,regulation wins (tracked in an additionalRW column in the league standings) will now precederegulation and overtime wins (ROW) in the tie-breaking procedure. The league also added goals scored as a new tiebreaker.[15]
After testing at the2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game, the NHL planned to deploy player and puck tracking systems to all 31 NHL arenas prior to the start of the 2019–20 season.[16][17] This technology was developed in collaboration with a GermanFraunhofer Institute using transmitters embedded inside pucks and jerseys.[17] It enables on-air features such as speed displays, puck tracking graphics (reminiscent of theFoxTrax graphics utilized in the late 1990s by previous U.S. national NHL broadcasterFox, also developed by Sportvision), and marker graphics hovering above players.[18]
On September 5, 2019, it was reported that the league replaced its primary technology partner in its tracking technology, and thus the system likely would not be up and running until the 2020 playoffs at the earliest.[19]
On November 11, 2019, Sportsnet fired studio commentatorDon Cherry for comments that suggested Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans but do not wearRemembrance Day poppies. The segmentCoach's Corner onHockey Night in Canada was canceled the following week.[20][21][22]
This was the final season for leadNBC play-by-play announcerMike Emrick. Emrick announced his retirement from broadcasting on October 19, 2020, after a 47-year career.[23]
Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play announcerJohn Forslund was replaced by rinkside reporter Mike Maniscalco prior to the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Forslund had been the television voice of the Whalers/Hurricanes franchise since 1995, and added radio play-by-play in 2018 after the team removedChuck Kaiton from the position.[24]
As part of its renovations, thePhiladelphia Flyers andWells Fargo Center announced thatRivers Casino Philadelphia (then SugarHouse Casino) would become the venue's officialsportsbook partner, with the venue adding two lounge areas with odds boards to promote the casino's sports betting app.[25][26]
The2019 NHL entry draft was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, withJack Hughes being selected first overall by theNew Jersey Devils.[27][28]
Two preseason games were played in Europe.[29] TheChicago Blackhawks played againstEisbären Berlin atMercedes-Benz Arena inBerlin, Germany, on September 29, 2019.[30] ThePhiladelphia Flyers played againstLausanne HC atVaudoise Aréna inLausanne, Switzerland on September 30, 2019.[31]
On November 19, 2019, the NHL announced it would rename the General Manager of the Year Award in honour ofJim Gregory, the recently deceased former general manager of theToronto Maple Leafs and former NHL executive. The official name is changed to the "Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award."[32]
| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2018–19 coach | 2019–20 coach | Story / Accomplishments |
| Anaheim Ducks | Randy Carlyle Bob Murray* | Dallas Eakins | Carlyle was fired on February 10, 2019, nearly three years into his second stint with the team. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007, but since then had made the playoffs only two times. Carlyle was 21–26–9 at the time of his firing. General manager Murray took over as interim coach until the end of the season. Murray finished out the season 14–11–1.[33] Eakins was hired on June 17, 2019. Eakins most recently served as the head coach of theSan Diego Gulls of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) from 2015 to 2019.[34] |
| Buffalo Sabres | Phil Housley | Ralph Krueger | Housley was fired April 7, 2019, after two seasons and a 58–84–22 record with the Sabres. Housley finished his first season in last place, and squandered a 10-game winning streak in his second season only to collapse and miss the playoffs.[35] Krueger was hired May 15, 2019. He did not coach ice hockey full-time since his only previous NHL coaching stint, a half-season with theEdmonton Oilers in 2013, ended with his firing.[36] |
| Edmonton Oilers | Todd McLellan Ken Hitchcock* | Dave Tippett | McLellan was fired on November 20, 2018, after starting the season 9–10–1.[37] McLellan had been the Oilers' head coach since the 2015–16 season, leading the team to a 123–119–24 record and a playoff berth in 2016–17. Hitchcock, a head coach with the third most wins in the NHL, was hired out of his announced retirement to replace McLellan for the remainder of the season.[38][39] Hitchcock was fired afterKen Holland became the general manager of the Oilers on May 7, 2019. Hitchcock finished the season 26–28–8, outside of the playoffs.[40] Tippett was hired on May 28. He last served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes from 2009 to 2017.[41] |
| Florida Panthers | Bob Boughner | Joel Quenneville | Boughner was fired on April 7, 2019. In two seasons, the Panthers went 79–62–22 and never qualified for the playoffs under Boughner.[42] On April 8, Quenneville was hired as the team's new head coach. Quenneville most recently served as the head coach of theChicago Blackhawks (2008–2018), and guided them to threeStanley Cup championships in2010,2013 and2015. He accumulated an overall record of 797–452–249 with the team.[43] |
| Los Angeles Kings | John Stevens Willie Desjardins* | Todd McLellan | Stevens was fired on November 4, 2018, after starting the season 4–8–1, reaching the first round of the playoffs in his only full season as coach. Former Vancouver Canucks' head coach Desjardins was named the interim coach for the team.[44][45] Desjardins finished out the season 27–34–8, outside of the playoffs. On April 16, 2019, the team hired McLellan as franchise's 29th head coach. McLellan most recently served as the head coach of theEdmonton Oilers (2015–2018).[46] |
| Ottawa Senators | Guy Boucher Marc Crawford* | D. J. Smith | Boucher was fired on March 1, 2019, after three seasons with the team, his best season being the 2016–17 season when the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. At the time of his firing, Boucher was 22–37–5. Crawford, who previously coached the Dallas Stars, was named the Senators' interim head coach.[47] Crawford finished the season 7–10–1, outside of the playoffs. On May 23, the team hired Smith as their head coach. He most recently served as an assistant coach of theToronto Maple Leafs.[48] |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Dave Hakstol Scott Gordon* | Alain Vigneault | Hakstol was fired on December 17, 2018, after three and a half years with the team where he guided them to two playoff appearances. At the time of his firing, the team was 12–15–4. Former New York Islanders' head coach Gordon was named interim coach.[49] Gordon finished the season 25–22–4, outside of the playoffs. Vigneault was hired on April 15, 2019. Vigneault most recently served as the head coach of theNew York Rangers, guiding them to a 226–147–37 record in five seasons (2013–2018).[50] |
| St. Louis Blues | Mike Yeo Craig Berube* | Craig Berube | Yeo was fired on November 19, 2018, after almost two years with the team and only one playoff appearance. Berube, who had served as assistant coach with the Blues since 2017, was named interim head coach.[51] After coaching the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in2019, Berube was named permanent head coach on June 24, 2019.[52] |
| In–season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | Story / Accomplishments |
| Calgary Flames | Bill Peters | Geoff Ward* | Peters resigned on November 29, 2019, after accusations of racism were made by formerRockford IceHogs playerAkim Aliu when Peters was coaching the AHL club a decade earlier. Peters spent1+1⁄3 seasons with the Flames, registering a record of 12–12–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference the previous season. Ward, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[53][54] |
| Dallas Stars | Jim Montgomery | Rick Bowness* | Montgomery was dismissed on December 10, 2019, due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs" of the Stars and the league. He spent1+1⁄3 seasons with the Stars, registering a record of 17–11–3 to start the season after reaching the second round of the playoffs the previous season. Bowness, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[55][56] |
| Minnesota Wild | Bruce Boudreau | Dean Evason* | Boudreau was fired on February 14, 2020, after3+2⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 27–23–7 to start the season. The Wild had reached the playoffs in the first two seasons of his tenure in Minnesota but had not qualified for the playoffs since the 2017–18 season. Evason, who had served as an assistant coach with the Wild since the start of the 2018–19 season, was immediately named interim head coach.[57] |
| Nashville Predators | Peter Laviolette | John Hynes | Laviolette was fired on January 6, 2020, after5+1⁄2 seasons with the team, which had registered a 19–15–7 record to start the season. The Predators made the playoffs in all five seasons under Laviolette, advanced to the2017 Stanley Cup Finals and won thePresidents' Trophy in the2017–18 season.[58] Hynes, who previously served as the head coach of theNew Jersey Devils, was hired on January 7, 2020.[59] |
| New Jersey Devils | John Hynes | Alain Nasreddine* | Hynes was fired on December 3, 2019, after4+1⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a 9–13–4 record to start the season. The Devils reached the playoffs once in Hynes' tenure, and did not advance past the first round in 2018. Nasreddine, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[60] |
| San Jose Sharks | Peter DeBoer | Bob Boughner* | DeBoer was fired on December 11, 2019, after4+1⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 15–16–2 to start the season. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in all of the four previous seasons under DeBoer, and advanced to the2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Boughner, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[61] |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Mike Babcock | Sheldon Keefe | Babcock was fired on November 20, 2019, after4+1⁄4 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 9–10–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs in the previous three seasons. Keefe, who had served as the head coach of theToronto Marlies of the AHL from 2015 to 2019, was subsequently named as the team's next head coach.[62] |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Gerard Gallant | Peter DeBoer | Gallant was fired on January 15, 2020, after a little more than2+1⁄2 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 24–19–6 to start the season. The Golden Knights had reached the playoffs in their first two seasons of existence, including advancing to the2018 Stanley Cup Finals in their debut season. Gallant earned theJack Adams Award that season.[63] DeBoer, who had been fired as the head coach of theSan Jose Sharks one month earlier, was subsequently named as the team's second head coach.[64] |
(*) Indicates interim.
| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2018–19 GM | 2019–20 GM | Story / Accomplishments |
| Detroit Red Wings | Ken Holland | Steve Yzerman | Yzerman, who played his entire NHL career for the Red Wings and had previously been the team's vice president from 2006 to 2010, returned as general manager on April 19, 2019.[65] |
| Edmonton Oilers | Peter Chiarelli Keith Gretzky* | Ken Holland | Chiarelli was fired on January 22, 2019, after four years as the Oilers' general manager. Gretzky, the brother of former NHL playerWayne Gretzky, was named interim general manager.[66] Holland was hired on May 7, 2019.[67] |
| Minnesota Wild | Paul Fenton | Bill Guerin | Fenton was fired on July 30, 2019, after one year as general manager. On August 21, it was announced that Guerin had been named general manager of the Wild.[68] |
| Vegas Golden Knights | George McPhee | Kelly McCrimmon | McCrimmon was promoted to general manager, effective September 1, 2019, on May 2, 2019. McPhee will remain director of hockey operations of the Golden Knights, but McCrimmon will represent them at the league's general manager meetings and be the point of contact for other general managers.[69] |
| In–season | |||
| Team | Outgoing general manager | Incoming general manager | Story / Accomplishments |
| Arizona Coyotes | John Chayka Steve Sullivan* | Bill Armstrong | Chayka (after four years with the team) quit unexpectedly as the team headed into the2020 Qualifying Round. Steve Sullivan was named interim general manager.[70] During the off-season, on September 17, 2020, the Coyotes hired former Blues assistant GM, Bill Armstrong, as their new general manager.[71] |
| New Jersey Devils | Ray Shero | Tom Fitzgerald* | Shero was fired on January 12, 2020, after five years as the Devils' general manager. Fitzgerald was named interim general manager.[72] |
(*) Indicates interim.
The regular season began on October 2, 2019, and was originally supposed to end on April 4, 2020, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the season was suspended on March 12, 2020.[73] On May 26, 2020, it was announced that the regular season would not be finished.[74]
Three regular season games, branded as theNHL Global Series, were played in Europe.[29] TheChicago Blackhawks andPhiladelphia Flyers played their regular season opening game on October 4, 2019, atO2 Arena inPrague,Czech Republic.[75] TheBuffalo Sabres andTampa Bay Lightning played two games atEricsson Globe inStockholm,Sweden, on November 8 and 9, 2019.[76][77]
Three outdoor games were held during the 2019–20 season:
The 2020National Hockey League All-Star Game was held inSt. Louis,Missouri, atEnterprise Center, the home of theSt. Louis Blues, on January 25, 2020.[84][85][86][87]
TheSt. Louis Blues –Anaheim Ducks game on February 11, 2020, was suspended at a 1−1 tie with 7:50 left in the first period after Blues defencemanJay Bouwmeester collapsed on the bench in a medical emergency due to acardiac episode.[88] He eventually had animplantable cardioverter-defibrillator procedure and was placed on injured reserve.[89] The game was made up on March 11. This resulted in the Blues' home game against theFlorida Panthers being moved one day earlier from March 10 to March 9.[90][91][92]
As theCOVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, concern began to build that large crowds at sporting events would spreadthe virus that causesCOVID-19. In early March 2020, the NHL suspended media access to the locker rooms, saying that only official personnel would be allowed in after the games to limit person-to-person contact. TheSan Jose Sharks were planning to play three home gameswithout fans from March 19, followingSan Francisco's order prohibiting assemblies larger than 1,000 individuals.[93] Meanwhile, theColumbus Blue Jackets had also proposed to play home games without fans, due toOhio governorMike DeWine banning mass gatherings in the state.[94]
But after theNational Basketball Association (NBA)suspended all games whenRudy Gobert and another player tested positive for COVID-19 on the day that theWorld Health Organization declared the disease to be a pandemic, the NHL scheduled a meeting to discuss pausing the season. On March 12, morning practice sessions and media access for all teams were cancelled. Shortly after, they announced that the 2019–20 season had been paused indefinitely.[95] This became the biggest interruption to regular NHL season games since the2012–13 NHL lockout.[96] All players and hockey staff were asked toself-quarantine in their home cities until further notice.[97]
One of the players from theOttawa Senators had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 17.[98][99] Four days later, on March 21, it was announced that a second Senators player tested positive for COVID-19.[100][101] TwoColorado Avalanche players also tested positive for the virus.[102] On April 4, the originally intended date for the final games of the regular season, CommissionerGary Bettman participated in a call with U.S. presidentDonald Trump and other sport commissioners on the state of the sport world.[103]
On May 22, the league and the NHLPA agreed on a basic framework to stage a 24-team playoff tournamentbehind closed doors. The details of the plan were announced publicly on May 26. The seeds would be based on each club's points percentage when the season paused on March 12 (effectively scrapping the remainder of the regular season and making this the first season in NHL history where some teams played more regular season games than others in a year that did not have ateam fold during the regular season). The top four seeds in each conference would get a bye, while the next eight seeds in each conference would play in a best-of-five series. Many of the logistics still needed to be negotiated, including COVID-19 testing protocols, visas, and whether these games would be held in one or more "hub" cities as theCanada–United States border would remain closed to non-essential travel until June 21.[104][105][106] That same day, the U.S. government announced that foreign athletes would be exempted from pandemic-related travel bans still in effect.[107][108]
On May 26, Bettman formally discussed aspects of the "Return to Play Plan", including the proposed 24-team playoff format (with the top four teams in each conference playing a round robin tournament under regular season overtime rules to determine their seeds), and modifications to the procedures for the Draft Lottery. Aspects of the format (including the possibility of a best-of-five format for the first and second round, and changes to bracketing) were still being negotiated, but it was stated that the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals would still use a best-of-seven series. Bettman stated that at least two hub cities would be used for the playoffs, shortlisting hosts such asChicago,Columbus,Dallas,Edmonton,Las Vegas,Los Angeles,Minneapolis,Pittsburgh,Toronto andVancouver. Health, testing, and security protocols would be in place at these sites.[97]
On June 4, it was announced that the NHL and NHLPA had approved aspects of the format that had not yet been finalized during the May 26 briefing, with the first and second rounds proper using a best-of-seven format as usual, and all teams beingreseeded after each round (to account for the lack ofhome advantage due to all games being played at a neutral site).[109]
It was reported that the NHL planned to have one American host and one Canadian host.[110] As Canada'sQuarantine Act at the time required all travellers entering the country toself-isolate for 14 days on arrival, deputy commissionerBill Daly stated that this may impact the ability to use Canadian host cities unless these issues can be addressed.[97] On June 10,British Columbia PremierJohn Horgan stated that the province's medical officerBonnie Henry had endorsed proposed protocols developed by theVancouver Canucks in collaboration with local officials, and that they were being sent toPrime MinisterJustin Trudeau for federal approval.[111] These included allowing the NHL to "cohort" players and restrict their access to the general public.[112]
Phase 2 of the "Return to Play Plan" began on June 8.[113] Players were allowed to resume use of team practice facilities in small groups (no more than six), with only players allowed on-ice and no other agents or press admitted. Players had to self-isolate for 14 days if they used public transport, and were regularly monitored and tested for COVID-19. If a player tests positive, they could not attend training until they had been cleared, with teams suggested to use guidelines issued by the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Training camps (phase 3) were planned to reopen on July 10.[97] Amidst an intense growth ofnew cases in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning temporarily closed their training facility on June 19 after several staff members and three players tested positive for COVID-19.[114]
On June 24, Sportsnet reported that Vancouver's bid had been complicated by disagreements over protocols for positive cases. The next day,Global BC'sRichard Zussman reported that the NHL had "moved on [for now]" from Vancouver, and was increasing its focus on Edmonton and Toronto as potential sites.[115] While Las Vegas was initially considered a front-runner, a spike of cases inNevada and other U.S. states led to reports on July 1 that the NHL had decided on Edmonton and Toronto as the sites.[116][110]
On July 10, the NHL confirmed that it had ratified agreements with the NHLPA to begin the playoffs on August 1 (concluding no later than early October), with games being hosted byEdmonton (Western Conference early rounds, Conference Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals) andToronto (Eastern Conference early rounds). The league also renewed its collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for four additional seasons, which includes an increase to minimum player salaries and a 10% deference of player salaries for the 2020–21 season (to be paid out over three seasons beginning 2022–23).[117][118]
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 44 | 14 | 12 | 38 | 227 | 174 | +53 | .714 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament[119] |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 70 | 43 | 21 | 6 | 35 | 245 | 195 | +50 | .657 | |
| 3 | Washington Capitals | 69 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 31 | 240 | 215 | +25 | .652 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 31 | 232 | 196 | +36 | .645 | |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 224 | 196 | +28 | .623 | Advance to2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round[119] |
| 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 27 | 222 | 193 | +29 | .596 | |
| 7 | New York Islanders | 68 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 24 | 192 | 193 | −1 | .588 | |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 28 | 238 | 227 | +11 | .579 | |
| 9 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 70 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 180 | 187 | −7 | .579 | |
| 10 | Florida Panthers | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 30 | 231 | 228 | +3 | .565 | |
| 11 | New York Rangers | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 234 | 222 | +12 | .564 | |
| 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 71 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 212 | 221 | −9 | .500 | |
| 13 | Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 195 | 217 | −22 | .493 | |
| 14 | New Jersey Devils | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 22 | 189 | 230 | −41 | .493 | |
| 15 | Ottawa Senators | 71 | 25 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 191 | 243 | −52 | .437 | |
| 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 71 | 17 | 49 | 5 | 13 | 145 | 267 | −122 | .275 |
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 71 | 42 | 19 | 10 | 33 | 225 | 193 | +32 | .662 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament[121] |
| 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 70 | 42 | 20 | 8 | 37 | 237 | 191 | +46 | .657 | |
| 3 | Vegas Golden Knights | 71 | 39 | 24 | 8 | 30 | 227 | 211 | +16 | .606 | |
| 4 | Dallas Stars | 69 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 180 | 177 | +3 | .594 | |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 71 | 37 | 25 | 9 | 31 | 225 | 217 | +8 | .585 | Advance to2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round[121] |
| 6 | Nashville Predators | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 28 | 215 | 217 | −2 | .565 | |
| 7 | Vancouver Canucks | 69 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 27 | 228 | 217 | +11 | .565 | |
| 8 | Calgary Flames | 70 | 36 | 27 | 7 | 25 | 210 | 215 | −5 | .564 | |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | 71 | 37 | 28 | 6 | 30 | 216 | 203 | +13 | .563 | |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | 69 | 35 | 27 | 7 | 30 | 220 | 220 | 0 | .558 | |
| 11 | Arizona Coyotes | 70 | 33 | 29 | 8 | 26 | 195 | 187 | +8 | .529 | |
| 12 | Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 23 | 212 | 218 | −6 | .514 | |
| 13 | Anaheim Ducks | 71 | 29 | 33 | 9 | 20 | 187 | 226 | −39 | .472 | |
| 14 | Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 29 | 35 | 6 | 21 | 178 | 212 | −34 | .457 | |
| 15 | San Jose Sharks | 70 | 29 | 36 | 5 | 22 | 182 | 226 | −44 | .450 |
The top four teams in each conference played in a separate seeding round-robin to determine their seeding in the first round. These games were played with regular season overtime and shootout rules, with the clubs accumulating points like the regular season, and any ties in the round-robin standings were broken by the regular season points percentage.
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PCT | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PHI | TBL | WSH | BOS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.645 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 6 | — | 4–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Tampa Bay | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.657 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 | 1–4 | — | 3–2 (SO) | 3–2 | |
| 3 | Washington | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.652 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 | 1–3 | 2–3 (SO) | — | 2–1 | |
| 4 | Boston | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.714 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 0 | 1–4 | 2–3 | 1–2 | — |
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PCT | GF | GA | GD | Pts | VGK | COL | DAL | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.606 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 6 | — | 4–3 (OT) | 5–3 | 6–4 | |
| 2 | Colorado | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.657 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 5 | 3–4 (OT) | — | 4–0 | 2–1 | |
| 3 | Dallas | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.594 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 2 | 3–5 | 0–4 | — | 2–1 (SO) | |
| 4 | St. Louis | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.662 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 1 | 4–6 | 1–2 | 1–2 (SO) | — |
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice was determined based on regular season points percentage. Each best-of-five series followed a 2–2–1 format: the higher-seeded team was the designated as the host for games one and two (and game five, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was the host for games three (and game four, if necessary). Each best-of-seven series followed a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team was the host for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was the host for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). In the First Round, the top four teams in each conference were seeded one through four based on their final standings from the Round-robin. The teams that advanced from the Qualifying Round were re-seeded five through eight based on their regular season points percentage.
| Qualifying round | First round | Second round | Conference finals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Montreal | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | NY Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Montreal | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Columbus | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Carolina | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | NY Rangers | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | NY Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | NY Islanders | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Florida | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Washington | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | NY Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Toronto | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Columbus | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Tampa Bay | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Carolina | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| E2 | Tampa Bay | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| W3 | Dallas | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Vegas | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Chicago | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Vegas | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Vancouver | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Edmonton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Chicago | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Colorado | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Arizona | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Nashville | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Arizona | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Vegas | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Vancouver | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Calgary | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Calgary | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Winnipeg | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Colorado | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Dallas | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | St. Louis | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Vancouver | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of the regular season.[124]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | 71 | 43 | 67 | 110 | –7 | 18 |
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 64 | 34 | 63 | 97 | –6 | 28 |
| David Pastrnak | Boston Bruins | 70 | 48 | 47 | 95 | +21 | 40 |
| Artemi Panarin | New York Rangers | 69 | 32 | 63 | 95 | +36 | 20 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | 69 | 35 | 58 | 93 | +13 | 12 |
| Brad Marchand | Boston Bruins | 70 | 28 | 59 | 87 | +25 | 82 |
| Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | 68 | 33 | 52 | 85 | +26 | 38 |
| Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 33 | 51 | 84 | +8 | 40 |
| Auston Matthews | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 47 | 33 | 80 | +19 | 8 |
| Jack Eichel | Buffalo Sabres | 68 | 36 | 42 | 78 | +5 | 34 |
The following goaltenders led the league in regular seasongoals against average at the conclusion of games played on March 11, 2020, while playing at least 1,740 minutes.[125]
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuukka Rask | Boston Bruins | 41 | 2,401:47 | 26 | 8 | 6 | 85 | 5 | .929 | 2.12 |
| Darcy Kuemper | Arizona Coyotes | 29 | 1,753:24 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 65 | 2 | .928 | 2.22 |
| Elvis Merzlikins | Columbus Blue Jackets | 33 | 1,815:08 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 71 | 5 | .923 | 2.35 |
| Jaroslav Halak | Boston Bruins | 31 | 1,833:22 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 73 | 3 | .919 | 2.39 |
| Pavel Francouz | Colorado Avalanche | 34 | 1,914:26 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 77 | 1 | .923 | 2.41 |
| Carter Hart | Philadelphia Flyers | 43 | 2,355:50 | 24 | 13 | 3 | 95 | 1 | .914 | 2.42 |
| Tristan Jarry | Pittsburgh Penguins | 33 | 1,926:29 | 20 | 12 | 1 | 78 | 3 | .921 | 2.43 |
| Ben Bishop | Dallas Stars | 44 | 2,473:49 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 103 | 2 | .920 | 2.50 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 52 | 3,121:54 | 35 | 14 | 3 | 133 | 3 | .917 | 2.56 |
| Jordan Binnington | St. Louis Blues | 50 | 2,947:41 | 30 | 13 | 7 | 126 | 3 | .912 | 2.56 |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL did not hold an annual awards ceremony for this season. Instead, the individual awards were handed out during the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.[126] Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season. Statistics-based awards such as theArt Ross Trophy,Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy,William M. Jennings Trophy and thePresidents' Trophy are announced at the end of the regular season. ThePrince of Wales Trophy and theClarence S. Campbell Bowl are presented at the end of theEastern and Western Conference Finals respectively. TheStanley Cup and theConn Smythe Trophy are presented at the end of theStanley Cup Finals.
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Cup | Tampa Bay Lightning | Dallas Stars |
| Presidents' Trophy (Best regular-season record) | Boston Bruins | St. Louis Blues |
| Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference playoff champion) | Tampa Bay Lightning | New York Islanders |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Western Conference playoff champion) | Dallas Stars | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points) | Leon Draisaitl(Edmonton Oilers) | Connor McDavid(Edmonton Oilers) |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication) | Bobby Ryan(Ottawa Senators) | Stephen Johns(Dallas Stars) Oskar Lindblom(Philadelphia Flyers) |
| Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player) | Cale Makar(Colorado Avalanche) | Quinn Hughes(Vancouver Canucks) Dominik Kubalik(Chicago Blackhawks) |
| Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs) | Victor Hedman(Tampa Bay Lightning) | Brayden Point(Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy (Defensive forward) | Sean Couturier(Philadelphia Flyers) | Patrice Bergeron(Boston Bruins) Ryan O'Reilly(St. Louis Blues) |
| Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season) | Leon Draisaitl(Edmonton Oilers) | Nathan MacKinnon(Colorado Avalanche) Artemi Panarin(New York Rangers) |
| Jack Adams Award (Best coach) | Bruce Cassidy(Boston Bruins) | John Tortorella(Columbus Blue Jackets) Alain Vigneault(Philadelphia Flyers) |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman) | Roman Josi(Nashville Predators) | John Carlson(Washington Capitals) Victor Hedman(Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution) | Mathew Dumba(Minnesota Wild)[127] | Henrik Lundqvist(New York Rangers) P. K. Subban(New Jersey Devils) |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence) | Nathan MacKinnon(Colorado Avalanche) | Auston Matthews(Toronto Maple Leafs) Ryan O'Reilly(St. Louis Blues) |
| Ted Lindsay Award (Outstanding player) | Leon Draisaitl(Edmonton Oilers) | Nathan MacKinnon(Colorado Avalanche) Artemi Panarin(New York Rangers) |
| Mark Messier Leadership Award (Leadership and community activities) | Mark Giordano(Calgary Flames) | N/A |
| Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Top goal-scorer) | Alexander Ovechkin(Washington Capitals) David Pastrnak(Boston Bruins) | Auston Matthews(Toronto Maple Leafs) |
| Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award (Top general manager) | Lou Lamoriello(New York Islanders) | Julien BriseBois(Tampa Bay Lightning) Jim Nill(Dallas Stars) |
| Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender) | Connor Hellebuyck(Winnipeg Jets) | Tuukka Rask(Boston Bruins) Andrei Vasilevskiy(Tampa Bay Lightning) |
| William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) | Tuukka Rask andJaroslav Halak (Boston Bruins) | Ben Bishop andAnton Khudobin (Dallas Stars) |
The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2019–20 season, listed with their first team.
| Player | Team | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| David Ayres | Carolina Hurricanes | Emergency backup goaltender, played 29 minutes for Carolina against Toronto on February 22. First EBUG in NHL history to be credited with a win. |
| Adam Fox | New York Rangers | James Norris Memorial Trophy winner, three-timeNHL All-Star team, two-timeNHL All-Star |
| Brandon Hagel | Chicago Blackhawks | One-timeNHL All-Star team selection |
| Jack Hughes | New Jersey Devils | First overall pick in the 2019 draft, three-timeNHL All-Star |
| Jason Robertson | Dallas Stars | One-timeNHL All-Star,NHL All-Rookie Team selection |
| Igor Shesterkin | New York Rangers | Vezina Trophy winner, one-timeNHL All-Star team selection, two-timeNHL All-Star |
This was the ninth season under the NHL's ten-year deal withNBC Sports and sixth season of its twelve-year Canadian rights deal withSportsnet andTVA Sports.[173][174]
Both NBC Sports and Sportsnet celebratedInternational Women's Day on March 8, 2020, by featuring all-female broadcasting crews on their respective telecasts ofSt. Louis Blues–Chicago Blackhawks andVegas Golden Knights–Calgary Flames.[175][176]
On January 2, 2019, theChicago Blackhawks agreed to an exclusive multi-year deal withNBC Sports Chicago beginning with the 2019–20 season, ending the team's broadcasts onWGN-TV.[177]
Sinclair Broadcast Group andEntertainment Studios combined to purchase the formerFox Sports regional networks (FSN). Twelve of the NHL's 31 teams (Anaheim, Arizona, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay) carry their television broadcasts through FSN. FSN was one of the propertiesFox Corporation's predecessor21st Century Fox divested in itssale to The Walt Disney Company, but whichThe Walt Disney Company could not keep due to antitrust concerns. This was Entertainment Studios' first entry into sports, while Sinclair has had a sports operation since 2014 that currently distributes the free-to-air networkStadium and is concurrently expanding into the regional sports network business with its stakes in these networks,YES Network and the upcoming Chicago-basedMarquee Sports Network.[178] The FSN networks continued to temporarily use the Fox Sports name under a transitional license agreement while Sinclair explores rebranding options.[179]
In August 2019, theVegas Golden Knights agreed to a deal with Las Vegas broadcast television stationKTNV-TV to locally televise all of the team's 2019 preseason games over-the-air.[180]
In September 2019, theNew York Islanders agreed to a two-year deal withWEPN-AM andWEPN-FM to broadcast a majority of their games. Since the two stations also broadcastNew York Rangers and the NBA'sNew York Knicks games,WRHU ofHofstra University continued to be used by the Islanders as an overflow station.[181]
This was the final season of Sportsnet's regional rights to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.[182] In December 2019, after having aired the first-ever NHL broadcast in the language earlier in the year, it was announced that theAboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) would air six of Sportsnet'sHometown Hockey games per season inPlains Cree over the next three years.[183]
Media related to2019–2020 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons