2007–08 NHL season

2007–08 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration September 29, 2007 – June 4, 2008
Number of games 82
Number of teams 30
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy Detroit Red Wings
Season MVP Alexander Ovechkin (Washington)
Top scorer Alexander Ovechkin (Washington)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Pittsburgh Penguins
  Eastern runners-up Philadelphia Flyers
Western champions Detroit Red Wings
  Western runners-up Dallas Stars
Playoffs Playoffs MVP Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit)
Stanley Cup
Champions Detroit Red Wings
  Runners-up Pittsburgh Penguins

The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with the Detroit Red Wings taking the championship. The 56th NHL All-Star Game was held in Atlanta, Georgia, as the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the event at Philips Arena on January 27, 2008. The hosting by Atlanta was rescheduled from 2005, when a lockout cancelled the entire 2004–05 season.

League business

National Hockey League announced that the regular season salary cap would be going up for the third consecutive season. The 2007–08 salary cap is being increased by US$6.3 million per team to bring the salary cap up to US$50.3 million. The salary floor is at US$34.3 million, which is 71.5% higher than the salary floor during the 2005–06 season. The season featured the debut of Reebok's new Rbk Edge hockey jerseys. This was the first league-wide uniform innovation in the history of any major North American professional sports league.[1] Seven teams (Boston, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Washington, Ottawa, San Jose and Columbus) unveiled new designs prior to the season's beginning.

On March 1, 2007, the NHL announced the regular season would open on September 29, 2007, with the first of back-to-back games in London at The O2. They were the first NHL regular season games ever played in Europe. Both games featured the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings (who are owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the same company that owns The O2).[2]

The official average attendance per game was 17,625 per game. However, if the two games played at the O2 Arena are counted, the number is 17,309 per game.

On September 17, 2007, the NHL announced the first outdoor game in over four years would be played between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the National Football League's Buffalo Bills, on January 1, 2008. The event—known as the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic—was the first time an NHL regular-season game had been played outdoors in the United States, and it set an NHL attendance record of 71,217 people. The only previous outdoor NHL game was the 2003 Heritage Classic played between the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium on November 22, 2003.[3]

During board of governors meetings held on September 18, 2007, in Chicago, cities including Las Vegas, Kansas City, Houston, Milwaukee, Quebec City, Seattle and Winnipeg were discussed as possible expansion destinations. The NHL also discussed the current "unbalanced" schedule and voted on a new schedule format at a board meeting in November, so that all teams will play each other at least once and reduce intradivisional play in the 2008–09 season, in essence returning to the scheduling structure that existed in 2003–04, and would have existed in 2004–05. The sale of the Lightning and Predators teams were not completed for board approval.[4]

Rule changes

A number of minor rule changes were introduced for the start of the 2007–08 season. Penalty shots can now be awarded when a player with the puck is hauled down from the centre line on in rather than from the opposition's blue-line as had been the case. Also, the interference rule was altered to allow for a major penalty and a game misconduct when an injury results. Another change affected faceoff placement: All faceoffs must be conducted at one of the nine dots painted on the rink.

Regular season

The New Jersey Devils began playing in their new arena, the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. However, since the arena was not ready by the beginning of the season, they began their season with a nine-game road trip.

Inter-conference division play had the Northeast visit the Pacific, the Pacific visit the Atlantic, the Atlantic visit the Northwest, the Northwest visit the Southeast, the Southeast visit the Central and the Central visit the Northeast.

Michael Cammalleri of the Los Angeles Kings scored the first goal of the season against the Anaheim Ducks on September 29 in the opening game played in London, England.

Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers was severely injured after having his external carotid artery in his neck accidentally cut by the skate of teammate Olli Jokinen in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on February 10. Zednik fully recovered from the injury, but missed the remainder of the season.

The Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators matched up for the first time since the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals on March 3, 2008, in Anaheim.

The Washington Capitals improved from 14th place in the previous season and last in the Eastern Conference during the first third of the 2007–08 season to finish as the third seed in the 2007–08 playoffs and winners of the Southeast Division. The turnaround was attributed mainly to the hiring of then-American Hockey League coach Bruce Boudreau, whose efforts won him the Jack Adams Award for the 2007–08 season.

The San Jose Sharks went the entire month of March without a regulation loss and were the media's favorite to win the Cup going into the playoffs.

The Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy for finishing the regular season with the most points (115).

Fewer goals were scored in the regular season than in the 2006–07 season, with an average of 5.44 goals scored per game (6,691 goals over 1,230 games).[5] Goaltenders combined for 161 shutouts.[6]

Final standings

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points.

Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 z – Montreal Canadiens NE 82 47 25 10 262 222 104
2 y – Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 47 27 8 247 216 102
3 y – Washington Capitals SE 82 43 31 8 242 231 94
4 New Jersey Devils AT 82 46 29 7 206 197 99
5 New York Rangers AT 82 42 27 13 213 199 97
6 Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 42 29 11 248 233 95
7 Ottawa Senators NE 82 43 31 8 261 247 94
8 Boston Bruins NE 82 41 29 12 212 222 94
8.5
9 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 43 33 6 252 249 92
10 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 39 31 12 255 242 90
11 Florida Panthers SE 82 38 35 9 216 226 85
12 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 36 35 11 231 260 83
13 New York Islanders AT 82 35 38 9 194 243 79
14 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 34 40 8 216 272 76
15 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 31 42 9 223 267 71

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 p – Detroit Red Wings CE 82 54 21 7 257 184 115
2 y – San Jose Sharks PA 82 49 23 10 222 193 108
3 y – Minnesota Wild NW 82 44 28 10 223 218 98
4 Anaheim Ducks PA 82 47 27 8 205 191 102
5 Dallas Stars PA 82 45 30 7 242 207 97
6 Colorado Avalanche NW 82 44 31 7 231 219 95
7 Calgary Flames NW 82 42 30 10 229 227 94
8 Nashville Predators CE 82 41 32 9 230 229 91
8.5
9 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 41 35 6 235 251 88
10 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 40 34 8 239 235 88
11 Vancouver Canucks NW 82 39 33 10 213 215 88
12 Phoenix Coyotes PA 82 38 37 7 214 231 83
13 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 34 36 12 193 218 80
14 St. Louis Blues CE 82 33 36 13 205 237 79
15 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 32 43 7 231 266 71

Divisions: PA – Pacific, CE – Central, NW – Northwest
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winner

Tiebreaking procedures

Where two or more clubs are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

  1. The greater number of games won.
  2. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
  3. The greater differential between goals for and against.

Playoffs

The Stanley Cup

Playoff bracket

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 is determined based on regular season points; thus, the Detroit Red Wings had home ice advantage. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for have games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team will be at home for the other games.

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
1  Montreal 4     1  Montreal 1  
8  Boston 3     6  Philadelphia 4  
2  Pittsburgh 4 Eastern Conference
7  Ottawa 0  
    6  Philadelphia 1  
  2  Pittsburgh 4  
3  Washington 3  
6  Philadelphia 4  
4  New Jersey 1   2  Pittsburgh 4
5  NY Rangers 4     5  NY Rangers 1  
  E2  Pittsburgh 2
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W1  Detroit 4
1  Detroit 4     1  Detroit 4
8  Nashville 2     6  Colorado 0  
2  San Jose 4
7  Calgary 3  
  1  Detroit 4
  5  Dallas 2  
3  Minnesota 2  
6  Colorado 4   Western Conference
4  Anaheim 2   2  San Jose 2
5  Dallas 4     5  Dallas 4  

Awards

Presidents' Trophy: Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy: Pittsburgh Penguins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs
Calder Memorial Trophy: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Conn Smythe Trophy: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Memorial Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Jack Adams Award: Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Lester B. Pearson Award: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Plus/Minus Award: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
William M. Jennings Trophy: Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
Lester Patrick Trophy: Brian Burke, Phil Housley, Ted Lindsay, Bob Naegele Jr.
NHL Lifetime Achievement Award: Gordie Howe

NHL All Star Team

First All-Star Team

Second All-Star Team

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 82 65 47 112 +28 40
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 82 47 59 106 +16 78
Jarome Iginla Calgary Flames 82 50 48 98 +27 83
Pavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings 82 31 66 97 +41 20
Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks 82 29 67 96 +18 59
Henrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings 75 43 49 92 +30 34
Vincent Lecavalier Tampa Bay Lightning 81 40 52 92 -17 89
Jason Spezza Ottawa Senators 76 34 58 92 +26 66
Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa Senators 70 40 49 89 +15 34
Ilya Kovalchuk Atlanta Thrashers 79 52 35 87 -12 52

Source: NHL.[7]

Leading goaltenders

GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Player Team GP TOI W L OT GA SO Sv% GAA
Chris Osgood Detroit Red Wings 43 2,409 27 9 4 84 4 .914 2.09
Dominik Hasek Detroit Red Wings 41 2,350 27 10 3 84 5 .902 2.14
Jean-Sebastien Giguere Anaheim Ducks 58 3,310 35 17 6 117 4 .922 2.12
Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 77 4,635 44 27 6 168 4 .920 2.17
Evgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks 77 4,560 46 21 8 163 6 .910 2.14

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2007–08:


Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their team:

Player Team Notability
Kevyn Adams[8] Chicago Blackhawks 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Carolina Hurricanes.
David Aebischer[9] Phoenix Coyotes 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche.
Bryan Berard[10] New York Islanders Calder Memorial Trophy winner; Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner.
Stu Barnes[11] Dallas Stars Over 1100 games played.
Sergei Brylin[12] New Jersey Devils 3-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils.
Keith Carney[13] Minnesota Wild Over 1000 games played.
Dallas Drake[14] Detroit Red Wings 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Red Wings; over 1000 games played.
Martin Gelinas[15] Nashville Predators 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers, 2-time Fred J. Hume Award winner, over 1200 games played.
John Grahame[16] Carolina Hurricanes 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dominik Hasek[17] Detroit Red Wings 2-time Stanley Cup winner with the Red Wings; Olympic gold and bronze medalist; 6-time Vezina Trophy winner; 5-time NHL All-Star; 3-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner; 2-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner; 2-time Lester B. Pearson Award winner.
Derian Hatcher[18] Philadelphia Flyers 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Dallas Stars; 1-time NHL All-Star; over 1000 games played.
Sami Kapanen[19] Philadelphia Flyers 2-time Olympic bronze medalist; 2-time NHL All-Star.
Trevor Linden[20] Vancouver Canucks King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner; NHL Foundation Player Award winner; 2-time NHL All-Star; over 1300 games played.
Jaroslav Modry[21] Philadelphia Flyers 1-time NHL All-Star.
Sandis Ozolinsh[22] San Jose Sharks 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche; 7-time NHL All-Star.
Martin Rucinsky[23] St. Louis Blues Olympic gold and bronze medalist.
Geoff Sanderson[24] Edmonton Oilers 2-time NHL All-Star.
Bryan Smolinski[25] Montreal Canadiens Over 1000 games played.
Martin Straka[26] New York Rangers Olympic gold and bronze medalist.
Josef Vasicek[27] New York Islanders 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Hurricanes.
David Vyborny[28] Columbus Blue Jackets Olympic bronze medalist.
Glen Wesley[29] Carolina Hurricanes 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Hurricanes; 1-time NHL All-Star; over 1400 games played.

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Reebok And NHL To Unveil New Technologically-advanced Uniform System" (Press release). January 22, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  2. ↑ "On your mark, get set ... open datebooks!". NHL.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Happy New Year! Pens, Sabres to play outside in Buffalo". NHL.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  4. ↑ ESPN report, retrieved on September 19, 2007
  5. ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2008_skaters.html
  6. ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2008_goalies.html
  7. ↑ Dinger 2011, p. 157.
  8. ↑ Kevyn Adams in limbo no more, as he jumps to player-agent role
  9. ↑ "David Aebischer ends his career" (in German). National League A. 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  10. ↑ ‘It was all gone’: Former NHLer Bryan Berard explains how fraudsters devastated his retirement savings
  11. ↑ Stu Barnes announces retirement, joins Dallas Stars coaching staff
  12. ↑ Devils' Sergei Brylin excited to start new career in coaching
  13. ↑ Keith Carney Is Skipping Camp and...Retiring / Wellwood Image
  14. ↑ Red Wings' Drake retires after 16 seasons
  15. ↑ Martin Gelinas' jersey to be retired by the Gatineau Olympiques
  16. ↑ NHL Goalie John Grahame Joins Tbird Staff
  17. ↑ Sabres legend Dominik Hasek happy in retirement, set for Hall of Fame honor and jersey retirement
  18. ↑ Flyers' Hatcher retires after surgery
  19. ↑ Sami Kapanen Announces His Retirement
  20. ↑ As Canucks president, Trevor Linden gets his second chance at the Cup
  21. ↑ Harvey Selects Hires Jaroslav Modry - Junior Hockey News
  22. ↑ Dynamo Riga Retires Sandis Ozolinsh #8
  23. ↑ Czech veteran Rucinsky retires
  24. ↑ Sanderson puts fun first
  25. ↑ Bryan Smolinski
  26. ↑ 5 Thoughts: Time to start criticizing Martin St. Louis, Martin Straka retires, and Christian Folin likely won’t be a Ranger
  27. ↑ Remembering Josef Vasicek
  28. ↑ Ice hockey forward Vyborný ends career
  29. ↑ Glen Wesley retires after 20 NHL seasons

External links

Media related to 2007-2008 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons

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