2005–06 NHL season

2005–06 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 5, 2005 – June 19, 2006
Number of games 82
Number of teams 30
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy Detroit Red Wings
Season MVP Joe Thornton (Boston, San Jose)
Top scorer Joe Thornton (Boston, San Jose)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Carolina Hurricanes
  Eastern runners-up Buffalo Sabres
Western champions Edmonton Oilers
  Western runners-up Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Playoffs MVP Cam Ward (Carolina)
Stanley Cup
Champions Carolina Hurricanes
  Runners-up Edmonton Oilers

The 2005–06 NHL season was the 89th season of operation (88th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This was the season after the 2004–05 season which had all of its scheduled games canceled due to a labor dispute with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) over the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the League and its players. The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 21, 2006, and concluded on June 19, with the Carolina Hurricanes defeating the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup.

League business

On July 13, 2005, the NHL, and NHLPA jointly announced that they had tentatively agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement which would allow the resumption of hockey for the 2005–06 season. The agreement was voted on July 21 by NHLPA members, and approved by a nearly 7 to 1 margin. The following day, the NHL's Board of Governors (owners) voted unanimously to approve the new agreement.

A new logo for the NHL was also unveiled, with "NHL" printed in upward-reading letters to project a vibrant, optimistic image, and having silver as the dominant color to pay homage to the Stanley Cup.[1] Also, new Eastern and Western Conference logos were unveiled before the Olympic break, with red as the dominant East color, and blue as the dominant West hue.[2]

American television also had a new look. OLN took over broadcasting rights after ESPN decided not to renew their rights on cable television. The network, owned by Comcast, had Monday and Tuesday night games during the regular season under an exclusivity clause prohibiting local telecasts those nights in the two participating teams' markets. NBC returned as the NHL's over-the-air partner after ABC parted ways following the 2003–04 season. Comcast high-speed cable internet customers could watch at least seven games a week over the Internet as part of the new TV deal.

Rule changes

After experimenting with many rule changes in 2004–05 in the American Hockey League (AHL), many of the rule changes from the previous year were adopted, with changes:

The rule experimentation was based on the previous season of play in the AHL, and was based on creating a more exciting game and will create more scoring opportunities, and therefore more goals.

Furthermore, a new Competition Committee was formed to discuss future rule changes, and players were invited to participate in the discussion.

Regular season

In terms of total goals scored during an NHL regular season, the 2005–06 regular season turned out to be the highest-scoring in NHL history, with 7,443 goals scored in 1,230 games.[4] However, the highest-scoring season in terms of goals per game still belonged to the 1992–93 regular season, in which 7,311 goals were scored in only 1,008 games, for an average of 7.25 per game (the average in 2005–06 was 6.05 per game).[5] The record for most shorthanded goals scored in a season, set in 1992–93 and matched in 1993–94 at 312,[5] was broken as 318 shorthanded goals were scored.[6] A total of 117 shutouts were recorded,[7] down from an all-time high of 192 in 2003–04. The higher offensive numbers were largely attributable, among other things, to greater frequency of power plays. In 2003–04, teams had an average of 348 power plays over 82 games.[8] In 2005–06, the average number of power plays per team over 82 games was 480.[6]

The NHL season began on October 5, and for the first time in the League's history, all of the league's 30 teams played a game on opening night. In the first period of each game, all teams wore a jersey (sweater) with a special patch as the league and players association auctioned off those jerseys for the benefit of the Red Cross in both the United States and Canada earmarking the proceeds for Hurricane Katrina victims (the Islanders' ECHL affiliate in Biloxi, Mississippi suspended operations for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons because of this disaster; furthermore, the NHL had a Stanley Cup tour of ECHL cities to raise additional funds for relief efforts. On opening night of this season, Jean-Pierre Dumont of the Buffalo Sabres scored the first goal of the regular season, and Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, of the Ottawa Senators became the first players to score the winning goals for a shootout in NHL history, both scoring against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour. Their sticks were subsequently sent to the nearby Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The All-Star Game, which would have been in Phoenix, did not take place (the city will host the event in a future year as a replacement); the league instead took a break in February so that many of its players could participate in the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. The new schedule features more intra-division games in order to promote division rivalries. Consequently, there are whole divisions in the opposite conference that teams never played during the season.

This season saw the much-hyped debuts of (and immediate rivalry between) Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. It was only the second time that two rookies had over 100 points in a season (Teemu Selanne and Joe Juneau performed the feat in 1992–93). Ovechkin finished with 106 points, which is third best all-time among NHL rookies. Crosby surpassed teammate Mario Lemieux's 100-point rookie season, finishing with 102 points, currently fifth best all-time.[9]

On November 30, 2005, Joe Thornton was traded from the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks in a four-player deal which sent forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston. Thornton went on to win the scoring title and to date has consistently been a top ten League scorer. The Bruins would not make the playoffs until 2008.

On November 26, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals played the second-longest NHL shootout to date. Rangers defenseman Marek Malik scored the winning goal in the 15th round, pulling the puck between his own legs to defeat Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig, giving the Rangers the victory by the final score of 3–2.

Three early-season games had to be rescheduled due to various events. Hurricane Wilma had forced the NHL to reschedule two Florida Panthers home games, in which their game against Ottawa Senators scheduled on October 22 was rescheduled to December 5; the game against the Washington Capitals scheduled for October 29 was moved to December 1. The Nashville PredatorsDetroit Red Wings game on November 22 was called off with 7:30 left in the first period after Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a seizure and had to be resuscitated. It was rescheduled to January 23, 2006, with the game starting 1–0 for Nashville as Greg Johnson's goal from the original date was allowed to stand. The game that was originally scheduled for January 23 at Nashville between the two teams was moved to March 30, 2006.

On January 12, the New York Rangers retired the number 11 of long-time captain Mark Messier to the rafters of Madison Square Garden. The Rangers would beat Messier's former team, the Edmonton Oilers, 5–4 in overtime.

On January 16 in Phoenix, Washington Capitals rookie winger Alexander Ovechkin added himself to the league's historical highlight reel by scoring a goal from his back while rolling and sliding past the goal. Ovechkin was checked to the ice by Coyotes defenseman Paul Mara on a breakaway between the Coyotes' faceoff circles, but rolled to his back, reached over his head with his stick and hooked the puck in behind goaltender Brian Boucher.[10]

On January 19, Los Angeles Kings veteran left winger Luc Robitaille scored his 550th, 551st and 552nd goals as a member of the Kings, eclipsing Marcel Dionne's franchise record of 550 goals. The 40-year-old Robitaille retired at season's end.

The season was rocked with scandal in early February when it came to light that Phoenix Coyotes Assistant Coach Rick Tocchet was found to be involved in a $1.6 million illegal sports gambling ring with Mafia ties. Apparently, no betting on NHL games was being done, but bets were being placed on college and professional football and college and professional basketball. Although Coyotes Head Coach Wayne Gretzky denied any knowledge or involvement in the ring, initial reports stated that wiretapped phone conversations he had proved that he not only knew about the ring, but was trying to find ways to conceal his wife's involvement in it. He was later cleared of these accusations, but long-term implications to his reputation are still unknown. For more information, see Operation Slapshot.

On April 15, in the Nashville Predators' 81st game of the season, Nashville goaltender Chris Mason was credited with a goal when the Phoenix Coyotes' Geoff Sanderson put the puck in his own net. Mason was awarded credit for the goal, as he was the last Predator to have touched the puck. It was the ninth regular season goal scored by a goaltender in NHL history. The last goal of the regular season was scored by Kyle Calder of the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime in a 3–2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, which ended the 2005–06 regular season at 10:50 EDT on April 18, 2006.

The Tampa Bay Lightning narrowly avoided becoming the first team since the New Jersey Devils in the 1995–96 season to miss the post-season after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season.

This season also marked the first time since the 1978–79 season that the St. Louis Blues did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, ending the third-longest NHL post-season appearance streak at 25 seasons. Only the Chicago Blackhawks (28 seasons) and the Boston Bruins (29 seasons) had longer streaks.

Final standings

The Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

For ranking in conference, division leaders are automatically ranked 1–3. These three, plus the next five teams in the conference standings, earn playoff berths at the end of the season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 3 New Jersey Devils 82 46 27 9 242 229 101
2 5 Philadelphia Flyers 82 45 26 11 267 259 101
3 6 New York Rangers 82 44 26 12 257 215 100
4 12 New York Islanders 82 36 40 6 230 278 78
5 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 22 46 14 244 316 58

[11]

Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 1 Ottawa Senators 82 52 21 9 314 211 113
2 4 Buffalo Sabres 82 52 24 6 281 239 110
3 7 Montreal Canadiens 82 42 31 9 243 247 93
4 9 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 41 33 8 257 270 90
5 13 Boston Bruins 82 29 37 16 230 266 74

[11]

Southeast Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
12 Carolina Hurricanes 82 52 22 8 294 260 112
28 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 43 33 6 252 260 92
310 Atlanta Thrashers 82 41 33 8 281 275 90
411 Florida Panthers 82 37 34 11 240 257 85
514 Washington Capitals 82 29 41 12 237 306 70

[11]

Eastern Conference[12]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Ottawa Senators NE 82 52 21 9 314 211 113
2 Y- Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 52 22 8 294 260 112
3 Y - New Jersey Devils AT 82 46 27 8 242 229 101
4 X- Buffalo Sabres NE 82 52 24 6 242 239 110
5 X-Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 45 26 11 267 259 101
6 X– New York Rangers AT 82 44 26 12 257 215 100
7 X-Montreal Canadiens NE 82 42 31 9 243 247 93
8 X- Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 43 33 6 252 260 92
8.5
9 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 41 33 8 257 270 90
10 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 41 33 8 281 275 90
11 Florida Panthers SE 82 37 34 11 240 257 85
12 New York Islanders AT 82 36 40 6 230 278 78
13 Boston Bruins NE 82 29 37 16 230 266 74
14 Washington Capitals SE 82 29 41 12 237 306 70
15 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 22 46 14 244 316 58

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

Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Western Conference

Central Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
11 Detroit Red Wings 82 58 16 8 305 209 124
24 Nashville Predators 82 49 25 8 259 227 106
313 Columbus Blue Jackets 82 35 43 4 223 279 74
414 Chicago Blackhawks 82 26 43 13 211 285 65
515 St. Louis Blues 82 21 46 15 197 292 57

[11]

Northwest Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
13 Calgary Flames 82 46 25 11 218 200 103
27 Colorado Avalanche 82 43 30 9 283 257 95
3 8 Edmonton Oilers 82 41 28 13 256 251 95
49 Vancouver Canucks 82 42 32 8 256 255 92
511 Minnesota Wild 82 38 36 8 231 215 84

[11]

Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
12 Dallas Stars 82 53 23 6 265 218 112
25 San Jose Sharks 82 44 27 11 266 242 99
36 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 43 27 12 254 229 98
410 Los Angeles Kings 82 42 35 5 249 270 89
512 Phoenix Coyotes 82 38 39 5 246 271 81

[11]

Western Conference[13]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 P- Detroit Red Wings CE 82 58 16 8 305 209 124
2 Y- Dallas Stars PA 82 53 23 6 265 218 112
3 Y- Calgary Flames NW 82 46 25 11 218 200 103
4 X- Nashville Predators CE 82 49 25 8 259 227 106
5 X- San Jose Sharks PA 82 44 27 11 266 242 99
6 X- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PA 82 43 27 12 254 229 98
7 X- Colorado Avalanche NW 82 43 30 9 283 257 95
8 X- Edmonton Oilers NW 82 41 28 13 256 251 95
8.5
9 Vancouver Canucks NW 82 42 32 8 256 255 92
8 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 42 35 5 249 270 89
11 Minnesota Wild NW 82 38 36 8 231 215 84
12 Phoenix Coyotes PA 82 38 39 5 246 271 81
13 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 35 43 4 223 279 74
14 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 26 43 13 211 285 65
15 St. Louis Blues CE 82 21 46 15 197 292 57

Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest

P- Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Tiebreaking procedures

If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

  1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).
  2. The greater number of games won.
  3. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
  4. The greater differential between goals for and against.

Playoffs

In the first round, all of the Eastern series went to the higher-seeded team. In the Western Conference, however, the opposite was the case, and every series went to the lower seed. In the semi-finals, the first-seeded Ottawa Senators were upset by the Buffalo Sabres, while in the Western Conference, the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers defeated the fifth-seeded San Jose Sharks. The East's second seed, the Carolina Hurricanes, advanced to the Conference Final and defeated Buffalo in a seven-game series. The sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defeated the Colorado Avalanche to advance to the Western Conference Final. Edmonton continued its Cinderella story by defeating Anaheim in five games, while Carolina advanced to the final with a seven-game series win over Buffalo.

Stanley Cup Final

The 2006 Stanley Cup Final was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. It was Carolina's second appearance in the Final, the other being in 2002, a loss to the Detroit Red Wings. It was Edmonton's seventh appearance in the Final and their first since their fifth Cup win in 1990. Carolina defeated Edmonton in seven games to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup, becoming the tenth post-1967 expansion team and third former World Hockey Association (WHA) franchise to win the Cup.

Carolina vs. Edmonton
Date Away Home
June 5 Edmonton 4 5 Carolina
June 7 Edmonton 0 5 Carolina
June 10 Carolina 1 2 Edmonton
June 12 Carolina 2 1 Edmonton
June 14 Edmonton 4 3 Carolina OT
June 17 Carolina 0 4 Edmonton
June 19 Edmonton 1 3 Carolina
Carolina wins series 4–3 and Stanley Cup
Cam Ward (Carolina) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

Playoff bracket

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
1  Ottawa 4     1  Ottawa 1  
8  Tampa Bay 1     4  Buffalo 4  
2  Carolina 4 Eastern Conference
7  Montreal 2  
    4  Buffalo 3  
  2  Carolina 4  
3  New Jersey 4  
6  NY Rangers 0  
4  Buffalo 4   2  Carolina 4
5  Philadelphia 2     3  New Jersey 1  
  E2  Carolina 4
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W8  Edmonton 3
1  Detroit 2     5  San Jose 2
8  Edmonton 4     8  Edmonton 4  
2  Dallas 1
7  Colorado 4  
  8  Edmonton 4
  6  Anaheim 1  
3  Calgary 3  
6  Anaheim 4   Western Conference
4  Nashville 1   6  Anaheim 4
5  San Jose 4     7  Colorado 0  

Awards

2005-2006 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s)
Stanley Cup: Carolina Hurricanes
Presidents' Trophy: Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy: Carolina Hurricanes
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Edmonton Oilers
Art Ross Trophy: Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks/Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Calder Memorial Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Conn Smythe Trophy: Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes
Hart Memorial Trophy: Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks/Boston Bruins
Jack Adams Award: Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Lester B. Pearson Award: Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks
NHL Plus/Minus Award: Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators;
Michal Rozsival, New York Rangers
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award: Cristobal Huet, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy: Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
William M. Jennings Trophy: Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
Lester Patrick Trophy: Red Berenson, Marcel Dionne, Reed Larson, Glen Sonmor, Steve Yzerman

All-Star teams

First Team   Position   Second Team
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings D Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
Scott Niedermayer, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim D Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars
Joe Thornton, Boston/San Jose C Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

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

Player Team GP G A Pts +/- PIM
Joe Thornton Boston Bruins/San Jose Sharks 81 29 96 125 +31 61
Jaromir Jagr New York Rangers 82 54 69 123 +34 72
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 81 52 54 106 +2 52
Dany Heatley Ottawa Senators 82 50 53 103 +29 86
Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa Senators 77 43 60 103 +29 50
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 81 39 63 102 -1 110
Eric Staal Carolina Hurricanes 82 45 55 100 -8 81
Ilya Kovalchuk Atlanta Thrashers 78 52 46 98 -6 68
Marc Savard Atlanta Thrashers 82 28 69 97 +7 100
Jonathan Cheechoo San Jose Sharks 82 56 37 93 +23 25

Source: NHL.[14]

Leading goaltenders

Minimum 1,000 minutes played.

Note: 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
Miikka KiprusoffCalgary Flames744379:4042201115110.9232.07
Dominik HasekOttawa Senators432583:5828104905.9252.09
Manny LegaceDetroit Red Wings512905:0937831067.9152.19
Cristobal HuetMontreal Canadiens362102:5918114777.9292.20
Henrik LundqvistNew York Rangers533111:53301291162.9222.24
Manny FernandezMinnesota Wild583411:14301871301.9192.29
Ilya BryzgalovMighty Ducks of Anaheim311575:1313121661.9102.51
Marty TurcoDallas Stars683910:12411951663.8982.55
Vesa ToskalaSan Jose Sharks372039:132374872.9012.56
Martin BrodeurNew Jersey Devils734364:35432371875.9112.57

Milestones

Debuts

The following are players of note who played their first NHL game in 2005-06:

Last games

The following is a list of players who played their last NHL game in 2005-06:

See also

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 "NHL FAQ". National Hockey League. July 22, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  2. "NHL unveils new logo for 2005–06 season". CBC News. July 22, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 11.
  4. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006_skaters.html
  5. 1 2 http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1993.html
  6. 1 2 http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006.html
  7. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006_goalies.html
  8. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2004.html
  9. http://www.hhof.com/html/r&rRo.shtml
  10. Watch Ovechkin's goal at Google Videos Archived February 8, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
  12. "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  13. "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  14. Dinger 2011, p. 156.

External links

Media related to 2005-2006 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons

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