2009–10 NHL season

The 2009–10 NHL season was the 92nd season of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association (NHA). It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs currently being played, all the way up to early June 2010. A mid-season break from February 15 to 28 occurred to allow participation of NHL players in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Because of the Winter Olympics break, there was no NHL All-Star Game for 2010.

2009–10 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 1, 2009 – April 11, 2010
Number of games 82
Number of teams 30
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy Washington Capitals
Season MVP Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Top scorer Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Philadelphia Flyers
  Eastern runners-up Montreal Canadiens
Western champions Chicago Blackhawks
  Western runners-up San Jose Sharks
Playoffs MVP Jonathan Toews
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks
  Runners-up Philadelphia Flyers
NHL seasons

← 2008–09

2010–11 →

Regular season

Final standings

Eastern Conference

  1. Washington CapitalsSoutheast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners 121 points
  2. New Jersey DevilsAtlantic Division champions, 103 points
  3. Buffalo SabresNortheast Division champions, 100 points
  4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 101 points (47 wins)
  5. Ottawa Senators – 94 points (44 wins)
  6. Boston Bruins – 91 points (39 wins)
  7. Philadelphia Flyers – 88 points (41 wins)
  8. Montreal Canadiens – 88 points (39 wins)

Western Conference

  1. San Jose SharksPacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions, 113 points
  2. Chicago BlackhawksCentral Division champions, 112 points
  3. Vancouver CanucksNorthwest Division champions, 103 points
  4. Phoenix Coyotes – 107 points (50 wins)
  5. Detroit Red Wings – 102 points (44 wins)
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 101 points (46 wins)
  7. Nashville Predators – 100 points (47 wins)
  8. Colorado Avalanche – 95 points (43 wins)

Conference standings

Eastern Conference [1] GP W L OTL GF GA PTS
p-Washington Capitals * 82 54 15 13 318 233 121
y-New Jersey Devils * 82 48 27 7 222 191 103
y-Buffalo Sabres * 82 45 27 10 235 207 100
x-Pittsburgh Penguins 82 47 28 7 257 237 101
x-Ottawa Senators 82 44 32 6 225 238 94
x-Boston Bruins 82 39 30 13 206 200 91
x-Philadelphia Flyers 82 41 35 6 236 225 88
x-Montreal Canadiens 82 39 33 10 217 223 88
e-New York Rangers 82 38 33 11 222 218 87
e-Atlanta Thrashers 82 35 34 13 234 256 83
e-Carolina Hurricanes 82 35 37 10 230 256 80
e-Tampa Bay Lightning 82 34 36 12 217 260 80
e-New York Islanders 82 34 37 11 222 264 79
e-Florida Panthers 82 32 37 13 208 244 77
e-Toronto Maple Leafs 82 30 38 14 214 267 74
Western Conference [1] GP W L OTL GF GA PTS
z-San Jose Sharks * 82 51 20 11 264 215 113
y-Chicago Blackhawks * 82 52 22 8 271 209 112
y-Vancouver Canucks * 82 49 28 5 272 222 103
x-Phoenix Coyotes 82 50 25 7 225 202 107
x-Detroit Red Wings 82 44 24 14 229 216 102
x-Los Angeles Kings 82 46 27 9 241 219 101
x-Nashville Predators 82 47 29 6 225 225 100
x-Colorado Avalanche 82 43 30 9 244 233 95
e-St. Louis Blues 82 40 32 10 225 223 90
e-Calgary Flames 82 40 32 10 204 210 90
e-Anaheim Ducks 82 39 32 11 238 251 89
e-Dallas Stars 82 37 31 14 237 254 88
e-Minnesota Wild 82 38 36 8 219 246 84
e-Columbus Blue Jackets 82 32 35 15 216 259 79
e-Edmonton Oilers 82 27 47 8 214 284 62

GP – Games Played W – Wins L – Losses OTL – OT/Shootout Losses GF – Goals For GA – Goals Against PTS – Points
* – Division Leader x – Clinched Playoff spot y – Clinched Division z – Clinched Conference p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy e – Eliminated from Playoff Contention

Tiebreaking procedures

Teams are ranked (ordered by how many games they won) at the end of the regular season. The team with the most points is ranked number one. If two or more teams are tied in points, the following method is used to rank the teams:[2]

  • The fewer number of games played. This would mean that a team scored more points per game than another team.
  • The greater number of games won.
  • The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. This would be the team that was better than the other team when they played against each other.
    • If two teams are tied, and they have not played the same number of home games against the other, then:
      • The points earned in the first home game played by the team with more home games do not count.
    • If more than two clubs are tied, then:
      • The team with the most points earned per game in games among those clubs.
      • The "odd" games between those teams do not count.
  • The team with the biggest differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season. This would be the team that won their games by the most goals.

Statistical leaders

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.[3]

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

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Sedin, HenrikHenrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 82 29 83 112 +35 48
Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 81 51 58 109 +15 69
Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 72 50 59 109 +45 89
Backstrom, NicklasNicklas Backstrom Washington Capitals 82 33 68 101 +37 50
Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 82 51 44 95 -2 38
St. Louis, MartinMartin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 82 29 65 94 -8 12
Richards, BradBrad Richards Dallas Stars 80 24 67 91 -12 14
Thornton, JoeJoe Thornton San Jose Sharks 79 20 69 89 +17 54
Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks 82 30 58 88 +16 20
Gaborik, MarianMarian Gaborik New York Rangers 76 42 44 86 +15 37

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season.[4]

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
Rask, TuukkaTuukka Rask Boston Bruins 45 2,562:11 22 12 5 84 5 .931 1.97
Miller, RyanRyan Miller Buffalo Sabres 69 4,047:10 41 18 8 150 5 .929 2.22
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 77 4,499:01 45 25 6 168 9 .916 2.24
Niemi, AnttiAntti Niemi Chicago Blackhawks 39 2,190:28 26 7 4 82 7 .912 2.25
Howard, JimmyJimmy Howard Detroit Red Wings 63 3,740:15 37 15 10 141 3 .924 2.26
Bryzgalov, IlyaIlya Bryzgalov Phoenix Coyotes 69 4,084:27 42 20 6 156 8 .920 2.29
Kiprusoff, MiikkaMiikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames 73 4,235:19 35 28 10 163 4 .920 2.31
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 73 4,203:49 35 27 10 167 4 .921 2.38
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak Montreal Canadiens 45 2,629:56 26 13 5 105 5 .924 2.40
Nabokov, EvgeniEvgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks 71 4,194:07 44 16 10 170 3 .922 2.43

Playoffs

Playoff seeds

After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Washington Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the league, at 121 points. Division champions maintain their relative ranking during the entire playoffs while the remaining teams get reseeded below them after each round.

Playoff bracket

[5][6][7][8]

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Final
                                     
1  Washington Capitals 3  
8  Montreal Canadiens 4  
  4  Pittsburgh Penguins 3  
  8  Montreal Canadiens 4  
2  New Jersey Devils 1
7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
  8  Montreal Canadiens 1  
Eastern Conference
  7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
3  Buffalo Sabres 2  
6  Boston Bruins 4  
  6  Boston Bruins 3
  7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
4  Pittsburgh Penguins 4
5  Ottawa Senators 2  
  E7  Philadelphia Flyers 2
  W2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
1  San Jose Sharks 4  
8  Colorado Avalanche 2  
  1  San Jose Sharks 4
  5  Detroit Red Wings 1  
2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
7  Nashville Predators 2  
  1  San Jose Sharks 0
Western Conference
  2  Chicago Blackhawks 4  
3  Vancouver Canucks 4  
6  Los Angeles Kings 2  
  2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
  3  Vancouver Canucks 2  
4  Phoenix Coyotes 3
5  Detroit Red Wings 4  

NHL awards

2009–10 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s)
Stanley Cup Chicago Blackhawks
Presidents' Trophy Washington Capitals[9]
Prince of Wales Trophy Philadelphia Flyers[10]
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl Chicago Blackhawks[11]
Art Ross Trophy Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)[12]
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Jose Theodore (Washington Capitals)
Calder Memorial Trophy Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres)
Conn Smythe Trophy Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)[13]
Frank J. Selke Trophy Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Hart Memorial Trophy Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Jack Adams Award Dave Tippett (Phoenix Coyotes)
James Norris Memorial Trophy Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Ted Lindsay Award Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)[14]
NHL General Manager of the Year Award Don Maloney (Phoenix Coyotes)
NHL Plus/Minus Award Jeff Schultz (Washington Capitals)[15]
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins)[16]
Vezina Trophy Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
William M. Jennings Trophy Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)[17]
Lester Patrick Trophy Dave Andrews, Cam Neely, Jack Parker, Jerry York

Milestones

First games

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2009–10, listed with their first team:

Last games

2009–10 NHL Season Media

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 2009-2010 "2009-2010 Standings by Conference - NHL.com". NHL.com. The National Hockey League. Retrieved May 1, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  2. "NHL tiebreaking procedures". sports.espn.go.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. December 21, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  3. "Player Stats: 2009–2010 Regular season: All Skaters – Total Points". National Hockey League.
  4. "Player Stats: 2009–2010 Regular season: Goalie – Goals Against Average". National Hockey League.
  5. "2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals". NHL.com. The National Hockey League. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
  6. "2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinals". NHL.com. The National Hockey League. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  7. "2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Finals". NHL.com. The National Hockey League. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  8. "2010 Stanley Cup Final - Blackhawks vs. Flyers". NHL.com. The National Hockey League. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  9. "Capitals to Celebrate Presidents' Trophy". capitals.nhl.com. NHL Enterprises. April 8, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  10. Seravalli, Frank (May 25, 2010). "Flyers oust Canadiens to advance to Stanley Cup finals". philly.com. Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  11. Hamilton, Brian (May 23, 2010). "Hawks look but don't touch Campbell Bowl". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  12. "Sedin named Sporting News' player of the year". foxnews.com. FOX News Network. May 20, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  13. Gelston, Dan (June 9, 2010). "Blackhawks win first Stanley Cup since 1961". google.com. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  14. "Crosby, Stamkos share Richard Trophy". sports.espn.go.com. ESPN Internet Venture. April 12, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  15. "Player Stats - 2009-2010 - Regular Season - Summary - Plus/Minus". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  16. "NHL Tuukka Rask Profile". sportsnet.ca. Rogers Sportsnet. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  17. "Martin Brodeur". cbssports.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 26, 2010.

Other websites

  Media related to 2009-2010 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons