The 2006–07 NHL season was the 90th season of operation (89th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs began on April 11, 2007, and concluded on June 6, with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators to win their first Stanley Cup, becoming the first team from California to do so. This is the last time that all four of the Tri-State Teams made the playoffs (The Buffalo Sabres, NJ Devils, NY Islanders, and, NY Rangers)
The NHL announced that the regular season salary cap rise after the initial season. The 2006–07 salary cap was increased by $5,000,000 (US) per team to bring the salary cap up to $44,000,000 (US). While the 2006–07 salary floor was increased by $8,000,000 (US) per team to $28,000,000 (US). This is the only year where the NHL salary floor raised faster than the NHL salary cap.
The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim officially shortened their name to the Anaheim Ducks prior to the season, introducing a new logo, uniforms and color scheme. This reflected a clean break from their original owners, The Walt Disney Company, who originally named the team after the movie, The Mighty Ducks upon their formation in 1993.[1]
The NHL All-Star Game returned after a two-year absence when the Dallas Stars hosted the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game at the American Airlines Center on January 24, 2007. Dallas hosted the All-Star Game for the first time, and it was the first time the Stars franchise had hosted the game since 1972, when it was hosted by the-then Minnesota North Stars. The West defeated the East by a score of 12–9, with Danny Briere of the Buffalo Sabres being named MVP of the game. Fewer penalties were called than in 2005–06 (an average of 398 per team).[3] This led to fewer goals scored overall (7,082)[4] and more shutouts (150).[5] However, more even-strength goals were scored (4,715)[4] than in 2005–06 (4,579).[6]
This season would have an intense battle between Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo for the Vezina Trophy and a piece of NHL history. Both goaltenders were vying to break Bernie Parent's NHL record 47 wins in a single season. On April 3, 2007, Brodeur tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season with 47, set by Parent in 1973–74, in a 2–1 shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators.[7] Two days later, he broke the thirty-three-year-old record with his 48th win in a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, which helped the Devils clinch their seventh Atlantic Division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Luongo finished with a career-high 47 wins, one shy of Brodeur, and consequently finished runner-up in a close race for the Vezina. Luongo and Brodeur are considered, however, to have been given an advantage to Parent with the inauguration of the shootout that season by the NHL, allowing more games to be decided with wins, as opposed to ties.
The Carolina Hurricanes became the first team since the 1995–96 New Jersey Devils to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season.
The inter-conference division play had the Northeast visit the Central, the Central visit the Atlantic, the Atlantic visit the Pacific, the Pacific visit the Southeast, the Southeast visit the Northwest, and the Northwest visits the Northeast.
Buffalo Sabres won the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
For the purpose of conference rankings, 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.
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
bold - qualified for playoffs, y - division title, z - best conference record CE - Central Division, NW - Northwest Division, PA - Pacific Division
Source:Yahoo Sports.[9]
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, which gives them a maximum possible four games on their home ice, with the other team getting a maximum possible three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format. This means that the higher-seeded team will have Games 1 and 2, plus 5 and 7 if necessary, played on their home ice, while the lower-seeded team will be at home for the other games. The format ensures that the team with home ice advantage will always have home ice for the "extra" game if there are an odd number of games in a series.
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[18]
Numerous players reached major milestones during the season:
Brendan Shanahan became the 15th player with 600 regular season NHL goals when he scored twice in his debut with the New York Rangers on October 5.[21]
Jaromir Jagr joined Shanahan in the 600 goal club on November 19, making Jagr and Shanahan the first teammates to reach 600 goals in the same season.[22] Jagr also passed Jari Kurri's record for points by a European-born player and later became the 12th player to score 1,500 career points.[23][24] Jagr scored his 30th goal of the season against the Montreal Canadiens on April 5, tying Mike Gartner's record for most consecutive 30-goal seasons at 15.
Joe Sakic became the third player to score 600 career goals this season on February 15.[25] Sakic also became the 11th player to record 1,500 points.[26]
Teppo Numminen played in his 1,252nd regular season game on November 13, passing Jari Kurri's record for most games played by a European-trained player.[27]
Mats Sundin became the first Swedish player to score 500 career goals on October 14.
Teemu Selänne scored his 500th goal on November 23, becoming only the second Finnish player to reach the mark.[28]
Peter Bondra became the 37th player to achieve 500 goals on December 22,[29] followed shortly thereafter by Mark Recchi as number 38 on January 26.[30]
On March 13, Mike Modano became the 39th player to score 500 goals.[31] Four nights later, he passed Joe Mullen for most goals by an American-born player by scoring his 503rd goal.[32]
Nineteen-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby claimed the scoring title with 120 points, becoming the youngest player in NHL history to achieve the feat.[13]
Crosby scored a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes to pass Wayne Gretzky as the youngest player (19 years, 207 days) in NHL history to reach 200 career points.[37]
Numerous other milestones, events, and happenings occurred as well:
On November 9, 2006, the Anaheim Ducks set an NHL open era record by remaining undefeated in regulation for the first 16 games of the season, with 12 wins and four overtime losses. The previous mark was set by the 1984–85 Edmonton Oilers, who had 12 wins and three ties.[39]
On February 1, 2007, Martin Brodeur passed Patrick Roy for first place on the all-time overtime wins list, with 45 career overtime wins.[41]
On February 22, 2007, eight games went to overtime, setting a record for most on one day.[42] Four of these games went to a shootout. One of the shootouts, between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres, was the culmination of a game that saw a huge fight, the result of a late hit on Sabres co-captain Chris Drury, that resulted in 100 penalty minutes and three game misconduct ejections.[43]
On March 11, 2007, Chris Simon of the New York Islanders was suspended an NHL-record 25 games (minimum) for striking New York Rangers center Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick during a March 8 game between the two teams.[44] Simon missed the Islanders' final 15 regular-season contests, their five post-season games, and the first five games of the 2007–08 season.[45]
On March 31, 2007, Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning scored his 51st goal of the season against the Washington Capitals, which would be enough to ensure that he became the first Lightning player to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (most goals scored).[46] Lecavalier finished the season with 52 goals.[47] On the same night, Martin St. Louis crossed the 100-point mark for the season, making him and Lecavalier the only teammates in the 2006–07 season to reach 100 points.[48][49]
On April 3, 2007, Dominik Hasek of the Detroit Red Wings made 35 saves and moved into a tie for eighth place with Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito on the career shutouts list with 76, in a 3–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.[50] The shutout was Columbus' 16th of the season, setting a modern-day NHL record for shutouts against.[51]
On April 5, 2007, goalie Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils recorded his 48th win of the season, setting a new record for most wins in a single season by a goaltender. The previous record of 47 wins was set during the 1973–74 NHL season by Bernie Parent of the Philadelphia Flyers.[52]
For the first time in NHL history, neither of the previous season's Stanley Cup finalists qualified for the playoffs, as both the Edmonton Oilers and defending champion Carolina Hurricanes failed to qualify.[53] The Hurricanes are also the first Stanley Cup Champion since the 1995–96 New Jersey Devils to miss the playoffs the season after their victory.[54]
The Vancouver Canucks broke their franchise record of the longest playoff game on April 11, 2007, winning near the end of the fourth overtime, against the Dallas Stars and marking the sixth-longest game in NHL history.[57]
On June 2, 2007, the Stanley Cup Finals returned to Ottawa for the first time in over 80 years, since the final match between the original Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins on April 13, 1927, was played. As reported by The Canadian Press, 99-year-old Russell Williams is in attendance, who attended the previous Finals game. The Senators won the game, 5–3.[58]
In Canada, national rights were split between CBC and TSN. CBC aired Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada regular season games, while TSN's coverage included Wednesday Night Hockey and other selected weeknights. During the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, TSN televised all-U.S. games while CBC aired all games involving Canadian teams. CBC then had exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals.
This was the second season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with NBC and the renamed Versus (the former Outdoor Life Network (OLN) had shifted beyond simply "outdoor" programming). Versus aired regular season games generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, while NBC had regular season windows 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.
^"Shanahan reaches 600 goals". CBC News. Associated Press. October 5, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
^Brooks, Larry (November 20, 2006). "Jagr Joins 600 Club". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2007.
Media related to 2006-2007 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons
