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2011–12 NHL season

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The 2011–12 NHL season was the 95th season of operation (94th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals four games to two to win the team's first Stanley Cup in their second Stanley Cup Finals appearance; they had lost to Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 Finals.

2011–12 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 6, 2011 – June 11, 2012
Number of games82
Number of teams30
TV partner(s)CBC, TSN, RDS (Canada)
NBCSN, NBC, CNBC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickRyan Nugent-Hopkins
Picked byEdmonton Oilers
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyVancouver Canucks
Season MVPEvgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Top scorerEvgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPJonathan Quick (Kings)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsLos Angeles Kings
  Runners-upNew Jersey Devils
NHL seasons

During the off-season, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to become the "new" Winnipeg Jets (the "old" Winnipeg Jets relocated in 1996 to become the Arizona Coyotes). It was the first NHL team relocation since the 1997–98 season, when the Hartford Whalers relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes. The league did not change its divisional structure to accommodate the move, and the Jets took the place of the Thrashers in the Southeast Division. In December 2011, the board of governors eventually approved a proposed realignment for the following season, which would result in four conferences with the first two rounds of the playoffs being divisional, but this was rejected by the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA).

It was the fifth consecutive season with games in Europe at the start of the season. The Winter Classic was held on January 2, 2012, in Philadelphia between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers. The 59th All-Star Game was held at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, the home arena of the Ottawa Senators, on January 29, 2012.

League business

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Franchise relocation

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Atlanta Spirit, LLC, which previously owned the Atlanta Thrashers, sold the team to True North Sports and Entertainment, who relocated them to the True North-owned MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba[1] and renamed the Winnipeg Jets, after a previous NHL team in the market. Winnipeg took Atlanta's place in the Southeast Division for 2011–12.[2]

Salary cap

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On June 23, 2011, the NHL announced that the salary cap would be increased by US$4.9 million. As a result, the new salary cap ceiling was set at US$64.3 million while the salary cap floor was US$48.3 million.[3]

Entry draft

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The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[4] Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

Uniform changes

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Several teams announced plans to change their uniforms in the 2011–12 season.[5]

The Edmonton Oilers unveiled a new away uniform parallel to their "retro" home uniform used from 1979 to 1996. They retained the navy blue, copper and red uniforms as their alternates.

The Nashville Predators unveiled new home and away uniforms on June 22, complete with the updated saber-toothed cat logo. Their use of gold as the home colors marked the first time since 1988 that an NHL team wore gold in their home uniforms.

The Florida Panthers made minor changes to their home uniform, using red as the primary and relegating navy blue as a trim color.

The Los Angeles Kings returned to the silver and black motif they used from 1988 to 1998, by designating their alternate home black and silver uniform as a regular uniform and unveiling a new white away uniform with black and silver trim. The purple and black uniform were retained as an alternate uniform.

The Ottawa Senators unveiled a new alternate home uniform based on the original Senators barber pole design. The uniform does not use the Roman centurion logo, instead using an outlined "O" on stripes. The Senators' uniform will also have an All-Star Game patch.

The Pittsburgh Penguins promoted their dark blue uniforms, worn during the 2011 NHL Winter Classic, as the home alternates, replacing the 2008 NHL Winter Classic alternates.

The Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled new home and road uniforms, featuring the simplified lightning logo. Originally the uniforms were simply blue and white, but by popular demand, black was added as a trim color to the uniform numbers, and added the lightning bolt to the pants. The "Bolts" alternate home uniform was retained.

The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled a new alternate home uniform based on the Leafs uniforms worn during their run to the 1967 Stanley Cup title, including the 11-point maple leaf logo.

The Washington Capitals also promoted their 2011 NHL Winter Classic retro uniforms as their road alternates.

The new Winnipeg Jets unveiled uniforms consisting of navy with silver and light blue trim, containing a logo based on the roundel of the Royal Canadian Air Force; these were significantly different from, but in a similar color scheme to, the original Jets uniforms.

The New York Islanders unveiled a new black alternate uniform, featuring the team name above the player's number, a similar template the Dallas Stars' uniforms currently use. Speaking of the Stars, they officially retired their alternate away jersey featuring the team crest, instead using their regular away jerseys with the city name and number in front for all 41 road games.

The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers wore special commemorative uniforms for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic. The Flyers unveiled theirs on November 21, and is in a classic sweater design in orange featuring black numbers and different striping patterns on the yoke. The Rangers unveiled theirs on November 28, and features a mix of designs used from previous jerseys. The shield logo in front is a variation of the logos used during the 1930s–1940s, while the shoulder, arm and tail striping was taken from the current jersey. Both teams would wear their Winter Classic uniforms again on February 5 and 11 at Madison Square Garden and Wells Fargo Center respectively, with the away team wearing the regular uniforms.

In addition several teams sported memorial patches throughout the season; many of these memorials were for related events (see "Off-Season" section below). Unless specified, the patches were seen on the team helmets:

Furthermore, a new league-wide rule required that player numbers be displayed on the front of their helmets, as well as on the back.

Even though the New Jersey Devils and the Arizona Coyotes unveiled anniversary logos commemorating their 30th and 15th anniversaries of their respective relocations from Colorado and Winnipeg, they opted not to use them on their uniforms or helmets.

Arena changes

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Rule changes

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Boarding

Prior to the 2011–12 season, the Board of Governors unanimously agreed to update and re-word rule 41 involving boarding penalties. The new wording requires the player delivering the check to avoid or minimize contact if the opponent is defenceless.[6]

Illegal hits to the head

The Board of Governors also approved an update to rule 48 involving illegal checks to the head. The new rule will penalize all hits where the head is the principal point of contact. The previous version of this rule only made checks from the blindside illegal. However, determination if the check is legal will depend on various factors including whether or not the player put himself in a vulnerable position or if the hit was unavoidable. A two-minute minor penalty, or a major penalty in the event the hit was deemed to be deliberate with intent to injure, may be assessed.[6]

Off-season

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Three young (under 40) "enforcer"-type players died within a four-month span during the off-season. The deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak led to speculation about the effect of fighting on the mental health of players.

Several former NHL players died in the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash involving the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team in Russia. Those who perished in the plane crash included NHL All-Star Pavol Demitra, Alexander Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev, Brad McCrimmon, Karel Rachunek, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins and Josef Vasicek along with nearly the entire team roster, coaches, and several young prospects.

Pre-season

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European exhibition games

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See also: List of international games played by NHL teams

The four teams going to Europe to open their regular seasons there as part of the NHL Premiere games also played exhibition games against European teams under the banner of NHL Premiere Challenge to close out their pre-seasons. The NHL teams had an overall record of 6–1–0 against the European teams, with the New York Rangers, playing four games in five days in four countries, having a record of 3–1–0.

Date City NHL team European team Score
September 29 Prague, Czech Republic New York Rangers HC Sparta Praha 2–0
September 30 Gothenburg, Sweden New York Rangers Frölunda HC 4–2
October 2 Bratislava, Slovakia New York Rangers HC Slovan Bratislava 4–1
October 3 Zug, Switzerland New York Rangers EV Zug 4–8
October 4 Helsinki, Finland Anaheim Ducks Jokerit 4–3 OT
October 4 Hamburg, Germany Los Angeles Kings Hamburg Freezers 5–4
October 4 Mannheim, Germany Buffalo Sabres Adler Mannheim 8–3

Regular season

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Premiere games

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Main article: 2011 NHL Premiere

Four teams participated in the 2011 Compuware NHL Premiere in Europe. The Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers made their second trip to Europe while the Buffalo Sabres made its first trip. On October 7, Anaheim played Buffalo at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland, and Los Angeles faced New York at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. All four teams played again on October 8 with Los Angeles against Buffalo at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany, and Anaheim against New York in Stockholm.[7]

Thanksgiving Showdown

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As part of the league's updated television contract, the NHL debuted the Thanksgiving Showdown, a nationally broadcast game on the day after American Thanksgiving in 2011. The game, which was sponsored by Discover, featured the Boston Bruins (who have traditionally hosted Black Friday matinées since 1990) hosting the Detroit Red Wings, with Detroit winning the game in a shootout, 3–2.

2012 Winter Classic

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The 2012 NHL Winter Classic was held at the Citizens Bank Park baseball stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, January 2, 2012. This season, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the New York Rangers. It was the first Winter Classic game for the Rangers and the second for the Flyers. The result of the game was a 3–2 Ranger victory. Philadelphia last played in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins won that game in overtime by a score of 2–1 on a goal scored by Marco Sturm.[8]

This was the first time that the Winter Classic was not played on New Year's Day, which fell on a Sunday in 2012. If the Winter Classic was held on New Year's Day, it would have conflicted with the final game of the National Football League season (in which the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Washington Redskins at nearby Lincoln Financial Field), and the annual Mummers Parade in downtown Philadelphia. The Flyers–Rangers rivalry is one of the NHL's most frequently televised rivalries on U.S. television networks; it was televised three times nationally on NBC in 2011–12, including the inaugural Hockey Day in America.

No Heritage Classic was played this season.[9]

All-Star Game

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The 2012 All-Star Game took place on January 29, 2012, at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, the home arena of the Ottawa Senators.

Standings

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Each of the 30 teams play an 82-game season of an unbalanced schedule. Teams play six games against division opponents; four games against other conference opponents; and one or two games against teams of the other conference. The first-place teams in each division place first, second and third in the conference standings. The top five finishers from the rest of the teams in each conference will also qualify for the playoffs, making a total of eight playoff teams in each conference.

Eastern Conference
Pos Div Team
 GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 AT z – New York Rangers 82 51 24 7 47 226 187 +39 109
2 NE y – Boston Bruins 82 49 29 4 40 269 202 +67 102
3 SE y – Florida Panthers 82 38 26 18 32 203 227 −24 94
4 AT x – Pittsburgh Penguins 82 51 25 6 42 282 221 +61 108
5 AT x – Philadelphia Flyers 82 47 26 9 43 264 232 +32 103
6 AT x – New Jersey Devils 82 48 28 6 36 228 209 +19 102
7 SE x – Washington Capitals 82 42 32 8 38 222 230 −8 92
8 NE x – Ottawa Senators 82 41 31 10 35 249 240 +9 92
9 NE Buffalo Sabres 82 39 32 11 32 218 230 −12 89
10 SE Tampa Bay Lightning 82 38 36 8 35 235 281 −46 84
11 SE Winnipeg Jets 82 37 35 10 33 225 246 −21 84
12 SE Carolina Hurricanes 82 33 33 16 32 213 243 −30 82
13 NE Toronto Maple Leafs 82 35 37 10 31 231 264 −33 80
14 AT New York Islanders 82 34 37 11 27 203 255 −52 79
15 NE Montreal Canadiens 82 31 35 16 26 212 226 −14 78
Source: National Hockey League
x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division; z – Clinched conference
Western Conference
Pos Div Team
 GP W L OTL ROW GF GA GD Pts
1 NW p – Vancouver Canucks 82 51 22 9 43 249 198 +51 111
2 CE y – St. Louis Blues 82 49 22 11 45 210 165 +45 109
3 PA y – Phoenix Coyotes 82 42 27 13 36 216 204 +12 97
4 CE x – Nashville Predators 82 48 26 8 43 237 210 +27 104
5 CE x – Detroit Red Wings 82 48 28 6 39 248 203 +45 102
6 CE x – Chicago Blackhawks 82 45 26 11 38 248 238 +10 101
7 PA x – San Jose Sharks 82 43 29 10 34 228 210 +18 96
8 PA x – Los Angeles Kings 82 40 27 15 34 194 179 +15 95
9 NW Calgary Flames 82 37 29 16 34 202 226 −24 90
10 PA Dallas Stars 82 42 35 5 35 211 222 −11 89
11 NW Colorado Avalanche 82 41 35 6 32 208 220 −12 88
12 NW Minnesota Wild 82 35 36 11 24 177 226 −49 81
13 PA Anaheim Ducks 82 34 36 12 31 204 231 −27 80
14 NW Edmonton Oilers 82 32 40 10 27 212 239 −27 74
15 CE Columbus Blue Jackets 82 29 46 7 25 202 262 −60 65
Source: National Hockey League
p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy; x – Clinched playoff spot; y – Clinched division

Attendance

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Scotiabank Place
 
United Center
 
Pepsi Center
 
Verizon Center
Team Arena Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance Capacity Percentage
Chicago Blackhawks United Center 41 21,533 882,874 109.2% [10]
Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 41 21,273 872,193 100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center 40 19,770 790,787 101.2%
Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 41 20,066 822,706 100.0%
Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre 41 19,505 799,686 103.6%
Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Place 41 19,357 793,612 101.1%
Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome 41 19,289 790,849 100.0%
Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena 41 18,884 774,250 100.1%
St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center 41 18,810 771,207 98.2%
Buffalo Sabres First Niagara Center 40 18,680 747,209 99.9%
Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center 41 18,569 761,224 101.0%
Washington Capitals Verizon Center 41 18,506 758,746 100.0%
Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum 41 18,468 757,192 96.2%
New York Rangers Madison Square Garden 41 18,191 745,852 99.9%
Los Angeles Kings Staples Center 39 18,109 706,236 99.9%
Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center 41 17,772 728,683 98.4%
Boston Bruins TD Garden 41 17,565 720,165 100.0%
San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion at San Jose 41 17,562 720,042 100.0%
Edmonton Oilers Rexall Place 41 16,839 690,399 100.0%
Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena 41 16,691 684,324 97.5%
Florida Panthers BankAtlantic Center 41 16,628 681,763 86.4%
Carolina Hurricanes PNC Arena 41 16,043 657,747 85.9%
Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center 41 15,499 635,440 86.1%
New Jersey Devils Prudential Center 41 15,397 631,258 87.4%
Winnipeg Jets MTS Centre 41 15,004 615,164 100.0%
Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 40 14,784 591,371 86.1%
Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena 41 14,660 601,061 80.1%
Dallas Stars American Airlines Center 41 14,227 583,306 76.8%
New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 41 13,191 540,838 81.3%
Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena 41 12,421 509,241 72.3%

Notes

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Playoffs

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The Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Los Angeles.
Main article: 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8.

The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 NY Rangers 4
8 Ottawa 3
1 NY Rangers 4
7 Washington 3
2 Boston 3
7 Washington 4
1 NY Rangers 2
Eastern Conference
6 New Jersey 4
3 Florida 3
6 New Jersey 4
5 Philadelphia 1
6 New Jersey 4
4 Pittsburgh 2
5 Philadelphia 4
E6 New Jersey 2
W8 Los Angeles 4
1 Vancouver 1
8 Los Angeles 4
2 St. Louis 0
8 Los Angeles 4
2 St. Louis 4
7 San Jose 1
8 Los Angeles 4
Western Conference
3 Phoenix 1
3 Phoenix 4
6 Chicago 2
3 Phoenix 4
4 Nashville 1
4 Nashville 4
5 Detroit 1

NHL awards

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See also: List of 2011–12 NHL Three Star Awards

Awards were presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 20, 2012. Finalists for voted awards are announced during the playoffs and winners are presented at the award ceremony. Voting concluded immediately after the end of the regular season. The Presidents' Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are not presented at the awards ceremony.

2011–12 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s) Finalists
Stanley Cup Los Angeles Kings New Jersey Devils
Presidents' Trophy
(Best regular-season record)		 Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)		 New Jersey Devils New York Rangers
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Western Conference playoff champion)		 Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes
Art Ross Trophy
(Top scorer)		 Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
(Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication)		 Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens) Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators)
Joffrey Lupul (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Max Pacioretty (Montreal Canadiens)
Calder Memorial Trophy
(Best first-year player)		 Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche) Adam Henrique (New Jersey Devils)
Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers)
Conn Smythe Trophy
(Most valuable player, playoffs)		 Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)
Frank J. Selke Trophy
(Defensive forward)		 Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins) David Backes (St. Louis Blues)
Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Hart Memorial Trophy
(Most valuable player, regular season)		 Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Jack Adams Award
(Best coach)		 Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues) Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues)
Paul MacLean (Ottawa Senators)
John Tortorella (New York Rangers)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
(Best defenceman)		 Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators) Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
(Leadership and humanitarian contribution)		 Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
(Sportsmanship and excellence)		 Brian Campbell (Florida Panthers) Brian Campbell (Florida Panthers)
Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers)
Matt Moulson (New York Islanders)
Ted Lindsay Award
(Outstanding player)		 Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins) Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Mark Messier Leadership Award
(Leadership and community activities)		 Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes) Dustin Brown (Los Angeles Kings)
Ryan Callahan (New York Rangers)
Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes)
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
(Top goal-scorer)		 Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
NHL Foundation Player Award
(Award for community enrichment)		 Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators) Mike Fisher (Nashville Predators)
John-Michael Liles (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Matt Moulson (New York Islanders)
NHL General Manager of the Year Award
(Top general manager)		 Doug Armstrong (St. Louis Blues) Doug Armstrong (St. Louis Blues)
David Poile (Nashville Predators)
Dale Tallon (Florida Panthers)
Vezina Trophy
(Best goaltender)		 Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)
Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)
Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators)
William M. Jennings Trophy
(Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)		 Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak (St. Louis Blues)

All-Star teams

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Position First Team Second Team Position All-Rookie
G Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings G Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres
D Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins D Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes
D Shea Weber, Nashville Predators Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues D Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs
C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning F Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils
RW James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins Marian Gaborik, New York Rangers F Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
LW Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers

Source: NHL.[11][12]

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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The following players lead the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.[13]

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

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 75 50 59 109 +18 70
Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 82 60 37 97 +7 66
Claude Giroux Philadelphia Flyers 77 28 65 93 +6 29
Jason Spezza Ottawa Senators 80 34 50 84 +11 36
Ilya Kovalchuk New Jersey Devils 77 37 46 83 −9 33
Phil Kessel Toronto Maple Leafs 82 37 45 82 −10 20
James Neal Pittsburgh Penguins 80 40 41 81 +6 87
John Tavares New York Islanders 82 31 50 81 −6 26
Henrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 82 14 67 81 +23 52
Patrik Elias New Jersey Devils 81 26 52 78 −8 16

Leading goaltenders

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The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 1,800 minutes.[14]

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
Brian Elliott St. Louis Blues 38 2234:35 23 10 4 58 9 .940 1.56
Jonathan Quick Los Angeles Kings 69 4099:26 35 21 13 133 10 .929 1.95
Cory Schneider Vancouver Canucks 33 1832:50 20 8 1 60 3 .937 1.96
Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 62 3753:30 39 18 5 123 8 .930 1.97
Jaroslav Halak St. Louis Blues 46 2746:37 26 12 7 90 6 .926 1.97
Jimmy Howard Detroit Red Wings 57 3360:17 35 17 4 119 6 .920 2.13
Mike Smith Phoenix Coyotes 67 3903:12 38 18 10 144 8 .930 2.21
Jean-Sebastien Giguere Colorado Avalanche 32 1819:34 15 11 3 69 2 .919 2.27
Kari Lehtonen Dallas Stars 59 3496:49 32 22 4 136 4 .922 2.33
Miikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames 70 4128:00 35 22 11 162 4 .921 2.35

Coaching changes

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Offseason

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In-season

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Milestones

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First games

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The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game in 2011–12, listed with their first team:

Player Team Notability
Sean Couturier Philadelphia Flyers 2020 Frank J. Selke Trophy winner
Roman Josi Nashville Predators 2020 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner, Two-time NHL All-Star team
Chris Kreider New York Rangers Most Points in the playoffs by a player who had never played an NHL Regular Season game.
Gabriel Landeskog Colorado Avalanche 2012 Calder Memorial Trophy winner, Stanley Cup champion
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Edmonton Oilers First overall pick in the 2011 Draft

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2011–12, listed with their team:

Player Team Notability
Jason Arnott[15] St. Louis Blues Over 1,200 games played, 1994 NHL All-Rookie Team, two-time NHL All-Star, 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils
Jason Blake[16] Anaheim Ducks Bill Masterton Trophy winner
Andrew Brunette[17] Chicago Blackhawks Former Minnesota Wild captain, over 1,000 games played
Tomas Holmstrom[18] Detroit Red Wings Over 1000 games played, 4-time Stanley Cup winner with Red Wings
Daymond Langkow[19] Phoenix Coyotes Over 1000 games played
Nicklas Lidstrom[20] Detroit Red Wings Seven-time Norris Trophy winner, 4-time Stanley Cup winner with Red Wings, most games played with only one team
Ethan Moreau[21] Los Angeles Kings Former Edmonton Oilers captain, 2009 King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner
John Madden[22] Florida Panthers Selke Trophy winner, 2-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils
Sean O'Donnell[23] Chicago Blackhawks Over 1,200 games played, 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Ducks
Chris Pronger[24] Philadelphia Flyers First defenceman to win Hart Trophy since 1972, Triple Gold Club member, over 1,100 games played, 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Ducks
Andrew Raycroft[25] Dallas Stars Calder Memorial Trophy winner
Dwayne Roloson[26] Tampa Bay Lightning Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award winner, oldest active NHL player at time of retirement, last active NHL player to have been born in the 1960s
Brian Rolston[27] Boston Bruins Over 1,250 games played, 1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils
Steve Staios[28] New York Islanders Over 1,000 games played
Petr Sykora[29] New Jersey Devils Over 1,000 games played, 2-time Stanley Cup winner with the Devils and the Penguins
Marty Turco[30] Boston Bruins 2-time Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award winner, NHL Foundation Player Award winner, 2-time NHL All-Star

Major milestones reached

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Broadcasting rights

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This was the fourth season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and TSN. During the regular season, CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada games while TSN aired games on Wednesdays and other selected weeknights. CBC and TSN then split the first three rounds of the playoffs, selecting the rights to individual series using a draft-like setup. The Stanley Cup Finals aired exclusively on CBC.

This was the first season under the NHL's ten-year U.S. rights deal with NBC Sports, and the first full season after the January 2011 acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast (owner of the NHL's cable partner Versus). Notable changes under this new deal included an increase in nationally televised games on Versus (which was renamed NBCSN in January 2012), a new Thanksgiving Friday game on the NBC broadcast network, holding exclusive rights to all playoff games beginning with the second round (as opposed to the Conference Finals), and plans to broadcast all playoff games (subject to blackouts during the first round) nationally on NBC Universal channels.[31][32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "True North buys Thrashers, set to move team to Winnipeg". TSN. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  2. ^ "Gary Bettman expects realignment in '12". ESPN. Associated Press. June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  3. ^ "Salary cap set for 2011–12". NHL.com.
  4. ^ Burnside, Scott (April 9, 2010). "Minnesota Wild will host 2011 entry draft". ESPN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  5. ^ NHL Jersey Watch 2011, Icetherics.info, October 5, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Board of Governors approves changes to two rules".
  7. ^ "Premiere 2011 teams, locations revealed". NHL.com. April 11, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  8. ^ "Reports: Flyers host Rangers, Jan. 2 NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia". NHL.com. May 14, 2011.
  9. ^ Lebrun, Pierre (June 11, 2011). "Sources: Only 1 outdoor game next year". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  10. ^ "2011-2012 NHL Attendance - National Hockey League - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
  11. ^ "NHL announces 2011-12 All-Star teams" (Press release). NHL. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  12. ^ "NHL announces 2011-12 All-Rookie squad" (Press release). NHL. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  13. ^ "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Regular season: All Skaters – Total Points". National Hockey League.
  14. ^ "Player Stats: 2011–2012 Regular season: Goalie – Goals Against Average leaders". National Hockey League.
  15. ^ "Jason Arnott announces retirement after playing 18 seasons in NHL | NHL.com - News". Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  16. ^ Ducks parting ways with Blake, Hagman
  17. ^ "Brunette named Hockey Operations Advisor". Minnesota Wild. February 13, 2013.
  18. ^ "Wings' four-time Cup champion Holmstrom retires". January 22, 2013.
  19. ^ Langkow to retire
  20. ^ "Lidstrom: It catches up to everyone". May 31, 2012.
  21. ^ "Canadiens add Dufrense, Riendeau and Moreau to staff". rds.ca. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  22. ^ "Panthers Center John Madden Will Join the Canadiens as a Scout: A Fan's Take - Yahoo! Sports". Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  23. ^ "Retired defenceman Sean O'Donnell joins Los Angeles Kings front office".
  24. ^ "Report: Flyers' Pronger 'never going to play again'".
  25. ^ "Raycroft tackar för sig" [Raycroft bows out] (in Swedish). umeatidning.se. April 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  26. ^ sportsillustrated.cnn.com
  27. ^ "Brian Rolston retires after 17 NHL seasons".
  28. ^ "Steve Staios retires after 18 seasons to join Maple Leafs' front office".
  29. ^ "Former Devils, Penguins forward Petr Sykora retires after 15-year NHL career".
  30. ^ @brandonworley (January 15, 2013). "In case you missed it Stars officially announcing hiring of Marty Turco, Mike Modano and Mark Recchi tomorrow during a press conference" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "NHL, NBC/Versus Ink 10-Year, $2 Billion National TV Rights Contract". SB Nation. April 19, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  32. ^ Pucin, Diane (April 19, 2011). "NHL signs on with NBC/Versus for 10 more years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
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