2008–09 NHL season

2008–09 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 4, 2008 – June 12, 2009
Number of games	82
Number of teams	30
TV partner(s)	CBC, TSN, RDS (Canada) Versus, NBC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Steven Stamkos
Picked by	Tampa Bay Lightning
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	San Jose Sharks
Season MVP	Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals)
Top scorer	Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Pittsburgh Penguins
Runners-up	Detroit Red Wings

The 2008-09 NHL season was the 91st season of the National Hockey League. It was the first season since before to the 2004-05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the other conference (one division at home and one on the road.) It began on October 4, with the regular season ending on April 12. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 12, with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking the championship. The Montreal Canadiens hosted the 57th NHL All-Star Game at the Bell Centre on January 25, 2009, part of the Canadiens' 100th season celebration.

Regular season

Final standings

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

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
y-New Jersey Devils	82	51	27	4	244	209	106
x-Pittsburgh Penguins	82	45	28	9	264	239	99
x-Philadelphia Flyers	82	44	27	11	264	238	99
x-New York Rangers	82	43	30	9	210	218	95
e-New York Islanders	82	26	47	9	201	279	61

Northeast Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
z-Boston Bruins	82	53	19	10	274	196	116
x-Montreal Canadiens	82	41	30	11	249	247	93
e-Buffalo Sabres	82	41	32	9	250	234	91
e-Ottawa Senators	82	36	35	11	217	237	83
e-Toronto Maple Leafs	82	34	35	13	250	293	81

Southeast Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
y-Washington Capitals	82	50	24	8	272	245	108
e-Carolina Hurricanes	82	45	30	7	239	226	97
e-Florida Panthers	82	41	30	11	234	231	93
e-Atlanta Thrashers	82	35	41	6	257	280	76
e-Tampa Bay Lightning	82	24	40	18	210	279	66

Western Conference

Central Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
y-Detroit Red Wings	82	51	21	10	295	244	112
x-Chicago Blackhawks	82	46	24	12	264	216	104
x-St. Louis Blues	82	41	31	10	233	233	92
x-Columbus Blue Jackets	82	41	31	10	226	230	92
e-Nashville Predators	82	40	34	8	213	233	88

Northwest Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
y-Vancouver Canucks	82	45	27	10	246	220	100
x-Calgary Flames	82	46	30	6	254	248	98
e-Minnesota Wild	82	40	33	9	219	200	89
e-Edmonton Oilers	82	38	35	9	234	248	85
e-Colorado Avalanche	82	32	45	5	199	257	69

Pacific Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
p-San Jose Sharks	82	53	18	11	257	204	117
x-Anaheim Ducks	82	42	33	7	245	238	91
e-Dallas Stars	82	36	35	11	230	257	83
e-Phoenix Coyotes	82	36	39	7	208	252	79
e-Los Angeles Kings	82	34	37	11	207	234	79

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	z – Boston Bruins	NE	82	53	19	10	274	196	116
2	y – Washington Capitals	SE	82	50	24	8	272	245	108
3	y – New Jersey Devils	AT	82	51	27	4	244	209	106
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	45	28	9	264	239	99
5	Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	44	27	11	264	238	99
6	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	45	30	7	239	226	97
7	New York Rangers	AT	82	43	30	9	210	218	95
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	41	30	11	249	247	93
8.5
9	Florida Panthers	SE	82	41	30	11	234	231	93
10	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	41	32	9	250	234	91
11	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	36	35	11	217	237	83
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	34	35	13	250	293	81
13	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	35	41	6	257	280	76
14	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	24	40	18	210	279	66
15	New York Islanders	AT	82	26	47	9	201	279	61

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

AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – San Jose Sharks	PA	82	53	18	11	257	204	117
2	y – Detroit Red Wings	CE	82	51	21	10	295	244	112
3	y – Vancouver Canucks	NW	82	45	27	10	246	220	100
4	Chicago Blackhawks	CE	82	46	24	12	264	216	104
5	Calgary Flames	NW	82	46	30	6	254	248	98
6	St. Louis Blues	CE	82	41	31	10	233	233	92
7	Columbus Blue Jackets	CE	82	41	31	10	226	230	92
8	Anaheim Ducks	PA	82	42	33	7	245	238	91
8.5
9	Minnesota Wild	NW	82	40	33	9	219	200	89
10	Nashville Predators	CE	82	40	34	8	213	233	88
11	Edmonton Oilers	NW	82	38	35	9	234	248	85
12	Dallas Stars	PA	82	36	35	11	230	257	83
13	Phoenix Coyotes	PA	82	36	39	7	208	252	79
14	Los Angeles Kings	PA	82	34	37	11	207	234	79
15	Colorado Avalanche	NW	82	32	45	5	199	257	69

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

Tiebreaking procedures

In the event of a tie in points in the standings at the end of the season, ties are broken using the following tiebreaking procedures. The higher ranked team is the one with:

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 for the entire regular season.

Statistical leaders

Scoring leaders

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Evgeni Malkin	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	35	78	113	+17	80
Alexander Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	79	56	54	110	+8	72
Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins	76	33	70	103	+3	76
Pavel Datsyuk	Detroit Red Wings	81	32	65	97	+34	22
Zach Parise	New Jersey Devils	82	45	49	94	+30	24
Ilya Kovalchuk	Atlanta Thrashers	79	43	48	91	-12	50
Ryan Getzlaf	Anaheim Ducks	81	25	66	91	+5	121
Jarome Iginla	Calgary Flames	81	35	54	89	-2	37
Marc Savard	Boston Bruins	82	25	63	88	+25	70
Nicklas Backstrom	Washington Capitals	82	22	66	88	+16	46

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
Tim Thomas	Boston Bruins	54	3,258:49	36	11	7	114	5	.933	2.10
Steve Mason	Columbus Blue Jackets	60	3,604:58	33	19	7	135	10	.917	2.25
Niklas Backstrom	Minnesota Wild	71	4,088:03	37	24	8	159	8	.923	2.33
Jonas Hiller	Anaheim Ducks	45	2,446:26	23	15	1	95	4	.920	2.33
Roberto Luongo	Vancouver Canucks	54	3,181:05	33	13	7	124	9	.920	2.34
Pekka Rinne	Nashville Predators	52	2,999:12	29	15	4	119	7	.917	2.38
Nikolai Khabibulin	Chicago Blackhawks	41	2,407:15	24	8	7	96	2	.917	2.39
Scott Clemmensen	New Jersey Devils	40	2,355:56	25	13	1	94	2	.917	2.39
Martin Brodeur	New Jersey Devils	31	1,813:35	19	9	3	73	5	.916	2.41
Chris Mason	St. Louis Blues	57	3,214:54	27	21	7	129	6	.916	2.41

Playoffs

See the main article: 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff seeds

After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The San Jose Sharks won the Presidents' Trophy for having the best record in the league, at 117 points. Division champions maintain their relative ranking during the entire playoffs while the remaining teams get reseeded below them after each round.

Eastern Conference

The Stanley Cup

1. Boston Bruins - Northeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 116 points
2. Washington Capitals - Southeast Division champions, 108 points
3. New Jersey Devils - Atlantic Division champions, 106 points
4. Pittsburgh Penguins - 99 points (45 wins)
5. Philadelphia Flyers - 99 points (44 wins)
6. Carolina Hurricanes - 97 points
7. New York Rangers - 95 points
8. Montreal Canadiens - 93 points*

*Montreal finished with exactly the same record as the Florida Panthers (including number of wins), but garnered more points (the Canadiens with six, the Panthers with three) in the four game season series between them, to earn the 8th spot.

Western Conference

1. San Jose Sharks - Pacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners, 117 points
2. Detroit Red Wings - Central Division champions, 112 points
3. Vancouver Canucks - Northwest Division champions, 100 points
4. Chicago Blackhawks - 104 points
5. Calgary Flames - 98 points
6. St. Louis Blues - 92 points (10 points head-to-head)
7. Columbus Blue Jackets - 92 points (3 points head-to-head)
8. Anaheim Ducks - 91 points

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. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary), and the lower-seeded team will be at home for game 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary).

	First Round					Second Round					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	A1	Boston Bruins	4
	WC	Montreal Canadiens	0
						1	Boston Bruins	3
						6	Carolina Hurricanes	4
	A2	Washington Capitals	4
	A3	New York Rangers	3
											6	Carolina Hurricanes	0
	Eastern Conference
										4	Pittsburgh Penguins	4
	M1	New Jersey Devils	3
	WC	Carolina Hurricanes	4
						2	Washington Capitals	3
						4	Pittsburgh Penguins	4
	M2	Pittsburgh Penguins	4
	M3	Philadelphia Flyers	2
																E4	Pittsburgh Penguins	4
															W2	Detroit Red Wings	3
	C1	San Jose Sharks	2
	WC	Anaheim Ducks	4
						2	Detroit Red Wings	4
						8	Anaheim Ducks	3
	C2	Detroit Red Wings	4
	C3	Columbus Blue Jackets	0
											2	Detroit Red Wings	4
	Western Conference
										4	Chicago Blackhawks	1
	P1	Vancouver Canucks	4
	WC	St. Louis Blues	0
						3	Vancouver Canucks	2
						4	Chicago Blackhawks	4
	P2	Chicago Blackhawks	4
	P3	Calgary Flames	2

NHL awards

Presidents' Trophy: San Jose Sharks
Prince of Wales Trophy: Pittsburgh Penguins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators
Calder Memorial Trophy: Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
Conn Smythe Trophy: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Memorial Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Jack Adams Award: Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Ethan Moreau, Edmonton Oilers
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: David Krejci, Boston Bruins
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
Vezina Trophy: Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
William M. Jennings Trophy: Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez, Boston Bruins
Lester Patrick Trophy: Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Jim Devellano
NHL Lifetime Achievement Award: Jean Beliveau

NHL All Star Team

First All-Star Team

• Forwards: Alexander Ovechkin • Evgeni Malkin • Jarome Iginla
• Defencemen: Mike Green • Zdeno Chara
• Goaltender: Tim Thomas

Second All-Star Team

• Forwards: Zach Parise • Pavel Datsyuk • Marian Hossa
• Defencemen: Nicklas Lidstrom • Dan Boyle
• Goaltender: Steve Mason

NHL All-Rookie team

• Forwards: Patrik Berglund • Kris Versteeg • Bobby Ryan
• Defencemen: Drew Doughty • Luke Schenn
• Goaltender: Steve Mason

Related pages

• Season structure of the NHL
• 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
• 2008 NHL Entry Draft
• 2007-08 NHL season
• 2008-09 NHL transactions
• 2009 NHL Winter Classic
• 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• 2008 in sports
• 2009 in sports
• Victoria Cup

References

• Dan Diamond (2009-09-04). Dinger, Ralph (ed.). NHL Official Guide and Record Book 2010. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-16-4.

Other websites

Media related to 2008-2009 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons