The 2007–08 NHL season was the
91st season of operation (90th
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
of play) of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The
Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
defeating the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
to win the Stanley Cup. The
56th NHL All-Star Game was held in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, as the
Atlanta Thrashers hosted the event at
Philips Arena
State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...
on January 27, 2008. The hosting by Atlanta was rescheduled from 2005, when a
lockout cancelled the entire
2004–05 season.
League business
Salary cap
The league announced that the regular season salary cap would be going up for the third consecutive season. The 2007–08 salary cap is being increased by US$6.3 million per team to bring the salary cap up to US$50.3 million. The salary floor is at US$34.3 million, which is 71.5% higher than the salary floor during the 2005–06 season.
Possible expansion discussions
During board of governors meetings held on September 18, 2007, in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, cities including
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
,
Kansas City,
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
,
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
and
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
were discussed as possible expansion destinations. The league would eventually not expand until the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...
began play in the
2017–18 season.
Approval for new schedule format in 2008–09
The NHL voted on a new schedule format at a board meeting in November, so that all teams will play each other at least once and reduce intradivisional play in the
2008–09 season, in essence returning to the scheduling structure that existed in 2003–04, and would have existed in 2004–05.
Rule changes
A number of minor rule changes were introduced for the start of the 2007–08 season. Penalty shots can now be awarded when a player with the puck is hauled down from the centre line on in rather than from the opposition's blue-line as had been the case. Also, the interference rule was altered to allow for a major penalty and a game misconduct when an injury results. Another change affected faceoff placement: All faceoffs must be conducted at one of the nine dots painted on the rink.
Entry draft
The
2007 NHL entry draft was held at
Nationwide Arena in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
, on June 22, 2007.
Patrick Kane was selected first overall by the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
.
Uniforms
The season featured the debut of
Reebok's new
Rbk Edge hockey jerseys. This was the first league-wide uniform innovation in the history of any major North American professional sports league.
Seven teams (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Tampa Bay,
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
Washington,
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
,
San Jose and
Columbus) unveiled new designs.
Arena changes
* The
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
' home arena, Nashville Arena, was renamed the
Sommet Center after the Tennessee-based company Sommet Group signed a new naming rights agreement.
* The
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
moved from
Continental Airlines Arena in
East Rutherford, New Jersey to
Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, with
Prudential Financial acquiring the naming rights.
Regular season
First international regular season games
On March 1, 2007, the NHL announced the regular season would open on September 29, 2007, with the first of back-to-back games in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
at
The O2 Arena. They were the first NHL regular season games ever played in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Both games featured the defending Stanley Cup champion
Anaheim Ducks and the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
(who are owned by
Anschutz Entertainment Group, the same company that owns The O2).
First Winter Classic
On September 17, 2007, the NHL announced the first outdoor game in over four years would be played between the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
and the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
at Buffalo's
Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
's
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, on January 1, 2008. The event—known as the
AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic—was the first time an NHL regular-season game had been played outdoors in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and it set an NHL attendance record of 71,217 people. The only previous outdoor NHL game was the
2003 Heritage Classic played between the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
and
Edmonton Oilers at
Commonwealth Stadium on November 22, 2003.
All-Star Game
The
2008 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on January 27, 2008 at the
Philips Arena
State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, home of the
Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta had originally been scheduled to host what would have been the
55th NHL All-Star Game in 2005, however that game was canceled due to the
NHL Lockout of 2004–05.
Highlights
The
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...
began playing in their new arena, the
Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
. However, since the arena was not ready by the beginning of the season, they began their season with a nine-game road trip.
Inter-conference division play had the Northeast visit the Pacific, the Pacific visit the Atlantic, the Atlantic visit the Northwest, the Northwest visit the Southeast, the Southeast visit the Central and the Central visit the Northeast.
Michael Cammalleri of the
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
scored the first goal of the season against the
Anaheim Ducks on September 29 in the opening game played in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
Richard Zednik of the
Florida Panthers was severely injured after having his
external carotid artery in his neck accidentally cut by the skate of teammate
Olli Jokinen in a game against the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
on February 10. Zednik fully recovered from the injury, but missed the remainder of the season.
The Anaheim Ducks and
Ottawa Senators matched up for the first time since the
2007 Stanley Cup Finals on March 3, 2008, in
Anaheim.
The
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
improved from 14th place in the previous season and last in the Eastern Conference during the first third of the 2007–08 season to finish as the third seed in the 2007–08 playoffs and winners of the Southeast Division. The turnaround was attributed mainly to the hiring of then-
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
coach
Bruce Boudreau, whose efforts won him the
Jack Adams Award
The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." The league's Coach of the Year award has been presented 51 times to 43 coaches. The winner is select ...
for the 2007–08 season.
The
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
won the
Presidents' Trophy for finishing the regular season with the most points (115).
Fewer goals were scored in the regular season than in the
2006–07 season, with an average of 5.44 goals scored per game (6,691 goals over 1,230 games). Goaltenders combined for 161 shutouts.
Final standings
''GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime/shootout losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points.''
Tiebreaking procedures
Where two or more clubs are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:
# The greater number of games won.
# The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
# The greater differential between goals for and against.
Attendance
The official average attendance was 17,625 per game. However, if the two games played at The O2 Arena are counted, the number is 17,309 per game.
Playoffs
Bracket
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.
Awards
All-Star teams
First All-Star team
* Forwards:
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin (, ; born 17September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the ...
•
Evgeni Malkin •
Jarome Iginla
* Defencemen:
Nicklas Lidstrom •
Dion Phaneuf
* Goaltender:
Evgeni Nabokov
Second All-Star team
* Forwards:
Henrik Zetterberg •
Joe Thornton •
Alexei Kovalev
* Defencemen:
Brian Campbell •
Zdeno Chara
* Goaltender:
Martin Brodeur
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
''GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes''
Source: NHL.
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''
Coaches
Eastern Conference
*Atlanta Thrashers:
Don Waddell
*Boston Bruins:
Claude Julien
*Buffalo Sabres:
Lindy Ruff
*Carolina Hurricanes:
Peter Laviolette
*Florida Panthers:
Jacques Martin
*Montreal Canadiens:
Guy Carbonneau
*New Jersey Devils:
Brent Sutter
*New York Islanders:
Ted Nolan and
Al Arbour
*New York Rangers:
Tom Renney
*Ottawa Senators:
John Paddock and
Bryan Murray
*Philadelphia Flyers:
John Stevens
*Pittsburgh Penguins:
Michel Therrien
*Tampa Bay Lightning:
John Tortorella
*Toronto Maple Leafs:
Paul Maurice
*Washington Capitals:
Bruce Boudreau
Western Conference
*Anaheim Ducks:
Randy Carlyle
*Calgary Flames:
Mike Keenan
*Chicago Blackhawks:
Denis Savard
*Colorado Avalanche:
Joel Quenneville
*Columbus Blue Jackets:
Ken Hitchcock
*Dallas Stars:
Dave Tippett
*Detroit Red Wings:
Mike Babcock
*Edmonton Oilers:
Craig MacTavish
*Los Angeles Kings:
Marc Crawford
*Minnesota Wild:
Jacques Lemaire
*Nashville Predators:
Barry Trotz
*Phoenix Coyotes:
Wayne Gretzky
*San Jose Sharks:
Ron Wilson
*St. Louis Blues:
Andy Murray
Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...
*Vancouver Canucks:
Alain Vigneault
Milestones
*On October 3, in his first game with Montreal,
Roman Hamrlik played in his 1,000th NHL game.
*On October 7,
Joe Sakic reached 1,591 points, moving him past
Phil Esposito for eighth all-time in scoring.
*On October 8,
Chris Chelios played in his 1,550th game, moving him past
Alex Delvecchio for eighth place on the career list.
*On October 12,
Jaromir Jagr scored his 1,533rd career point, passing
Paul Coffey for 11th in all-time scoring.
*On October 22,
Bryan Smolinski played in his 1,000th NHL game.
*On October 26,
Alexei Kovalev played in his 1,000th NHL game, the third Montreal player to reach this milestone in October.
*On November 3,
Al Arbour coached his 1,500th game with the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
and earned his 740th win with the team. Both are NHL records for coaching a single team. At 75 years old, he was the oldest man to coach in an NHL game.
*On November 10,
Jeremy Roenick scored his
500th career NHL goal, becoming only the 40th player in the history of the league to do so, and only the third American.
*On November 17,
Martin Brodeur recorded his 500th career win, becoming only the second goaltender in the history of the league to do so.
*On November 17,
Glen Wesley played in his 1,400th NHL game, becoming the 10th defenceman to do so.
*On December 20,
Marian Gaborik scored five goals for the
Minnesota Wild in a 6–3 win against the New York Rangers. It is the first time a player has scored five goals in a game since
Sergei Fedorov did so on December 26, 1996.
*On December 23,
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
captain
Jaromir Jagr recorded his 927th assist, passing
Stan Mikita for 15th place on the all-time list.
*On January 17,
Markus Naslund played in his 1000th NHL game.
*On February 9, San Jose Sharks coach
Ron Wilson earned his 500th career win as an NHL head coach, becoming the 11th in league history to do so.
*On March 12,
Olaf Kölzig recorded his 300th win, becoming the 23rd goaltender to reach the mark.
*On March 13, the Detroit Red Wings reached the 100-point mark for the eighth straight season, tying an NHL record set by the Montreal Canadiens from
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
–
1982.
*On March 22,
Joe Sakic recorded his 1,000th assist on a goal by teammate
Tyler Arnason, becoming just the 11th player to reach this mark.
*On April 6,
Keith Tkachuk scored his 500th career goal, becoming the fourth American-born player to do so.
*On April 9,
Joe Sakic extended his record for playoff overtime goals to eight.
*On April 12,
Chris Chelios played his 248th career playoff game, moving past
Patrick Roy for most career playoff games played.
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2007–08:
Last games
The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2007–08, listed with their team:
Broadcasting rights
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 third season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with
NBC and
Versus. With Versus' original three-year contract set to expire after this season, the cable network signed an extension through the
2010–11 season. Likewise, NBC announced the activation of its option to extend its broadcasting rights through the next three seasons. Versus aired regular season games generally on Monday and Tuesday nights. NBC's coverage was modified this season, with the broadcast network airing only one game nationally on selected weekends instead of televising two or three games regionally in these broadcast windows. 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.
See also
*
2007 in ice hockey
*
2007 NHL entry draft
*
2007–08 NHL transactions
*
56th National Hockey League All-Star Game
*
AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic
*
NHL schedule structure
*
Lester Patrick Trophy
References
*
;Notes
External links
Hockey DatabaseNHL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007-08 NHL season
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