The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The season began on September 29, 2007 and the regular season ended on April 6, 2008.
The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, 2008 with the Detroit Red Wings taking the championship.
The 56th NHL All-Star Game was held in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the event at Philips Arena on January 27, 2008.
The hosting by Atlanta was rescheduled from 2005 when a lockout cancelled the entire 2004–05 NHL season.
League Business
Regular NHL Season
NHL Playoffs
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. Thus, the Detroit Red Wings had home ice advantage.
Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team will play at home for have games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary) and the lower-seeded team will be at home for the other games.
NHL Awards
- Presidents' Trophy: Detroit Red Wings
- Prince of Wales Trophy: Pittsburgh Penguins
- Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: Detroit Red Wings
- Art Ross Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
- Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Jason Blake, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Calder Memorial Trophy: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
- Conn Smythe Trophy: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
- Frank J. Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
- Hart Memorial Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
- Jack Adams Award: Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals
- James Norris Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
- 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: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
- Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award: Dan Ellis, Nashville Predators
- Vezina Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
- William M. Jennings Trophy: Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
- Lester Patrick Trophy: Brian Burke, Phil Housley, Ted Lindsay and Bob Naegele Jr.
- NHL Lifetime Achievement Award: Gordie Howe
Player Statistics
Scoring Leaders
- (GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes)
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals | 82 | 65 | 47 | 112 | +28 | 40 |
Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 47 | 59 | 106 | +16 | 78 |
Jarome Iginla | Calgary Flames | 82 | 50 | 48 | 98 | +27 | 83 |
Pavel Datsyuk | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 31 | 66 | 97 | +41 | 20 |
Joe Thornton | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 29 | 67 | 96 | +18 | 59 |
Henrik Zetterberg | Detroit Red Wings | 75 | 43 | 49 | 92 | +30 | 34 |
Vincent Lecavalier | Tampa Bay Lightning | 81 | 40 | 52 | 92 | -17 | 89 |
Jason Spezza | Ottawa Senators | 76 | 34 | 58 | 92 | +26 | 66 |
Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa Senators | 70 | 40 | 49 | 89 | +15 | 34 |
Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta Thrashers | 79 | 52 | 35 | 87 | -12 | 52 |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Osgood | Detroit Red Wings | 43 | 2,409 | 27 | 9 | 4 | 84 | 4 | .914 | 2.09 |
Dominik Hasek | Detroit Red Wings | 41 | 2,350 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 84 | 5 | .902 | 2.14 |
Jean-Sebastien Giguere | Anaheim Ducks | 58 | 3,310 | 35 | 17 | 6 | 117 | 4 | .922 | 2.12 |
Martin Brodeur | New Jersey Devils | 77 | 4,635 | 44 | 27 | 6 | 168 | 4 | .920 | 2.17 |
Evgeni Nabokov | San Jose Sharks | 77 | 4,560 | 46 | 21 | 8 | 163 | 6 | .910 | 2.14 |
NHL 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 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 defenseman 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 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 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 1975–1982.
- On March 22, Joe Sakic recorded his 1000th 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.
First Career Games
- Tobias Enstrom: Atlanta Thrashers
- Claude Giroux: Philadelphia Flyers
- Jonas Hiller: Anaheim Ducks
- Erik Johnson: St. Louis Blues
- Patrick Kane: Chicago Blackhawks
- Jonathan Quick: Los Angeles Kings
- Carey Price: Montreal Canadiens
- Tuukka Rask: Boston Bruins
- Bobby Ryan: Anaheim Ducks
- Marc Staal: New York Rangers
- Jonathan Toews: Chicago Blackhawks
- Nicklas Backstrom: Washington Capitals
- Darren Helm: Detroit Red Wings
Last Career Games
- Bryan Berard: New York Islanders
- Stu Barnes: Dallas Stars
- Dallas Drake: Detroit Red Wings
- Dominik Hasek: Detroit Red Wings
- Derian Hatcher: Philadelphia Flyers
- Sami Kapanen: Philadelphia Flyers
- Trevor Linden: Vancouver Canucks
- Mattias Norstrom: Dallas Stars
- Karel Rachunek: New Jersey Devils
- Glen Wesley: Carolina Hurricanes
- Josef Vasicek: New York Islanders
NHL Hat Tricks
Regular Season Hat Tricks
Player | Team | Date | Score and Opponent | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paul Stastny | Colorado | October 3, 2007 | 4–3 vs. Dallas | |
David Legwand | Nashville | October 6, 2007 | 5–1 vs. Dallas | |
Fredrik Sjostrom | Phoenix | October 11, 2007 | 6–3 at Nashville | |
Phil Kessel | Boston | October 12, 2007 | 8–6 at Los Angeles | |
Joe Sakic | Colorado | October 13, 2007 | 5–1 vs. Columbus | |
Bill Guerin | N.Y. Islanders | October 18, 2007 | 5–2 at Washington | |
Rod Brind'Amour | Carolina | October 27, 2007 | 8–3 at N.Y. Islanders | |
Jay Pandolfo | New Jersey | October 31, 2007 | 6–1 vs. Tampa Bay | |
Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta | November 1, 2007 | 4–6 at Ottawa | |
Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta | November 2, 2007 | 6–4 at Tampa Bay | |
Cory Stillman | Carolina | November 5, 2007 | 5–0 vs. Washington | |
Peter Mueller | Phoenix | November 7, 2007 | 6–5 at Anaheim (OT) | |
Vincent Lecavalier | Tampa Bay | November 14, 2007 | 6–1 vs. Carolina | |
Jussi Jokinen (4 goals) | Dallas | November 16, 2007 | 6–1 vs. Colorado | |
Patrick Sharp (natural) | Chicago | November 17, 2007 | 5–3 at Detroit | |
Daniel Briere | Philadelphia | November 21, 2007 | 6–3 at Carolina | |
Markus Naslund | Vancouver | November 21, 2007 | 4–2 at Minnesota | |
Dustin Byfuglien | Chicago | November 30, 2007 | 6–1 vs. Phoenix | |
Zach Parise | New Jersey | November 30, 2007 | 4–0 vs. Montreal | |
Nik Antropov | Toronto | December 6, 2007 | 6–2 at N.Y. Rangers | |
Henrik Zetterberg | Detroit | December 7, 2007 | 5–0 vs. Minnesota | |
Milan Hejduk | Colorado | December 9, 2007 | 9–5 vs. St. Louis | |
Joffrey Lupul | Philadelphia | December 11, 2007 | 8–2 vs. Pittsburgh | |
R.J. Umberger | Philadelphia | December 11, 2007 | 8–2 vs. Pittsburgh | |
Kristian Huselius | Calgary | December 13, 2007 | 9–6 at Tampa Bay | |
Jarome Iginla | Calgary | December 13, 2007 | 9–6 at Tampa Bay | |
Joffrey Lupul | Philadelphia | December 15, 2007 | 5–6 vs. Carolina (SO) | |
Marian Gaborik (5 goals) | Minnesota | December 20, 2007 | 6–3 vs. N.Y. Rangers | |
Jason Arnott | Nashville | December 22, 2007 | 4–3 vs. Los Angeles | |
Mike Fisher | Ottawa | December 29, 2007 | 6–8 vs. Washington | |
Alexander Ovechkin (4 goals) | Washington | December 29, 2007 | 8–6 at Ottawa | |
Paul Kariya | St. Louis | December 29, 2007 | 4–5 at Dallas (SO) | |
Rick Nash | Columbus | December 31, 2007 | 4–2 vs. Edmonton | |
Ladislav Nagy | Los Angeles | January 1, 2008 | 9–2 vs. Chicago | |
Steve Reinprecht | Phoenix | January 2, 2008 | 5–2 at Colorado | |
Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh | January 3, 2008 | 6–2 vs. Toronto | |
Scott Hartnell | Philadelphia | January 10, 2008 | 6–2 at N.Y. Rangers | |
Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh | January 14, 2008 | 4–1 vs. N.Y. Rangers | |
Marian Hossa | Atlanta | January 15, 2008 | 5–1 at Detroit | |
Drew Stafford | Buffalo | January 18, 2008 | 10–1 vs. Atlanta | |
Derek Roy | Buffalo | January 18, 2008 | 10–1 vs. Atlanta | |
Eric Staal | Carolina | January 18, 2008 | 7–2 vs. Edmonton | |
Daymond Langkow | Calgary | January 18, 2008 | 6–1 vs. Los Angeles | |
Scott Hartnell | Philadelphia | January 19, 2008 | 5–3 at N.Y. Islanders | |
Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa | January 24, 2008 | 8–4 at Tampa Bay | |
Radim Vrbata | Phoenix | January 24, 2008 | 4–3 vs. Nashville (OT) | |
Owen Nolan | Calgary | January 30, 2008 | 5–4 vs. San Jose | |
Alexander Ovechkin | Washington | January 31, 2008 | 5–4 vs. Montreal (OT) | |
Mike Knuble (natural) | Philadelphia | February 2, 2008 | 3–0 vs. Anaheim | |
Richard Zednik | Florida | February 5, 2008 | 8–0 at Toronto | |
Peter Mueller | Phoenix | February 5, 2008 | 3–4 at Calgary (SO) | |
Jason Spezza | Ottawa | February 9, 2008 | 6–1 vs. Montreal | |
Jonathan Cheechoo | San Jose | February 9, 2008 | 4–3 vs. Nashville | |
Thomas Vanek | Buffalo | February 12, 2008 | 5–1 at Ottawa | |
Thomas Vanek | Buffalo | February 20, 2008 | 4–3 vs. Tampa Bay (OT) | |
Alexander Frolov | Los Angeles | February 21, 2008 | 5–1 vs. St. Louis | |
Teemu Selanne | Anaheim | February 24, 2008 | 6–3 vs. Chicago | |
Niklas Hagman | Dallas | February 28, 2008 | 7–4 vs. Chicago | |
Tomas Plekanec | Montreal | February 29, 2008 | 6–2 at Buffalo | |
Alexander Ovechkin | Washington | March 3, 2008 | 10–2 vs. Boston | |
Martin Erat | Nashville | March 4, 2008 | 5–1 at Edmonton | |
Dany Heatley | Ottawa | March 11, 2008 | 4–1 vs. Boston | |
Vincent Lecavalier | Tampa Bay | March 11, 2008 | 8–4 vs. N.Y. Islanders | |
Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta | March 13, 2008 | 6–4 vs. Calgary | |
Joe Corvo | Carolina | March 16, 2008 | 5–1 vs. Ottawa | |
Henrik Zetterberg | Detroit | March 19, 2008 | 3–1 vs. Columbus | |
Thomas Vanek | Buffalo | March 19, 2008 | 7–4 vs. Tampa Bay | |
Jarome Iginla (natural) | Calgary | March 22, 2008 | 5–4 vs. Minnesota | |
Joe Thornton | San Jose | March 25, 2008 | 4–5 at Phoenix (OT) | |
Chad Larose | Carolina | April 2, 2008 | 6–2 vs. Tampa Bay | |
Antoine Vermette | Ottawa | April 3, 2008 | 8–2 at Toronto | |
Daniel Carcillo | Phoenix | April 4, 2008 | 4–2 at Dallas | |
Thomas Vanek (natural) | Buffalo | April 5, 2008 | 3–0 at Boston |
Playoff Hat Tricks
Player | Team | Date | Score and Opponent |
---|---|---|---|
Johan Franzen | Detroit | April 26, 2008 | 5–1 vs. Colorado |
Johan Franzen | Detroit | May 1, 2008 | 8–2 at Colorado |
Pavel Datsyuk | Detroit | May 12, 2008 | 5–2 at Dallas |