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| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Stanley Cup | |
| NHL seasons | |
| ← 2010–11 |
2012–13 → |
The 2011–12 NHL season is the 95th season of operation (94th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is the fifth consecutive season to start with games in Europe. The season began on October 6, 2011 with the final regular season game on April 7, 2012. The 59th All-Star Game will be held at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, the home arena of the Ottawa Senators, on January 29, 2012.
During the off-season, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba to become the Winnipeg Jets. It was the first NHL team relocation since the 1997–98 NHL 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 take the place of the Thrashers in the Southeast Division. However the board of governors approved a realignment for the 2012-13 season which would result in four conferences with the first two rounds of the playoffs being divisional.
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Three 'enforcer'-type players died during the off-season: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, and Wade Belak, leading to speculation about the effect of fighting on the mental health of players. Several former NHL players died in the September 7, 2011 plane crash involving the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team in Russia. Among the notables who perished in the plane crash included longtime NHL player and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, former NHL players Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev, NHL All-Star Pavol Demitra, and NHL veterans Karel Rachunek, Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins and Josef Vasicek.
Atlanta Spirit, LLC, which previously owned the Atlanta Thrashers, sold the team to True North Sports and Entertainment. True North has announced that the team will be relocated to 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]
On December 5, 2011, the NHL Board of Governors announced that it would divide the league into four conferences (instead of the previous six "divisions") starting in the 2012–13 season. Under the new realignment, each team would play each team in the other three conferences exactly twice per year, once at home and once on the road. All the remaining games would be within the conference.
The playoff system would also change drastically, with the top four teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs, each with its own individual seeding (1 vs 4, 2 vs 3). The winner of each intraconference tournament would then meet in the semi-finals, ultimately playing for the Stanley Cup.
The new conferences starting in the 2012-13 season are aligned as follows:
The realignment was partially a reaction to teams on the West Coast complaining about traveling several time zones during the regular season. [3]
On June 23, 2011, the NHL announced that the salary cap would be increased by $4.9 million. As a result, the new salary cap ceiling is set at $64.3 million while the salary cap floor is $48.3 million.[4]
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 (blue) & 1979 to 1997 (white). They retained the navy blue, copper and red uniforms as the 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 1998 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. The jersey is in vintage white.
In addition several teams will sport memorial patches throughout the season; unless specified, the patches will be 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 Phoenix 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.
Prior to the 2011–12 NHL 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 defenseless.[6]
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 match penalty in the event the hit was deemed to be deliberate with intent to injure, may be assessed.[6]
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 | Helsinki 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 |
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]
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 matinees since 1990) hosting the Detroit Red Wings, with Detroit winning the game in a shootout, 3–2.
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 Years' 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 major television networks, and one that was televised three times on NBC in 2011, including the inaugural Hockey Day in America.
No Heritage Classic is going to be played this season, but it may be played next season, according to reports.[9]
Each of the 30 teams will 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.
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| Divisions: AT - Atlantic, NE - Northeast, SE - Southeast ROW: Total of games won in regulation or overtime, not shootout. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* – Division leader
After games on January 3, 2012.
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| Divisions: CE - Central, NW - Northwest, PA - Pacific ROW: Total of games won in regulation or overtime, not shootout. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* – Division leader
After games on January 3, 2012
The following players lead the league in points at the conclusion of games played on January 3, 2012.[11]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Giroux | Philadelphia Flyers | 33 | 18 | 28 | 46 | +8 | 16 |
| Henrik Sedin | Vancouver Canucks | 40 | 10 | 36 | 46 | +14 | 34 |
| Phil Kessel | Toronto Maple Leafs | 39 | 22 | 23 | 45 | +3 | 10 |
| Steven Stamkos | Tampa Bay Lightning | 38 | 27 | 17 | 44 | +10 | 32 |
| Joffrey Lupul | Toronto Maple Leafs | 39 | 18 | 26 | 44 | +6 | 36 |
| Daniel Sedin | Vancouver Canucks | 39 | 17 | 27 | 44 | +15 | 28 |
| Evgeni Malkin | Pittsburgh Penguins | 31 | 15 | 28 | 43 | +5 | 28 |
| Jordan Eberle | Edmonton Oilers | 39 | 16 | 26 | 42 | +1 | 6 |
| Nicklas Backstrom | Washington Capitals | 38 | 13 | 29 | 42 | –2 | 22 |
| Marian Hossa | Chicago Blackhawks | 38 | 17 | 24 | 41 | +23 | 12 |
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of games played on January 3 while playing at least 720 minutes.[12]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuukka Rask | Boston Bruins | 13 | 746:35 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 2 | .945 | 1.61 |
| Brian Elliott | St. Louis Blues | 20 | 1163:10 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 4 | .938 | 1.70 |
| Henrik Lundqvist | New York Rangers | 28 | 1689:37 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 54 | 3 | .937 | 1.92 |
| Tim Thomas | Boston Bruins | 24 | 1361:47 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 4 | .939 | 1.94 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | Colorado Avalanche | 16 | 890:00 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 1 | .927 | 1.96 |
| Jimmy Howard | Detroit Red Wings | 34 | 2021:08 | 24 | 9 | 1 | 67 | 4 | .927 | 1.99 |
| Jonathan Quick | Los Angeles Kings | 33 | 1966:19 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 66 | 5 | .932 | 2.01 |
| Josh Harding | Minnesota Wild | 15 | 797:11 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 27 | 1 | .934 | 2.03 |
| Cory Schneider | Vancouver Canucks | 17 | 890:40 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 2 | .931 | 2.15 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | Pittsburgh Penguins | 31 | 1833:24 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 69 | 2 | .914 | 2.26 |
| Jaroslav Halak | St. Louis Blues | 20 | 1196:29 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 1 | .911 | 2.26 |
The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game in 2011–12, listed with their first team:
The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2011–12, listed with their team:
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