2013–14 NHL season

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2013–14 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 1, 2013 – April 13, 2014
Number of games 82
Number of teams 30
Regular season
Playoffs
Stanley Cup
NHL seasons

The 2013–14 NHL season is the 97th season of operation (96th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season features a realignment of the league's 30 teams from a six to a four division format. The regular season began Tuesday, October 1, and will conclude on Sunday, April 13. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will be held from April 16 to mid-June.

League business

Realignment

The relocation of the former Atlanta Thrashers franchise to the current Winnipeg Jets in 2011 prompted the league to discuss realignment. On December 5, 2011, the NHL Board of Governors approved a conference realignment plan that would eliminate the current six-division setup and move into a four-conference structure from the 2012–2013 season.[1] Under the plan, which was designed to better accommodate the effects of time zone differences, each team would have played 50 or 54 intra-conference games, depending on whether it is in a seven- or eight-team conference, and two games (home and road) against each non-conference team. On January 6, 2012, the league announced that the NHLPA had rejected the proposed realignment, citing concerns about fairness, travel and the inability to see a draft schedule before approving, and that as a result, it would not implement the realignment until at least 2013–14.[2][3]

Upon NHLPA rejection of the previous realignment, a new joint NHL-NHLPA plan was proposed in February 2013 as a modification of the previous plan with both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings moving to the East and the Winnipeg Jets moving to the West. This revised plan also adjusted the previously proposed four-conference system to a four-division/two-conference system, with the Eastern Conference consisting of two eight-team divisions, and the Western Conference consisting of two seven-team divisions. A new playoff format was also introduced to accommodate the new proposal, with the top three teams in each division making the playoffs, along with two wild-cards in each conference (for a total of 16 playoff teams).[4] The NHLPA officially gave its consent to the NHL's proposed realignment plan on March 7,[5] and then the NHL's Board of Governors approved the realignment and the new playoff format on March 14, to be implemented prior to the 2013–2014 season.[6] The league then announced the names of the divisions on July 19: the two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference will be the Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division, and the two seven-team divisions in the Western Conference will be the Central Division and the Pacific Division.[7]

The new alignment is as follows:

Western Conference

Pacific Division Central Division
Anaheim Ducks Chicago Blackhawks
Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild
Phoenix Coyotes Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks Winnipeg Jets

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division Metropolitan Division
Boston Bruins Carolina Hurricanes
Buffalo Sabres Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings New Jersey Devils
Florida Panthers New York Islanders
Montreal Canadiens New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers
Tampa Bay Lightning Pittsburgh Penguins
Toronto Maple Leafs Washington Capitals

Canadian TV deals

The league's Canadian broadcast agreements with CBC and TSN/RDS will expire at the end of the season.[8] During negotiations, budget cuts had decreased CBC's chances of maintaining rights to Hockey Night in Canada, while Bell Media expressed interest in acquiring more games to broadcast on TSN and possibly air on CTV.[9]

On November 26, 2013, the NHL announced it had sold twelve seasons' worth of exclusive national broadcast rights to NHL games to Rogers Media, who will broadcast games across its numerous platforms, including Rogers Sportsnet, Rogers Sportsnet One, and Citytv, at a price of C$5.2 billion. Hockey Night in Canada will continue on the CBC for the next four seasons; the CBC will give Rogers six hours of free airtime each night to air the broadcasts but will pay no rights fee for the privilege of airing NHL games. French language broadcasts will move to TVA Sports. The moves leave Bell Media shut out of NHL broadcasts except for its regional properties.[10]

Rule changes

  • A requirement for all players with fewer than 25 games experience to wear visors. The additional penalty for starting a fight with a visor was removed. The players are now subjected to an extra two-minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct if they remove their helmet prior to engaging in a fight.[11]
  • Jerseys tucked in will now result in a two minute minor, as will other uniform infractions.
  • The nets are now shallower and narrower by 4 inches on each side. The overall width was reduced from 96 to 88 inches and the depth of the goal was reduced from 44 to 40 inches.[12]
  • Attainable pass rule wiped out which required officials to wave off icing only if a player touches the puck.
  • Goaltender's equipment has been modified. Leg pads can't go higher on his leg than 45 percent of the distance between the center of his knee and pelvis. The pads can go no higher than nine inches above the knee for goalies with an upper-leg measurement of 20 inches.
  • Hybrid icing has been adopted. The hybrid-icing system allows the linesman to blow the play dead and call an automatic icing if he determines that the puck will cross the goal line and the defending player is not behind in the race to the end-zone faceoff dots in his defensive zone.[11]

Uniforms

  • The Dallas Stars debuted a new logo, featuring a star with a letter D on it, as well as redesigned uniforms. The green on the uniform is restored as the dominant color, and it's the team's original shade -- which means people can actually make out the green color without it being camouflaged into the black.[13]
  • The Nashville Predators add a slightly tapered gold stripe to the pants and they reverse the color pattern on their road socks. Previously, the color pattern matched that of the ends of the sleeves. Now, it's reversed.
  • The Anaheim Ducks will introduce a replica of their inaugural 1993–94 jersey to wear for some regular season games and for the NHL Stadium Series against the Los Angeles Kings. They are wearing special patches to commemorate their 20th season in the NHL.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes debuted a new uniform design that features different striping patterns on the home and away jerseys.[14]
  • The Boston Bruins are wearing special patches to commemorate their 90th season in the NHL. It features six stars, representing the six Stanley Cups the franchise has won.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings wore specialized jerseys for the 2014 Winter Classic.
  • The Florida Panthers are wearing special patches to commemorate their 20th season in the NHL.
  • The Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins retired their third jerseys.
  • The San Jose Sharks modified their home and away jerseys.[15]
  • The Minnesota Wild changed their away jersey.
  • The Buffalo Sabres added a new third jersey, featuring a gold front and navy back.
  • The Calgary Flames retired their throwback third, and added a new third jersey partially inspired by Western wear.
  • The New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks unveiled a new jersey featuring a chromed logo for the 2014 Coors Light Stadium Series.
  • The Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks will wear specialized jerseys for the 2014 Heritage Classic.

Regular season

Coaching changes
Offseason
Team 2012–13 coach 2013–14 coach
Dallas Stars Glen Gulutzan Lindy Ruff
Edmonton Oilers Ralph Krueger Dallas Eakins
New York Rangers John Tortorella Alain Vigneault
Vancouver Canucks Alain Vigneault John Tortorella
In-season
Team Outgoing coach Incoming coach
Philadelphia Flyers Peter Laviolette Craig Berube
Buffalo Sabres Ron Rolston Ted Nolan
Florida Panthers Kevin Dineen Peter Horachek
Winnipeg Jets Claude Noel Paul Maurice

With realignment, a new scheduling format will also be introduced. Among the new features, the scheduling of inter-conference games will ensure that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once per season.[6] Each team will play 82 games - 50 or 54 games within their conference, depending on whether they are in a seven- or eight-team division, and two games (home and road) against each non-conference club. The regular season opened on October 1, 2013, with the first game seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the home team Montreal Canadiens by a score of 4-3.[16]

The annual Christmas trade freeze was in effect from December 20, 2013 through December 26, 2013.[17]

Olympics

Main article: Ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament

There will be no all-star game this season, due to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. NHL, IIHF, and Olympic officials reached an agreement to send NHL players to the Olympics game. The league will take a break on February 9 and then resume play on February 26.[18] All players participating in their respective national teams will gather in four airport hubs and fly out to Sochi on February 9–10.

Winter Classic

Main article: 2014 NHL Winter Classic

The 2014 NHL Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2014. The game, the sixth Winter Classic, featured the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings at Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game was originally planned to be played on January 1, 2013, as the 2013 NHL Winter Classic, but was postponed due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[19]

HBO once again produced a four-part documentary chronicling the preparation of the two teams for the Winter Classic as part of its sports series 24/7 The special also aired in Canada on Sportsnet.[20]

Heritage Classic returns

Main article: 2014 Heritage Classic

The 2014 NHL Heritage Classic will feature the Ottawa Senators facing off against the home team Vancouver Canucks at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. This will be the third outdoor game held in Canada following the Heritage Classic in 2011 when the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–0 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. BC Place is a retractable roof venue, and it is unknown if the stadium has the capabilities to keep its roof open during inclement weather (several stadiums of the type explicitly cannot be kept open in such an environment due to drainage concerns).

Debut of the Stadium Series

Main article: 2014 NHL Stadium Series

On May 1, 2013, the NHL announced that the Chicago Blackhawks would host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field in Chicago on March 1, 2014, as part of the new NHL Stadium Series. The league's announcement also stated that other outdoor games would be announced at a later date.[21] The NHL announced an unprecedented six outdoor NHL games for the 2013–14 season: one Winter Classic, four Stadium Series games, and a Heritage Classic game.

For the two Stadium Series games they are involved in at Yankee Stadium, the New York Rangers will be the away team due to contract obligations with Madison Square Garden as they can't receive income from other venues in New York as the home team.

The six outdoor games are as follows:

Date Site Away team Home team
January 1, 2014 Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings
January 25, 2014[22] Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Anaheim Ducks Los Angeles Kings
January 26, 2014[23] Yankee Stadium, New York City New York Rangers New Jersey Devils
January 29, 2014[23] Yankee Stadium, New York City New York Rangers New York Islanders
March 1, 2014[24] Soldier Field, Chicago Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks
March 2, 2014[24] BC Place, Vancouver Ottawa Senators Vancouver Canucks

On November 18, 2013, the league announced NHL Revealed: A Season Like No Other: a new seven part series showing behind the scene footage of top NHL players during the season. The program will follow multiple players as they compete in the regular season, the Stadium Series, the Heritage Classic, and the Sochi Olympics. Unlike 24/7, language by players and coaches will be censored. The program will air in the United States on the NBC Sports Network starting on January 22, and in Canada on CBC starting on January 23.[25]

Impact of Weather

The Carolina Hurricanes-Buffalo Sabres game originally scheduled for January 7th was postponed due to the 2014 North American cold wave. It was rescheduled for February 25th. [26]

The Philadelphia Flyers postponed their game against the Hurricanes from January 21 to January 22 due to the city of Philadelphia declaring a snow emergency. This resulted in the Hurricanes postponing their match with the Ottawa Senators from January 24 to January 25 due to a rule stating that a team may not play games on three consecutive days.

Standings

Top 3 (Atlantic Division)[27]
R GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Boston Bruins 55 36 16 3 35 167 120 75
2 Tampa Bay Lightning 56 32 19 5 26 163 139 69
3 Montreal Canadiens 57 30 21 6 27 139 139 66
Top 3 (Metropolitan Division)[27]
R GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Pittsburgh Penguins 57 40 15 2 36 183 134 82
2 New York Rangers 57 31 23 3 28 150 141 65
3 Columbus Blue Jackets 56 29 23 4 25 167 156 62
Wild Card teams[27]
R (Top 2 qualify for playoffs) Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Toronto Maple Leafs AT 58 30 22 6 21 171 180 66
2 Detroit Red Wings AT 56 25 19 12 21 146 158 62
3 Philadelphia Flyers ME 57 28 23 6 25 157 165 62
4 Ottawa Senators AT 57 25 21 11 22 164 182 61
5 Carolina Hurricanes ME 55 25 21 9 24 138 153 59
6 New Jersey Devils ME 57 23 21 13 23 133 142 59
7 Washington Capitals ME 57 25 23 9 17 164 173 59
8 New York Islanders ME 58 22 28 8 16 160 191 52
9 Florida Panthers AT 56 22 27 7 15 137 175 51
10 Buffalo Sabres AT 56 15 33 8 9 108 169 38

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, ME – Metropolitan
After games of February 5, 2014

Top 3 (Central Division)[27]
R GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Chicago Blackhawks 58 34 10 14 29 205 161 82
2 St. Louis Blues 55 37 12 6 31 189 130 80
3 Colorado Avalanche 56 36 15 5 33 168 148 77
Top 3 (Pacific Division)[27]
R GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Anaheim Ducks 58 40 13 5 38 191 143 85
2 San Jose Sharks 57 35 16 6 26 170 139 76
3 Los Angeles Kings 58 30 22 6 24 137 127 66
Wild Card Teams[27]
R (Top 2 qualify for playoffs) Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 Minnesota Wild CE 58 30 21 7 24 142 145 67
2 Vancouver Canucks PA 58 27 22 9 24 143 152 63
3 Phoenix Coyotes PA 56 26 20 10 22 160 167 62
4 Dallas Stars CE 56 26 21 9 23 161 161 61
5 Winnipeg Jets CE 58 28 25 5 23 163 167 61
6 Nashville Predators CE 57 25 23 9 24 142 172 59
7 Calgary Flames PA 56 21 28 7 17 132 175 49
8 Edmonton Oilers PA 58 19 33 6 17 150 196 44

Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific
After games of February 4, 2014

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players lead the league in points following the conclusion of games played as of February 6, 2014.[28]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 57 28 49 77 +13 34
Tavares, JohnJohn Tavares New York Islanders 58 23 42 65 -4 −4 40
Getzlaf, RyanRyan Getzlaf Anaheim Ducks 55 27 37 64 +22 22
Kessel, PhilPhil Kessel Toronto Maple Leafs 59 30 33 63 -1 −1 17
Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks 59 27 36 63 +8 18
Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 54 40 19 59 -19 −19 36
Perry, CoreyCorey Perry Anaheim Ducks 59 29 30 59 +22 48
Sharp, PatrickPatrick Sharp Chicago Blackhawks 59 28 30 58 +18 34
Okposo, KyleKyle Okposo New York Islanders 58 24 34 58 -4 −4 43
Malkin, EvgeniEvgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 46 17 40 57 +14 48

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders lead the league in goals against average following the conclusion of games played as of February 6, 2014 while playing at least 1500 minutes.[29]

Player Team GP TOI W L OTL GA SO SV% GAA
Harding, JoshJosh Harding Minnesota Wild 29 !!!!!1667:40 1667:40 18 7 3 46 3 .933 1.65
Schneider, CoryCory Schneider New Jersey Devils 30 !!!!!1792:20 1792:20 10 10 9 57 3 .925 1.91
Bishop, BenBen Bishop Tampa Bay Lightning 43 !!!!!2430:33 2430:33 27 8 4 80 4 .933 1.97
Rask, TuukkaTuukka Rask Boston Bruins 43 !!!!!2469:43 2469:43 25 13 4 87 5 .928 2.11
Quick, JonathanJonathan Quick Los Angeles Kings 32 !!!!!1869:38 1869:38 16 13 2 68 3 .911 2.18
Fleury, Marc-AndreMarc-Andre Fleury Pittsburgh Penguins 46 !!!!!2730:23 2730:23 31 13 1 101 4 .918 2.22
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak St. Louis Blues 38 !!!!!2179:41 2179:41 24 8 4 82 4 .915 2.26
Hiller, JonasJonas Hiller Anaheim Ducks 38 !!!!!2250:26 2250:26 24 9 4 88 4 .915 2.35
Price, CareyCarey Price Montreal Canadiens 47 !!!!!2747:32 2747:32 25 17 5 108 4 .924 2.36
Luongo, RobertoRoberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks 41 !!!!!2359:58 2359:58 19 15 6 93 3 .918 2.36
Crawford, CoreyCorey Crawford Chicago Blackhawks 41 !!!!!2340:30 2340:30 22 8 10 92 1 .916 2.36

Milestones

First games

The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2013–14 season, listed with their first team:

Player Team Notability
Nathan MacKinnon Colorado Avalanche First overall pick in the 2013 Draft

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2013–14, listed with their team:

Player Team Notability
Martin Biron[30] New York Rangers One of four players in league history to play for all three teams in the state of New York (Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders and New York Rangers), played 508 games over 16 seasons.

Major milestones reached

References

  1. ↑ Rosen, Dan (December 5, 2011). "Governors adopt radical four-conference realignment plan". NHL.com. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 
  2. ↑ NHL realignment on hold after union balks. The Sports Network. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  3. ↑ NHL Alignment Will NOT Change as NHLPA Rejects Re-alignment. Here's why.... Hockeybuzz.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  4. ↑ "NHL Realignment Includes Four Divisions, Wild Card Teams". TSN. February 26, 2013. 
  5. ↑ Dan Rosen (March 8, 2013). "Board of Governors Vote Next Step For Realignment Plan". NHL.com. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dan Rosen (March 14, 2013). "Realignment plan approved by Board of Governors". NHL.com. 
  7. ↑ Dan Rosen (July 19, 2013). "NHL introduces new division names with schedule". NHL.com. 
  8. ↑ "CBC has much at stake in next NHL television rights negotiation". The Globe and Mail. October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2013. 
  9. ↑ "CBC's Hockey Night in Canada window set to close". The Globe and Mail. August 2, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Rogers reaches 12-year broadcast deal with NHL worth $5.2-billion". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 26 November 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hybrid icing tops list of rule changes for 2013-14. NHL.com Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  12. ↑ http://ingoalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Approved-Goal-Frame-2013-2014.jpg
  13. ↑ "Behind The Scenes: The Creation of the Stars' New Logo and Uniforms". NHL.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. 
  14. ↑ "Hurricanes Introduce New Home and Road Uniforms". NHL.com. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013. 
  15. ↑ Stubits, Brian (August 20, 2013). "Sharks unveil new-look jerseys with classic approach, less orange". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 31, 2013. 
  16. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyweek.htm?date=09/26/2013
  17. ↑ http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/12/nhl-roster-freeze-kicks-in-at-midnight/
  18. ↑ "NHL players to compete at 2014 Sochi Olympics". CBC. July 19, 2013. 
  19. ↑ "Red Wings, Maple Leafs to meet in 2014 NHL Winter Classic". CBC Sports. April 7, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013. 
  20. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=688204
  21. ↑ "Hawks to host Pens outside as part of 'Stadium Series'". National Hockey League. May 1, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2013. 
  22. ↑ "Dodger Stadium to host Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks in January – NHL.com – News". NHL.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Stadium Series New York event to feature Islanders, Devils and Rangers at Yankee Stadium – NHL.com – News". NHL.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Blackhawks to host Penguins outdoors as part of Stadium Series – NHL.com – News". NHL.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013. 
  25. ↑ http://thenosebleeds.com/nhl-announces-behind-the-scenes-documentary-series-on-top-players/
  26. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=699803&navid=nhl:topheads
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 "2013–2014 Wild Card Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 11, 2014. 
  28. ↑ "Player Stats: 2013–2014 Regular season: All Skaters – Total Points". National Hockey League. 
  29. ↑ "2013–2014 - Regular season: Goalie – GAA leaders". National Hockey League. 
  30. ↑ TSN.ca staff (October 29, 2013). "BIRON ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 16 NHL SEASONS". TSN.ca. Retrieved October 20, 2013. 
  31. ↑ "Hall breaks Oilers team record for fastest two goals". National Hockey League. October 17, 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013. 
  32. ↑ "Detroit Red Wings at Phoenix Coyotes". National Hockey League. October 19, 2013. 
  33. ↑ "Jagr sets modern record with 119th GWG, Devils top Lightning". The Sports Network. October 29, 2013. 
  34. ↑ Gordie Howe held the record for most game-winning goals in league history with 121 until 2013.
  35. ↑ "Martin St. Louis Skates In 1,000th Career NHL Game". Tampa Bay Lightning. November 19, 2013. 
  36. ↑ "Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils". National Hockey League. December 18, 2013. 
  37. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=696892
  38. ↑ "Postgame Notes and Quotes: Dec. 31 vs. SJ". Anaheim Ducks. Retrieved January 1, 2014. 
  39. ↑ "Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings Game Recap". Los Angeles Kings. February 1, 2014. 

External links

 
Category · Portal  · 2013–14 season
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See also
2013–14 in men's ice hockey
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