2005–06 NHL season

2005–06 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 5, 2005 – June 19, 2006
Number of games	82
Number of teams	30
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Detroit Red Wings
Season MVP	Joe Thornton (Boston, San Jose)
Top scorer	Joe Thornton (Boston, San Jose)
Playoffs
Eastern champions	Carolina Hurricanes
Eastern runners-up	Buffalo Sabres
Western champions	Edmonton Oilers
Western runners-up	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Playoffs Playoffs MVP	Cam Ward (Carolina)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Carolina Hurricanes
Runners-up	Edmonton Oilers

The 2005–06 NHL season was the 89th season of operation (88th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This was the season after the 2004–05 season which had all of its scheduled games canceled due to a labor dispute with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) over the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the League and its players. The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 21, 2006, and concluded on June 19, with the Carolina Hurricanes defeating the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup.

League business

On July 13, 2005, the NHL, and NHLPA jointly announced that they had tentatively agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement which would allow the resumption of hockey for the 2005–06 season. The agreement was voted on July 21 by NHLPA members, and approved by a nearly 7 to 1 margin. The following day, the NHL's Board of Governors (owners) voted unanimously to approve the new agreement.

A new logo for the NHL was also unveiled, with "NHL" printed in upward-reading letters to project a vibrant, optimistic image, and having silver as the dominant color to pay homage to the Stanley Cup.^[1] Also, new Eastern and Western Conference logos were unveiled before the Olympic break, with red as the dominant East color, and blue as the dominant West hue.^[2]

American television also had a new look. OLN took over broadcasting rights after ESPN decided not to renew their rights on cable television. The network, owned by Comcast, had Monday and Tuesday night games during the regular season under an exclusivity clause prohibiting local telecasts those nights in the two participating teams' markets. NBC returned as the NHL's over-the-air partner after ABC parted ways following the 2003–04 season. Comcast high-speed cable internet customers could watch at least seven games a week over the Internet as part of the new TV deal.

Rule changes

After experimenting with many rule changes in 2004–05 in the American Hockey League (AHL), many of the rule changes from the previous year were adopted, with changes:

• The league introduced shoot-outs at the end of over-time if the score is tied.^[3] The shootout features only three shots per team, and if it is still tied, the shootout becomes sudden death. In preseason games (regardless of the outcome) shootouts were held. This rule is similar to the one used in 2004–05 in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). For 2005–06, however, the AHL and ECHL shootouts remained at five shots, and the SPHL adopted the five shot format. Shootouts are only in effect for regular-season games. Playoff games will continue with twenty-minute periods until a sudden-death goal is scored.)
• The no-touch icing rule used in the AHL in 2004–05 was abolished. However, the ECHL continues no-touch icing.
• The neutral zone becomes smaller by four feet (1.2 m).^[3]
• All blue and red lines are returned to the traditional width of 12 inches (31 cm). The double-width lines used in the AHL 2004–05 season were abandoned.
• If a team ices the puck, it is not allowed to make a line change afterwards.^[3] (This rule was not experimented with in the 2004–05 AHL season.)
• Linesmen are given more discretion when it comes to waving off icing calls when they are accidentally made as the result of a failed pass attempt.
• The "two-line offside pass" rule was abolished; this rule required a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defending zone was completed on the offensive side of the center line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player.
• A longstanding ECHL rule in which players who instigate a fight in the last five minutes of a game will be given a game misconduct penalty plus a one-game suspension is adopted.^[3] Furthermore, the player's coach will be fined $10,000 (US).
• Goaltender equipment was reduced in size by eleven percent.^[3]
• All referees are equipped with wireless microphones so they can now announce penalties over the public address system, similar to National Football League (NFL) referees.
  • With multiple penalties, only the first will be announced by the referee calling the penalty, with the others being announced by the arena's ice-side PA announcer.
• Any player that shoots the puck over the glass (without deflection) from his own defensive zone will be penalized for delay of game. After the 2006 Olympic break, the rule has been modified to read that the puck must cross the glass before crossing the blue line.
• After the 2006 Olympic break, all sticks to be used in the shootout will be measured prior to use.

The rule experimentation was based on the previous season of play in the AHL, and was based on creating a more exciting game and will create more scoring opportunities, and therefore more goals.

Furthermore, a new Competition Committee was formed to discuss future rule changes, and players were invited to participate in the discussion.

Regular season

In terms of total goals scored during an NHL regular season, the 2005–06 regular season turned out to be the highest-scoring in NHL history, with 7,443 goals scored in 1,230 games.^[4] However, the highest-scoring season in terms of goals per game still belonged to the 1992–93 regular season, in which 7,311 goals were scored in only 1,008 games, for an average of 7.25 per game (the average in 2005–06 was 6.05 per game).^[5] The record for most shorthanded goals scored in a season, set in 1992–93 and matched in 1993–94 at 312,^[5] was broken as 318 shorthanded goals were scored.^[6] A total of 117 shutouts were recorded,^[7] down from an all-time high of 192 in 2003–04. The higher offensive numbers were largely attributable, among other things, to greater frequency of power plays. In 2003–04, teams had an average of 348 power plays over 82 games.^[8] In 2005–06, the average number of power plays per team over 82 games was 480.^[6]

The NHL season began on October 5, and for the first time in the League's history, all of the league's 30 teams played a game on opening night. In the first period of each game, all teams wore a jersey (sweater) with a special patch as the league and players association auctioned off those jerseys for the benefit of the Red Cross in both the United States and Canada earmarking the proceeds for Hurricane Katrina victims (the Islanders' ECHL affiliate in Biloxi, Mississippi suspended operations for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons because of this disaster; furthermore, the NHL had a Stanley Cup tour of ECHL cities to raise additional funds for relief efforts. On opening night of this season, Jean-Pierre Dumont of the Buffalo Sabres scored the first goal of the regular season, and Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley, of the Ottawa Senators became the first players to score the winning goals for a shootout in NHL history, both scoring against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour. Their sticks were subsequently sent to the nearby Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The All-Star Game, which would have been in Phoenix, did not take place (the city will host the event in a future year as a replacement); the league instead took a break in February so that many of its players could participate in the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. The new schedule features more intra-division games in order to promote division rivalries. Consequently, there are whole divisions in the opposite conference that teams never played during the season.

This season saw the much-hyped debuts of (and immediate rivalry between) Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. It was only the second time that two rookies had over 100 points in a season (Teemu Selanne and Joe Juneau performed the feat in 1992–93). Ovechkin finished with 106 points, which is third best all-time among NHL rookies. Crosby surpassed teammate Mario Lemieux's 100-point rookie season, finishing with 102 points, currently fifth best all-time.^[9]

On November 30, 2005, Joe Thornton was traded from the Boston Bruins to the San Jose Sharks in a four-player deal which sent forwards Marco Sturm and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart to Boston. Thornton went on to win the scoring title and to date has consistently been a top ten League scorer. The Bruins would not make the playoffs until 2008.

On November 26, the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals played the second-longest NHL shootout to date. Rangers defenseman Marek Malik scored the winning goal in the 15th round, pulling the puck between his own legs to defeat Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig, giving the Rangers the victory by the final score of 3–2.

Three early-season games had to be rescheduled due to various events. Hurricane Wilma had forced the NHL to reschedule two Florida Panthers home games, in which their game against Ottawa Senators scheduled on October 22 was rescheduled to December 5; the game against the Washington Capitals scheduled for October 29 was moved to December 1. The Nashville Predators–Detroit Red Wings game on November 22 was called off with 7:30 left in the first period after Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer suffered a seizure and had to be resuscitated. It was rescheduled to January 23, 2006, with the game starting 1–0 for Nashville as Greg Johnson's goal from the original date was allowed to stand. The game that was originally scheduled for January 23 at Nashville between the two teams was moved to March 30, 2006.

On January 12, the New York Rangers retired the number 11 of long-time captain Mark Messier to the rafters of Madison Square Garden. The Rangers would beat Messier's former team, the Edmonton Oilers, 5–4 in overtime.

On January 16 in Phoenix, Washington Capitals rookie winger Alexander Ovechkin added himself to the league's historical highlight reel by scoring a goal from his back while rolling and sliding past the goal. Ovechkin was checked to the ice by Coyotes defenseman Paul Mara on a breakaway between the Coyotes' faceoff circles, but rolled to his back, reached over his head with his stick and hooked the puck in behind goaltender Brian Boucher.^[10]

On January 19, Los Angeles Kings veteran left winger Luc Robitaille scored his 550th, 551st and 552nd goals as a member of the Kings, eclipsing Marcel Dionne's franchise record of 550 goals. The 40-year-old Robitaille retired at season's end.

The season was rocked with scandal in early February when it came to light that Phoenix Coyotes Assistant Coach Rick Tocchet was found to be involved in a $1.6 million illegal sports gambling ring with Mafia ties. Apparently, no betting on NHL games was being done, but bets were being placed on college and professional football and college and professional basketball. Although Coyotes Head Coach Wayne Gretzky denied any knowledge or involvement in the ring, initial reports stated that wiretapped phone conversations he had proved that he not only knew about the ring, but was trying to find ways to conceal his wife's involvement in it. He was later cleared of these accusations, but long-term implications to his reputation are still unknown. For more information, see Operation Slapshot.

On April 15, in the Nashville Predators' 81st game of the season, Nashville goaltender Chris Mason was credited with a goal when the Phoenix Coyotes' Geoff Sanderson put the puck in his own net. Mason was awarded credit for the goal, as he was the last Predator to have touched the puck. It was the ninth regular season goal scored by a goaltender in NHL history. The last goal of the regular season was scored by Kyle Calder of the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime in a 3–2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, which ended the 2005–06 regular season at 10:50 EDT on April 18, 2006.

The Tampa Bay Lightning narrowly avoided becoming the first team since the New Jersey Devils in the 1995–96 season to miss the post-season after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season.

This season also marked the first time since the 1978–79 season that the St. Louis Blues did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs, ending the third-longest NHL post-season appearance streak at 25 seasons. Only the Chicago Blackhawks (28 seasons) and the Boston Bruins (29 seasons) had longer streaks.

Final standings

The Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

For ranking in conference, division leaders are automatically ranked 1–3. These three, plus the next five teams in the conference standings, earn playoff berths at the end of the season.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	3	New Jersey Devils	82	46	27	9	242	229	101
2	5	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	26	11	267	259	101
3	6	New York Rangers	82	44	26	12	257	215	100
4	12	New York Islanders	82	36	40	6	230	278	78
5	15	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	22	46	14	244	316	58

^[11]

Northeast Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	Ottawa Senators	82	52	21	9	314	211	113
2	4	Buffalo Sabres	82	52	24	6	281	239	110
3	7	Montreal Canadiens	82	42	31	9	243	247	93
4	9	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	41	33	8	257	270	90
5	13	Boston Bruins	82	29	37	16	230	266	74

^[11]

Southeast Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Carolina Hurricanes	82	52	22	8	294	260	112
2	8	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	43	33	6	252	260	92
3	10	Atlanta Thrashers	82	41	33	8	281	275	90
4	11	Florida Panthers	82	37	34	11	240	257	85
5	14	Washington Capitals	82	29	41	12	237	306	70

^[11]

Eastern Conference^[12]

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Z- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	52	21	9	314	211	113
2	Y- Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	52	22	8	294	260	112
3	Y - New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	27	8	242	229	101
4	X- Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	52	24	6	242	239	110
5	X-Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	45	26	11	267	259	101
6	X– New York Rangers	AT	82	44	26	12	257	215	100
7	X-Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	42	31	9	243	247	93
8	X- Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	43	33	6	252	260	92
8.5
9	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	41	33	8	257	270	90
10	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	41	33	8	281	275	90
11	Florida Panthers	SE	82	37	34	11	240	257	85
12	New York Islanders	AT	82	36	40	6	230	278	78
13	Boston Bruins	NE	82	29	37	16	230	266	74
14	Washington Capitals	SE	82	29	41	12	237	306	70
15	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	22	46	14	244	316	58

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Western Conference

Central Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	Detroit Red Wings	82	58	16	8	305	209	124
2	4	Nashville Predators	82	49	25	8	259	227	106
3	13	Columbus Blue Jackets	82	35	43	4	223	279	74
4	14	Chicago Blackhawks	82	26	43	13	211	285	65
5	15	St. Louis Blues	82	21	46	15	197	292	57

^[11]

Northwest Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	3	Calgary Flames	82	46	25	11	218	200	103
2	7	Colorado Avalanche	82	43	30	9	283	257	95
3	8	Edmonton Oilers	82	41	28	13	256	251	95
4	9	Vancouver Canucks	82	42	32	8	256	255	92
5	11	Minnesota Wild	82	38	36	8	231	215	84

^[11]

Pacific Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Dallas Stars	82	53	23	6	265	218	112
2	5	San Jose Sharks	82	44	27	11	266	242	99
3	6	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	82	43	27	12	254	229	98
4	10	Los Angeles Kings	82	42	35	5	249	270	89
5	12	Phoenix Coyotes	82	38	39	5	246	271	81

^[11]

Western Conference^[13]

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	P- Detroit Red Wings	CE	82	58	16	8	305	209	124
2	Y- Dallas Stars	PA	82	53	23	6	265	218	112
3	Y- Calgary Flames	NW	82	46	25	11	218	200	103
4	X- Nashville Predators	CE	82	49	25	8	259	227	106
5	X- San Jose Sharks	PA	82	44	27	11	266	242	99
6	X- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PA	82	43	27	12	254	229	98
7	X- Colorado Avalanche	NW	82	43	30	9	283	257	95
8	X- Edmonton Oilers	NW	82	41	28	13	256	251	95
8.5
9	Vancouver Canucks	NW	82	42	32	8	256	255	92
10	Los Angeles Kings	PA	82	42	35	5	249	270	89
11	Minnesota Wild	NW	82	38	36	8	231	215	84
12	Phoenix Coyotes	PA	82	38	39	5	246	271	81
13	Columbus Blue Jackets	CE	82	35	43	4	223	279	74
14	Chicago Blackhawks	CE	82	26	43	13	211	285	65
15	St. Louis Blues	CE	82	21	46	15	197	292	57

Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest

P- Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Tiebreaking procedures

If two or more clubs are tied in points during the regular season, the standing of the clubs is determined in the following order:

1. The fewer number of games played (i.e., superior points percentage).
2. The greater number of games won.
3. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs.
4. The greater differential between goals for and against.

Playoffs

The Stanley Cup

In the first round, all of the Eastern series went to the higher-seeded team. In the Western Conference, however, the opposite was the case, and every series went to the lower seed. In the semi-finals, the first-seeded Ottawa Senators were upset by the Buffalo Sabres, while in the Western Conference, the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers defeated the fifth-seeded San Jose Sharks. The East's second seed, the Carolina Hurricanes, advanced to the Conference Final and defeated Buffalo in a seven-game series. The sixth-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defeated the Colorado Avalanche to advance to the Western Conference Final. Edmonton continued its Cinderella story by defeating Anaheim in five games, while Carolina advanced to the final with a seven-game series win over Buffalo.

Stanley Cup Final

The 2006 Stanley Cup Final was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes and the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. It was Carolina's second appearance in the Final, the other being in 2002, a loss to the Detroit Red Wings. It was Edmonton's seventh appearance in the Final and their first since their fifth Cup win in 1990. Carolina defeated Edmonton in seven games to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup, becoming the tenth post-1967 expansion team and third former World Hockey Association (WHA) franchise to win the Cup.

Carolina vs. Edmonton
Date	Away	Home
June 5	Edmonton 4	5 Carolina
June 7	Edmonton 0	5 Carolina
June 10	Carolina 1	2 Edmonton
June 12	Carolina 2	1 Edmonton
June 14	Edmonton 4	3 Carolina	OT
June 17	Carolina 0	4 Edmonton
June 19	Edmonton 1	3 Carolina
Carolina wins series 4–3 and Stanley Cup
Cam Ward (Carolina) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

Playoff bracket

	Conference Quarterfinals					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Ottawa	4			1	Ottawa	1
	8	Tampa Bay	1			4	Buffalo	4
	2	Carolina	4							Eastern Conference
	7	Montreal	2
											4	Buffalo	3
										2	Carolina	4
	3	New Jersey	4
	6	NY Rangers	0
	4	Buffalo	4			2	Carolina	4
	5	Philadelphia	2			3	New Jersey	1
																E2	Carolina	4
		(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
																W8	Edmonton	3
	1	Detroit	2			5	San Jose	2
	8	Edmonton	4			8	Edmonton	4
	2	Dallas	1
	7	Colorado	4
											8	Edmonton	4
										6	Anaheim	1
	3	Calgary	3
	6	Anaheim	4								Western Conference
	4	Nashville	1			6	Anaheim	4
	5	San Jose	4			7	Colorado	0

• During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

Awards

2005-2006 NHL awards
Award	Recipient(s)
Stanley Cup:	Carolina Hurricanes
Presidents' Trophy:	Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Carolina Hurricanes
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Edmonton Oilers
Art Ross Trophy:	Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks/Boston Bruins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks/Boston Bruins
Jack Adams Award:	Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy:	Olaf Kolzig, Washington Capitals
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy:	Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators; Michal Rozsival, New York Rangers
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award:	Cristobal Huet, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy:	Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames
Lester Patrick Trophy:	Red Berenson, Marcel Dionne, Reed Larson, Glen Sonmor, Steve Yzerman

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames	G	Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings	D	Zdeno Chara, Ottawa Senators
Scott Niedermayer, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	D	Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars
Joe Thornton, Boston/San Jose	C	Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers	RW	Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals	LW	Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

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

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Joe Thornton	Boston Bruins/San Jose Sharks	81	29	96	125	+31	61
Jaromir Jagr	New York Rangers	82	54	69	123	+34	72
Alexander Ovechkin	Washington Capitals	81	52	54	106	+2	52
Dany Heatley	Ottawa Senators	82	50	53	103	+29	86
Daniel Alfredsson	Ottawa Senators	77	43	60	103	+29	50
Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins	81	39	63	102	-1	110
Eric Staal	Carolina Hurricanes	82	45	55	100	-8	81
Ilya Kovalchuk	Atlanta Thrashers	78	52	46	98	-6	68
Marc Savard	Atlanta Thrashers	82	28	69	97	+7	100
Jonathan Cheechoo	San Jose Sharks	82	56	37	93	+23	25

Source: NHL.^[14]

Leading goaltenders

Minimum 1,000 minutes played.

Note: 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
Miikka Kiprusoff	Calgary Flames	74	4379:40	42	20	11	151	10	.923	2.07
Dominik Hasek	Ottawa Senators	43	2583:58	28	10	4	90	5	.925	2.09
Manny Legace	Detroit Red Wings	51	2905:09	37	8	3	106	7	.915	2.19
Cristobal Huet	Montreal Canadiens	36	2102:59	18	11	4	77	7	.929	2.20
Henrik Lundqvist	New York Rangers	53	3111:53	30	12	9	116	2	.922	2.24
Manny Fernandez	Minnesota Wild	58	3411:14	30	18	7	130	1	.919	2.29
Ilya Bryzgalov	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	31	1575:13	13	12	1	66	1	.910	2.51
Marty Turco	Dallas Stars	68	3910:12	41	19	5	166	3	.898	2.55
Vesa Toskala	San Jose Sharks	37	2039:13	23	7	4	87	2	.901	2.56
Martin Brodeur	New Jersey Devils	73	4364:35	43	23	7	187	5	.911	2.57

Milestones

Debuts

The following are players of note who played their first NHL game in 2005-06:

• Dustin Byfuglien, Chicago Blackhawks
• Gregory Campbell, Florida Panthers
• Jeff Carter, Philadelphia Flyers
• Matthew Carle, San Jose Sharks
• Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Ryan Getzlaf, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• Mike Green, Washington Capitals
• Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks
• Andrew Ladd, Carolina Hurricanes
• Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
• Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
• Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
• Dustin Penner, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• Corey Perry, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
• Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
• Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
• Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
• Alexander Steen, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators
• Maxime Talbot, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
• Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
• Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2008–09, listed with their team:

Player	Team	Notability
Tommy Albelin[15]	New Jersey Devils	2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils.
Dave Andreychuk[16]	Tampa Bay Lightning	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning, over 1600 games played.
Aki Berg[17]	Toronto Maple Leafs	Olympic silver and bronze medalist.
Andrew Cassels[18]	Washington Capitals	Over 1000 games played.
Eric Daze[19]	Chicago Blackhawks	1-time NHL All-Star.
Eric Desjardins[20]	Philadelphia Flyers	1-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens, 2-time NHL All-Star, over 1100 games played.
Tie Domi[21]	Toronto Maple Leafs	Over 1000 games played.
Jiri Fischer[22]	Detroit Red Wings	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings.
Brett Hull[23]	Phoenix Coyotes	2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, Olympic silver medalist, 8-time NHL All-Star, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, Lester B. Pearson Award winner, over 1200 games played.
Brian Leetch[24]	Boston Bruins	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Rangers, Olympic silver medalist, 10-time NHL All-Star, Calder Memorial Trophy winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, over 1200 games played.
Mario Lemieux[25]	Pittsburgh Penguins	4-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins, Olympic gold medalist, 10-time NHL All-Star, 6-time Art Ross Trophy winner, 4-time Lester B. Pearson Award winner, 3-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, 2-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Bill Masterton Trophy winner, Calder Memorial Trophy winner, Lester Patrick Trophy winner, Lou Marsh Trophy winner.
Grant Marshall[26]	New Jersey Devils	2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils.
Shawn McEachern[27]	Boston Bruins	1-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Alexander Mogilny[28]	New Jersey Devils	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils, Olympic gold medalist, 5-time NHL All-Star, Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner, Triple Gold Club member.
Zigmund Palffy[29]	Pittsburgh Penguins	4-time NHL All-Star.
Keith Primeau[30]	Philadelphia Flyers	2-time NHL All-Star.
Luc Robitaille[31]	Los Angeles Kings	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, 8-time NHL All-Star, Calder Memorial Trophy winner, over 1400 games played.
Turner Stevenson[32]	Philadelphia Flyers	1-time Stanley Cup champion with the New Jersey Devils.
Scott Young[33]	St. Louis Blues	2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche, over 1100 games played.
Steve Yzerman[34]	Detroit Red Wings	3-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings, Olympic gold medalist, 10-time NHL All-Star, Bill Masterton Trophy winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, Lester B. Pearson Award winner, Lester Patrick Trophy winner, over 1500 games played.
Alexei Zhamnov[35]	Boston Bruins	Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist, 2-time NHL All-Star.

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 2005 NHL Entry Draft
• 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs
• 2005-06 NHL Transactions
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
• 2005 in sports
• 2006 in sports

References

• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.

Notes

1. "NHL FAQ". National Hockey League. July 22, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
2. "NHL unveils new logo for 2005–06 season". CBC News. July 22, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
3. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 11.
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
5. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1993.html
6. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006.html
7. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006_goalies.html
8. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2004.html
9. http://www.hhof.com/html/r&rRo.shtml
10. Watch Ovechkin's goal at Google Videos Archived February 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
11. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
12. "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
13. "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
14. Dinger 2011, p. 156.
15. TOMMY ALBELIN TO JOIN THE COACHING STAFF OF THE NATIONAL TEAMS
16. LIGHTNING NAME DAVE ANDREYCHUK, PHIL ESPOSITO TO VICE PRESIDENT POSITIONS
17. Happy Trails Aki Berg!
18. Cyclones Name Andrew Cassels Assistant Coach
19. Former Blackhawks star Eric Daze feeling good again (exclusive)
20. Desjardins Will Retire
21. Tie Domi retires from NHL
22. Alumni game allows Jiri Fischer to score one more goal for Red Wings
23. Brett Hull announces his retirement
24. No regrets as Joe Brian Leetch Retires From Hockey
25. Lemieux announces retirement
26. GRANT MARSHALL, FORMER NHL PLAYER, ON CLIFTON HILL!
27. A new twist in NHL's arbitration plot
28. Remember Alexander Mogilny? Well, we caught up with the once-famed winger
29. Ziggy Palffy retires as one of most underappreciated players
30. Concussion effects force Keith Primeau to retire
31. LUC ROBITAILLE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
32. A SIT DOWN WITH STANLEY CUP WINNER TURNER STEVENSON
33. Avalanche To Honor Scott Young
34. Longtime Red Wings captain Yzerman retires
35. Catching up

External links

Media related to 2005-2006 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons

• 2005-06 Depth Charts and Salaries from www.tsn.ca
• Hockey Database
• NHL.com