2010–11 NHL season

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2010–11 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 7, 2010 – June 15, 2011
Number of games82
Number of teams30
TV partner(s)CBC, TSN, RDS (Canada)
Versus, NBC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickTaylor Hall
Picked byEdmonton Oilers
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyVancouver Canucks
Season MVPCorey Perry (Ducks)
Top scorerDaniel Sedin (Canucks)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPTim Thomas (Bruins)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsBoston Bruins
  Runners-upVancouver Canucks
NHL seasons

The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation (93rd season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals four games to three, being the sixth Cup win in Bruins' franchise history. For the fourth consecutive season, the season started with games in Europe. The 58th All-Star Game was held at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, home arena of the Carolina Hurricanes, on January 30, 2011.

This was the final season of operation for the Atlanta Thrashers, who were sold to True North Sports and Entertainment out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg to become the "new" Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg had lost its previous NHL team, also called the Winnipeg Jets, after the 1995–96 NHL season to Phoenix, Arizona, and were renamed "Phoenix Coyotes." This was the second time the city of Atlanta lost an NHL franchise, having previously lost the Atlanta Flames to Calgary, Alberta after the 1979–80 season.

League business[edit]

Salary cap[edit]

On June 23, 2010, the NHL announced that the salary cap would be increased by $2.6 million. As a result, the new salary cap ceiling is set at $59.4 million, while the salary cap floor is $43.4 million.[1]

Entry draft[edit]

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 25–26, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. Taylor Hall was selected first overall in the draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Tyler Seguin was picked second by the Boston Bruins and Erik Gudbranson was chosen third by the Florida Panthers.

Franchise sales[edit]

Tom Golisano, Larry Quinn and Daniel DiPofi, owners of the Buffalo Sabres, sold their franchise to Terrence Pegula during the course of the 2010–11 season. The league approved the sale February 18, 2011.

Rule changes[edit]

Tie-breaking procedure[edit]

Prior to the 2010–11 season, the first tie-breaker to separate teams with equal number of points in a conference was the number of games won, no matter how the wins were obtained. Starting in the 2010–11 season, the league made a modification to this rule, stating that the greater number of games won, excluding wins obtained in the shootout, will be ranked higher. The change was made to reward in-play team victories (regulation or overtime) instead of a win obtained via an individual skill contest. This figure will be tracked in an additional column in the official league standings called ROW (Regulation and overtime wins). In its first year, the tie-breaker proved critical, giving the 106-point, 47-win (44-ROW) Philadelphia Flyers the Atlantic Division title over the 106-point, 49-win (39-ROW) Pittsburgh Penguins, who were seeded fourth rather than second based on the new rule.

Illegal hits to the head[edit]

Prior to the 2010–11 season, the Board of Governors, General Managers and the Competition Committee unanimously agreed to implement a new penalty. An illegal hit to the head is a lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or is the principal point of contact is not permitted. Any player who incurs a total of two game misconducts under this rule shall be suspended automatically for the next game his team plays. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty, the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game. The commissioner of the league can increase the suspension longer due to his discretion.

Arena changes[edit]

Uniforms[edit]

Several teams announced plans to change their uniforms in the 2010–11 season.[5]

The Buffalo Sabres, as part of their 40th anniversary season, reverted to the classic crossed swords insignia (replacing the infamous "Buffaslug" logo) and a slightly updated uniform based upon the style they wore from 1970 through 1996, when they left Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and moved down the street to the HSBC Arena with blue and gold trim. The blue version was previously their third jersey for the past three seasons. A new third jersey, also in blue, featured the city's name in white script on the chest, along with "quilted" numbers on the back and a gold nameplate with blue lettering fashioning the look of the AHL's former Buffalo Bisons.

The Columbus Blue Jackets unveiled a third jersey November 24[6] as part of their 10th season celebration. The new jersey made its debut on November 26 when the Blue Jackets hosted the Detroit Red Wings.[7]

The Philadelphia Flyers adopted their 2010 NHL Winter Classic white uniforms as their new road uniform and dropped the black third jersey they wore since changing to Reebok's "NHL Edge" template.

The New York Islanders reverted to the uniforms they made their debut back in 1972–73; their royal blue uniforms were their third jersey for the past two seasons. The road white uniforms are also from the 1972–73 season.

The New York Rangers inaugurated a new third jersey. The jersey resembled the one worn by the team in its early years, notably during their Stanley Cup championship years of 1928 and 1933, but with "NEW YORK" across the jersey, instead of "RANGERS."

The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled new home and road jerseys on June 14, 2010, seeing the return of the horizontal stripes on the bottom of the jersey and the "veined leaf" logo on both shoulders. The jersey also includes a white collar with string lace-up instead of a V-shaped collar.[8]

In third jersey items, the Calgary Flames used the third jerseys they debuted in the 2009–10 season onto the Edge template in a retro style from the 1988–89 season. After a three-year hiatus, the Anaheim Ducks unveiled a new third jersey on November 26 against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Los Angeles Kings added a throwback purple and gold uniform, with the original 1967 style of purple, gold and white crown graphic on the jersey front for up to four games, and the Dallas Stars swapped designations on their two white jerseys. The Vancouver Canucks, like the Sabres, were celebrating their 40th anniversary and wore replicas of their original 1970–71 white jerseys for several home games as well. Despite the league rules stating that all team jerseys must have nameplates on the back, both the Canucks and Kings were granted permission to wear jerseys without nameplates. The Washington Capitals, the road team in the 2011 Winter Classic, wore their Winter Classic jerseys in a home game vs. the Montreal Canadiens in honor of former Capital Dino Ciccarelli and his 2010 induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pre-season[edit]

2010 Kraft Hockeyville[edit]

Every year since 2006, Kraft Foods has sponsored a contest called Kraft Hockeyville, where small Canadian towns compete against each other for the title of Hockeyville. The winning town also gets to host an NHL preseason game in a local arena, as well as hosting an event called the 'Stanley Cup Jamboree'. Dundas, Ontario, a suburb of Hamilton (which itself has been the subject of numerous efforts at potential National Hockey League expansion) won the 2010 contest, and hosted the pre-season game between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres on September 28, 2010.

European exhibition games[edit]

The six 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, finishing with a 6–1–0 record.[9][10][11][12]

Date Venue European team NHL team Score
October 2 SAP Arena, Mannheim Germany Adler Sharks 2–3 (SO)
October 2 The Odyssey, Belfast United Kingdom Giants Select Bruins 1–5
October 4 Ice Palace, Saint Petersburg Russia SKA Hurricanes 5–3
October 4 Tampereen jäähalli, Tampere Finland Ilves Wild 1–5
October 5 Tipsport Arena, Liberec Czech Republic Bílí Tygři Bruins 1–7
October 5 Malmö Arena, Malmö Sweden Redhawks Blue Jackets 1–4
October 6 Arena Riga, Riga Latvia Dinamo Coyotes 1–3

Regular season[edit]

Premiere games[edit]

The first face off of the season, Hurricanes at Wild in Helsinki, Finland.

A record six teams opened the regular season in Europe, in a series branded the "2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Games."[10] On October 7–8, 2010, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild played two games at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland. The Hurricanes swept the Wild. On October 8–9, 2010, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks played two games at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The two teams split a two-game premiere. On October 9–10, 2010, the Boston Bruins and the Phoenix Coyotes played two games at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The two teams also split a two-game premiere.[10]

The first Premiere Games goal was scored by Minnesota Wild forward Guillaume Latendresse.

NHL face-off[edit]

The regular season also began in North America on October 7 with four additional games. In Canada, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast a double header featuring four Canadian teams. The first game saw the eastern Canadian Original Six-era rivalry rekindled, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens. This game was followed by the Battle of Alberta when the Calgary Flames visited the Edmonton Oilers. In the United States, both 2010 Stanley Cup Finalists were in action as well on Versus. Besides the previously mentioned Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins game to open Consol Energy Center, the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks played against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in the nightcap.[13] The Blackhawks had their home opener two nights later against their Central Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, and hoisted their first Stanley Cup championship banner in 49 years in a pre-game ceremony.

The first NHL Face-off games goal was scored by Tim Brent of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Outdoor games[edit]

2011 Winter Classic[edit]

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic playing the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field on January 1, 2011.[10] The game was telecast on NBC in the USA and on CBC and RDS in Canada. The Washington Capitals won the game 3–1. The game was originally scheduled to be played at 1 pm. However, inclement weather in Pittsburgh forced the NHL to move the game into prime-time at 8 pm.

The Heritage Classic returns[edit]

A second outdoor game, the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic, was held in Canada at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, on February 20, 2011, between the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens.[10] CBC, RDS and Versus telecasted the game. This was the second outdoor game held in Canada following the Heritage Classic in 2003 when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4–3 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta. The Heritage classic resulted in the Flames defeating the Canadiens 4–0. This event was recorded as the first shutout in any NHL outdoor game.

Hockey Days[edit]

Canada[edit]

CBC hosted its 11th annual Hockey Day in Canada event on February 12, 2011, in Whitehorse, Yukon. The network broadcast a triple header of games featuring all six Canadian teams. The Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs visited the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Calgary Flames.[14]

United States[edit]

For the first time ever, the NHL and NBC hosted a Hockey Day in America event on February 20, 2011, featuring eight of the most popular American NHL teams. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers 4–2, the Washington Capitals defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2–1, the Red Wings defeated the Minnesota Wild 2–1, and the highlight game of the afternoon, a meeting of the last two Stanley Cup champions, as the Penguins were defeated by the Blackhawks 3–2. The event was part of the broader Hockey Weekend Across America organized by USA Hockey.[13]

Highlights[edit]

On October 30, 2010, four penalty shot goals were scored on one night for the first time in league history. David Booth, Frans Nielsen, Ryan Callahan and Dave Steckel were the scorers.[15] The previous record was three penalty shot goals in one night. Four penalty shot attempts in one night had occurred previously.

On November 20, 2010, the 50,000th game in the NHL's history was played, counting all regular season and playoff games,[16] going back to the league's inaugural season in 1917.

Standings[edit]

The Vancouver Canucks placed first overall, winning the Presidents' Trophy and home advantage throughout the playoffs. The Washington Capitals placed first in the Eastern Conference, earning home advantage in Eastern Conference playoffs.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 z – Washington Capitals SE 82 48 23 11 43 224 197 107
2 y – Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 47 23 12 44 259 223 106
3 y – Boston Bruins NE 82 46 25 11 44 246 195 103
4 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 49 25 8 39 238 199 106
5 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 46 25 11 40 247 240 103
6 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 44 30 8 41 216 209 96
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 43 29 10 38 245 229 96
8 New York Rangers AT 82 44 33 5 35 233 198 93
8.5
9 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 40 31 11 35 236 239 91
10 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 37 34 11 32 218 251 85
11 New Jersey Devils AT 82 38 39 5 35 174 209 81
12 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 34 36 12 29 223 269 80
13 Ottawa Senators NE 82 32 40 10 30 192 250 74
14 New York Islanders AT 82 30 39 13 26 229 264 73
15 Florida Panthers SE 82 30 40 12 26 195 229 72

bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL ROW GF GA Pts
1 p – Vancouver Canucks NW 82 54 19 9 50 262 185 117
2 y – San Jose Sharks PA 82 48 25 9 43 248 213 105
3 y – Detroit Red Wings CE 82 47 25 10 43 261 241 104
4 Anaheim Ducks PA 82 47 30 5 43 239 235 99
5 Nashville Predators CE 82 44 27 11 38 219 194 99
6 Phoenix Coyotes PA 82 43 26 13 38 231 226 99
7 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 46 30 6 36 219 198 98
8 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 44 29 9 38 258 225 97
8.5
9 Dallas Stars PA 82 42 29 11 37 227 233 95
10 Calgary Flames NW 82 41 29 12 32 250 237 94
11 St. Louis Blues CE 82 38 33 11 34 240 234 87
12 Minnesota Wild NW 82 39 35 8 36 206 233 86
13 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 34 35 13 29 215 258 81
14 Colorado Avalanche NW 82 30 44 8 24 227 288 68
15 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 25 45 12 23 193 269 62

bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won President's Trophy (best record in NHL)
CE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division


Under NHL rules, first-place teams in each division receive a conference ranking between 1 and 3 regardless of overall points. The Pittsburgh Penguins placed fourth yet had more points than the Boston Bruins, but the Bruins placed first in the Northeast Division to get the third-place ranking.

Attendance[edit]

Team Arena Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance Capacity Percentage
Chicago Blackhawks United Center 41 21,423 878,356 108.7% [17]
Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 41 21,273 872,193 100.0%
Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center 41 19,715 808,328 101.1%
Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 41 19,680 806,892 98.1%
Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre 41 19,354 793,522 102.9%
Calgary Flames Scotiabank Saddledome 40 19,289 771,560 100.0%
St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center 41 19,150 785,150 100.0%
Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena 41 18,860 773,260 102.3%
Buffalo Sabres HSBC Arena 41 18,452 756,568 98.7%
Washington Capitals Verizon Center 41 18,397 754,309 100.0%
Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Place 41 18,378 753,525 99.3%
Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center 40 18,240 729,628 100.9%
New York Rangers Madison Square Garden 41 18,108 742,432 99.5%
Los Angeles Kings Staples Center 41 18,083 741,404 99.8%
Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center 40 18,012 720,508 99.7%
Boston Bruins TD Garden 40 17,565 702,600 100.0%
San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion at San Jose 40 17,562 702,480 100.4%
Tampa Bay Lightning St. Pete Times Forum 41 17,268 708,022 87.4%
Edmonton Oilers Rexall Place 41 16,839 690,399 100.0%
Carolina Hurricanes RBC Center 40 16,415 656,611 87.6%
Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena 41 16,142 661,861 94.3%
Florida Panthers BankAtlantic Center 41 15,685 643,116 81.5%
Dallas Stars American Airlines Center 41 15,073 617,997 81.3%
Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center 41 14,820 607,650 82.3%
New Jersey Devils Prudential Center 41 14,775 605,803 83.8%
Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 41 14,738 604,283 85.8%
Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena 40 13,658 546,350 75.3%
Atlanta Thrashers Philips Arena 41 13,469 552,230 72.6%
Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena 40 12,188 487,543 71.2%
New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 41 11,059 453,456 67.9%

Notes[edit]

  • Totals do not include six regular-season opening games played in Europe, and two outdoor regular season games.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes played the Minnesota Wild at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets played the San Jose Sharks at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden
  • The Boston Bruins played the Phoenix Coyotes at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.
  • The Washington Capitals played the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors in the Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • The Montreal Canadiens played the Calgary Flames outdoors in the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.
  • As of October 2010, Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome was renamed Scotiabank Saddledome.[18]
  • As of August 2011, Buffalo's HSBC Arena was renamed First Niagara Center.[19]
  • Following the 2010–11 season, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated and became the new Winnipeg Jets.
  • As of March 15, 2012, the Carolina Hurricanes venue, RBC Center, has been renamed PNC Arena.

Playoffs[edit]

The Stanley Cup

Bracket[edit]

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 Washington 4
8 NY Rangers 1
1 Washington 0
5 Tampa Bay 4
2 Philadelphia 4
7 Buffalo 3
5 Tampa Bay 3
Eastern Conference
3 Boston 4
3 Boston 4
6 Montreal 3
2 Philadelphia 0
3 Boston 4
4 Pittsburgh 3
5 Tampa Bay 4
E3 Boston 4
W1 Vancouver 3
1 Vancouver 4
8 Chicago 3
1 Vancouver 4
5 Nashville 2
2 San Jose 4
7 Los Angeles 2
1 Vancouver 4
Western Conference
2 San Jose 1
3 Detroit 4
6 Phoenix 0
2 San Jose 4
3 Detroit 3
4 Anaheim 2
5 Nashville 4

NHL awards[edit]

2010–11 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s)
Stanley Cup Boston Bruins
Presidents' Trophy Vancouver Canucks
Prince of Wales Trophy
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)
Boston Bruins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
(Western Conference playoff champion)
Vancouver Canucks
Art Ross Trophy Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Ian Laperriere (Philadelphia Flyers)
Calder Memorial Trophy Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes)
Conn Smythe Trophy Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
Frank J. Selke Trophy Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks)
Hart Memorial Trophy Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
Jack Adams Award Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh Penguins)
James Norris Memorial Trophy Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy Doug Weight (New York Islanders)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Ted Lindsay Award Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Mark Messier Leadership Award Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
NHL General Manager of the Year Award Mike Gillis (Vancouver Canucks)
Vezina Trophy Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins)
William M. Jennings Trophy Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider (Vancouver Canucks)
Lester Patrick Trophy Mark Johnson, Jeff Sauer, Bob Pulford, and Toni Rossi

All-Star teams[edit]

First Team Position Second Team
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins G Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators D Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings D Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim Ducks
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks C Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks RW Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Player statistics[edit]

Goals scored versus shots on goal for top 100 goal scorers, 2010–2011 regular season.

Scoring leaders[edit]

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = P Plus–minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks 82 41 63 104 +29 32
Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 82 31 68 99 0 12
Corey Perry Anaheim Ducks 82 50 48 98 +9 104
Henrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 82 19 75 94 +26 40
Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 82 45 46 91 +3 74
Jarome Iginla Calgary Flames 82 43 43 86 0 40
Alexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 79 32 53 85 +24 41
Teemu Selanne Anaheim Ducks 73 31 49 80 +6 49
Henrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings 80 24 56 80 −1 40
Brad Richards Dallas Stars 72 28 49 77 +1 24

Source: NHL[20]

Leading goaltenders[edit]

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 1800 minutes.[21]

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
Tim Thomas Boston Bruins 57 3,363:58 35 11 9 112 9 .938 2.00
Roberto Luongo Vancouver Canucks 60 3,589:39 38 15 7 126 4 .928 2.11
Pekka Rinne Nashville Predators 64 3,789:15 33 22 9 134 6 .930 2.12
Jonathan Quick Los Angeles Kings 61 3,590:34 35 22 3 134 6 .918 2.24
Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 68 4,006:40 36 27 5 152 11 .923 2.28
Corey Crawford Chicago Blackhawks 57 3,336:37 33 18 6 128 4 .917 2.30
Marc-Andre Fleury Pittsburgh Penguins 65 3,695:10 36 20 5 143 3 .918 2.32
Carey Price Montreal Canadiens 72 4,206:08 38 28 6 165 8 .923 2.35
Antti Niemi San Jose Sharks 60 3,523:54 35 18 6 140 6 .920 2.38
Brian Boucher Philadelphia Flyers 34 1,884:34 18 10 4 76 0 .916 2.42

Coaching changes[edit]

Off-season[edit]

In-season[edit]

Milestones[edit]

First games[edit]

The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game in 2010–11, listed with their first team:

Player Team Notability
Sergei Bobrovsky Philadelphia Flyers Two-time NHL All-Star team, two-time Vezina Trophy winner
Taylor Hall Edmonton Oilers First overall pick in the 2010 Draft, Hart Memorial Trophy winner, one-time NHL All-Star team
Braden Holtby Washington Capitals Two-time NHL All-Star team, Vezina Trophy winner, William M. Jennings Trophy winner
Robin Lehner Ottawa Senators Two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner
Jacob Markstrom Florida Panthers One-time NHL All-Star team
Ryan McDonagh New York Rangers Two-time NHL All-Star
Tyler Seguin Boston Bruins Six-time NHL All-Star
Jeff Skinner Carolina Hurricanes Calder Trophy winner, youngest All-Star selection ever in the four major North American sports

Last games[edit]

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2010–11, listed with their team:

Player Team Notability
Craig Conroy[22] Calgary Flames Over 1,000 games played
Kris Draper[23] Detroit Red Wings Over 1,100 games played, Selke Trophy winner
Chris Drury[24] New York Rangers Calder Trophy winner
Adam Foote[25] Colorado Avalanche Over 1,100 games played, the last active player to have been a member of the Quebec Nordiques.
Peter Forsberg[26] Colorado Avalanche Hart Trophy winner, member of the Triple Gold Club
Mike Grier[27] Buffalo Sabres Over 1,000 games played, first United States-born African American player
Todd Marchant[28] Anaheim Ducks Over 1,100 games played
Bryan McCabe[29] New York Rangers Over 1,100 games played, one-time NHL All-Star
Mike Modano[30] Detroit Red Wings Over 1,400 games played, eight-time NHL All-Star, the last active player to have been a member of the Minnesota North Stars
Fredrik Modin[31] Calgary Flames Member of the Triple Gold Club, one-time NHL All-Star
Rob Niedermayer[32] Buffalo Sabres Over 1,100 games played
Chris Osgood[33] Detroit Red Wings two-time Jennings Trophy winner, two-time NHL All-Star
Brian Rafalski[34] Detroit Red Wings Two-time NHL All-Star
Mark Recchi[35] Boston Bruins Over 1,600 games played, seven-time NHL All-Star, oldest active player in NHL at time of retirement, last active player to have played in the 1980s
Sergei Samsonov[36] Florida Panthers Calder Trophy winner
Marc Savard[37][38] Boston Bruins Two-time NHL All-Star
Cory Stillman[39] Carolina Hurricanes Over 1,000 games played
Doug Weight[40] New York Islanders Over 1,200 games played, four-time NHL All-Star, King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner


Major milestones reached[edit]

  • On October 22, 2010, Ottawa Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson recorded a hat trick, with the third goal being his 1,000th career NHL point. He became the 75th player in league history to record 1,000 points.
  • On October 26, Colorado Avalanche defenceman John-Michael Liles recorded an assist in his ninth consecutive game to give him the NHL record for longest assist streak for a defenceman from the start of season.
  • On October 26, Ottawa Senators defenceman Sergei Gonchar participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On October 28, Calgary Flames forward Craig Conroy participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On November 3, Buffalo Sabres forward Mike Grier participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On November 6, Los Angeles Kings forward Ryan Smyth participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On November 22, Ottawa Senators forward Alexei Kovalev recorded his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal. He became the 76th player in league history to record 1,000 points, and the third Russian born player to do so.
  • On November 24, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi scored two goals, with the second being his 1,500th career NHL point. He became the 13th player in league history to reach this milestone.
  • On December 26, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Ed Jovanovski participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On December 27, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood recorded his 400th NHL win. He became the 10th player in league history to reach this milestone.
  • On January 11, 2011, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the seventh coach in league history to reach this milestone.
  • On January 17, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau and Dallas Stars forward Jamie Langenbrunner both participated in their 1,000th NHL game in separate contests. Marleau was the third youngest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 games played.
  • On February 1, Minnesota Wild forward Andrew Brunette participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On February 10, New Jersey Devils coach Jacques Lemaire won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the eighth coach in league history to reach this milestone.
  • On February 16, Florida Panthers forward Cory Stillman participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On February 20, Detroit Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On March 20, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Adrian Aucoin participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
  • On April 1, Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added an assist to reach 1,000 career points. He became the 77th player in league history to do so.
  • On April 8, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton recorded his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal. He became the 78th player to reach the milestone and the fourth this season.
  • On April 9, Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Martin won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the ninth coach in league history to reach this milestone.
  • On April 9, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in his 1,652nd NHL game, surpassing Chris Chelios for sole possession of the fourth spot on the NHL's all-time games played list.

Broadcasting rights[edit]

Canada[edit]

This was the third season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and TSN. During the regular season, CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada games while TSN aired games on Wednesdays and other selected weeknights. CBC and TSN then split the first three rounds of the playoffs, selecting the rights to individual series using a draft-like setup. The Stanley Cup Finals aired exclusively on CBC.

United States[edit]

This was the sixth and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with NBC and Versus before the two networks reached a new deal on April 2011. Under the previous deal expiring at the end of the 2010–11 season, Versus aired games generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, while NBC had games on selected weekends. During the playoffs, NBC had the rights to air selected weekend games during the first three postseason rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, while Versus televised selected first and second round playoff games and all Conference Finals games not aired on NBC. Due to NBC's scheduling, the network broadcast the first two and final three games of the Stanley Cup Finals, while Versus broadcast games 3 and 4.

In January 2011, Comcast, owner of Versus, acquired NBCUniversal, resulting in the merging of all its sports properties with the NBC Sports division. The merged company then signed a new 10-year, US$2 billion deal with the NHL in April 2011, extending and unifying the broadcast and cable television rights held by NBC and Versus.[41][42] Notable changes under the new deal included an increase in nationally televised games on Versus (which was to be renamed under the NBC name), a new Thanksgiving Friday game on NBC, holding exclusive rights to all playoff games beginning with the second round (as opposed to the Conference Finals), and plans to broadcast all playoff games (subject to blackouts during the first round) nationally on NBCUniversal channels.[41][43]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ TSN (June 23, 2010). "NHL salary cap set at $59.4 million for 2010–11 season". The Sports Network.
  2. ^ Behe, Rege (June 3, 2010). "McCartney to Open Consol Energy Center". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 5, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  3. ^ "GM Place renamed Rogers Arena". CBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
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Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Media related to 2010-2011 National Hockey League season at Wikimedia Commons