A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2017–18 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 2017 – June 7, 2018 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 31 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada) NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, USA (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Nico Hischier |
| Picked by | New Jersey Devils |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Nashville Predators |
| Season MVP | Taylor Hall (Devils) |
| Top scorer | Connor McDavid (Oilers) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Alexander Ovechkin (Capitals) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Washington Capitals |
| Runners-up | Vegas Golden Knights |
The 2017–18 NHL season was the 101st season of operation (100th season of play) of the National Hockey League. With the addition of a new expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, 31 teams competed in an 82-game regular season. The regular season began on October 4, 2017, and ended on April 8, 2018. The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 11, 2018, and concluded on June 7, with the Washington Capitals winning their first Stanley Cup in the Finals over the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.[1]
League business
Expansion
On June 22, 2016, the NHL confirmed that it had granted an expansion franchise in the city of Las Vegas to an ownership group led by Bill Foley,[2] whose identity was revealed as the Vegas Golden Knights on November 22. The team plays in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.[3][4] In June 2017, the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft was held to fill out the Golden Knights roster.
Olympics abstention and ban
On April 3, 2017, the NHL announced that, after five Olympic tournaments in which the NHL allowed its players to participate in the event, it would not do so for the men's hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Furthermore, the league did not include a break for the Olympics in its schedule, and scheduled its All-Star Game as usual for late-January shortly prior to the Olympics (historically, the All-Star Game was not played during Olympic years).[5][6] Each team's mandatory bye week, stipulated in the league's CBA, was also scattered throughout the month of January.[7]
The restriction will apply to any player under NHL contract, including those in its affiliated minor leagues, but not to players signed to one-way contracts directly with the teams in those minor leagues nor players signed to entry-level contracts who are playing junior ice hockey.[8][6] Several players had vowed to participate anyway, most notably Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.[9] They did not wind up participating. The league had initially stated that minor league prospects would not be subject to the ban.[10] As the league had little legal room to enforce a ban itself without running afoul of the National Hockey League Players' Association,[11] the league instead colluded with the International Ice Hockey Federation, who agreed to establish a blacklist forbidding the national teams from offering invitations to players under NHL contracts.[12]
Players with Olympic aspirations who were free agents, especially those whose NHL prospects were marginal, were advised not to sign NHL contracts and, if they wished to play professionally, sign directly with minor league clubs to maintain Olympic eligibility.[8] Former Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta and former Olympian Jarome Iginla were among those who opted not to sign NHL contracts for the season prior to the Olympics; Iginla, because of a lingering injury, would not go to the Olympics.[13][14]
Salary cap
On June 18, 2017, the National Hockey League Players' Association announced that the salary cap would be set at $75 million per team for the 2017–18 season.[15][16]
Rule changes
The NHL Board of Governors passed some new rules that take effect this season, including:[17]
- coach's challenge of offside - the original rule was put in place after a series of highly blatant off-side calls had been missed. The rule soon became a huge time waster, often requested by coaches whose team had allowed a goal wanting a review of the exact millimeter that a skate and the puck pass the blue line. To reduce the number of coach's challenges, the league introduced a two-minute penalty for delay of game if a review does not overturn an offside.
- no timeouts after icing - as a team that causes an icing is not allowed to change the players on the ice, coaches took to calling their 30-second timeout to allow their players to rest, getting around the intent of the "no-changes" rule. This rule change eliminated that practice.
- touching high-sticked puck by power play team - previously, if a team on the man advantage played a puck after it was high-sticked, no matter where on the ice this happened, the play was stopped, and the faceoff came all the way back to their own zone. This was adjusted slightly so that, if the infraction happens in the short-handed team's zone, the faceoff would be moved back only to the neutral zone just outside the short-handed team's zone.
The Board of Governors also stated that existing rules be fully enforced in certain situations that had become "unofficially" ignored:[17]
- enforcement of slashing rules - not a rule change as such, referees were newly expected to enforce the existing two-minute penalty for slashing when players chop at the wrists and hands of a puck carrier. This followed a series of injuries - including a partially chopped-off finger - for this common practice that was rarely being penalized.
- faceoff infractions - not a rule change as such, referees were newly expected to enforce the existing two-minute penalty for improper stance by a player taking a faceoff. This followed an extensive period where players were not standing with their feet properly placed within the limits of the markings by the dot, with their bodies square to the end boards.
Centennial celebration
The NHL's centennial commemorations continued into the 2017–18 season, as its 100th season of play. On March 17, 2017, the NHL announced the NHL 100 Classic outdoor game in Ottawa between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Held on December 16, 2017, it marked the 100th anniversary of the first NHL games.[18][19] The game was played on a temporary rink at the TD Place Stadium football stadium, accompanied by a fan festival at the Aberdeen Pavilion and an outdoor alumni game at Parliament Hill.
The Toronto Maple Leafs also marked the centennial of the NHL's first games (one of which involved their predecessor, the Toronto Arenas) with a "Next Century Game" on December 19, 2017, against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team wore special Toronto Arenas jerseys, and season ticket holders were encouraged to donate their tickets to the MLSE Foundation to allow students to attend this matinee game.[20][21] Mayor of Toronto John Tory also declared December 19 "Toronto Maple Leafs Day".[22]
Preseason games in China
On March 30, 2017, it was announced that the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks would play two preseason games in China; on September 21 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai and September 23 at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center in Beijing.[23] These were the first NHL games played in China.[24]
Coaching changes
| Off-season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2016–17 coach | 2017–18 coach | Story / accomplishments | |
| Arizona Coyotes | Dave Tippett | Rick Tocchet | On June 22, 2017, through mutual agreement, Tippett left the head coach position of the Coyotes. He led the team to a 30–42–10 record during the 2016–17 season, and a 282–257–83 overall record in eight seasons with the team. The team made the playoffs three times, reaching the Western Conference Final in 2012.[25][26] On July 11, 2017, Tocchet was named as the new head coach of the Coyotes.[27] He was the assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the last three seasons. | |
| Buffalo Sabres | Dan Bylsma | Phil Housley | On April 20, 2017, the Sabres fired Bylsma after his team finished eighth in the Atlantic Division and failed to contend for the playoffs for the second consecutive season. He led the team to a 33–37–12 record during the 2016–17 season and a 68–73–23 overall record in two full seasons.[28] On June 15, Housley was named the Sabres' new head coach.[29] He had spent the previous four seasons as assistant coach for the Nashville Predators and previously played for the Sabres from 1982 to 1990. | |
| Dallas Stars | Lindy Ruff | Ken Hitchcock | On April 9, 2017, the Stars announced that Ruff's contract would not be renewed for the 2017–18 season. Ruff led the team to a 34–37–11 record during the 2016–17 season as the Stars missed the playoffs and a 165–122–41 record since taking over in 2013.[30] Ruff joined the New York Rangers as an assistant coach.[31] On April 13, Hitchcock, most recently with the St. Louis Blues, was named the new head coach. He previously coached the Stars from 1996 to 2002.[32] | |
| Florida Panthers | Gerard Gallant Tom Rowe* |
Bob Boughner | Gallant, who compiled a record of 11–10–1 for the first part of the season (and a 96–65–25 record over his full 2¼-season tenure with the team, the highest win percentage of any coach in Panthers history), was fired on November 10, 2016. Rowe, the team's general manager, stepped into the position and compiled a 24–26–10 record. Gallant joined the Vegas Golden Knights, while Rowe, despite losing both the head coach and general manager titles, remained with the Panthers as an advisor.[33] On June 12, Boughner was named the team's new head coach.[34] He was the assistant coach of the San Jose Sharks before being hired by the Panthers. | |
| Los Angeles Kings | Darryl Sutter | John Stevens | On April 10, 2017, the Kings fired Sutter after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years. He led the Kings to two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. The Kings finished the season with a record of 39–35–8 and an overall record of 225–147–53 over six seasons with Sutter, which is the most wins for any coach in Kings' history.[35][36] On April 23, Stevens was named the new head coach. He had been the Kings' assistant coach since 2010 and was also an interim coach for four games during the 2011–12 season.[37] | |
| Vancouver Canucks | Willie Desjardins | Travis Green | On April 10, 2017, the Canucks fired Desjardins after his team failed to contend for the playoffs for the second consecutive year. He led the team to a 30–43–9 record during the 2016–17 season and a 109–110–27 overall record in three full seasons.[38] Desjardins will coach the Canadian Olympic team for this season.[39] On April 26, Green was named the new head coach. Prior to his hiring, Green was the head coach for the Canucks' AHL affiliate Utica Comets.[40] | |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Expansion team | Gerard Gallant | On April 13, 2017, the Golden Knights hired Gerard Gallant, previously head coach of the Florida Panthers, as the team's first head coach.[41] | |
This was the first NHL season since the 1966–67 season in which no coaching changes took place during the regular season.[42]
Arena changes
- The Detroit Red Wings moved to Little Caesars Arena, replacing their longtime home, the Joe Louis Arena.[43]
- The Vegas Golden Knights played their inaugural season at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.
- The Washington Capitals' home arena was renamed from Verizon Center to Capital One Arena.[44]
- The Winnipeg Jets' home arena was renamed from MTS Centre to Bell MTS Place in observance of the BCE Inc. acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) earlier in the year.[45]
Regular season
The regular season began on October 4, 2017, and ended on April 8, 2018. Each team received a five-day "bye week", all of which took place in mid-January.[46]
International games
Two regular season games between the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators were played at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden on November 10 and 11, 2017, branded as the SAP NHL Global Series.[47]
Outdoor games
- The NHL 100 Classic was held on December 16, 2017, at TD Place Stadium in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, featuring the Montreal Canadiens against the Ottawa Senators.[19][18]
- The Winter Classic was held on January 1, 2018, at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, with the New York Rangers playing the Buffalo Sabres.[48][49]
- A Stadium Series game was held on March 3, 2018, at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, featuring two of last season's playoff teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals.[50][51]
All–Star Game
The 63rd National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Tampa, Florida at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, on January 28, 2018. The format did not change, and followed the format used in two previous All-Star games.[52]
Postponed game
The Florida Panthers – Boston Bruins game scheduled for January 4, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, was postponed due to the effects of the January 2018 nor'easter.[53] The game was rescheduled for April 8, the day after the regular season was originally scheduled to end.[54]
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | y – Washington Capitals | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 46 | 259 | 239 | +20 | 105 |
| 2 | x – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 47 | 29 | 6 | 45 | 272 | 250 | +22 | 100 |
| 3 | x – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 42 | 26 | 14 | 40 | 251 | 243 | +8 | 98 |
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | ROW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | z – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 54 | 23 | 5 | 48 | 296 | 236 | +60 | 113 |
| 2 | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 47 | 270 | 214 | +56 | 112 |
| 3 | x – Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 49 | 26 | 7 | 42 | 277 | 232 | +45 | 105 |