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
| 2000–01 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 2000 – June 9, 2001 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 30 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, Sportsnet, SRC (Canada) ESPN, ABC (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Rick DiPietro |
| Picked by | New York Islanders |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Colorado Avalanche |
| Season MVP | Joe Sakic (Avalanche) |
| Top scorer | Jaromir Jagr (Penguins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Patrick Roy (Avalanche) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Colorado Avalanche |
| Runners-up | New Jersey Devils |
The 2000–01 NHL season was the 84th regular season of the National Hockey League. With the addition of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild, 30 teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the New Jersey Devils. The focus of Colorado's Stanley Cup run was on star defenceman Ray Bourque, who was on a quest to win his first Stanley Cup championship in his illustrious 22-year career.
League business
Two expansion teams, the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets, joined the league at the beginning of the season, increasing the number of NHL teams to 30. The Blue Jackets would join the Central Division, while the Wild would join the Northwest Division. This divisional alignment would remain static until the 2012–13 season, while the league did not expand again until the 2017–18 season when the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league. This was the first time the NHL would have a team in Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas, Texas in 1993, and the first time for Ohio since the Cleveland Barons merged with the North Stars in 1978.
The Dallas Stars played their final season at the Reunion Arena before moving to the American Airlines Center in 2001.
The four-official system (two referees and two linesmen) becomes mandatory for all games. It was used only for selected regular season games in 1998–99 and 1999–2000, but was used for all playoff games in both seasons.
The NHL opened the season in Tokyo, Japan with two games between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Uniform changes
Buffalo: New Red Alternates.
Calgary: Previous Black Alternates become the new road uniforms.
Carolina: Black outline added to players' names.
Chicago: 75th-anniversary patch.
Colorado: 2001 NHL All-Star Game Patch.
Columbus: White Jerseys with red and blue stripes, Blue road jerseys have Red stripe. Team also wears an inaugural season patch. Alt marks are on the shoulders.
Detroit: 75th-anniversary patch
Minnesota: White Jerseys with red and green stripes, the Green jerseys have just the red stripe. Alt marks are on the shoulders.
New York Rangers: 75th-anniversary patch.
Ottawa: The team introduces a new alternate jersey—this one black with the forward-looking centurion crest.
Pittsburgh: The Penguins introduce a new alternate jersey, welcoming back the skating penguin and introducing Vegas gold.
San Jose: 10th Anniversary patch.
Toronto: Alternates from 1998 to 1999 return, as well as a new TML Patch.
Washington: Black alternates from 1999 to 2000 become new road uniforms.
Teams
Regular season
On December 27, 2000, Mario Lemieux returned from his three-and-a-half-year retirement and, in a game nationally televised on Hockey Night in Canada and ESPN National Hockey Night, registered his first assist 33 seconds into the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He went on to add a goal and finish with three points, solidifying his return and bringing a struggling Jaromir Jagr back to his elite status, who went on to win his fourth straight Art Ross Trophy, narrowly surpassing Joe Sakic. Despite playing in only 43 games in 2000–01, Lemieux scored 76 points to finish 26th in scoring, finishing the season with the highest points-per-game average that season among NHL players. Lemieux was one of the three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award.
The record for most shutouts in a season (set at 160 in 1997–98 and equalled in 1998–99)[1][2] was eclipsed, as 186 shutouts were recorded.[3]
Final standings
Eastern Conference
| No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 48 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 295 | 195 | 111 |
| 2 | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 240 | 207 | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 42 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 281 | 256 | 96 |
| 4 | 10 | New York Rangers | 82 | 33 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 250 | 290 | 72 |
| 5 | 15 | New York Islanders | 82 | 21 | 51 | 7 | 3 | 185 | 268 | 52 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
| No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 48 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 274 | 205 | 109 |
| 2 | 5 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 46 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 218 | 184 | 98 |
| 3 | 7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 37 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 232 | 207 | 90 |
| 4 | 9 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 36 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 227 | 249 | 88 |
| 5 | 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 28 | 40 | 8 | 6 | 206 | 232 | 70 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL=Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.