nhl league News
Anaheim won first Cup
The Anaheim Mighty Ducks captured their first NHL title in team history with a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 5. Anaheim's defenseman Scott Niedermayer earned his first Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the NHL playoffs.
- Eastern Conference Champion: Ottawa
- Western Conference Champion: Anaheim
- Eastern Conference Division Winners: New Jersey, Buffalo, Atlanta
- Western Conference Division Winners: Detroit, Vancouver, Anaheim
NHL 2007/08 key dates
The 2007/08 NHL regular season starts on September 29 as the defending champion the Anaheim Ducks plays against the Los Angeles Kings in London. The season ends on April 6 and three days later Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with June 9 as last possible day for Stanley Cup Final.
- September 29 : NHL Premiere, London
- January 27 : NHL All-Star Game, Atlanta
- April 6 : Regular season ends
- April 9 : NHL Playoffs begin
- June 9 : Last possible day for Stanley Cup Final
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These are odds to win 2007/08 Stanley Cup published by online bookmakers before the start of the season:
| Anaheim Ducks | 6.3 | Atlanta Thrashers | 29 |
| Ottawa Senators | 8.5 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 29 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 9.5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 31 |
| Detroit Red Wings | 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 31 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 13 | Montreal Canadiens | 31 |
| New York Rangers | 15 | New York Islanders | 43 |
| San Jose Sharks | 15 | Florida Panthers | 56 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 16 | Edmonton Oilers | 61 |
| New Jersey Devils | 18 | Boston Bruins | 67 |
| Nashville Predators | 18 | Washington Capitals | 67 |
| Calgary Flames | 19 | St. Louis Blues | 81 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 21 | Los Angeles Kings | 81 |
| Dallas Stars | 23 | Chicago Blackhawks | 81 |
| Minnesota Wild | 23 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 101 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 23 | Phoenix Coyotes | 151 |
The Anaheim Ducks are probably the best team in the league if they have Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne on their roster playing as well as they did last year. Niedermayer will likely join the team in mid-season while Selanne is an unrestricted free agent. However, Selanne has stated that if he does decide to come back for another year it would only be to play for the Ducks. Anaheim has a chance at defending their Stanley Cup title, although no team has taken back-to-back championships since the Red Wings in 1997-98. The Ducks have an excellent mix of veteran stars and young talent and that combination should make them one of the top teams in the league once again.
Losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury will effect the Buffalo Sabres this season. How they adjust will be a good test for many of their young stars. This club's greatest weapon has been and remains its depth in quality young talent, most of which are all well under 30. The Sabres still have scoring depth in their lineup and they will be difficult to beat.
The Ottawa Senators earned a playoff berth for the 10th straight year in 2006/07. The Senators will have basically the same team as they did last year so they should be considered legitimate Cup contenders. Last year's head coach Bryan Murray vacated his position to become the franchise's general manager. John Paddock will take over for Murray as the new head coach.
The Detroit Red Wings have made 16 straight playoff appearances, the longest current streak among teams in the four major North American sports. The Red Wings have gained 108 points or more in every campaign since 1999/2000. Last season's anticipated decline never occurred, and as their performance in the 2007 playoffs indicated they're still very much a Stanley Cup contender. Dominik Hasek is a top goalie, even at age 42, but he is a serious injury risk given his history of groin problems. Should Hasek stay healthy, Detroit could win the West Conference.
| teams | titles | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | 23 | 1/4 | - | 1/4 | 1/8 | - |
| Toronto | 11 | 1/2 | 1/8 | 1/4 | - | - |
| Detroit | 10 | title | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/8 | 1/2 |
| Edmonton | 5 | - | 1/8 | - | finals | - |
| Boston | 5 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/8 | - | - |
| Ottawa | 4 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 1/8 | 1/4 | finals |
| NY Islanders | 4 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/8 | - | 1/8 |
| NY Rangers | 4 | - | - | - | 1/8 | 1/4 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 1/8 | title | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/4 |
| Chicago | 3 | 1/8 | - | - | - | - |
| Colorado | 2 | 1/2 | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/4 | - |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/2 | 1/8 | - |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1/8 |
| Dallas | 1 | - | 1/4 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/8 |
| Calgary | 1 | - | - | finals | 1/8 | 1/8 |
| Tampa Bay | 1 | - | 1/4 | title | 1/8 | 1/8 |
| Carolina | 1 | finals | - | - | title | - |
| Anaheim | 1 | - | finals | - | 1/2 | title |
| St. Louis | - | 1/4 | 1/8 | 1/8 | - | - |
| Minnesota | - | - | 1/2 | - | - | 1/8 |
| San Jose | - | 1/4 | - | 1/2 | 1/4 | 1/4 |
| Vancouver | - | 1/8 | 1/4 | 1/8 | - | 1/4 |
| Los Angeles | - | 1/8 | - | - | - | - |
| Washington | - | - | 1/8 | - | - | - |
| Phoenix | - | 1/8 | - | - | - | - |
| Buffalo | - | - | - | - | 1/2 | 1/2 |
| Florida | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Atlanta | - | - | - | - | - | 1/8 |
| Columbus | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nashville | - | - | - | 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/8 |
The table shows the overall number of NHL titles since 1918 and team success in the last five seasons.
This page is introduction to 2007/08 NHL season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main NHL page.
| # | team | points | win-loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Division | |||
| 1 | N. Jersey | 107 | 49-33 (82) |
| 2 | Pittsbur. | 105 | 47-35 (82) |
| 3 | NY Ran. | 94 | 42-40 (82) |
| 4 | NY Islan. | 92 | 40-42 (82) |
| 5 | Philadel. | 56 | 22-60 (82) |
| Northeast Division | |||
| 1 | Buffalo | 113 | 53-29 (82) |
| 2 | Ottawa | 105 | 48-34 (82) |
| 3 | Toronto | 91 | 40-42 (82) |
| 4 | Montreal | 90 | 42-40 (82) |
| 5 | Boston | 76 | 35-47 (82) |
| Southeast Division | |||
| 1 | Atlanta | 97 | 43-39 (82) |
| 2 | Tampa B. | 93 | 44-38 (82) |
| 3 | Carolina | 88 | 40-42 (82) |
| 4 | Florida | 86 | 35-47 (82) |
| 5 | Washing. | 70 | 28-54 (82) |
| Central Division | |||
| 1 | Detroit | 113 | 50-32 (82) |
| 2 | Nashville | 110 | 51-31 (82) |
| 3 | St. Louis | 81 | 34-48 (82) |
| 4 | Columb. | 73 | 33-49 (82) |
| 5 | Chicago | 71 | 31-51 (82) |
| Northwest Division | |||
| 1 | Vancou. | 105 | 49-33 (82) |
| 2 | Minnes. | 104 | 48-34 (82) |
| 3 | Calgary | 96 | 43-39 (82) |
| 4 | Colorado | 95 | 44-38 (82) |
| 5 | Edmont. | 71 | 32-50 (82) |
| Pacific Division | |||
| 1 | Anaheim | 110 | 48-34 (82) |
| 2 | San Jose | 107 | 51-31 (82) |
| 3 | Dallas | 107 | 50-32 (82) |
| 4 | Los Ang. | 68 | 27-55 (82) |
| 5 | Phoenix | 67 | 31-51 (82) |
The table displays the 2006/2007 NHL regular-season standings. Overtime losses are worth one point in the standings and are included in the loss column.
The Stanley Cup finals in the last five seasons
2002 Detroit Red Wings - Carolina Hurricanes 4:1
2003 New Jersey Devils - Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4:3
2004 Tampa Bay Lightning - Calgary Flames 4:3
2006 Carolina Hurricanes - Edmonton Oilers 4:3
2007 Anaheim Mighty Ducks - Ottawa Senators 4:1