2014–15 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 8, 2014 – June 15, 2015 |
Number of games | 82 |
Number of teams | 30 |
Regular season | |
Presidents' Trophy | New York Rangers |
Season MVP | Carey Price (Canadiens) |
Top scorer | Jamie Benn (Stars) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Eastern runners-up | New York Rangers |
Western champions | Chicago Blackhawks |
Western runners-up | Anaheim Ducks |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Chicago Blackhawks |
Runners-up | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Conn Smythe Trophy | Duncan Keith (Blackhawks) |
The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Los Angeles Kings became the first team to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006–07. The Boston Bruins also became the third defending Presidents' Trophy winner to miss the playoffs (and the first since the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs in 2007–08 after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2007). The Winnipeg Jets clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the team's relocation from Atlanta in 2011. The San Jose Sharks' playoff streak ended at ten years. The Ottawa Senators also became the first team in NHL history to make the post season after trailing for the final playoff spot by 14 points.
The 2014–15 season brought a significant realignment for NHL broadcast rights in Canada, as it marked the first year of Rogers Communications' 12-year, $5.2 billion contract for exclusive national television and digital media rights to the league. The networks of Sportsnet (including the Sportsnet regional channels, Sportsnet One, and Sportsnet 360) replaced TSN as the English-language cable broadcasters of the league. National French-language rights were sub-licensed by Rogers to Quebecor Media, with TVA Sports replacing RDS as the national French-language television broadcaster of the NHL in Canada.