2006-07 NHL season facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2006–07 NHL season |
|
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 2006 – June 6, 2007 |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Buffalo Sabres |
| Season MVP | Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) |
| Top scorer | Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Ottawa Senators |
| Eastern runners-up | Buffalo Sabres |
| Western champions | Anaheim Ducks |
| Western runners-up | Detroit Red Wings |
| Playoffs MVP | Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Stanley Cup champions | Anaheim Ducks |
| Runners-up | Ottawa Senators |
| NHL seasons | |
|
← 2005–06 |
2007–08 → |
The 2006–07 NHL season was the 90th season for the National Hockey League (NHL). It was a very exciting year for hockey fans! The season started on October 4, 2006. It ended on June 6, 2007, when the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup. This was a big moment because they were the first team from California to ever win the Cup.
Contents
Regular Season Highlights
The regular season is where teams play many games to earn points. The teams with the most points get to play in the playoffs. In the 2006–07 season, 30 teams played 82 games each.
Top Teams and Playoff Spots
The Buffalo Sabres had an amazing regular season. They won the Presidents' Trophy for having the most points in the entire league. This meant they had home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
Teams are divided into two groups called conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. The top eight teams from each conference get to go to the playoffs. The best teams in each division automatically get a top spot. Other teams earn their way in based on their points.
Who Scored the Most Points?
Many players had fantastic seasons, scoring lots of goals and assists. Here are the top players who earned the most points:
| Player | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Plus/Minus | Penalty Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 79 | 36 | 84 | 120 | +10 | 60 |
| Joe Thornton | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 22 | 92 | 114 | +24 | 44 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 52 | 56 | 108 | +2 | 44 |
| Dany Heatley | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 50 | 55 | 105 | +31 | 74 |
| Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 43 | 59 | 102 | +7 | 28 |
| Marian Hossa | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 43 | 57 | 100 | +18 | 49 |
| Joe Sakic | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 36 | 64 | 100 | +2 | 46 |
| Jaromir Jagr | New York Rangers | 82 | 30 | 66 | 96 | +26 | 78 |
| Marc Savard | Boston Bruins | 82 | 22 | 74 | 96 | -19 | 96 |
| Daniel Briere | Buffalo Sabres | 81 | 32 | 63 | 95 | +17 | 89 |
Best Goalies
Goalies are super important for a team's success. Here are the top goalies from the 2006–07 season:
| Player | Team | Games Played | Time On Ice (minutes) | Wins | Losses | Overtime/Shootout Losses | Goals Against | Shutouts | Save Percentage | Goals Against Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niklas Backstrom | Minnesota Wild | 41 | 2,226 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 73 | 5 | .929 | 1.97 |
| Dominik Hasek | Detroit Red Wings | 56 | 3,340 | 38 | 11 | 6 | 114 | 8 | .913 | 2.05 |
| Martin Brodeur | New Jersey Devils | 78 | 4,696 | 48 | 23 | 7 | 171 | 12 | .922 | 2.18 |
| Roberto Luongo | Vancouver Canucks | 76 | 4,490 | 47 | 22 | 6 | 171 | 5 | .921 | 2.28 |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | Anaheim Ducks | 56 | 3,244 | 36 | 10 | 8 | 122 | 4 | .918 | 2.26 |
Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs started on April 11, 2007. This is where the best teams from the regular season battle it out. They play a series of games, and the first team to win four games moves on. The last two teams play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Playoff Journey
The playoff bracket shows how teams faced off against each other. It's like a big tournament!
| Conference Quarterfinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Stanley Cup Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Buffalo | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NY Islanders | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Buffalo | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | NY Rangers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New Jersey | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Tampa Bay | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Buffalo | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Ottawa | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | New Jersey | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Ottawa | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Ottawa | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| E4 | Ottawa | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| W2 | Anaheim | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Calgary | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | San Jose | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Anaheim | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Minnesota | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Anaheim | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Vancouver | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Dallas | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Anaheim | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Vancouver | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Nashville | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | San Jose | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
The Stanley Cup Finals
The final series was between the Anaheim Ducks from the Western Conference and the Ottawa Senators from the Eastern Conference. The Ducks played incredibly well and won the series 4 games to 1. This means they won four games before the Senators could.
| Date | Away Team | Score | Home Team | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28 | Ottawa | 2 | Anaheim | 3 | |
| May 30 | Ottawa | 0 | Anaheim | 1 | |
| June 2 | Anaheim | 3 | Ottawa | 5 | |
| June 4 | Anaheim | 3 | Ottawa | 2 | |
| June 6 | Ottawa | 2 | Anaheim | 6 | |
| Anaheim won the series 4–1 | |||||
| Scott Niedermayer won the Conn Smythe Trophy | |||||
Scott Niedermayer from the Anaheim Ducks was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his amazing performance.
NHL Awards
At the end of the season, many players and teams received special awards for their achievements. Here are some of the big ones:
All-Star Teams
The NHL also picks the best players for "All-Star" teams. These are like dream teams of the season's top players.
| First Team | Position | Second Team |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils | G | Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks |
| Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings | D | Dan Boyle, Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks | D | Chris Pronger, Anaheim Ducks |
| Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins | C | Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators | RW | Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals | LW | Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres |
New Players and Farewell Games
Each season, new players join the league, and some older players play their last games.
First Games
Here are some notable players who played their very first NHL game in the 2006–07 season:
- Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild
- Yutaka Fukufuji, Los Angeles Kings (He was the first Japanese NHL player!)
- Phil Kessel, Boston Bruins
- Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
- Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Alexander Radulov, Nashville Predators
- Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche
Last Games
These are some well-known players who played their final NHL game in the 2006–07 season:
- Matthew Barnaby, Dallas Stars
- Peter Bondra, Chicago Blackhawks
- Sean Burke, Los Angeles Kings
- Eric Lindros, Dallas Stars
- Scott Mellanby, Atlanta Thrashers
- Joe Nieuwendyk, Florida Panthers
- Mike Ricci, Phoenix Coyotes
- Patrik Stefan, Dallas Stars
- Pierre Turgeon, Colorado Avalanche
