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2009–10 NHL season facts for kids

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2009–10 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 1, 2009 – April 11, 2010
Number of games 82
Number of teams 30
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy Washington Capitals
Season MVP Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Top scorer Henrik Sedin (Vancouver)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Philadelphia Flyers
  Eastern runners-up Montreal Canadiens
Western champions Chicago Blackhawks
  Western runners-up San Jose Sharks
Playoffs MVP Jonathan Toews
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks
  Runners-up Philadelphia Flyers
NHL seasons

← 2008–09

2010–11 →

The 2009–10 NHL season was an exciting year for ice hockey fans! It was the 92nd season for the National Hockey League (NHL). The season started on October 1, 2009, with some games even played in Europe. It ended on April 11, 2010.

A big break happened in the middle of the season, from February 15 to 28. This was so that NHL players could go and play in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Because of the Olympics, there was no special NHL All-Star Game that year.

Regular Season

The regular season is where all the teams play many games to see who is the best. Teams earn points for winning games. The better a team does, the more points they get.

How Teams Are Ranked

At the end of the regular season, teams are ranked by how many points they have. The team with the most points is number one. If two or more teams have the same number of points, here's how the NHL decides who ranks higher:

  • The team that played fewer games to get those points. This means they scored more points per game.
  • The team that won more games.
  • The team that earned more points when they played against each other.
    • If two teams are tied and didn't play the same number of home games against each other, some points from their first home game might not count.
    • If more than two teams are tied, the team with the most points per game in games played only among those tied teams gets ranked higher.
  • The team with a bigger difference between the goals they scored and the goals scored against them. This shows which team won their games by the biggest margins.

Top Players of the Season

These players were the best at scoring points during the regular season. Points are given for goals and assists.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus (how many more goals your team scored than the other team while you were on the ice); PIM = Penalty minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Sedin, HenrikHenrik Sedin Vancouver Canucks 82 29 83 112 +35 48
Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 81 51 58 109 +15 69
Ovechkin, AlexanderAlexander Ovechkin Washington Capitals 72 50 59 109 +45 89
Backstrom, NicklasNicklas Backstrom Washington Capitals 82 33 68 101 +37 50
Stamkos, StevenSteven Stamkos Tampa Bay Lightning 82 51 44 95 -2 38
St. Louis, MartinMartin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 82 29 65 94 -8 12
Richards, BradBrad Richards Dallas Stars 80 24 67 91 -12 14
Thornton, JoeJoe Thornton San Jose Sharks 79 20 69 89 +17 54
Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks 82 30 58 88 +16 20
Gaborik, MarianMarian Gaborik New York Rangers 76 42 44 86 +15 37

Top Goaltenders

These goalies were the best at stopping pucks and keeping goals out of their net.

GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts (games where they allowed no goals); SV% = Save percentage (how many shots they stopped); GAA = Goals against average (how many goals they let in per game)

Player Team GP TOI W L OT GA SO SV% GAA
Rask, TuukkaTuukka Rask Boston Bruins 45 2,562:11 22 12 5 84 5 .931 1.97
Miller, RyanRyan Miller Buffalo Sabres 69 4,047:10 41 18 8 150 5 .929 2.22
Brodeur, MartinMartin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 77 4,499:01 45 25 6 168 9 .916 2.24
Niemi, AnttiAntti Niemi Chicago Blackhawks 39 2,190:28 26 7 4 82 7 .912 2.25
Howard, JimmyJimmy Howard Detroit Red Wings 63 3,740:15 37 15 10 141 3 .924 2.26
Bryzgalov, IlyaIlya Bryzgalov Phoenix Coyotes 69 4,084:27 42 20 6 156 8 .920 2.29
Kiprusoff, MiikkaMiikka Kiprusoff Calgary Flames 73 4,235:19 35 28 10 163 4 .920 2.31
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 73 4,203:49 35 27 10 167 4 .921 2.38
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak Montreal Canadiens 45 2,629:56 26 13 5 105 5 .924 2.40
Nabokov, EvgeniEvgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks 71 4,194:07 44 16 10 170 3 .922 2.43

Playoffs

The playoffs are an exciting tournament after the regular season. Only the best teams get to play. The goal is to win the Stanley Cup, which is the biggest prize in hockey!

Playoff Teams

After the regular season, 16 teams made it to the playoffs. The Washington Capitals won the Presidents' Trophy for having the most points in the entire league (121 points). Teams are ranked, or "seeded," based on their regular season performance.

Eastern Conference Teams

Hhof stanley cup
The Stanley Cup
  1. Washington Capitals – They were the best team in the Eastern Conference and won the President's Trophy with 121 points.
  2. New Jersey Devils – 103 points
  3. Buffalo Sabres – 100 points
  4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 101 points
  5. Ottawa Senators – 94 points
  6. Boston Bruins – 91 points
  7. Philadelphia Flyers – 88 points
  8. Montreal Canadiens – 88 points

Western Conference Teams

  1. San Jose Sharks – They were the best team in the Western Conference with 113 points.
  2. Chicago Blackhawks – 112 points
  3. Vancouver Canucks – 103 points
  4. Phoenix Coyotes – 107 points
  5. Detroit Red Wings – 102 points
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 101 points
  7. Nashville Predators – 100 points
  8. Colorado Avalanche – 95 points

Playoff Bracket

This bracket shows how the teams played against each other in the playoffs. The team that won each series moved on to the next round.

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Final
                                     
1  Washington Capitals 3  
8  Montreal Canadiens 4  
  4  Pittsburgh Penguins 3  
  8  Montreal Canadiens 4  
2  New Jersey Devils 1
7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
  8  Montreal Canadiens 1  
Eastern Conference
  7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
3  Buffalo Sabres 2  
6  Boston Bruins 4  
  6  Boston Bruins 3
  7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
4  Pittsburgh Penguins 4
5  Ottawa Senators 2  
  E7  Philadelphia Flyers 2
  W2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
1  San Jose Sharks 4  
8  Colorado Avalanche 2  
  1  San Jose Sharks 4
  5  Detroit Red Wings 1  
2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
7  Nashville Predators 2  
  1  San Jose Sharks 0
Western Conference
  2  Chicago Blackhawks 4  
3  Vancouver Canucks 4  
6  Los Angeles Kings 2  
  2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
  3  Vancouver Canucks 2  
4  Phoenix Coyotes 3
5  Detroit Red Wings 4  

NHL Awards

Many special awards are given out at the end of the season to recognize the best teams and players. Here are some of the awards from the 2009–10 NHL season:

2009–10 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s)
Stanley Cup Chicago Blackhawks
Presidents' Trophy Washington Capitals
Prince of Wales Trophy Philadelphia Flyers
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl Chicago Blackhawks
Art Ross Trophy Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Jose Theodore (Washington Capitals)
Calder Memorial Trophy Tyler Myers (Buffalo Sabres)
Conn Smythe Trophy Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
Frank J. Selke Trophy Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings)
Hart Memorial Trophy Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Jack Adams Award Dave Tippett (Phoenix Coyotes)
James Norris Memorial Trophy Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Ted Lindsay Award Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
NHL General Manager of the Year Award Don Maloney (Phoenix Coyotes)
NHL Plus/Minus Award Jeff Schultz (Washington Capitals)
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award Tuukka Rask (Boston Bruins)
Vezina Trophy Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
William M. Jennings Trophy Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)
Lester Patrick Trophy Dave Andrews, Cam Neely, Jack Parker, Jerry York

Milestones

This section lists some important "firsts" and "lasts" for players during this season.

First Games

These players played their very first NHL game in the 2009–10 season:

Last Games

This player played his last NHL game in the 2009–10 season:

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2009–10 NHL season Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.