Bruins win Stanley CupThe Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final and won the NHL title for the first time since 1972. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was named the most valuable player of the NHL postseason. He stopped an incredible 238 of the Canucks' 246 shots in the finals for a .967 save percentage. The Bruins are the first team in NHL history to win a Game 7 three times in the same postseason, and Thomas posted shutouts in the decisive game of the Eastern Conference finals and the Stanley Cup finals.
Thrashers relocated to WinnipegDuring the off-season, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba to become the Winnipeg Jets. It was the first NHL team relocation since the 1997/98 NHL season when the Hartford Whalers relocated to become the Carolina Hurricanes. The league did not change its divisional structure to accomodate the move, and the Jets take the place of the Thrashers in the Southeast Division. NHL 2011/12 key dates
Stanley Cup favoritesThe Vancouver Canucks returns for the 2011/12 season with much the same personnel that suffered Stanley Cup final defeat a few months ago. The only major subtraction is defenseman Christian Ehrhoff. Marco Sturm joins the forward group hopefully to provide a little depth scoring and a solid two-way game. They have the squad to not only return to the playoffs as a number one seed, but make another run at the Cup. Still, the meltdown against Boston in a series in which they led 2-0 and 3-2 remains one of the most curious choke jobs in Stanley Cup finals history. The question moving forward is whether that bitter disappointment galvanizes them or whether it shatters them.
These are odds to win 2011/12 Stanley Cup published by online bookmakers before the start of the season. Despite a slew of injuries that saw them play with as many as 12 regulars out of the lineup at once, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished the regular season with the league's elite. The Penguins were built with so much depth, they were only one point from the top seed in the east despite missing Crosby and Malkin for the last half of the season. The defense is again strong and the return of Malkin and a full year of winger James Neal will help boost the offense. The Penguins will be an Atlantic Division favorite and depending on if Crosby returns and at what level, they should be heavy favorites coming out of the Eastern Conference. For the fourth straight season, the Washington Capitals won the Southeast Division last year. And for the fourth straight season, they couldn't carry that regular-season success into the playoffs. Despite another disappointing showing, the Capitals didn't make wholesale changes this offseason. They did, however, address two areas of concern. First, they upgraded their goaltending by bringing in veteran Tomas Vokoun. The other area Washington tried to upgrade was it depth and grit up front, two qualities that are crucial come playoff time. They traded for Troy Brouwer, who won a Cup with Chicago in 2010, and signed Jeff Halpern and Joel Ward. The Capitals management looks to have assembled a team that has the potential to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup this season. Despite reaching the final just over a year ago, the Philadelphia Flyers spent the summer undertaking a radical overhaul of their roster with a series of trades and signings. It began with them giving a 9-year $57 million contract to goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. Then they traded their captain Mike Richards and top scorer Jeff Carter, in two separate surprise deals. Richards departed to the Los Angeles Kings for top prospect Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. Carter was sent to Columbus for sturdy young defenseman Jakub Voracek. After a three year absence from the NHL, veteran Jaromir Jagr is a wild card but is coming off of a slightly higher than point per game season in the KHL. The Flyers are still a strong team in the Eastern Conference, but it will all come down to how the new blood in the lineup gels with the returnees. This is introduction to 2011/12 NHL season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main NHL page. The Boston Bruins won the Cup last year and like most champs, they will be hard pressed to sustain the momentum of a brilliant playoff run. The only big loss was the veteran leadership of Mark Recchi, a hall of famer who retired after 21 seasons. All of Bostons returning players have earned their playoff beards and fought the battle. It's too difficult to repeat in this age, but they'll still be dangerous. If the Bruins can get the improbable return of Marc Savard from post concussion syndrome, their offense will be significantly more potent. The Stanley Cup finals in the last five seasons
2011 Boston Bruins - Vancouver Canucks 4:2
The table shows the overall number of NHL titles since 1918 and team success in the last five seasons. |
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key playersAnaheim Mighty DucksCenter Ryan Getzlaf, Wings Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry, Defenders Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman, Goaltender Jonas Hiller Boston BruinsCenter Patrice Bergeron, Wings Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, Defenders Zdeno Chara and Joe Corvo, Goaltender Tim Thomas Buffalo SabresCenter Derek Roy, Wings Thomas Vanek and Ville Leino, Defenders Tyler Myers and Jordan Leopold, Goaltender Ryan Miller Calgary FlamesCenter Olli Jokinen, Wings Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla, Defenders Jay Bouwmeester and Chris Butler, Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff Carolina HurricanesCenter Eric Staal, Wings Jussi Jokinen and Zac Dalpe, Defenders Tim Gleason and Jamie McBain, Goaltender Cam Ward Chicago BlackhawksCenter Jonathan Toews, Wings Andrew Brunette and Patrick Kane, Defenders Duncan Keith and Nick Leddy, Goaltender Corey Crawford Colorado AvalancheCenter Matt Duchene, Wings David Jones and Milan Hejduk, Defenders Erik Johnson and Ryan Wilson, Goaltender Semyon Varlamov Columbus Blue JacketCenter Jeff Carter, Wings Rick Nash and Vinny Prospal, Defenders James Wisniewski and Kris Russell, Goaltender Steve Mason Dallas StarsCenter Jamie Benn, Wings Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson, Defenders Stephane Robidas and Nicklas Grossman, Goaltender Kari Lehtonen Detroit Red WingsCenter Pavel Datsyuk, Wings Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen, Defenders Nicklas Lidstrom and Ian White, Goaltender Jimmy Howard Edmonton OilersCenter Shawn Horcoff, Wings Taylor Hall and Ales Hemsky, Defenders Ryan Whitney and Theo Peckham, Goaltender Devan Dubnyk Florida PanthersCenter Stephen Weiss, Wings David Booth and Scottie Upshall, Defenders Brian Campbell and Keaton Ellerby, Goaltender Jose Theodore Los Angeles KingsCenter Anze Kopitar, Wings Simon Gagne and Dustin Brown, Defenders Drew Doughty and Matt Greene, Goaltender Jonathan Quick Minnesota WildCenter Mikko Koivu, Wings Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, Defenders Marek Zidlicky and Clayton Stoner, Goaltender Niklas Backstrom Montreal CanadiensCenter Tomas Plekanec, Wings Michael Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, Defenders P.K. Subban and Jaroslav Spacek, Goaltender Carey Price Nashville PredatorsCenter David Legwand, Wings Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat, Defenders Shea Weber and Jonathon Blum, Goaltender Pekka Rinne New Jersey DevilsCenter Travis Zajac, Wings Ilya Kovalchuk and Dainius Zubrus, Defenders Andy Greene and Adam Larsson, Goaltender Martin Brodeur New York IslandersCenter John Tavares, Wings Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo, Defenders Mark Streit and Travis Hamonic, Goaltender Rick DiPietro New York RangersCenter Brad Richards, Wings Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik, Defenders Marc Staal and Mike Sauer, Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist Ottawa SenatorsCenter Jason Spezza, Wings Milan Michalek and Daniel Alfredsson, Defenders Erik Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar, Goaltender Craig Anderson Philadelphia FlyersCenter Claude Giroux, Wings James van Riemsdyk and Jaromir Jagr, Defenders Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn, Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov Phoenix CoyotesCenter Martin Hanzal, Wings Ray Whitney and Shane Doan, Defenders Keith Yandle and Derek Morris, Goaltender Mike Smith Pittsburgh PenguinsCenter Sidney Crosby, Wings Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy, Defenders Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik, Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury San Jose SharksCenter Joe Thornton, Wings Patrick Marleau and Martin Havlat, Defenders Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Goaltender Antti Niemi St. Louis BluesCenter David Backes, Wings Andy McDonald and Chris Stewart, Defenders Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk, Goaltender Jaroslav Halak Tampa Bay LightningCenter Steven Stamkos, Wings Ryan Malone and Martin St. Louis, Defenders Victor Hedman and Pavel Kubina, Goaltender Dwayne Roloson Toronto Maple LeafsCenter Tim Connolly, Wings Joffrey Lupul and Phil Kessel, Defenders Dion Phaneuf and Cody Franson, Goaltender James Reimer Vancouver CanucksCenter Henrik Sedin, Wings Daniel Sedin and Alexandre Burrows, Defenders Alexander Edler and Sami Salo, Goaltender Roberto Luongo Washington CapitalsCenter Nicklas Backstrom, Wings Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, Defenders Mike Green and Dennis Wideman, Goaltender Tomas Vokoun Winnipeg JetsCenter Bryan Little, Wings Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler, Defenders Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian, Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||