Season starts tomorrow, may as well get this up now.
WIKI NHL 2008–09
The 2008–09 NHL season will be the 91st season of the National Hockey League. It will run from October 4, 2008 through April 12, 2009, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs to follow, ending in June 2009. This will be the first season since the 2004–05 lockout in which every team will play each other at least once during the season, as opposed to the last three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the other conference.[1] The Montreal Canadiens will host the 57th NHL All-Star Game at the Bell Centre on January 25, 2009, part of the Canadiens' 100th Anniversary celebration.
RULE CHANGES
The NHL brought in a number of rule changes for the start of the 2008-09 NHL season aimed at increasing offence and safety. The first rule change was to Rule 76.2 on faceoffs. The first faceoff of a power play will now be in the defending zone of the team that committed the foul, regardless of where the foul was committed. The second rule dealt with the issue of safety while players are pursuing the puck on a potential icing call. Rule 81.1 states that, "Any contact between opposing players while pursuing the puck on an icing must be for the sole purpose of playing the puck and not for eliminating the opponent from playing the puck. Unnecessary or dangerous contact could result in penalties being assessed to the offending player." The third rule change also dealt with faceoff position: if a puck is shot off the goal frame, goal post or crossbar, the subsequent faceoff will remain in the end zone where the puck went out of play. Another rule change prohibits TV commercials, goaltender changes, and timeouts immediately after an icing call.
EUROPEAN OPENERS
The regular season will start with four games to be played in Europe. The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins will play each other twice in Stockholm, Sweden and the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning will play each other twice in Prague, Czech Republic. These four teams will also play some pre-season exhibition games in Europe.
WINTER CLASSIC
Due to the success of the 2008 Winter Classic, another outdoor game will be held for the 2008–09 NHL season. While Yankee Stadium was considered an early favorite, in a game to be hosted by the Rangers, cold-weather issues involving the old stadium put that location out of the mix. Another site considered was Beaver Stadium at Penn State University, with that game to likely involve the Penguins and the Flyers.
On May 29, 2008, TSN reported that the 2009 NHL Winter Classic will be held in Chicago, Illinois on January 1st, 2009, played between the Chicago Blackhawks and defending champion Detroit Red Wings. Soldier Field was considered an early candidate, however the NFL's Chicago Bears objected, citing a possible home game for the 2008 NFL Playoffs that weekend (January 3-4). It was decided that the game would be played at Wrigley Field, the North Side home of the Chicago Cubs, as confirmed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on July 6th. Ten days afterward, the NHL confirmed the reports that the game would officially be held on New Year's Day. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST (12 noon CST).
INCREASE IN SALARY CAP
On June 26, 2008, the National Hockey League announced that the regular season salary cap would be going up for the fourth straight season. The 2008-09 salary cap is being increased by $6,400,000(US) per team to bring the salary cap up to $56,700,000(US). The salary floor is at $40,700,000(US), which is higher than salary cap on 2005-06 season.
LINKS
2008-09 Transactions
57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
TSN 2008-09 Team Previews
SI Power Rankings
Globe & Mail Season Primer
Official NHL 2008 Season Discussion Thread
Official NHL 2008 Season Discussion Thread
