The 2019–20 NHL season was the 103rd season of operation (102nd season of play) of the National Hockey League. The regular season began on October 2, 2019, with playoffs originally planned for April and the Stanley Cup Finals planned for June. The season was suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 22, 2020, the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) agreed to a framework for the resumption of play, which would see the remainder of the regular season scrapped, and the top 12 teams in each conference (by points percentage) competing in a modified and expanded Stanley Cup playoffs, which the NHL planned to hold in two centralized "hub cities", Toronto's Scotiabank Arena and Edmonton's Rogers Place, with no spectators and only essential staff present.[1]
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA), previously signed to end the 2012–13 NHL lockout, entered into its eighth season. Before the season started, both the NHL and the NHLPA had the choice to opt out of the CBA on September 1 and September 16, 2019, respectively. If either of them had opted out, the CBA would have expired at the end of this season instead of at the end of 2021–22.[3] The NHL announced on August 30 that they would not opt out,[4] and the NHLPA then also agreed on September 16 not to opt out.[5]
Salary cap
The salary cap was set at US$81.5 million, as announced on June 22, 2019.[6]
Seattle expansion team
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the christening of the Seattle Kraken was delayed to July 23, 2020.[7][8] The expansion team, set to begin play during the 2021–22 season, originally planned to announce the club's name in early 2020.[9]
Ron Francis was hired as Seattle's first general manager on July 17, 2019.[10]
Rule changes
The following rule changes were proposed June 19, 2019, and approved the next day:[11][12]
In the event a net is inadvertently knocked off its moorings, or if a puck shot from beyond center ice is stopped and frozen by the goaltender, the face-off will take place in the goaltender's defensive zone, with the team on offense given choice of side. In such cases, the defensive team will not be allowed to make a line change.
A puck that leaves play in the attacking zone will remain in the attacking zone for the next face-off.
Players who lose their helmet during play must return to the bench as soon as it is feasible until it can be replaced, or the player must retrieve their helmet.
Linesmen will now drop the puck at centre ice after goals and at the start of overtime instead of the referees.[13]
Teams now have an unlimited number of coach's challenges, but failed challenges will now result in delay-of-game penalties instead of the loss of their timeout. The first failed challenge will result in a two-minute minor, and each subsequent failed challenge will result in a four-minute double-minor.
A team may challenge goals that follow plays in the attacking zone that should have instead resulted in a stoppage before the puck went into the net. Missed stoppages include hand passes, pucks high-sticked to a teammate, and pucks hitting the netting or going into the players bench. The delay-of-game penalty for pucks going over the glass will still not be reviewable under this situation.
All match and major penalties excluding fighting will be required to video review; officials will reserve the authority to reduce the penalty to a minor penalty depending on the result of the review, but referees cannot rescind a penalty altogether.
Referees have the option to review high-sticking double minors at their discretion and without consultation with the NHL's Situation Room.
The league eliminates the use of goal judges and assigns those duties to the in-house video replay official.[14]
Modification to the tie-breaking procedure
To put more emphasis on teams winning in regulation, regulation wins (tracked in an additional RW column in the league standings) will now precede regulation and overtime wins (ROW) in the tie-breaking procedure. The league also added goals scored as a new tiebreaker.[15]
Player and puck tracking technology
After testing at the 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game, the NHL planned to deploy player and puck tracking systems to all 31 NHL arenas prior to the start of the 2019–20 season.[16][17] This technology was developed in collaboration with a German Fraunhofer Institute using transmitters embedded inside pucks and jerseys.[17] It enables on-air features such as speed displays, puck tracking graphics (reminiscent of the FoxTrax graphics utilized in the late 1990s by previous U.S. national NHL broadcaster Fox, also developed by Sportvision), and marker graphics hovering above players.[18]
On September 5, 2019, it was reported that the league replaced its primary technology partner in its tracking technology, and thus the system likely would not be up and running until the 2020 playoffs at the earliest.[19]
This was the final season for lead NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick. Emrick announced his retirement from broadcasting on October 19, 2020, after a 47-year career.[23]
Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play announcer John Forslund was replaced by rinkside reporter Mike Maniscalco prior to the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Forslund had been the television voice of the Whalers/Hurricanes franchise since 1995, and added radio play-by-play in 2018 after the team removed Chuck Kaiton from the position.[24]
Carlyle was fired on February 10, 2019, nearly three years into his second stint with the team. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007, but since then had made the playoffs only two times. Carlyle was 21–26–9 at the time of his firing. General manager Murray took over as interim coach until the end of the season. Murray finished out the season 14–11–1.[33] Eakins was hired on June 17, 2019. Eakins most recently served as the head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2015 to 2019.[34]
Housley was fired April 7, 2019, after two seasons and a 58–84–22 record with the Sabres. Housley finished his first season in last place, and squandered a 10-game winning streak in his second season only to collapse and miss the playoffs.[35] Krueger was hired May 15, 2019. He did not coach ice hockey full-time since his only previous NHL coaching stint, a half-season with the Edmonton Oilers in 2013, ended with his firing.[36]
McLellan was fired on November 20, 2018, after starting the season 9–10–1.[37] McLellan had been the Oilers' head coach since the 2015–16 season, leading the team to a 123–119–24 record and a playoff berth in 2016–17. Hitchcock, a head coach with the third most wins in the NHL, was hired out of his announced retirement to replace McLellan for the remainder of the season.[38][39] Hitchcock was fired after Ken Holland became the general manager of the Oilers on May 7, 2019. Hitchcock finished the season 26–28–8, outside of the playoffs.[40] Tippett was hired on May 28. He last served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes from 2009 to 2017.[41]
Boughner was fired on April 7, 2019. In two seasons, the Panthers went 79–62–22 and never qualified for the playoffs under Boughner.[42] On April 8, Quenneville was hired as the team's new head coach. Quenneville most recently served as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks (2008–2018), and guided them to three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He accumulated an overall record of 797–452–249 with the team.[43]
Stevens was fired on November 4, 2018, after starting the season 4–8–1, reaching the first round of the playoffs in his only full season as coach. Former Vancouver Canucks' head coach Desjardins was named the interim coach for the team.[44][45] Desjardins finished out the season 27–34–8, outside of the playoffs. On April 16, 2019, the team hired McLellan as franchise's 29th head coach. McLellan most recently served as the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers (2015–2018).[46]
Boucher was fired on March 1, 2019, after three seasons with the team, his best season being the 2016–17 season when the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals. At the time of his firing, Boucher was 22–37–5. Crawford, who previously coached the Dallas Stars, was named the Senators' interim head coach.[47] Crawford finished the season 7–10–1, outside of the playoffs. On May 23, the team hired Smith as their head coach. He most recently served as an assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.[48]
Hakstol was fired on December 17, 2018, after three and a half years with the team where he guided them to two playoff appearances. At the time of his firing, the team was 12–15–4. Former New York Islanders' head coach Gordon was named interim coach.[49] Gordon finished the season 25–22–4, outside of the playoffs. Vigneault was hired on April 15, 2019. Vigneault most recently served as the head coach of the New York Rangers, guiding them to a 226–147–37 record in five seasons (2013–2018).[50]
Yeo was fired on November 19, 2018, after almost two years with the team and only one playoff appearance. Berube, who had served as assistant coach with the Blues since 2017, was named interim head coach.[51] After coaching the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in 2019, Berube was named permanent head coach on June 24, 2019.[52]
Peters resigned on November 29, 2019, after accusations of racism were made by former Rockford IceHogs player Akim Aliu when Peters was coaching the AHL club a decade earlier. Peters spent 1+1⁄3 seasons with the Flames, registering a record of 12–12–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference the previous season. Ward, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[53][54]
Montgomery was dismissed on December 10, 2019, due to "unprofessional conduct inconsistent with the core values and beliefs" of the Stars and the league. He spent 1+1⁄3 seasons with the Stars, registering a record of 17–11–3 to start the season after reaching the second round of the playoffs the previous season. Bowness, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[55][56]
Boudreau was fired on February 14, 2020, after 3+2⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 27–23–7 to start the season. The Wild had reached the playoffs in the first two seasons of his tenure in Minnesota but had not qualified for the playoffs since the 2017–18 season. Evason, who had served as an assistant coach with the Wild since the start of the 2018–19 season, was immediately named interim head coach.[57]
Laviolette was fired on January 6, 2020, after 5+1⁄2 seasons with the team, which had registered a 19–15–7 record to start the season. The Predators made the playoffs in all five seasons under Laviolette, advanced to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals and won the Presidents' Trophy in the 2017–18 season.[58] Hynes, who previously served as the head coach of the New Jersey Devils, was hired on January 7, 2020.[59]
Hynes was fired on December 3, 2019, after 4+1⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a 9–13–4 record to start the season. The Devils reached the playoffs once in Hynes' tenure, and did not advance past the first round in 2018. Nasreddine, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[60]
DeBoer was fired on December 11, 2019, after 4+1⁄3 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 15–16–2 to start the season. The Sharks qualified for the playoffs in all of the four previous seasons under DeBoer, and advanced to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Boughner, who served as an assistant coach, was named interim head coach.[61]
Babcock was fired on November 20, 2019, after 4+1⁄4 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 9–10–4 to start the season after reaching the first round of the playoffs in the previous three seasons. Keefe, who had served as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL from 2015 to 2019, was subsequently named as the team's next head coach.[62]
Gallant was fired on January 15, 2020, after a little more than 2+1⁄2 seasons with the team, which had registered a record of 24–19–6 to start the season. The Golden Knights had reached the playoffs in their first two seasons of existence, including advancing to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals in their debut season. Gallant earned the Jack Adams Award that season.[63] DeBoer, who had been fired as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks one month earlier, was subsequently named as the team's second head coach.[64]
Yzerman, who played his entire NHL career for the Red Wings and had previously been the team's vice president from 2006 to 2010, returned as general manager on April 19, 2019.[65]
Chiarelli was fired on January 22, 2019, after four years as the Oilers' general manager. Gretzky, the brother of former NHL player Wayne Gretzky, was named interim general manager.[66] Holland was hired on May 7, 2019.[67]
Fenton was fired on July 30, 2019, after one year as general manager. On August 21, it was announced that Guerin had been named general manager of the Wild.[68]
McCrimmon was promoted to general manager, effective September 1, 2019, on May 2, 2019. McPhee will remain director of hockey operations of the Golden Knights, but McCrimmon will represent them at the league's general manager meetings and be the point of contact for other general managers.[69]
Chayka (after four years with the team) quit unexpectedly as the team headed into the 2020 Qualifying Round. Steve Sullivan was named interim general manager.[70] During the off-season, on September 17, 2020, the Coyotes hired former Blues assistant GM, Bill Armstrong, as their new general manager.[71]
Shero was fired on January 12, 2020, after five years as the Devils' general manager. Fitzgerald was named interim general manager.[72]
(*) Indicates interim.
Regular season
The regular season began on October 2, 2019, and was originally supposed to end on April 4, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was suspended on March 12, 2020.[73] On May 26, 2020, it was announced that the regular season would not be finished.[74]
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, concern began to build that large crowds at sporting events would spread the virus that causes COVID-19. In early March 2020, the NHL suspended media access to the locker rooms, saying that only official personnel would be allowed in after the games to limit person-to-person contact. The San Jose Sharks were planning to play three home games without fans from March 19, following San Francisco's order prohibiting assemblies larger than 1,000 individuals.[93] Meanwhile, the Columbus Blue Jackets had also proposed to play home games without fans, due to Ohio governor Mike DeWine banning mass gatherings in the state.[94]
But after the National Basketball Association (NBA) suspended all games when Rudy Gobert and another player tested positive for COVID-19 on the day that the World Health Organization declared the disease to be a pandemic, the NHL scheduled a meeting to discuss pausing the season. On March 12, morning practice sessions and media access for all teams were cancelled. Shortly after, they announced that the 2019–20 season had been paused indefinitely.[95] This became the biggest interruption to regular NHL season games since the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[96] All players and hockey staff were asked to self-quarantine in their home cities until further notice.[97]
One of the players from the Ottawa Senators had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 17.[98][99] Four days later, on March 21, it was announced that a second Senators player tested positive for COVID-19.[100][101] Two Colorado Avalanche players also tested positive for the virus.[102] On April 4, the originally intended date for the final games of the regular season, Commissioner Gary Bettman participated in a call with U.S. president Donald Trump and other sport commissioners on the state of the sport world.[103]
Return to play with modified playoff format
On May 22, the league and the NHLPA agreed on a basic framework to stage a 24-team playoff tournament behind closed doors. The details of the plan were announced publicly on May 26. The seeds would be based on each club's points percentage when the season paused on March 12 (effectively scrapping the remainder of the regular season and making this the first season in NHL history where some teams played more regular season games than others in a year that did not have a team fold during the regular season). The top four seeds in each conference would get a bye, while the next eight seeds in each conference would play in a best-of-five series. Many of the logistics still needed to be negotiated, including COVID-19 testing protocols, visas, and whether these games would be held in one or more "hub" cities as the Canada–United States border would remain closed to non-essential travel until June 21.[104][105][106] That same day, the U.S. government announced that foreign athletes would be exempted from pandemic-related travel bans still in effect.[107][108]
On May 26, Bettman formally discussed aspects of the "Return to Play Plan", including the proposed 24-team playoff format (with the top four teams in each conference playing a round robin tournament under regular season overtime rules to determine their seeds), and modifications to the procedures for the Draft Lottery. Aspects of the format (including the possibility of a best-of-five format for the first and second round, and changes to bracketing) were still being negotiated, but it was stated that the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals would still use a best-of-seven series. Bettman stated that at least two hub cities would be used for the playoffs, shortlisting hosts such as Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Vancouver. Health, testing, and security protocols would be in place at these sites.[97]
On June 4, it was announced that the NHL and NHLPA had approved aspects of the format that had not yet been finalized during the May 26 briefing, with the first and second rounds proper using a best-of-seven format as usual, and all teams being reseeded after each round (to account for the lack of home advantage due to all games being played at a neutral site).[109]
It was reported that the NHL planned to have one American host and one Canadian host.[110] As Canada's Quarantine Act at the time required all travellers entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated that this may impact the ability to use Canadian host cities unless these issues can be addressed.[97] On June 10, British Columbia PremierJohn Horgan stated that the province's medical officer Bonnie Henry had endorsed proposed protocols developed by the Vancouver Canucks in collaboration with local officials, and that they were being sent to Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau for federal approval.[111] These included allowing the NHL to "cohort" players and restrict their access to the general public.[112]
Phase 2 of the "Return to Play Plan" began on June 8.[113] Players were allowed to resume use of team practice facilities in small groups (no more than six), with only players allowed on-ice and no other agents or press admitted. Players had to self-isolate for 14 days if they used public transport, and were regularly monitored and tested for COVID-19. If a player tests positive, they could not attend training until they had been cleared, with teams suggested to use guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Training camps (phase 3) were planned to reopen on July 10.[97] Amidst an intense growth of new cases in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning temporarily closed their training facility on June 19 after several staff members and three players tested positive for COVID-19.[114]
On June 24, Sportsnet reported that Vancouver's bid had been complicated by disagreements over protocols for positive cases. The next day, Global BC's Richard Zussman reported that the NHL had "moved on [for now]" from Vancouver, and was increasing its focus on Edmonton and Toronto as potential sites.[115] While Las Vegas was initially considered a front-runner, a spike of cases in Nevada and other U.S. states led to reports on July 1 that the NHL had decided on Edmonton and Toronto as the sites.[116][110]
On July 10, the NHL confirmed that it had ratified agreements with the NHLPA to begin the playoffs on August 1 (concluding no later than early October), with games being hosted by Edmonton (Western Conference early rounds, Conference Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals) and Toronto (Eastern Conference early rounds). The league also renewed its collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for four additional seasons, which includes an increase to minimum player salaries and a 10% deference of player salaries for the 2020–21 season (to be paid out over three seasons beginning 2022–23).[117][118]
Fewer number of games played (only used during regular season)
Greater number of regulation wins (denoted by RW)
Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime (excluding shootout wins; denoted by ROW)
Greater number of total wins (including shootouts)
Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.
Greater goal differential (difference between goals for and goals against)
The top four teams in each conference played in a separate seeding round-robin to determine their seeding in the first round. These games were played with regular season overtime and shootout rules, with the clubs accumulating points like the regular season, and any ties in the round-robin standings were broken by the regular season points percentage.
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice was determined based on regular season points percentage. Each best-of-five series followed a 2–2–1 format: the higher-seeded team was the designated as the host for games one and two (and game five, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was the host for games three (and game four, if necessary). Each best-of-seven series followed a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team was the host for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team was the host for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). In the First Round, the top four teams in each conference were seeded one through four based on their final standings from the Round-robin. The teams that advanced from the Qualifying Round were re-seeded five through eight based on their regular season points percentage.
The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on March 11, 2020, while playing at least 1,740 minutes.[125]
On October 8, 2019, Florida Panthers defenceman Keith Yandle became the fifth player in NHL history and the first American-born to play in 800 consecutive games.[141]
On October 12, 2019, Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 338th player to reach the mark.[142]
On October 20, 2019, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice won his 700th game, becoming the seventh head coach to reach that mark.[143]
On November 3, 2019, Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 339th player to reach the mark.[144]
On November 5, 2019, Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara played his 1,500th NHL game.[145]
On November 13, 2019, Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 340th player to reach the mark.[146]
On November 16, 2019, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville won his 900th game, becoming the second coach in NHL history to reach the mark.[147]
On November 16, 2019, Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 341st player to reach the mark.[148][149]
On January 19, 2020, Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane became the 90th player in NHL history to score 1,000 points[157]
On February 1, 2020, Detroit Red Wings forward Valtteri Filppula played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 345th player to reach the mark.[158]
On February 1, 2020, St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 346th player to reach the mark.[159]
On February 4, 2020, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton became the 14th player to score 1,500 points.[160]
On February 7, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins became the first rookie goaltender to have five shutouts in an eight-game span since Frank Brimsek (1938–39).[161]
On February 7, 2020, Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 347th player to reach the mark.[162]
On February 13, 2020, Dallas Stars forward Andrew Cogliano played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 348th player to reach the mark.[163]
On February 22, 2020, Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal, becoming the eighth player to reach the mark.[164]
On August 11, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo set a modern NHL record with 85 saves in a single game, surpassing Kelly Hrudey in 1987.[165]
On August 11, 2020, Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Seth Jones set a modern NHL record of time on ice in a single playoff game, 65:06.[165]
On September 26, 2020, Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski scored his 61st playoff goal, surpassing Joe Mullen as the all-time playoff goal scorer by a United States-born player.[166]
Uniforms
The Buffalo Sabres introduced a 50th-anniversary third jersey that is plain white, with old gold trim and navy blue lettering. It was the last season the team used navy blue; a royal blue jersey will be introduced in 2020–21.[167]
The Carolina Hurricanes introduced a new road jersey, featuring the wordmark "Canes" written diagonally across the front. The jersey also incorporates the Hurricanes' secondary logo introduced by the team's alternate jersey during the previous season.[168]
The Los Angeles Kings introduced a 1990s throwback jersey for the 2019–20 season, which was inspired by the Kings' white home jersey worn from 1988 to 1998. The team was scheduled to wear the jersey twice during the season.[169]
The St. Louis Blues introduced a 1990s throwback jersey for the 2019–20 season, which was inspired by the Blues' blue road jersey worn from 1995 to 1998. The team was scheduled to wear the jersey in three home games during the season.[170][171]
The Vancouver Canucks, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the franchise in the NHL, introduced updated home and away jerseys worn during the season, featuring a revised stick-in-rink shoulder logo and the removal of the radially arched "VANCOUVER" across the chest. The Canucks also wore brand new third jerseys for select games, featuring the updated stick-in-rink logo and striping based on their original 1970 uniforms. In addition, the Canucks wore their 1990s throwback jerseys for select games. The design was chosen via an online vote over two other throwback jersey options.[172]
Broadcast rights
This was the ninth season under the NHL's ten-year deal with NBC Sports and sixth season of its twelve-year Canadian rights deal with Sportsnet and TVA Sports.[173][174]
Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios combined to purchase the former Fox Sports regional networks (FSN). Twelve of the NHL's 31 teams (Anaheim, Arizona, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, and Tampa Bay) carry their television broadcasts through FSN. FSN was one of the properties Fox Corporation's predecessor 21st Century Fox divested in its sale to The Walt Disney Company, but which The Walt Disney Company could not keep due to antitrust concerns. This was Entertainment Studios' first entry into sports, while Sinclair has had a sports operation since 2014 that currently distributes the free-to-air network Stadium and is concurrently expanding into the regional sports network business with its stakes in these networks, YES Network and the upcoming Chicago-based Marquee Sports Network.[178] The FSN networks continued to temporarily use the Fox Sports name under a transitional license agreement while Sinclair explores rebranding options.[179]
In August 2019, the Vegas Golden Knights agreed to a deal with Las Vegas broadcast television station KTNV-TV to locally televise all of the team's 2019 preseason games over-the-air.[180]
This was the final season of Sportsnet's regional rights to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.[182] In December 2019, after having aired the first-ever NHL broadcast in the language earlier in the year, it was announced that the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) would air six of Sportsnet's Hometown Hockey games per season in Plains Cree over the next three years.[183]
^Whyno, Stephen (January 26, 2019). "NHL gets into data game". Toronto Star. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
