RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
The 2020–21 season was originally planned to begin in October 2020 and end with the Stanley Cup being awarded in June 2021, but this had to be changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting later than normal conclusion of the previous season. In December, the league said that the season would be shorter than the typical 82 games. Attendance at each arena was limited by local health orders. The league also relies on attendance for at least 50 percent of its revenue, and the players were against spending the full season isolated in neutral-site bubbles similar to their situation during the 2020 playoffs. With the NHL expecting to lose billions of dollars, several team owners privately told NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that they wanted to suspend the season. But Bettman convinced them that they could not afford to sit out the season in the long run, especially with the expansion team Seattle Kraken joining the league in 2021–22, as well as the prospect of signing new U.S. national television deals with multiple networks (see § Media rights, below).
In July 2020, the league and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) initially agreed to tentatively schedule the opening of training camp on November 17, 2020, and the start of the regular season on December 1. In October 2020, both the NHL and NHLPA began discussions on the specific details on how to proceed with the season. On October 6, the NHL and the NHLPA agreed to delay the targeted start date of the regular season to January 1, 2021, and to decide at a later date when to open training camp.
In mid-November 2020, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated that the league was still targeting a January 1 start, but that "we have to build in flexibility for the hiccups that we expect will come along and have to expect will come along with potential COVID-19 positives and contact tracing requirements", citing "difficulties" faced by Major League Baseball and the National Football League over their handling of the pandemic.
On December 20, the league unveiled its plans for a 56-game regular season, and that the teams would temporarily be realigned into four regional divisions. Due to limitations on travel into and out of Canada, the seven Canadian teams were aligned into a single North division. The seven teams in the North Division played each other nine or ten times during the regular season.
Close
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season was reduced to 56 games and began on January 13, 2021. Due to cross-border travel restrictions imposed by Canada, the league temporarily realigned for this season, putting all seven Canadian teams into one division.
Due to cross-border travel restrictions imposed by the Government of Canada over the COVID-19 pandemic, the league temporarily realigned this season into four divisions with no conferences. Consequently, the first two rounds of the playoffs featured intra-divisional matchups, with the higher-seeded teams receiving home-ice advantage in those rounds. In the Stanley Cup Semifinals, the four remaining teams (one from each division) were re-seeded based on their regular season records.
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/16
(3)Minnesota
1-0 OT
Vegas (2)
OT
MIN 1-0
5/18
(3)Minnesota
1-3
Vegas (2)
Tied 1-1
5/20
(2)Vegas
5-2
Minnesota (3)
LV 2-1
5/22
(2)Vegas
4-0
Minnesota (3)
LV 3-1
5/24
(3)Minnesota
4-2
Vegas (2)
LV 3-2
5/26
(2)Vegas
0-3
Minnesota (3)
Tied 3-3
5/28
(3)Minnesota
2-6
Vegas (2)
LV 4-3
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/17
(4)St. Louis
1-4
Colorado (1)
COL 1-0
5/19
(4)St. Louis
3-6
Colorado (1)
COL 2-0
5/21
(1)Colorado
5-1
St. Louis (4)
COL 3-0
5/23
(1)Colorado
5-2
St. Louis (4)
COL 4-0
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/19
(3)Winnipeg
4-1
Edmonton (2)
WPG 1-0
5/21
(3)Winnipeg
1-0 OT
Edmonton (2)
OT
WPG 2-0
5/23
(2)Edmonton
4-5 OT
Winnipeg (3)
OT
WPG 3-0
5/24
(2)Edmonton
3-4 3OT
Winnipeg (3)
3OT
WPG 4-0
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/20
(4)Montreal
2-1
Toronto (1)
MTL 1-0
5/22
(4)Montreal
1-5
Toronto (1)
Tied 1-1
5/24
(1)Toronto
2-1
Montreal (4)
TOR 2-1
5/25
(1)Toronto
4-0
Montreal (4)
TOR 3-1
5/27
(4)Montreal
4-3 OT
Toronto (1)
OT
TOR 3-2
5/29
(1)Toronto
2-3 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
Tied 3-3
5/31
(4)Montreal
3-1
Toronto (1)
MTL 4-3
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/15
(3)Boston
2-3 OT
Washington (2)
OT
WAS 1-0
5/17
(3)Boston
4-3 OT
Washington (2)
OT
Tied 1-1
5/19
(2)Washington
2-3 2OT
Boston (3)
2OT
BOS 2-1
5/21
(2)Washington
1-4
Boston (3)
BOS 3-1
5/23
(3)Boston
3-1
Washington (2)
BOS 4-1
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/16
(4)NY Islanders
4-3 OT
Pittsburgh (1)
OT
NYI 1-0
5/18
(4)NY Islanders
1-2
Pittsburgh (1)
Tied 1-1
5/20
(1)Pittsburgh
5-4
NY Islanders (4)
PIT 2-1
5/22
(1)Pittsburgh
1-4
NY Islanders (4)
Tied 2-2
5/24
(4)NY Islanders
3-2 2OT
Pittsburgh (1)
2OT
NYI 3-2
5/26
(1)Pittsburgh
3-5
NY Islanders (4)
NYI 4-2
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/16
(3)Tampa Bay
5-4
Florida (2)
TB 1-0
5/18
(3)Tampa Bay
3-1
Florida (2)
TB 2-0
5/20
(2)Florida
6-5 OT
Tampa Bay (3)
OT
TB 2-1
5/22
(2)Florida
2-6
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 3-1
5/24
(3)Tampa Bay
1-4
Florida (2)
TB 3-2
5/26
(2)Florida
0-4
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 4-2
First Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/17
(4)Nashville
2-5
Carolina (1)
CAR 1-0
5/19
(4)Nashville
0-3
Carolina (1)
CAR 2-0
5/21
(1)Carolina
4-5 2OT
Nashville (4)
2OT
CAR 2-1
5/23
(1)Carolina
3-4 2OT
Nashville (4)
2OT
Tied 2-2
5/25
(4)Nashville
2-3 OT
Carolina (1)
OT
CAR 3-2
5/27
(1)Carolina
4-3 OT
Nashville (4)
OT
CAR 4-2
Second Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/30
(2)Vegas
1-7
Colorado (1)
COL 1-0
6/2
(2)Vegas
2-3 OT
Colorado (1)
OT
COL 2-0
6/4
(1)Colorado
2-3
Vegas (2)
COL 2-1
6/6
(1)Colorado
1-5
Vegas (2)
Tied 2-2
6/8
(2)Vegas
3-2 OT
Colorado (1)
OT
LV 3-2
6/10
(1)Colorado
3-6
Vegas (2)
LV 4-2
Second Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
6/2
(4)Montreal
5-3
Winnipeg (3)
MTL 1-0
6/4
(4)Montreal
1-0
Winnipeg (3)
MTL 2-0
6/6
(3)Winnipeg
1-5
Montreal (4)
MTL 3-0
6/7
(3)Winnipeg
2-3 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
MTL 4-0
Second Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/29
(4)NY Islanders
2-5
Boston (3)
BOS 1-0
5/31
(4)NY Islanders
4-3 OT
Boston (3)
OT
Tied 1-1
6/3
(3)Boston
2-1 OT
NY Islanders (4)
OT
BOS 2-1
6/5
(3)Boston
1-4
NY Islanders (4)
Tied 2-2
6/7
(4)NY Islanders
5-4
Boston (3)
NYI 3-2
6/9
(3)Boston
2-6
NY Islanders (4)
NYI 4-2
Second Round
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
5/30
(3)Tampa Bay
2-1
Carolina (1)
TB 1-0
6/1
(3)Tampa Bay
2-1
Carolina (1)
TB 2-0
6/3
(1)Carolina
3-2 OT
Tampa Bay (3)
OT
TB 2-1
6/5
(1)Carolina
4-6
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 3-1
6/8
(3)Tampa Bay
2-0
Carolina (1)
TB 4-1
Semifinals
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
6/14
(4)Montreal
1-4
Vegas (2)
LV 1-0
6/16
(4)Montreal
3-2
Vegas (2)
Tied 1-1
6/18
(2)Vegas
2-3 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
MTL 2-1
6/20
(2)Vegas
2-1 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
Tied 2-2
6/22
(4)Montreal
4-1
Vegas (2)
MTL 3-2
6/24
(2)Vegas
2-3 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
MTL 4-2
Semifinals
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
6/13
(4)NY Islanders
2-1
Tampa Bay (3)
NYI 1-0
6/15
(4)NY Islanders
2-4
Tampa Bay (3)
Tied 1-1
6/17
(3)Tampa Bay
2-1
NY Islanders (4)
TB 2-1
6/19
(3)Tampa Bay
2-3
NY Islanders (4)
Tied 2-2
6/21
(4)NY Islanders
0-8
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 3-2
6/23
(3)Tampa Bay
2-3 OT
NY Islanders (4)
OT
Tied 3-3
6/25
(4)NY Islanders
0-1
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 4-3
Stanley Cup Finals
Best of 7-game series
Date
Away
Score
Home
OT
Series
6/28
(4)Montreal
1-5
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 1-0
6/30
(4)Montreal
1-3
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 2-0
7/2
(3)Tampa Bay
6-3
Montreal (4)
TB 3-0
7/5
(3)Tampa Bay
2-3 OT
Montreal (4)
OT
TB 3-1
7/7
(4)Montreal
0-1
Tampa Bay (3)
TB 4-1
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2008 NHL All-Star Game - Radio Broadcast / In January 2008, the NHL All-Star Game took to the ice, capturing the essence of a season that continued to showcase the league's evolution and the increasing skill level across its teams. This period in NHL history was marked by the adaptation and refinement of rules post-2005 lockout, focusing on increasing game speed and scoring to enhance entertainment value. The All-Star game itself, a mid-season spectacle, offered fans a chance to see the game's most talented players come together, setting aside team rivalries for a celebration of skill, speed, and sportsmanship. The event was not just a display of individual talent but also a reflection of the league's health and the growing international representation within the sport.
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Playoffs Game 3 - New York Islanders vs New York Rangers - Radio Broadcast / On April 11, 1975, the atmosphere was charged at the playoff game between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers, marking Game 3 of their series. This matchup came at a critical time for both teams in their first-ever playoff encounter, a battle reflective of the growing rivalry. The Islanders, only in their third season and experiencing their first playoff run, were keen to establish themselves against the veteran Rangers team. The Rangers, with a robust lineup and seasoned playoff experience, were determined not to let the newer franchise overshadow them in what had become a closely contested series.
The game unfolded with intense action, as both teams displayed strong defensive and offensive plays. Key players from both sides were pivotal in driving the game's pace, with the Rangers trying to exploit their experience and the Islanders leveraging their youthful energy and growing fan support. This game was not just a battle on the ice; it was a fight for supremacy in New York, giving fans a thrilling display of hockey and setting the tone for what would become one of the great rivalries in the NHL.
On April 8, 1975, the New York Islanders faced off against the New York Rangers...
NHL Playoffs G1 - New York Islanders vs New York Rangers - Radio Broadcast / On April 8, 1975, the New York Islanders faced off against the New York Rangers in the first game of their NHL playoff series, marking a significant moment in the burgeoning rivalry between the two teams. The game, broadcasted on radio, captured the intense atmosphere of playoff hockey as both teams battled fiercely on the ice. The 1974-75 season had seen the Islanders make a dramatic improvement in their performance, making this playoff series particularly notable as it underscored their rise from expansion team struggles to becoming a competitive force in the league. The game itself was characterized by strategic play, physical challenges, and crucial saves, reflecting the high stakes for both teams in this local derby.
This particular matchup not only highlighted the skills of key players from both sides but also set the tone for what would become a historic series in the annals of the NHL. The tension and rivalry that defined this game would carry through the entire series, drawing fans and spectators into a compelling narrative of competition and regional pride. The game served not only as a test of skill and strategy but also as a showcase of the growing intensity and quality of hockey in the 1970s.
Aurele Joliat is interviewed by Leo Cloutier heard in this 1972 radio broadcast.
Aurele Emile 'Little...
Aurele Joliat, Montreal Canadiens interviewed by Leo Cloutier 1972 / Aurele Joliat is interviewed by Leo Cloutier heard in this 1972 radio broadcast.
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/ Bauer was the first hockey company to begin producing hockey skates in which the blade was permanently secured to the boot. The boot and blade were made by Bauer. In years following, Bauer Skate's top line was originally marketed under the trade name "Bauer Supreme". The company was further popularized by the prominence of Bobby Bauer, a family member through marriage, as a Bauer married a Bauer, and Hockey Hall of Fame member who starred for the Boston Bruins in the 30s and 40s.
In the 1960s & 70's, the company paid superstar Bobby Hull to endorse their skates. As well superstars Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent of the Flyers, Guy Lafleur of the Canadiens and Walter Tkaczuk and Brad Park of the Rangers were signed to endorsement contracts by Pro Department Manager Bill Vanderburg. These moves, and the introduction soon after of the TUUK chassis, ushered in a new era for the company.
Then in the early 1970s, Jim Roberts, also of the Canadiens, began wearing the TUUK blade. High-profile teammates Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt and Jacques Lemaire soon followed. By 1995, the various Canstar skate brands (Micron, Bauer, etc.) had a 70% NHL market share while their TUUK and ICM holders combined for a 95% share. (Note: Bauer no longer offers the ICM holder on player skates, although it is still offered with goalie skates, in addition to the TUUK cowling.)
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1 Comment
I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.
I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.