The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes before the season.
The Los Angeles Kings became the first team to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006–07. The Boston Bruins also became the third defending Presidents' Trophy winner to miss the playoffs (and the first since the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs in 2007–08 after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2007). The Winnipeg Jets clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the team's relocation from Atlanta in 2011. The San Jose Sharks' playoff streak ended at 10 years. The Ottawa Senators also became the first team in NHL history to make the postseason after trailing for the final playoff spot by 14 points. The playoffs ended with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games to win the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.
League business Agreement with GoPro Midway through the season, the league signed an agreement with GoPro to use the company's wearable cameras to record content for the league's television broadcasts and other video productions.NHL players to wear GoPro cameras during games . Associated Press. Retrieved January 24, 2015. They were first used by players in the All-Star Game.
Entry draft The NHL Board of Governors approved changes to the draft lottery format on June 24, 2014, starting with the 2015 Draft. Beginning in 2015, the odds of winning the first overall pick will be adjusted down for the first four lowest point-gaining teams, and adjusted up for the following ten. The change was made to "reflect the current state of competitive balance in the League." In 2016, the Draft Lottery will be used to choose the first three overall picks, not just the first.
The 2014 NHL entry draft was then held on June 27–28, 2014, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aaron Ekblad was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers.
Rule changes The following rule changes were voted upon by the NHL Board of Governors in June and were approved by the Players' Association in September 2014.
The trapezoidal areas behind each net in which goaltenders are allowed to play the puck are to be made wider than their current width. The width of the hashmarks outside the faceoff circles will be extended from their current 3.5 feet to five feet, seven inches apart (international markings). Before any overtime period, both teams will change ends, and the ice will be dry-scraped by an ice resurfacer. The league hopes that the "long line changes" and the better ice surfaces will increase scoring in overtime, and thus decrease shootouts. Coaches no longer have to submit a list of shootout participants as it begins. The coaches will be free as to who they will pick next. Teams that ice the puck can only use one center to take the ensuing faceoff. If that player attempts to get kicked out of the faceoff to buy his team time, he'll get a two-minute delay-of-game penalty. The NHL's "situation room" will have more latitude to conduct video reviews of goals that don't fall under the guidelines of what can be reviewed, but that clearly weren't scored legally. The wording "embellishment" will be changed to allow an escalating scale of fines to repeat-offense players and coaches. The "spin-o-rama" will no longer be allowed on penalty shots and during the shootout.
At the league's General Managers Meeting in November, it was decided to immediately end the dry-scrape before overtime, as it was felt that the average time of five minutes was too long, and it seemed to have no significant difference. The GMs also voted to allow officials in the Situation Room to buzz the arena to have play immediately stopped for a video review without waiting for a whistle.
Uniforms The Anaheim Ducks added a new away jersey to match the alternate "webbed D" as their new primary jersey, replacing the old home/road jerseys that bore the "Anaheim Ducks" word mark on the crest. As part of the deal approved by the City of Glendale to keep the team from relocating, the Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes. There will also be a throwback alternate based on the Kachina-styled jerseys they wore from 1996 to 2003. The Chicago Blackhawks NHL Winter Classic uniform was inspired by the 1957–58 jersey worn by the Chicago Blackhawks. This uniform is nearly identical to the road uniform that the Blackhawks currently wear. The main differences between this design and the current road design come in the form of the lace-up collar, the name/number block font (which is serifed), and the C-Tomahawk logo, which is mostly red, black, and white (with a tad bit of yellow) instead of being mostly red, yellow, green, black, and white. The Columbus Blue Jackets wore a special patch to commemorate hosting the 60th National Hockey League All-Star Game. The Los Angeles Kings wore alternate throwbacks based on their inaugural 1967 gold uniforms, instead of the purple ones they have been wearing since 2011. The Kings' 2015 NHL Stadium Series featured the top half of the jersey in silver, the bottom half in white, and a black horizontal stripe running through the middle of the jersey behind the team crest. On the collar are two crowns, one for each Stanley Cup "crown" the team has won throughout its franchise history. On the white pants is a large "LA" logo as seen on the jersey. The numbers on the back and sleeves were enlarged. On December 5, Montreal Canadiens added a number 4 patch to their jerseys on the upper-right corner in memory of their former captain, Jean Beliveau, who died on December 2 at the age of 83, for the remainder of the season. The New York Islanders wore a special shoulder patch during their final season playing inside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and replaced their black third jerseys with the jerseys they wore in the 2014 NHL Stadium Series. The venue has served the franchise for 43 years. The Philadelphia Flyers wore their 2012 Winter Classic jersey as a full-time third jersey during the season. The Pittsburgh Penguins wore a throwback alternate jersey, featuring the shade of gold the team wore on the uniforms from 1980 to 2002 (the color has been recently referred to as "Pittsburgh gold") instead of Vegas Gold, which the team has been wearing in its primary home and road uniforms since 2002. The jersey was revealed via the club's Twitter page on September 19, and they resemble the black (road) jerseys the team wore during the two seasons it won its two first Stanley Cups, 1991 and 1992. The San Jose Sharks' Stadium Series uniform featured the top half in teal, bottom half in black, with a horizontal white stripe separating the two. Centred on the white stripe is the San Jose Sharks logo. The entire back of the jersey is teal with large player numbers in white (extremely large on the sleeve). On the shoulder is a new logo paying homage to San Jose's Northern California fans, a star placed in the location of San Jose. The numbers on the back and sleeves have been enlarged. The St. Louis Blues had new home and away jerseys; the alternate remained along with the new set. The uniforms reflect a modernized version of the classic traditional look worn by the team from 1997 to 2007. The uniform leaves the long-lasting, iconic Blue Note unchanged, symbolizing the club's pride and history. The team is not the first to move from a jersey design that was modernized by Reebok when the league started using the new Edge jersey template in the 2007–08 season, to a cleaner, more traditional look. The change removes the irregular curves on the cuff stripes and the apron string piping. The Tampa Bay Lightning replaced the alternate jersey they wore with the "BOLTS" script on the front from 2008 until 2014 with a new black alternate. The new third jersey is black and features the popular BOLTS logo from previous seasons across the front, with white trim and has blue and gray as secondary colors. The club also wore a black version of their signature lightning bolt pants and black gloves as part of their new third jersey system. On November 26, the Vancouver Canucks added a patch decal "PQ" in memory of Pat Quinn to their helmets for the remainder of the season. Quinn died on November 23 at the age of 71. The Washington Capitals NHL Winter Classic uniform was vintage deep red to symbolize hockey's deep roots in Washington. The stripes on the shoulders, waist, and legs bring in elements of Washington professional hockey jerseys from the 1930s, predating the Capitals' formation in the 1970s. A large "W" on the front of the jersey, offset in blue to contrast the white Capitals wordmark, offered a unique look never seen before on Capitals jerseys. A large "W" on the front of the jersey is offset in blue to contrast the white Capitals wordmark and features a silhouette of the Washington Monument. They also wore special patches to commemorate their 40th NHL season. For the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, the two teams wore black/neon green jerseys, a far cry from any other jersey that has been used for the special game.
Arena changes The renamed Arizona Coyotes' home arena, Jobing.com Arena, was renamed Gila River Arena as part of a new naming rights agreement with Gila River Casinos. The Tampa Bay Lightning's home arena, the Tampa Bay Times Forum, was renamed Amalie Arena as part of a new naming rights agreement with Amalie Oil Company.
Regular season The regular season began on October 8, 2014, and ended on April 11, 2015. Both the first Saturday (October 11) and the last day (April 11) of the regular season featured 15 games (all 30 teams).
Coaching changes