The 1994–95 NHL season was the 78th regular season of the National Hockey League. The season start was delayed due to a lockout of players imposed by the NHL franchise owners. After a new labour agreement was reached between the owners and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), a 48-game season started on January 20. The season ended when the New Jersey Devils swept the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings for their first Stanley Cup win. It was also their first appearance in the finals overall.

League business Entry draft The 1994 NHL entry draft was held on June 28–29, 1994, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Ed Jovanovski was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers.

Lockout

On October 1, 1994, the NHL initiated a lockout of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). The players had begun training camps a few weeks earlier as if to start the season. However, as these camps came to a close, labour negotiations remained unresolved. The big issue was the implementation of a salary cap. The NHL owners were strongly in favor of the cap while the players were opposed to it. The NHL wanted to levy a luxury tax, a financial penalty that is assigned by the league, on salaries that were higher than the average. However, the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) viewed that as a variation on a salary cap and refused to accept it. This came right off the heels of the 1992 walkout by players, which interrupted the race for the Stanley Cup. Unlike in the 1992 strike however, it was the owners who wanted to make sure that they got the right deal. Under the leadership of executive director Bob Goodenow, the NHLPA position was that it would be open to a small tax, however the bulk of the financial goals could be achieved through revenue sharing.

After the lockout had dragged on, the talk of salary cap faded and new items entered the debate. Talk of rookie salary cap, changes to the arbitration system, and loosened free agency. However, large market teams such as Toronto, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Dallas, and Philadelphia eventually broke with the league, as they feared that an extended lockout would outweigh the benefits from getting a salary cap and did not want to be the first league in North America to forfeit an entire season just to help out their small-market colleagues.

The lockout ended on January 11, 1995. As a result, the league shortened the season length from 84 games, the length of the previous two seasons, to 48. The regular season would then last from January 20 to May 3, the first time in NHL history that the regular season extended into May. All games were limited to intra-conference play. The NHL and NHLPA agreed to shorten future seasons to 82 games. The NHL All-Star Game, which had been scheduled to take place January 20–21, 1995, in San Jose, California, was canceled; San Jose was then awarded 1997 NHL All-Star Game instead. The lost revenue due to the lockout would eventually contribute in part to three teams relocating: the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver, Colorado after the 1994–95 season to became the Colorado Avalanche; the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona after the 1995–96 season to became the Phoenix Coyotes; and the Hartford Whalers moved to Greensboro, North Carolina after the 1996–97 season to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

Rule changes Two Zambonis would now be required by every arena for the resurfacing between periods. A coach can call for a stick measurement in any overtime period or shootout, but the request must be made before the winning goal is scored. Leaving the penalty box to join an altercation on the ice risks automatic three-game ban, plus any other penalties assessed. Any severe check from behind risks a major penalty and game misconduct. Referees and linesmen would wear numbers instead of nameplates; this restored a practice that had been in use previously from 1955 to 1977.

Arenas The Boston Bruins played their final season at the Boston Garden before moving to the FleetCenter. The Chicago BlackHawks moved from Chicago Stadium to the United Center. The Philadelphia Flyers's home arena, the Spectrum, is renamed the CoreStates Spectrum after CoreStates Financial Corporation acquires the naming rights. The St. Louis Blues moved from St. Louis Arena to the Kiel Center. The Vancouver Canucks played their last season at Pacific Coliseum before moving to General Motors Place.

Regular season The lockout delay pushed the start of the 1994–95 season to January 20. The regular season was shortened from 84 games, the length of the previous two seasons, down to 48. Regular season games would be limited to intra-conference play. The shortened regular season ended on May 3, the first time in NHL history that the regular season extended into that month.

The March 10, 1995, Detroit Red Wings–San Jose Sharks game was postponed due to the Guadalupe River flooding, making it impossible for the teams to travel to the San Jose Arena.

This was the first season since 1969–70, that the Montreal Canadiens missed the playoffs.

Final standings

Regular-season standings, scoring leaders:

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

         Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Playoffs

Bracket The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the two division winners seeded 1–2 based on regular season records, and the six remaining teams seeded 3–8. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home-ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Awards The NHL Awards presentation took place on July 6, 1995. Presidents' Trophy: Detroit Red Wings Prince of Wales Trophy: (Eastern Conference playoff champion) New Jersey Devils Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Western Conference playoff champion) Detroit Red Wings Art Ross Trophy: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Pat LaFontaine, Buffalo Sabres Calder Memorial Trophy: Peter Forsberg, Quebec Nordiques Conn Smythe Trophy: Claude Lemieux, New Jersey Devils Frank J. Selke Trophy: Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins Hart Memorial Trophy: Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers Jack Adams Award: Marc Crawford, Quebec Nordiques James Norris Memorial Trophy: Paul Coffey, Detroit Red Wings King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Joe Nieuwendyk, Calgary Flames Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins Lester B. Pearson Award: Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers NHL Plus-Minus Award: Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins Vezina Trophy: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres William M. Jennings Trophy: Ed Belfour, Chicago Blackhawks

All-Star teams First team   Position   Second teamDominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres GEd Belfour, Chicago BlackhawksPaul Coffey, Detroit Red Wings DRay Bourque, Boston BruinsChris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks DLarry Murphy, Pittsburgh PenguinsEric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers CAlexei Zhamnov, Winnipeg JetsJaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins RWTheoren Fleury, Calgary FlamesJohn LeClair, Montreal/Philadelphia LWKeith Tkachuk, Winnipeg Jets

Player statistics

Scoring leaders Bold depicts leader in category Regular season Playoffs Player Team GP G A Pts Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 48 32 38 70 Eric Lindros Philadelphia 46 29 41 70 Alexei Zhamnov Winnipeg 48 30 35 65 Joe Sakic Quebec 47 19 43 62 Ron Francis Pittsburgh 44 11 48 59 Theoren Fleury Calgary 47 29 29 58 Paul Coffey Detroit 45 14 44 58 Mikael Renberg Philadelphia 47 26 31 57 John LeClair Montreal/Philadelphia 46 26 28 54 Mark Messier NY Rangers 46 14 39 53Peter Bondra Washington47 34 9 43 Player Team GP G A Pts Sergei Fedorov Detroit 17 7 17 24 Stephane Richer New Jersey 19 6 15 21 Neal Broten New Jersey 20 7 12 19 Ron Francis Pittsburgh 12 6 13 19 Denis Savard Chicago 16 7 11 18 Paul Coffey Detroit 18 6 12 18 John MacLean New Jersey 20 5 13 18 Claude Lemieux New Jersey 20 13 3 16 Vyacheslav Kozlov Detroit 18 9 7 16 Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit 18 4 12 16 Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Leading goaltenders Bold depicts leader in category Regular season Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA SV% Dominik Hasek Buffalo 41 2416 85 5 2.11 .930 Jim Carey Washington 28 1604 57 4 2.13 .913 Chris Osgood Detroit 19 1087 41 1 2.26 .917 Ed Belfour Chicago 42 2450 93 5 2.28 .906 Jocelyn Thibault Quebec 18 898 35 1 2.34 .917 Dominic Roussel Philadelphia 19 1075 42 1 2.34 .914 Glenn Healy New York Rangers 17 888 35 1 2.36 .907 Blaine Lacher Boston 35 1965 79 4 2.41 .902 Andy Moog Dallas 31 1770 72 2 2.44 .915 Martin Brodeur New Jersey 40 2184 89 3 2.45 .902Patrick Roy Montreal 43 2566 127 1 2.97 .906

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1994–95, listed with their first team (asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Cory Stillman, Calgary Flames Eric Daze, Chicago Blackhawks Jamie Langenbrunner, Dallas Stars Manny Fernandez, Dallas Stars Ryan Smyth, Edmonton Oilers Marek Malik, Hartford Whalers Craig Conroy, Montreal Canadiens Brian Rolston, New Jersey Devils Tommy Salo, New York Islanders Adam Deadmarsh, Quebec Nordiques Peter Forsberg, Quebec Nordiques Adrian Aucoin, Vancouver Canucks Jim Carey, Washington Capitals Sergei Gonchar, Washington Capitals Nikolai Khabibulin, Winnipeg Jets

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1994–95 (listed with their last team): Mats Naslund, Boston Bruins Craig Simpson, Buffalo Sabres Jim Peplinski, Calgary Flames Dirk Graham, Chicago Blackhawks Mark Howe, Detroit Red Wings Mike Krushelnyski, Detroit Red Wings Kent Nilsson, Edmonton Oilers (Last active player to have been a member of the Atlanta Flames) Gaetan Duchesne, Florida Panthers Steve Larmer, New York Rangers Peter Stastny, St. Louis Blues Gerard Gallant, Tampa Bay Lightning Dave Poulin, Washington Capitals Thomas Steen, Winnipeg Jets

Coaches

Eastern Conference Team Coach CommentsBoston BruinsBrian SutterBuffalo SabresJohn Muckler Florida PanthersRoger Neilson Hartford Whalers Paul Holmgren Montreal CanadiensJacques Demers New Jersey DevilsJacques Lemaire New York IslandersLorne HenningNew York RangersColin Campbell Ottawa SenatorsRick Bowness Philadelphia Flyers Terry Murray Pittsburgh Penguins Eddie Johnston Quebec NordiquesMarc CrawfordTampa Bay LightningTerry Crisp Washington Capitals Jim Schoenfeld

Western Conference Team Coach CommentsMighty Ducks of AnaheimRon WilsonCalgary FlamesDave King Chicago BlackhawksDarryl Sutter Dallas Stars Bob Gainey Detroit Red WingsScotty Bowman Edmonton Oilers George BurnettReplaced midseason by Ron Low Los Angeles KingsBarry MelroseReplaced midseason by Rogie Vachon St. Louis BluesMike KeenanSan Jose Sharks Kevin Constantine Toronto Maple Leafs Pat Burns Vancouver Canucks Rick Ley Winnipeg JetsJohn Paddock Replaced midseason by Terry Simpson

Broadcasting Canada This was the seventh season that the league's Canadian national broadcast rights were split between TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. This was the first season that HNIC had doubleheaders on every Saturday night of the regular season. TSN continued to televise regular season weeknight games, primarily on Mondays and Thursdays. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.

United States