# 2006–07 NHL season
The 2006–07 NHL season was the 90th season of operation of the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league) and the second played after the lockout that canceled the 2004–05 season.[1](https://thenhl.fandom.com/wiki/2006-07_NHL_season) The Anaheim Ducks won the [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup), defeating the [Ottawa Senators](https://www.edgepedia.org/ottawa-senators) four games to one in the Final, and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins led the league with 120 points while winning the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) • [3](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| League champion | Anaheim Ducks, who won the Stanley Cup Final 4–1 over the Ottawa Senators[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) • [3](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) |
| Final clincher | Game 5, June 6, 2007, at Honda Center: Anaheim 6, Ottawa 2[3](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) |
| Scoring leaders | Sidney Crosby 120 points (36 G, 84 A); Vincent Lecavalier 52 goals; Joe Thornton 92 assists[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) |
| Major awards | Hart: Crosby; Calder: Evgeni Malkin (33 G, 52 A, 85 P); Vezina: Martin Brodeur (48-23-7, 2.18 GAA)[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) |
| Top regular-season records | Buffalo Sabres 113 points; Detroit Red Wings 113; Nashville Predators 110; New Jersey Devils 107[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) • [12](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2024-25/2025AwardsGuide.pdf) |
| Season start | Buffalo began 10-0, the last undefeated team in the league[4](https://champsorchumps.us/summary/nhl/2007) |
| Notable record | San Jose played 49 consecutive games without overtime, surpassing Toronto's 41 from 1996-97[5](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/m6cclidu9k664mhljx90.pdf) |
| Television rights | OLN paid $70 million for national cable rights in 2006-07, up from $65 million the year before[6](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/12/art3full.pdf) |
## Post-lockout context
The season was the second under the collective bargaining agreement reached after the lockout that erased the 2004-05 season. The 2005-06 return season had already shown commercial recovery: Commissioner [Gary Bettman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-bettman) reported in April 2006 that an estimated 22 of the league's 30 clubs would break even or be profitable that season, helped by higher television revenue and booming attendance.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-apr-25-sp-bettman25-story.html) Attendance records were set for both 2005-06 and 2006-07.[8](https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/3471)
Television remained the weak point. The league's national cable rights moved to OLN (formerly the Outdoor Life Network) at $65 million for 2005-06 and $70 million for 2006-07, after ESPN declined its $60 million option.[6](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/12/art3full.pdf) Reporting during the season noted that hockey struggled to build a television audience comparable to the NFL's roughly $4 billion in annual broadcast revenue or the roughly $600 million each for [Major League Baseball](https://www.edgepedia.org/major-league-baseball) and the NBA, and that NHL franchises therefore focused heavily on attendance.[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-25-sp-hockey25-story.html)
## Regular season
The [Buffalo Sabres](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-sabres) posted the league's best record at 53-22-7 for 113 points, beating the [Detroit Red Wings](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-red-wings) on the tiebreaker; Detroit finished 50-19-13 for 113 points, with the [Nashville Predators](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-predators) close behind at 51-23-8 for 110.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) • [12](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2024-25/2025AwardsGuide.pdf) In the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils led with 107 points and the Pittsburgh Penguins, powered by the 19-year-old Crosby, reached 105.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) The Buffalo Sabres opened the season with ten straight wins and were the last team to lose a game.[4](https://champsorchumps.us/summary/nhl/2007)
Crosby, in his second season, led the league in points (120) and assists (84) and won the [Hart Memorial Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/hart-memorial-trophy). [Vincent Lecavalier](https://www.edgepedia.org/vincent-lecavalier) of the [Tampa Bay Lightning](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay-lightning) led with 52 goals, and Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks led with 92 assists.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) Evgeni Malkin, a rookie with the Penguins, scored 85 points to win the Calder Memorial Trophy.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html)
**Goaltending.** [Martin Brodeur](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-brodeur) of the Devils won the [Vezina Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/vezina-trophy) with a 48-23-7 record, a 2.18 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and 12 shutouts in 78 games.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html) • [10](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007_goalies.html) [Roberto Luongo](https://www.edgepedia.org/roberto-luongo), in his first season with Vancouver, went 47-22-6 with a 2.28 GAA and finished second in Vezina voting.[10](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007_goalies.html)
The season also produced unusual team records: San Jose played 49 consecutive games without a game reaching overtime, an NHL record that surpassed Toronto's 41 from 1996-97.[5](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/m6cclidu9k664mhljx90.pdf)
## Stanley Cup playoffs
The Ducks won the Cup in five games over the Ottawa Senators, taking Game 5 on June 6, 2007 at [Honda Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/honda-center) by a score of 6-2.[3](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) It was the first Stanley Cup for the Anaheim franchise.[3](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
For Teemu Selanne, the victory came in his 1,127th NHL game counting regular season and playoffs, and capped a season in which he recorded his 500th career goal and 1,000th career game.[11](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20062007)
## References
1. [2006-07 NHL season, NHL Wiki (Fandom)](https://thenhl.fandom.com/wiki/2006-07_NHL_season)
2. [2006-07 NHL Summary, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html)
3. [Total Stanley Cup 2008, NHL Playoffs & Stanley Cup Final Media Guide](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
4. [2006-07 NHL Final Standings, Champs or Chumps](https://champsorchumps.us/summary/nhl/2007)
5. [NHL Record Book, 2006-07 Season in Review](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/m6cclidu9k664mhljx90.pdf)
6. [The hockey lockout of 2004-05, Monthly Labor Review (BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/12/art3full.pdf)
7. [NHL Tells of Good Finances, Los Angeles Times (April 25, 2006)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-apr-25-sp-bettman25-story.html)
8. [The Pennsylvania State University thesis on NHL television](https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/files/final_submissions/3471)
9. [Hockey struggles to build TV audience amid static, Los Angeles Times (May 25, 2007)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-25-sp-hockey25-story.html)
10. [2006-07 NHL Goalie Statistics, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007_goalies.html)
11. [2006-07 Stanley Cup Winner, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20062007)
12. [media.nhl.com](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2024-25/2025AwardsGuide.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › National Hockey League › NHL seasons, playoffs, and Finals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license