Salary cap

On June 23, 2010, the NHL announced that the salary cap would be increased by $2.6 million. As a result, the new salary cap ceiling is set at $59.4 million, while the salary cap floor is $43.4 million.^[1]

Entry draft

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft took place on June 25–26, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. Taylor Hall was selected first overall in the draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Tyler Seguin was picked second by the Boston Bruins and Erik Gudbranson was chosen third by the Florida Panthers.

Franchise sales

Tom Golisano, Larry Quinn and Daniel DiPofi, owners of the Buffalo Sabres, sold their franchise to Terrence Pegula during the course of the 2010–11 season. The league approved the sale February 18, 2011.

Rule changes

2010 Kraft Hockeyville

Every year since 2006, Kraft Foods has sponsored a contest called Kraft Hockeyville, where small Canadian towns compete against each other for the title of Hockeyville. The winning town also gets to host an NHL preseason game in a local arena, as well as hosting an event called the 'Stanley Cup Jamboree'. Dundas, Ontario, a suburb of Hamilton (which itself has been the subject of numerous efforts at potential National Hockey League expansion) won the 2010 contest, and hosted the pre-season game between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres on September 28, 2010.

European exhibition games

The six teams going to Europe to open their regular seasons there as part of the NHL Premiere games also played exhibition games against European teams under the banner of NHL Premiere Challenge to close out their pre-seasons, finishing with a 6–1–0 record.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Date	Venue	European team	NHL team	Score
October 2	SAP Arena, Mannheim	Adler	Sharks	2–3 (SO)
October 2	The Odyssey, Belfast	Giants Select	Bruins	1–5
October 4	Ice Palace, Saint Petersburg	SKA	Hurricanes	5–3
October 4	Tampereen jäähalli, Tampere	Ilves	Wild	1–5
October 5	Tipsport Arena, Liberec	Bílí Tygři	Bruins	1–7
October 5	Malmö Arena, Malmö	Redhawks	Blue Jackets	1–4
October 6	Arena Riga, Riga	Dinamo	Coyotes	1–3

Premiere games

The first face off of the season, Hurricanes at Wild in Helsinki, Finland.

A record six teams opened the regular season in Europe, in a series branded the "2010 Compuware NHL Premiere Games."^[10] On October 7–8, 2010, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Minnesota Wild played two games at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland. The Hurricanes swept the Wild. On October 8–9, 2010, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks played two games at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. The two teams split a two-game premiere. On October 9–10, 2010, the Boston Bruins and the Phoenix Coyotes played two games at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. The two teams also split a two-game premiere.^[10]

The first Premiere Games goal was scored by Minnesota Wild forward Guillaume Latendresse.

NHL face-off

The regular season also began in North America on October 7 with four additional games. In Canada, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast a double header featuring four Canadian teams. The first game saw the eastern Canadian Original Six-era rivalry rekindled, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens. This game was followed by the Battle of Alberta when the Calgary Flames visited the Edmonton Oilers. In the United States, both 2010 Stanley Cup Finalists were in action as well on Versus. Besides the previously mentioned Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins game to open Consol Energy Center, the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks played against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in the nightcap.^[13] The Blackhawks had their home opener two nights later against their Central Division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, and hoisted their first Stanley Cup championship banner in 49 years in a pre-game ceremony.

The first NHL Face-off games goal was scored by Tim Brent of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Outdoor games

Hockey Days

Highlights

On October 30, 2010, four penalty shot goals were scored on one night for the first time in league history. David Booth, Frans Nielsen, Ryan Callahan and Dave Steckel were the scorers.^[15] The previous record was three penalty shot goals in one night. Four penalty shot attempts in one night had occurred previously.

On November 20, 2010, the 50,000th game in the NHL's history was played, counting all regular season and playoff games,^[16] going back to the league's inaugural season in 1917.

Standings

The Vancouver Canucks placed first overall, winning the Presidents' Trophy and home advantage throughout the playoffs. The Washington Capitals placed first in the Eastern Conference, earning home advantage in Eastern Conference playoffs.

Note: Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; z – Placed first in conference (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

bold – qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won President's Trophy (best record in NHL)
CE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division

Under NHL rules, first-place teams in each division receive a conference ranking between 1 and 3 regardless of overall points. The Pittsburgh Penguins placed fourth yet had more points than the Boston Bruins, but the Bruins placed first in the Northeast Division to get the third-place ranking.

Notes

• Totals do not include six regular-season opening games played in Europe, and two outdoor regular season games.
• The Carolina Hurricanes played the Minnesota Wild at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets played the San Jose Sharks at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden
• The Boston Bruins played the Phoenix Coyotes at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.
• The Washington Capitals played the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors in the Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• The Montreal Canadiens played the Calgary Flames outdoors in the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.
• As of October 2010, Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome was renamed Scotiabank Saddledome.^[18]
• As of August 2011, Buffalo's HSBC Arena was renamed First Niagara Center.^[19]
• Following the 2010–11 season, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated and became the new Winnipeg Jets.
• As of March 15, 2012, the Carolina Hurricanes venue, RBC Center, has been renamed PNC Arena.

Bracket

All-Star teams

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

Source: NHL^[20]

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 1800 minutes.^[21]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Off-season

• Atlanta Thrashers: Craig Ramsay replaced the fired John Anderson.
• Columbus Blue Jackets: Scott Arniel became head coach, replacing interim Claude Noel, who had replaced the fired Ken Hitchcock on February 3, 2010.
• Edmonton Oilers: Tom Renney replaced Pat Quinn, who moved into a role of senior hockey advisor for the team.
• New Jersey Devils: John MacLean replaced Jacques Lemaire, who retired.
• St. Louis Blues: Davis Payne returned for a full season after replacing Andy Murray, who was fired on January 2, 2010.
• Philadelphia Flyers: Peter Laviolette returned for a full season after replacing John Stevens, who was fired on December 4, 2009.
• Tampa Bay Lightning: Guy Boucher replaced the fired Rick Tocchet.

In-season

• New Jersey Devils: John MacLean was fired as head coach after a 9–22–2 start. Jacques Lemaire, who had retired (per above), then returned to serve as interim head coach.
• New York Islanders: Jack Capuano replaced Scott Gordon after Gordon was fired on November 15, 2010.

First games

The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game in 2010–11, listed with their first team:

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2010–11, listed with their team:

Major milestones reached

• On October 22, 2010, Ottawa Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson recorded a hat trick, with the third goal being his 1,000th career NHL point. He became the 75th player in league history to record 1,000 points.
• On October 26, Colorado Avalanche defenceman John-Michael Liles recorded an assist in his ninth consecutive game to give him the NHL record for longest assist streak for a defenceman from the start of season.
• On October 26, Ottawa Senators defenceman Sergei Gonchar participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On October 28, Calgary Flames forward Craig Conroy participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On November 3, Buffalo Sabres forward Mike Grier participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On November 6, Los Angeles Kings forward Ryan Smyth participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On November 22, Ottawa Senators forward Alexei Kovalev recorded his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal. He became the 76th player in league history to record 1,000 points, and the third Russian born player to do so.
• On November 24, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi scored two goals, with the second being his 1,500th career NHL point. He became the 13th player in league history to reach this milestone.
• On December 26, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Ed Jovanovski participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On December 27, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood recorded his 400th NHL win. He became the 10th player in league history to reach this milestone.
• On January 11, 2011, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the seventh coach in league history to reach this milestone.
• On January 17, San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau and Dallas Stars forward Jamie Langenbrunner both participated in their 1,000th NHL game in separate contests. Marleau was the third youngest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 games played.
• On February 1, Minnesota Wild forward Andrew Brunette participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On February 10, New Jersey Devils coach Jacques Lemaire won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the eighth coach in league history to reach this milestone.
• On February 16, Florida Panthers forward Cory Stillman participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On February 20, Detroit Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On March 20, Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Adrian Aucoin participated in his 1,000th NHL game.
• On April 1, Calgary Flames forward Jarome Iginla scored two goals and added an assist to reach 1,000 career points. He became the 77th player in league history to do so.
• On April 8, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton recorded his 1,000th career NHL point with a goal. He became the 78th player to reach the milestone and the fourth this season.
• On April 9, Montreal Canadiens coach Jacques Martin won his 600th game as an NHL coach. He became the ninth coach in league history to reach this milestone.
• On April 9, Boston Bruins forward Mark Recchi played in his 1,652nd NHL game, surpassing Chris Chelios for sole possession of the fourth spot on the NHL's all-time games played list.

Canada

This was the third season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and TSN. During the regular season, CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada games while TSN aired games on Wednesdays and other selected weeknights. CBC and TSN then split the first three rounds of the playoffs, selecting the rights to individual series using a draft-like setup. The Stanley Cup Finals aired exclusively on CBC.

United States

This was the sixth and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with NBC and Versus before the two networks reached a new deal on April 2011. Under the previous deal expiring at the end of the 2010–11 season, Versus aired games generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, while NBC had games on selected weekends. During the playoffs, NBC had the rights to air selected weekend games during the first three postseason rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, while Versus televised selected first and second round playoff games and all Conference Finals games not aired on NBC. Due to NBC's scheduling, the network broadcast the first two and final three games of the Stanley Cup Finals, while Versus broadcast games 3 and 4.

In January 2011, Comcast, owner of Versus, acquired NBCUniversal, resulting in the merging of all its sports properties with the NBC Sports division. The merged company then signed a new 10-year, US$2 billion deal with the NHL in April 2011, extending and unifying the broadcast and cable television rights held by NBC and Versus.^[41][42] Notable changes under the new deal included an increase in nationally televised games on Versus (which was to be renamed under the NBC name), a new Thanksgiving Friday game on NBC, holding exclusive rights to all playoff games beginning with the second round (as opposed to the Conference Finals), and plans to broadcast all playoff games (subject to blackouts during the first round) nationally on NBCUniversal channels.^[41][43]