2005-06 Pro Hockey Season Card Set

The 2005-2006 season marked a significant rebirth for professional hockey. After a long labor dispute canceled the 2004-2005 season, the league returned with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, a salary cap, new rules, and a mix of both seasoned and fresh talent, officially entering its modern era.

Due to the previous season’s lockout, fans got a double-rookie class debut, featuring stars from the 2004 and 2005 Entry Drafts. The standout names from this class, Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, both drafted first overall, became and remained superstars for the next two decades.

Shootouts were introduced at the end of overtime games in the regular season to eliminate ties. As teams adapted to the new rules, scoring increased to 6.03 goals per game, the highest total since the 1995-96 season, and it remained the highest of the new era until the 2021-2022 season.

San Jose’s Joe Thornton was the league MVP and the top scorer with 125 points, while his linemate Jonathan Cheechoo led the league with 56 goals. Ovechkin was named rookie of the year, registering 52 goals and 106 points, and Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff was named the top goalie, winning 42 games and posting a stellar 2.07 GAA.

Among the other players, notable seasons were achieved by New York’s Jaromir Jagr, Ottawa’s trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley, and Jason Spezza, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk, and Carolina’s Eric Staal. Significant goaltending performances included New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, New York’s Henrik Lundqvist, Dallas’ Marty Turco, and Detroit’s Manny Legace.

Several future Hall of Famers retired at the end of the season, including Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, and Brian Leetch. They passed the torch to future stars like Crosby, Ovechkin, Carey Price, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Henrik Lundqvist, and Cam Ward.

In the West, teams like Dallas, Calgary, and Nashville had excellent seasons, but Detroit dominated the regular season, finishing first overall in the league with a staggering 124 points. In the East, Ottawa, Carolina, and Buffalo were the top teams with New Jersey, Philadelphia, and the NY Rangers all jockeying for the Atlantic Division crown.

During the playoffs, the Eastern Conference played out as expected, with just one upset involving Buffalo dominating Ottawa in five games during the second round. The Sabres would bow out to second-seeded Carolina in the semifinals. In the Western Conference, all four underdog teams in the first round upset their opponents, including Edmonton, who toppled a heavily favored MoTown team in six games. They rode that momentum all the way to the finals.

During the finals, Carolina and Edmonton played a thrilling seven-game series, with the 'Canes coming out on top, winning their first Stanley Cup title. Carolina goalie Cam Ward claimed playoff MVP, and Eric Staal led all players in scoring during the postseason.

This set was a collaborative effort with PLAAY gamer John Bergeron, who is well-known in the community for his sports game savvy and attention to detail. We worked with John to create the parameters for the set, and then produced the card set in team colors from John's ratings.