2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Alamo Bowl
In the other game on December 29, the Alamo Bowl held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten) took on the Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big 12), in a game which matched two schools whose initials spell "OSU". This was also Ohio State's first December bowl since the 1993 Holiday Bowl. The Buckeyes defense set the tone for the game early, intercepting Cowboys quarterback Donovan Woods during the game's first possession. Justin Zwick, starting at quarterback in place of the suspended Troy Smith, threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez three plays later, giving the Buckeyes a lead that they never relinquished. The Buckeyes won 33–7.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Continental Tire Bowl
In the first of four games on December 30, the Boston College Eagles, which left the Big East in July 2005 to join the ACC, played one of its future conference rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in the Continental Tire Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Eagles quarterback Paul Peterson earned MVP honors by going 24-for-33 for 236 yards and two TDs before breaking his leg in the fourth quarter. Andre Callender added 174 rushing yards for the Eagles. The game was close for the first three quarters, and tied three times, but the Eagles pulled away to win their fifth consecutive bowl game and final game as a Big East member 37–24.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Emerald Bowl
The second game on December 30, the Emerald Bowl held at SBC Park in San Francisco, pitted the Navy Midshipmen (independent) against the New Mexico Lobos (MWC). After the Lobos jumped to an early 7–0 lead, Navy QB Aaron Polanco took over the game, rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for a fourth. The Midshipmen defense performed well in the clutch, forcing two turnovers in the first half that led to TDs and making a successful goal-line stand in the third quarter. After the stand, the Midshipmen offense then went on a 26-play drive that lasted nearly 15 minutes, ending with a field goal, that sealed Navy's 34–19 win. The Midshipmen finished the season 10–2, their first 10-win season since 1905. The Emerald Bowl is now known as the Fight Hunger Bowl.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Holiday Bowl
In the third game on December 30 (also the second of three in California), the Holiday Bowl was held at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, pitting the Pac-10's California Golden Bears and the Big 12's Texas Tech Red Raiders. Cal, edged out for a BCS bowl berth by Texas in the last week of the regular season, was out to prove that it deserved a BCS bowl berth. The Bears played well at first, finishing the first quarter with a 14–7 lead.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Holiday Bowl
However, the second and third quarters belonged to the Red Raiders, who outscored the Bears 31–3 in those periods, going on to score the biggest upset of the bowl season with a 45–31 win. Raiders QB Sonny Cumbie torched the Bears defense for 520 passing yards, going 40-for-60 with three TDs and no interceptions. The brightest spot for Cal was running back J.J. Arrington, who ran for 173 yards and a touchdown, making him only the third Pac-10 runner to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Silicon Valley Football Classic
The last game of December 30 was the Silicon Valley Football Classic at Spartan Stadium in San José. The Northern Illinois Huskies (MAC), playing in their first bowl game in 21 years, faced the Troy State Trojans from the Sun Belt, a school that joined NCAA Division I-A in 2001 and were playing in their first bowl game ever. The Trojans opened strong, scoring two touchdowns, a pass and a run by D.T. McDowell, in the first quarter to build a 14–0 lead.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Silicon Valley Football Classic
The Huskies came back, tying the score by the end of the first quarter with rushing touchdowns by Garrett Wolfe and Josh Haldi, then building a 34–14 lead in the fourth quarter. The Trojans attempted a comeback, with McDowell running in another touchdown, but failed on their next possession on fourth and goal, and the Huskies were able to run out the clock to complete a 34–21 win.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Silicon Valley Football Classic
This would be the last game ever for this bowl, as poor attendance due to a driving rainstorm, a rarity of December in the Bay Area, along with bad publicity as neither the Pac-10 or WAC had teams with the necessary winning records and other negative press led the NCAA to strip the Silicon Valley Football Classic of its certification on April 20, 2005.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Music City Bowl
The first game on December 31, the Music City Bowl held at The Coliseum in Nashville, matched the Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten). The first quarter was one of the sloppiest in recent years, with the two teams turning the ball over five times (Minnesota three times, Alabama twice). On the first play of the second quarter, the Gophers took a 14–7 lead on a touchdown run by Marion Barber III and never trailed again.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Music City Bowl
Late in the fourth quarter, the Gophers, then leading 20–14, took a deliberate safety on a punt from their own end zone. On the ensuing possession, the Tide drove to the Gophers' 15-yard-line, but their threat ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down. The Gophers then ran out the clock for the 20–16 win. Barber ran for 187 yards, and fellow Gophers running back Laurence Maroney ran for 105. Alabama, which was second in the nation in total defense going into the game, had not given up a 100-yard game to an opposing rusher this season.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Sun Bowl
The next game on New Year's Eve, the Sun Bowl, held at the stadium of the same name in El Paso, Texas, pitted the Arizona State Sun Devils against the Purdue Boilermakers in what would be the sole Big Ten/Pac-10 matchup on the bowl schedule. The first half of the game was a defensive struggle, with the Sun Devils taking a 3–2 lead into the locker room. The offensive fireworks began on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, with Boilermakers QB Kyle Orton connecting with Brian Hare on an 80-yard TD pass.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Sun Bowl
The Sun Devils answered with a Sam Keller TD pass to Derek Hagan to retake the lead. This set the stage for a wild fourth quarter that featured four lead changes, two of them in the last two minutes of the game. Purdue got the ball with 1:55 remaining and trailing 20-16; Orton took the Boilermakers down the field in four plays and 33 seconds, completing the drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Charles Davis.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Sun Bowl
The Sun Devils then took only four plays to move the ball 80 yards, ending in a 19-yard Keller TD pass to Rudy Burgess with 43 seconds left. The ensuing extra point gave the Devils a 27–23 lead. Purdue was unable to move the ball in the remaining seconds, sealing the Devils' win.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Liberty Bowl
The third game on December 31, and the last of the bowl season to feature two BCS non-AQ conference schools, was the Liberty Bowl, held in the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis. One of the most intriguing matchups of the bowl season pitted the two top-ranked offenses in NCAA Division I-A. The Louisville Cardinals (C-USA) led the nation in scoring and total yardage per game; their opponents, WAC champion the Boise State Broncos, were second in both categories. The Broncos also took their undefeated regular season record and Division I-A's then-longest winning streak of 22 games into the contest.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Liberty Bowl
In a wild game that saw five lead changes, the Cardinals won 44–40, ending the Broncos' streak, despite a season-high four turnovers. The Cardinals racked up 564 yards of total offense, surpassing the 500-yard mark for the ninth time this season. Starting Louisville QB Stefan LeFors threw for two touchdowns, ran for a third, and made the key block allowing a fourth touchdown to score, but also had an interception run back for a TD. The Broncos went into the game averaging 511 yards per game on offense, but could only manage 281. This was the last game for Louisville in C-USA; in July 2005, they joined a BCS AQ conference as a new member of the Big East.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Peach Bowl
The final game on December 31 was the Peach Bowl, held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It matched the Florida Gators of the SEC with one of their two bitter in-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes from the ACC. The Hurricanes did most of their damage on special teams and defense, returning a blocked field goal and a punt for touchdowns, and intercepting Gators QB Chris Leak twice. Miami won 27–10, extending their winning streak against Florida to six games and giving 'Canes senior QB Brock Berlin (a former Florida player) a 5-0 record as a starter against Miami's two major in-state rivals (Florida and Florida State).


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic, held in the stadium of the same name in Dallas on January 1, matched the Tennessee Volunteers (SEC) and the Texas A&M Aggies (Big 12). On the game's seventh play from scrimmage, Vols QB Rick Clausen, a third-stringer for most of the season, completed a short pass to C.J. Fayton, who promptly turned the reception into a 57-yard touchdown to give the Vols an early lead. Clausen passed for two more TDs with no interceptions, Vols running back Gerald Riggs racked up 102 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and the Vols defense pressured the Aggies into five turnovers. Tennessee ended with a 38–7 win, their most one-sided bowl win ever.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Outback Bowl
Also on New Year's Day, the Outback Bowl was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The game matched the Georgia Bulldogs and the Wisconsin Badgers in the first of two Big Ten-SEC New Year's Day contests. The first 20 minutes of the game were mostly a defensive battle, with the Badgers taking a 6–3 lead. Georgia QB David Greene threw a TD pass in the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a lead they never relinquished.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Outback Bowl
He added a second TD pass in the third quarter, but had an interception run back for a Badgers TD in the fourth. Thomas Brown added 111 rushing yards and a TD for the Bulldogs, and Lombardi Award winner David Pollack forced a key Badgers fumble with one of his three sacks. The Bulldogs held on for a 24–21 win, extending Greene's NCAA record for wins by a starting quarterback to 42.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Gator Bowl
The third bowl game on January 1 was the Gator Bowl, held at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It matched the Florida State Seminoles (ACC) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East). Longtime Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden was facing his former school for the first time since the two met in this game in 1982. The 'Noles went out to an early lead when Leon Washington ran 69 yards for a TD; he finished with 195 yards rushing on only 12 carries.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Gator Bowl
However, inconsistent Seminoles QB Chris Rix helped keep the Mountaineers in the game, throwing two interceptions and fumbling three times, losing one, in the first half. Rix eventually settled down, leading the Seminoles on two touchdown drives in the second half. Lorenzo Booker added 101 yards rushing for the Seminoles. The Mountaineers ran for 238 yards against the nation's top rushing defense, led by 134 yards and two TDs by Kay-Jay Harris. However, special teams miscues hurt the Mountaineers.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Gator Bowl
In the first half alone, a return man fumbled away a kickoff, two different kickers missed extra points, a kickoff was booted out of bounds, and the Mountaineers faked a field goal but failed to convert the first-down run. Even more tellingly, the Mountaineers were unsuccessful in the red zone; they advanced the ball past the Seminoles 20 five times, but could only score a TD and a field goal. The Seminoles pulled away to a 30–18 win, saving them from a third straight bowl loss and giving Bowden his 18th bowl victory, one shy of Joe Paterno's record of 19.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Capital One Bowl
The fourth bowl game on January 1, the second of the bowl season held at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and the other Big Ten vs. SEC contest on New Year's Day was the Capital One Bowl, featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes and the LSU Tigers. The Hawkeyes scored on their first possession, with QB Drew Tate burning an LSU blitz by completing a pass to Clinton Solomon that turned into a 57-yard touchdown play. This gave Iowa a lead that it did not give up until the game's last minute.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Capital One Bowl
The Hawkeyes defense largely bottled up the Tigers' running game, except for a 74-yard TD run by Alley Broussard in the second quarter, and Iowa had a 24–12 lead early in the fourth. Freshman QB JaMarcus Russell came off the bench for LSU and connected with Skyler Green for two fourth-quarter TD passes, the last of which gave LSU a 25–24 lead with 46 seconds left. After a failed 2-point conversion, Iowa got the ball back, and Tate completed two passes, but a penalty pushed the Hawkeyes back to their own 44 with 14 seconds left.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Non-BCS bowls, Capital One Bowl
Tate threw long to Warren Holloway, who was open because of an LSU coverage breakdown, and Holloway scored the winning touchdown with no time remaining. No extra point was attempted, and Iowa won 30–25. The result spoiled Nick Saban's last game as LSU head coach; he left to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins. With the loss, Saban's record fell to 30–1 when leading at the half with LSU, who also became the first defending BCS national champion to lose a non-BCS bowl the following year.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl, held on January 1 in the stadium of the same name in Pasadena, California, pitted the Big Ten champions, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Texas Longhorns from the Big 12. Utah's unexpected entry into the BCS games, combined with Texas leapfrogging Cal in the final BCS rankings, plus the fact that Pac-10 champion Southern California was playing in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship made it impossible for the Rose Bowl to maintain its traditional Big Ten–Pac-10 match-up for only the third time since 1947.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
Nonetheless, the match-up promised to be highly entertaining, as well as historic for being the first ever game between Michigan and Texas, the winningest and third-winningest college football programs, respectively, of all time. The 2,271 games played by the two teams mark the most games ever played by two teams before they met for the first time. It was also the Longhorns' first trip ever to the Rose Bowl, and the game itself proved to be a record-setting performance as well—16 Rose Bowl individual or team records were set or tied during the game, as well as numerous team and conference records.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
The game proved to be an offensive showcase. Longhorns QB Vince Young had 372 yards of total offense, rushing for 192 yards and four TDs and passing for 180 yards and a fifth TD, setting new Rose Bowl record for most total touchdowns. He became the first Texas quarterback to throw for over 1,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. Together with Doak Walker Award-winning running back Cedric Benson, the two became the first Texas duo to each run for 1,000 yards in the same season.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
Wolverines freshman QB Chad Henne threw for four TDs, tying both the Michigan and Rose Bowl single-game record. Three of Henne's TDs went to All-American receiver and Fred Biletnikoff Award winner Braylon Edwards. Edwards set a Rose Bowl record for touchdown passes caught in a game, and also set Michigan and Big Ten records for career touchdown receptions (39). Another Wolverines receiver, Steve Breaston, amassed 310 all-purpose yards, breaking a Rose Bowl record set by O. J. Simpson in 1969.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
By midway through the third quarter, the teams had been tied at 7, 14, and 21, but the Wolverines took a 31–21 lead going into the fourth quarter. In that quarter, Young ran for TDs before and after a Michigan field goal, giving the Longhorns a 35–34 lead. The Wolverines retook the lead with 3:04 remaining on Garrett Rivas' third field goal of the day. On the ensuing possession, Young led the 'Horns into position for a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds left. Michigan took both of its remaining timeouts in an attempt to "ice" Texas kicker Dusty Mangum.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Rose Bowl
He finally put a wobbly kick through the uprights as time expired, giving the Longhorns a 38–37 win. The thrilling come-from-behind fourth quarter victory marked their sixth such victory of the year. The game was won on the final play for the first time in Rose Bowl history, and only the third time in Longhorns history.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Fiesta Bowl
The final game on January 1 was the Fiesta Bowl, held at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona (suburban Phoenix). It matched the Pittsburgh Panthers, the Big East champions and the Mountain West champion Utah Utes. This was another historic matchup, as Utah became the first BCS non-AQ conference member to appear in a BCS bowl game. It was also the swan song for Utes head coach Urban Meyer, who left after the game to take the head coaching job at Florida.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Fiesta Bowl
The matchup was fairly controversial, though not because of the Utes' presence; in their 11–0 regular season, they had defeated three schools from BCS AQ conferences, two of which participated in bowl games, by an average of 22 points. No opponent came within two touchdowns of the Utes. The controversy surrounded the presence of Pittsburgh, or more to the point, the Big East, in the BCS AQ pool.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Fiesta Bowl
The Panthers finished 8-3 in a conference that had just lost its two strongest programs (Miami-Florida and Virginia Tech) to the ACC — a tiebreaker among four teams granted Pittsburgh the Big East championship. However, the BCS was still contractually obligated to place the Big East champion in one of its bowls.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Fiesta Bowl
Utah's vaunted offense started the game slowly, but the Utes nonetheless went into halftime leading 14–0. The tone for the game was initially set by the Utes defense, which mercilessly pressured Panthers QB Tyler Palko, and special teams, which blocked a Pittsburgh field goal attempt and nearly blocked a punt. In the third quarter, the Utah offense came alive, with QB Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist who became the top overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, throwing two TD passes and connecting on a hook and lateral that ended in a Paris Warren TD. By the end of that quarter, the Utes led by their final margin of 35–7. The win capped off a fairy-tale 12-0 season, Utah's first perfect season since 1930, and sent Meyer off to his new job in Gainesville with a historic win.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Fiesta Bowl
Smith went 29-for-37 passing for 328 yards and three TDs with no interceptions, and also led the Utes in rushing with 68 yards. Warren caught 15 passes for 180 yards and a TD, as well as scoring on the pass-and-lateral play. The Utes defense sacked Palko nine times.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Sugar Bowl
In the second game of the bowl season held at the Superdome in New Orleans, the SEC champion Auburn Tigers took on the Virginia Tech Hokies, the ACC champions in the Sugar Bowl on January 3.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Sugar Bowl
Despite finishing the regular season 12–0 and winning the SEC, Auburn was not able to crack the top two in the BCS rankings, shutting the Tigers out of the BCS title game. Their main hope for a split national championship (as happened the season before with LSU and Southern California) was to score a resounding win over the Hokies and hope that Oklahoma unimpressively defeated Southern California in the Orange Bowl the following evening. Auburn would then have to hope that enough voters in the AP media poll switch their votes from Oklahoma to give the Tigers the AP title.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Sugar Bowl
The Tigers had a chance to blow the game open in the first half, but were unable to score a touchdown in three trips inside the Hokies' 10-yard line, settling for three field goals from John Vaughn. Auburn's defense was more than up to the challenge from the Hokies, shutting them out in the first half. Tech did not help itself, as Jesse Allen dropped an easy touchdown reception on fourth-and-goal at the Auburn 1 in the second quarter.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Sugar Bowl
Auburn finally drove for a TD on the first possession of the second half, and kept their 16–0 lead into the fourth quarter. However, two second-half turnovers kept the Hokies in the game, and their offense finally awakened in the fourth quarter. Tech QB Bryan Randall threw two TD passes to Josh Howard, the last an 80-yard bomb, in the fourth quarter, cutting the Auburn lead to 16-13. The Hokies then attempted an onside kick, but the Tigers recovered and chose to run out the clock to instead of trying to score again. This preserved the Tigers' perfect 13–0 season; however, it effectively ended Auburn's faint hopes for a split national championship.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Sugar Bowl
Tigers QB Jason Campbell was the game's MVP, completing 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 189 yards and a touchdown. However, he was intercepted once. For the Hokies, Randall went 21-for-38 passing for 299 yards and two TDs, but was intercepted twice.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
In the final major bowl game of the BCS, the Orange Bowl, played on January 4, 2005, the top two 12–0 teams met for the likely National Championship (see Sugar Bowl, above). The top-ranked Southern California Trojans, the Pac-10 Champions, were able to obtain the National Championship title with a huge 55–19 victory over the second-ranked and Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
An Orange Bowl record five touchdown passes were thrown by Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, and 38 points were scored by the Trojans in the first 20 minutes of the first half alone to effectively seal the victory.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
The game was billed as the Game of the Century by many. It was the first time that two teams went wire-to-wire ranked #1 and #2. It featured the winner (Leinart) and the runner-up (Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson) in that year's Heisman Trophy voting. USC came into the game as a slight underdog after opening as a 3-point favorite. Most of the "experts" predicted an Oklahoma win, calling the Trojans thin at all positions except for all-purpose threat Reggie Bush. The Sooners looked to prove the experts correct by driving the field on their first possession for a 7–0 lead.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
The Trojans tied the score 7–7 on a spectacular diving catch by tight end Dominique Byrd. It looked like it would be a classic back-and-forth battle until a key turnover turned the tide to USC for good. USC had just punted to Oklahoma and got a good roll inside Oklahoma's 10-yard line. Inexplicably, Senior Mark Bradley tried to pick up the ball and promptly fumbled it away. LenDale White scored on the next play and USC never looked back. From that point on, Matt Leinart was on fire as was his primary target, Sophomore WR Steve Smith.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
Smith caught 3 TD passes on the night, also an Orange Bowl record. Oklahoma continued turning the ball over as the Trojan defense proved too tough all night. Freshman RB sensation Adrian Peterson was held to well under 100 yards, despite having been the first freshman to finish second in the Heisman balloting.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, Orange Bowl
Many fans left after the third quarter at which point the score was 48–10, USC. After the Trojans took a 55–10 lead, Oklahoma got a safety on USC QB Matt Leinart. The Sooners followed it up with a short drive for the final points.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Bowl Championship Series games, USC Sanctions
On June 10, 2010, the NCAA placed the University of Southern California (USC) on a probation period of four years, with two years without any bowl game appearances, and forfeiture of all games in which Reggie Bush (an ineligible player because of accepting payments from an agent) participated in beginning in December 2004, and therefore, includes the Orange Bowl BCS National Championship game. On June 6, 2011, the NCAA officially vacated USC's Orange Bowl BCS National Championship game win.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, Gridiron Classic
In the Gridiron Classic, the first of the four post-BCS bowl games played January 15, 2005, at The Villages retirement center in Lady Lake, Florida, Marcus Randall (quarterback for LSU) ran seven out of eleven passes for 88 yards as he led the South squad to a win over the North by the score of 24–21. Randall was also declared the game's Most Valuable Player.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, East–West Shrine Game
The 80th East–West Shrine Game, played January 15, 2005, (just after the Gridiron Classic) at SBC Park in San Francisco, saw two Louisville teammates, Stefan LeFors and J. R. Russell, propel the East squad to a 45–27 win over the West team. The two teams combined for 1,013 yards of offense in the highest-scoring Shrine Game since 1979.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, East–West Shrine Game
LeFors was named the MVP for the offense, while Alex Green of Duke won the MVP for the defense.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, Las Vegas All-American Classic
The 4th edition of the Las Vegas All-American Classic was played January 22, 2005, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The West won the game by a score of 21–16 over the East.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, Hula Bowl
A total 92 of the best seniors in college football were represented in the January 22, 2005, version of the Hula Bowl game played in Wailuku, Hawaii. Michigan State's Ronald Stanley scored with two defensive touchdowns to help win the game for the East over the West by the score of 20–13. For his efforts, Stanley won Most Valuable Player. This was the first time since 1996 that the Hula Bowl used the East and West squads format.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, All-Star Games, Senior Bowl
In the Senior Bowl, the final game of the 2004–05 college football season, Kansas State's Darren Sproles, Akron's Charlie Frye, and Ohio State's Mike Nugent led the North to a 23–13 victory over the South in the annual bowl game played January 29, 2005, in Mobile, Alabama. Frye won the Most Valuable Player honors for his completion of 10 to 12 passes and making possible a 22-yard touchdown at the game's conclusion to seal the victory for the North. Nugent scored three field goals from 25, 36, and 41 yards, respectively, while Sproles earned the North's defensive player of the game for five carries gaining 55 yards. Leroy Hill of Clemson earned the defensive player honors for the South team.


2004–05 NCAA football bowl games, Conference standings
In the following table of teams that played in bowl games, winners are marked in bold and losers are marked in italics. The table is sorted by winning percentage, then by number of competing teams, and finally alphabetically by conference name.


2004–05 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2004 season began on January 8, 2005. The postseason tournament concluded with the New England Patriots defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24–21, on February 6, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.


2004–05 NFL playoffs
The Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams became the first teams to win a playoff game despite finishing the regular season with a record of .500 or worse, as both posted an 8–8 record in the regular season. Minnesota defeated the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round. Four other teams  have since won a playoff game despite a regular season record at or below .500.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Participants
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5).


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Participants
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Schedule
In the United States, ABC broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games, then CBS broadcast the rest of the AFC playoff games. Fox televised the rest of the NFC games and Super Bowl XXXIX.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Although the Rams barely made the playoffs with an 8–8 record, two of their regular season wins were against Seattle. And they proved they were up to the task again, beating the Seahawks in a back and forth game by scoring a touchdown with 2:11 left to go and then forcing a turnover on their own 5-yard line. With the win, the Rams became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game after going 8–8 in the regular season. St. Louis' defense held Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, the NFL's second leading rusher during the season, to only 40 yards on 15 carries.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Shortly after the opening kickoff, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger completed a 52-yard pass to Torry Holt at the Seahawks 11-yard line. Three plays later, he threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Holt to give the Rams an early 7–0 lead. Then on Seattle's first play of the game, defensive back Travis Fisher intercepted a pass from Matt Hasselbeck at the Seahawks 44-yard line. Bulger once again tried to go deep, but the Seahawks were ready and Ken Hamlin picked off his pass at the 4. After an exchange of punts, Seattle drove 46 yards in 9 plays and scored with Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7–3.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Early in the second quarter, Bulger's 52-yard completion to Kevin Curtis set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Marshall Faulk. But Seattle responded by driving 84 yards in 9 plays. On the eighth play of the drive, Hasselbeck's pass was intercepted, but a 15-yard penalty on Trev Faulk nullified the play and gave Seattle the ball at the Rams 19-yard line. Taking advantage of his second chance, Hasselbeck threw a 19-yard touchdown completion to Bobby Engram on the next play, making the score 14–10.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Seahawks moved the ball 64 yards in 14 plays and scored with Brown's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 1 point. The Rams responded with a field goal from Jeff Wilkins to retake their 4-point lead, but Hasselbeck stormed back, completing five consecutive passes for 75 yards on Seattle's ensuing drive and finishing it off with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson, giving his team their first lead of the game 1:17 into the fourth quarter.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
But the Rams struck back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive to tie the game with a second field goal from Wilkins. Then after forcing a punt, St. Louis drove 76 yards in seven plays, featuring two key receptions by players who had not caught a pass yet in the game. The first was a 31-yard completion from Bulger to Shaun McDonald on third down and 2. Then three plays later, Bulger threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Cam Cleeland with 2:11 left in regulation.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Hasselbeck started out the ensuing drive with three of four completions for 54 yards, moving the ball to the Rams 11-yard line. But over the next two plays, he threw an incompleted pass and was sacked for a 6-yard loss by St. Louis lineman Jimmy Kennedy. After that, he completed a 12-yard pass to Engram, bringing up fourth down and four on the Rams 5-yard line. With 27 seconds left, Hasselbeck tried to connect with Engram in the end zone, but the pass zipped through his hands and the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
Bulger finished the game with 313 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Holt caught 6 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Curtis added 4 receptions for 107 yards. Hasselbeck completed 27 of 43 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception, and rushed for 26 yards. Jackson caught 12 passes for 128 yards.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
The game, notably, was also the last of wide receiver Jerry Rice's legendary career.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
This was the Rams' last playoff win as the St. Louis Rams as they would relocate to Los Angeles in 2016. They would not win a playoff game until 2018.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
After this loss, the Seahawks went on to win 10 consecutive home playoff games, a streak which lasted through the 2020 NFC Wild Card playoffs in which Seattle was once again defeated by the Rams.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, NFC: St. Louis Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 20
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and Seahawks.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
New York entered the game after losing their last two regular season games, but managed to defeat the Chargers with a Doug Brien field goal in overtime. This game proved to be as close and competitive as the earlier playoff game in Seattle, featuring numerous key plays in the fourth quarter and in overtime that kept it going until 14:55 had elapsed in the extra period.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
New York took the opening kickoff and drove to the Chargers 11-yard line. But San Diego's defense kept them out of the end zone and Brien missed a 31-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter, San Diego drove 88 yards and scored with Drew Brees' 26-yard touchdown pass to Keenan McCardell, which was initially ruled an incompletion, but overturned to a touchdown after a replay challenge. Later in the quarter, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty against the Chargers on a punt gave New York the ball on the San Diego 37-yard line.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
Five plays later, quarterback Chad Pennington completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Becht, tying the game at 7. On their ensuing drive, the Chargers mounted a scoring threat by moving the ball to the Jets 37-yard line, but Reggie Tongue intercepted a pass from Brees and the score remained tied at halftime.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
After forcing a punt on the opening second half drive, Pennington completed three consecutive passes for 68 yards, the last one a 47-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. Then after forcing a punt, New York drove 42 yards in eight plays, featuring two receptions by Curtis Martin for 33 yards and scored with a 42-yard field goal from Brien, giving them a 17–7 lead going into the fourth quarter.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
In the final period, the Chargers managed to rally back. First they drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored with a 35-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding. The Jets responded with a drive to San Diego's 33-yard line, Pennington threw an incomplete pass on third down and they decided to punt rather than risk a 51-yard field goal. The Chargers subsequently moved the ball 80 yards in 10 plays to tie the game on a thrilling drive in which they nearly turned the ball over twice.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
On the first play, Brees fumbled the ball while being sacked by linebacker Jonathan Vilma, but he recovered it himself. Then he completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Antonio Gates to pick up the first down. One play later, he completed a 44-yard pass to Gates at the Jets 22-yard line. Two runs by LaDainian Tomlinson for 13 yards and a 7-yard run by Brees brought up third down on the Jets 2-yard line.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
After Tomlinson was tackled for a 1-yard loss, A fourth-down pass Brees with under 20 seconds left fell incomplete into the end zone, but Jets linebacker Eric Barton was penalized for roughing the passer, giving the Chargers a first down from the one-yard line. Brees threw a touchdown pass to Gates on the following play, sending the game into overtime.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
After an exchange of punts in overtime, the Chargers drove to the Jets 22-yard line, but Kaeding missed a 40-yard field goal attempt late in the extra period, allowing the Jets to come back down the field. Two Pennington completions for 29 yards and a 19-yard run by LaMont Jordan then set up a 28-yard field goal from Brien with five seconds remaining in overtime.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
Pennington completed 23 of 33 passes for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns. Moss finished the game with 4 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Brees completed 31 of 42 passes for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Tomlinson rushed for 80 yards and caught 9 passes for 53 yards.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 8, 2005, AFC: New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17 (OT)
This was the first postseason meeting between the Jets and Chargers.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
The Colts followed up their wild-card blowout of the Broncos in the previous year's Wild Card Round, and also made up for a loss in Denver's INVESCO Field at Mile High a week earlier with another thrashing. Indianapolis scored a franchise playoff record seven touchdowns and led 35–3 at the half.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
Colt quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw a record 49 touchdown passes in the 2004 regular season, completed 27 of 33 passes for 457 yards (the second highest total ever in a playoff game) and four touchdowns, including two to receiver Reggie Wayne (who had 10 receptions for 221 yards receiving on the day), and one each to tight end Dallas Clark (who caught 6 passes for 113 yards) and running back James Mungro. Manning and running backs Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes scored rushing touchdowns. For Denver, quarterback Jake Plummer threw for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, while receiver Rod Smith caught 7 passes for 99 yards and a score.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
Manning dominated the Broncos in the first quarter, completing 11 of 14 passes for 156 yards. On the Colts second drive of the game, he completed two passes to Wayne for 41 yards and a 25-yard pass to tight end Marcus Pollard before throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mungro. Then after a Denver punt, Manning completed three passes to Clark for 63 yards on an 87-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by James, giving Indianapolis a 14–0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
On Denver's opening drive of the second quarter, safety Mike Doss intercepted a pass Plummer on the Colts 41-yard line. One play later, Manning threw a 49-yard completion to Wayne at the Denver 9. Rookie defensive back Kelly Herndon ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Manning in the end zone, but it did not matter. Denver was forced to punt after three plays and Troy Walters returned the ball 9 yards to the Colts 48-yard line. Manning then completed three consecutive passes for 48 yards, the last one a 19-yard touchdown throw to Clark.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
This time the Broncos managed to respond. Smith caught 2 passes for 41 yards on a 51-yard drive that ended with a 33-yard field goal by Jason Elam, cutting the score to 21–3. Then the Broncos tried to fool the Colts with a surprise onside kick, but it did not work. Indianapolis' Nick Rogers recovered the ball on the Denver 40-yard line, and one play later, Manning threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Wayne. Before the end of the half, the Colts put together another touchdown drive.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
This time Manning went to Marvin Harrison, who had been dominated all game, completing two passes to him for 41 yards before a 20-yard catch by Wayne moved the ball to the Broncos 1-yard line. Manning finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6 seconds left in the half, increasing the Colts lead to 35–3.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
The Broncos scored on the opening drive of the second half, moving the ball 75 yards and scoring with Plummer's 9-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Then after forcing a punt, they drove 85 yards and scored with Plummer's 35-yard touchdown pass to Jeb Putzier, cutting the score to 35–17. But on the Colts ensuing drive, Wayne caught a screen pass from Manning and took it 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Indianapolis a 42–17 lead early in the fourth quarter.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
Denver receiver Triandos Luke returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the 43-yard line, setting up a 57-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tatum Bell. But Harrison recovered Elam's onside kick attempt and the Colts subsequently closed out the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run by Rhodes. This was the last NFL game played on the first-generation AstroTurf.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, AFC: Indianapolis Colts 49, Denver Broncos 24
This was the second consecutive postseason meeting between the Broncos and Colts. Indianapolis won the only previous meeting.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
The Vikings, like the Rams, went 8–8 during the regular season. Furthermore, they had stumbled into the post-season losing 7 of their last 10 games, the worst performance in NFL history by a playoff team in a final 10-game span. Two of their losses, by identical 34–31 scores, came in last-second games to the Packers. This time, however, there was no denying the Vikings as they avenged their regular-season sweep, coming out with a stellar performance on both sides of the ball.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
Quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 54 yards, while the Vikings defense, who only intercepted 11 passes all season, picked off Green Bay counterpart Brett Favre four times. Wide receiver Randy Moss caught two touchdowns for Minnesota, but drew controversy for his celebration after his second, which decided the outcome of the contest. Moss pretended to "moon" Packer fans by pretending to pull down his pants, mocking a move done by Packer fans to the losing team's bus as they left Green Bay.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck was visibly upset by Moss's celebratory move, calling it "a disgusting act". The NFL was also not amused and fined Moss $10,000 for his actions a few days later. When asked by a fan how he would the pay the fine, Moss replied, "straight cash homie".


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
On the Vikings' opening drive, Culpepper narrowly avoided a sack with a short completion to running back Moe Williams, who then dodged a tackle attempt from safety Darren Sharper and took off for a 68-yard touchdown reception. The Packers were forced to punt after Favre was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third down by Chris Claiborne, and Nate Burleson returned the ball 7 yards to the 45-yard line. Three plays later, Culpepper threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Moss, giving Minnesota a 14–0 lead after just 5:05 had elapsed in the game.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
A 30-yard kickoff return by Najeh Davenport gave the Packers good field position on their 42-yard line, but two plays later, defensive back Antoine Winfield intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 3 yards to the Vikings 43. After that, Culpepper completed two passes for 19 yards and rushed for 23, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Morten Andersen and increasing the lead to 17–0.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
After being completely dominated up to this point, the Packers managed to rally back. First Davenport returned the ensuing kickoff 20 yards to the 38-yard line. Then a 21-yard completion from Favre to Javon Walker set up a 43-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell. The Vikings were forced to punt after Culpepper was sacked on third down by Michael Hawthorne, and Green Bay subsequently drove 54 yards in 12 plays and scored on Favre's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bubba Franks, cutting their deficit to 17–10 with 10:24 left in the second quarter.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
But on the Vikings' next drive, a 29-yard reception by Burleson and a 23-yard run by Culpepper helped move the ball to the Packers 9-yard line. Green Bay seemed to catch a break when Anderson slipped on a field goal attempt, resulting in a block. But on the next play, safety Brian Russell intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 14 yards to the Packers 28-yard line. One play later, Culpepper threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Burleson, putting the Vikings up 24–10. The Packers subsequently drove to Minnesota's 8-yard line, but while scrambling around looking for an open receiver, Favre threw an illegal forward pass when he could have run for a first down. On the next play, Longwell missed a 28-yard field goal.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
After a scoreless third quarter, Green Bay drove 78 yards in 9 plays to score on Davenport's 1-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24–17. But the Vikings responded by driving 66 yards and scoring with a 34-yard touchdown completion for Culpepper to Moss. Then after forcing a punt, Minnesota put the game away with an 8-minute drive that ran the clock down to 23 seconds.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 9, 2005, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 31, Green Bay Packers 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Vikings and Packers.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
The Jets came out on the losing end of this overtime game when placekicker Doug Brien missed two consecutive field goals at the end of regulation, setting an NFL record of 3 missed game winning field goals in a single post-season. Despite a subpar performance by Steelers' rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers managed to win after Jeff Reed made a game-winning 33-yard field goal 11:04 into the extra period. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis finished the game with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with a 21-yard reception.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
The Steelers opened up the scoring with a 43-yard field goal by Reed. Then after the ensuing kickoff, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass from Chad Pennington and returned it 15 yards to the Jets 25-yard line, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Bettis. New York Responded with a 42-yard field goal from Brien on their next drive to cut their deficit to 10–3. Later in the second quarter, Jets receiver Santana Moss returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
Midway through third quarter, Jets defensive back Reggie Tongue intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. On Pittsburgh's next drive, they drove all the way to New York's 23-yard line. But then Bettis fumbled and New York's Erik Coleman recovered it. After forcing a punt, the Steelers drove into scoring range for the third consecutive drive, this time scoring with Roethlisbeger's 4-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to tie it at 17.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
The Jets responded with a drive inside the Steelers 30-yard line, but Brien missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 2 minutes left in regulation. Two plays later, New York defensive back David Barrett gave his team another chance to score the winning points by intercepting a pass from Roethlisberger and returning it 25 yards to Pittsburgh's 36-yard line. But Brien missed another field goal, this one from 43 yards, as time expired in the fourth quarter, and the game went into overtime.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
The Jets won the coin toss, but were forced to punt. Pittsburgh then drove 72 yards in 14 plays and won the game with a 33-yard field goal from Reed.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 17 (OT)
This was the first postseason meeting between the Jets and Steelers.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
In a classic rout, quarterback Michael Vick and the Falcons steamrolled over the Rams in their first home playoff game since 1999, scoring on six of their nine possessions, while racking up 327 rushing yards and 232 yards on special teams. Vick combined for 201 yards (including 119 rushing yards, a playoff record for a quarterback) and threw 2 touchdown passes, while running back Warrick Dunn rushed for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns. Allen Rossum set an NFL post-season record with 152 punt return yards and added another 80 on kickoff returns.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
On the Falcons opening drive, Vick rushed for 47 yards and later threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler, giving his team a 7–0 lead after just 3:02 had elapsed in the game. The Rams responded with Marc Bulger's 57-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis, but four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Atlanta running back Warrick Dunn scored on a 62-yard touchdown run.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
Early in the second quarter, Atlanta drove 80 yards in 13 plays. Dunn rushed for 46 total yards on the drive and caught a pass for 2, eventually finishing it off with a 19-yard touchdown run to give the Falcons a 21–7 lead. The Rams struck back with an 8-play, 75-yard drive in which Stephen Jackson had three carries for 29 yards. On the last play, Bulger threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt. Then linebacker Tommy Polley ended Atlanta's next drive by forcing a recovering a fumble from Vick on the Rams 18-yard line. But the Falcons defense forced a punt and Rossum returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
The Rams responded by driving 43 yards and scoring on Jeff Wilkins' 55-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28–17 on the last play of the second quarter, but the Falcons dominated the second half. First they forced the Rams to punt, and Rossum returned the ball 39 yards to the St. Louis 32-yard line. Five plays later, Vick threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Peerless Price. Then Rossum returned the Rams next punt 45 yards to the Rams 13-yard line, setting a 38-yard field goal by Jay Feely.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
Throughout the rest of the game, the Falcons intercepted a pass from Bulger, forced him to lose a fumble, and Brady Smith sacked him in the end zone for a safety. After the safety, Atlanta drove 58 yards in 15 plays, taking 9:45 off the clock on the way to running back T. J. Duckett's 4-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes left in the game.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
Bulger finished with 292 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Curtis caught 7 passes for 128 yards. Duckett rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown. This would be the last playoff game for the St. Louis Rams, as they relocated to Los Angeles in 2016, and the franchise's last overall until 2017, which would also be against Atlanta.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 15, 2005, NFC: Atlanta Falcons 47, St. Louis Rams 17
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and Falcons.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
The Eagles advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the fourth straight year on the strength of quarterback Donovan McNabb (21 out of 33 completions for 286 yards and 2 touchdowns). Meanwhile, the Vikings repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with penalties (including 3 pass interference calls for 78 yards), turnovers (including two third quarter interceptions), and other miscues. The most notable was a blown fake field goal attempt which failed because they did not send the right personnel onto the field.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
Midway through the first quarter, Darren Bennett's 24-yard punt gave the Eagles a first down on their own 47-yard line. McNabb then completed passes to running back Brian Westbrook for gains of 10 and 24 yards as he led the team 53 yards in 7 plays to score the first points of the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell. The next time the Eagles got the ball, McNabb completed a 52-yard pass to receiver Greg Lewis, setting up his second touchdown pass on a 7-yard toss to Westbrook to complete a 92-yard drive.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
Mewelde Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to his own 42-yard line, and two plays later, Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper threw a 40-yard completion to Marcus Robinson. After that, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14–7. But the Eagles struck right back on their next drive. First, J. R. Reed returned the kickoff 48 yards to the Vikings 46-yard line. After two penalties against Minnesota gave them 33 yards, McNabb completed two passes to tight end L. J. Smith. Smith fumbled the ball on the second pass, but Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, increasing the Eagles' lead to 21–7.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
The Vikings responded with a drive to Philadelphia's 3-yard line. On fourth down, coach Mike Tice called a fake field goal that was supposed to involve backup quarterback Gus Frerotte passing the ball. But the lineman next to the long snapper didn't hear the call. He remained in and Randy Moss, who was supposed to receive the pass, had to run off the field to avoid a penalty. When the ball was snapped, a confused Frerotte had no receivers to pass too, and was forced to throw the ball away. The Eagles then drove 93 yards the Vikings 4-yard line, but were unable to stop the clock from running out before they could score.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
After forcing Philadelphia to punt on the opening second half possession, Minnesota drove to the Eagles 28-yard, only to lose the ball on an interception by Ike Reese. The next time the Vikings got the ball, they fared no better, as Culpepper threw a pass that was intercepted by linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, who returned it 35 yards to the Minnesota 31-yard line. On the following play, Minnesota got the ball back as Brian Russell forced a fumble from Mitchell after he caught a 30-yard pass and was headed for the goal line.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
Cornerback Terrance Shaw recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, and the Vikings drove to a first down on the Eagles 19-yard line. But after an incompletion and a run for no gain, defensive back Brian Dawkins sacked Culpepper for a 12-yard loss, and his subsequent pass attempt to convert the 4th and 22 was incomplete. Philadelphia then took advantage of a 46-yard pass interference penalty against Vikings corner Ralph Brown, scoring on David Akers' 21-yard field goal to go up 24-7.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
Then after a Vikings punt, the Eagles drove 55 yards in 10 plays to make the score 27-7 with Akers' 23-yard kick. The Vikings managed to respond with an 80-yard drive capped by Culpepper's 32-yard touchdown pass to Robinson, but they could not recover the onside kick and the Eagles ran out the rest of the clock.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
Culpepper threw for 354 yards and 1 touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Robinson caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Westbrook rushed for 70 yards and caught five passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 14
This was the second postseason meeting between the Vikings and Eagles. Philadelphia won the only prior meeting.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
In a snowstorm, the Patriots dismantled the league's highest scoring team by forcing three turnovers and holding them to just 276 yards and 3 points, their lowest point total since their opening game of the 2003 season. Peyton Manning suffered his seventh loss in Foxborough, even though he had more yards passing than Brady did in the game. The Patriots limited Manning to 238 passing yards with 1 interception and no touchdowns, and Edgerrin James to just 39 rushing yards.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
The Patriots also held possession of the ball for 37:43, including 21:26 in the second half and recording three long scoring drives that each took over 7 minutes off the clock. New England running back Corey Dillon, playing in his first career playoff game after suffering through 7 losing seasons as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, rushed for 144 yards and caught 5 passes for 17 yards.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
Both teams defenses dominated early, as the first five possessions of the game ended in punts. But after that, the Patriots put together a 16-play, 78 yards scoring drive that took 9:07 off the clock. They lost a touchdown when Dillons' 1-yard score was overturned by a penalty, but Adam Vinatieri kicked a 24-yard field goal to give them a 3–0 lead. The next time New England got the ball, a 42-yard run by Dillon set up another Vinatieri field goal, increasing the Patriots lead to 6–0.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
The Colts responded with a drive to New England's 39-yard line, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi ended it by forcing and recovering a fumble from running back Dominic Rhodes. After a Patriots punt, Manning led the Colts 67 yards to a Mike Vanderjagt field goal, cutting the score to 6–3 going into halftime.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
But the Patriots dominated the second half, holding the ball for nearly all the time in regulation with two long drives. After a criticized Indianapolis punt on 4th and 1 from the New England 49-yard line, the Patriots drove 87 yards in 15 plays on a drive that consumed 8:16 and ended with Brady's 5-yard touchdown pass to David Givens. At the end of the Colts next drive, Hunter Smith's 54-yard punt pinned New England back at their own 6-yard line. But it didn't stop them.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
The Patriots stormed down the field on a 14-play, 94-yard drive that ate up another 7:24. Dillon rushed for 35 yards and caught a pass for 9 on the drive, including a 27-yard run on third down and 8, while Brady finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Patriots a 20–3 lead with just over 7 minutes left in the game. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, safety Rodney Harrison stripped the ball from Reggie Wayne and Bruschi recovered it, allowing his team to take more time off the clock. Indianapolis responded with a drive to the Patriots 20-yard line, but Harrison intercepted Manning's pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 16, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 20, Indianapolis Colts 3
This was the second postseason meeting between the Colts and Patriots. New England won the only previous meeting.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
Despite a game-time temperature of 17 °F (−8 °C) and a swirling wind that sent wind chills into sub-zero temperatures, the Eagles finally succeeded in advancing to the Super Bowl in their fourth straight NFC Championship Game appearance. The Eagles' defense held Michael Vick to a combined total of 162 yards, sacking him four times. Tight end Chad Lewis caught two touchdown passes of three and two yards from Donovan McNabb; however, he suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot in the process of catching the second touchdown, and would miss the Super Bowl.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
On their first drive of the game, the Eagles drove to Atlanta's 32-yard line. But they turned the ball over after trying to convert a fourth down with a fake field goal attempt. The next time they got the ball, a 36-yard run by Brian Westbrook and a 21-yard catch by L. J. Smith set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Dorsey Levens, giving them a 7–0 lead. Atlanta responded with a drive to the Eagles 3-yard line, but was forced to settle for a Jay Feely field goal after Vick was sacked by Hollis Thomas on third down.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
Six plays after the ensuing kickoff, Greg Lewis' 45-yard reception moved the ball to the Falcons 4-yard line, setting up McNabb's 3-yard touchdown pass to Chad Lewis one play later. Atlanta struck right back on their next drive, moving the ball 70 yards in just five plays, one a 31-yard reception by tight end Alge Crumpler, and scoring with Warrick Dunn's 10-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds left in the first half.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
The Eagles dominated the second half, forcing Atlanta to punt on every possession except one which resulted in an interception, and their last one, which ended when they turned the ball over on downs. Meanwhile, Eagles kicker David Akers kicked two field goals, one at the 60-yard drive to start the second half, and the second set up by Brian Dawkins' 19-yard interception return to the Falcons 11-yard line. A 65-yard drive in the fourth quarter, featuring McNabb's 20-yard pass to Greg Lewis, resulted in the final score of the game; McNabb's 2-yard touchdown toss to Chad Lewis with 3:21 left in regulation.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
McNabb threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards. Westbrook rushed for 96 yards and caught five passes for 39. Atlanta defensive back Allen Rossum returned 4 kickoffs for 102 yards and 2 punts for 20.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10
This was the third postseason meeting between the Falcons and Eagles. Both teams split the prior two meetings.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
The game-time temperature of 11 °F (−12 °C) made it the second-coldest game ever in Pittsburgh and the coldest ever in Steel City playoff annals. However, it was the Patriots that handed Ben Roethlisberger his first loss as a starter after a 14-game winning streak, the longest by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, as the Steelers became the second NFL team ever to record a 15–1 record and fail to reach the Super Bowl. The Patriots converted four Pittsburgh turnovers into 24 points, while committing no turnovers themselves. The Patriots' win also prevented an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl from being played.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
The Steelers never recovered from their poor performance in the first quarter. Patriots defensive back Eugene Wilson intercepted Roethlisberger's first pass of the game on his own 48-yard line, setting up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Pittsburgh responded with a drive to the Patriots 39-yard line. But then running back Jerome Bettis lost a fumble while being tackled by Rosevelt Colvin and linebacker Mike Vrabel recovered it. On the next play, Tom Brady threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to receiver Deion Branch.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Later on, the Steelers took advantage of Josh Miller's 27-yard punt that gave them the ball on their own 48-yard line. Roethlisberger completed a 19-yard pass to Hines Ward on the next play, setting up Jeff Reed's 43-yard field goal that cut the score to 10-3 with 1:26 left in the first quarter. But after an exchange of punts, Branch caught a 45-yard reception on Pittsburgh's 14-yard line. Two plays later, Brady threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to David Givens. Then on the Steelers ensuing drive, safety Rodney Harrison intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 24–3 halftime lead.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
In the second half, the teams scored three consecutive touchdowns. New England was forced to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Antwaan Randle El returned the ball 9 yards to the Steelers 44-yard line. Then on the Steelers ensuing possession, he caught two passes for 46 yards as they drove 56 yards in five plays. Bettis finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, cutting their deficit to 24–10. New England responded by moving the ball 69 yards in seven plays and scoring with Corey Dillon's 25-yard touchdown run.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
But Pittsburgh stormed right back, driving 60 yards in ten plays and scoring with Roethlisberger's 30-yard touchdown pass to Ward. Then after forcing a punt, Randle El returned the ball 22 yards to the Steelers 49-yard line. On their ensuing drive, Ward's 26-yard reception on the last play of the third quarter set up Reed's second field goal, making the score 31–20 with 13:32 left in the game.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
However, the Patriots took over the rest of the quarter. They responded with a 49-yard drive that took 5:26 off the clock and ended with Vinatieri's 31-yard field goal. Then two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Wilson intercepted another pass from Roethlisberger at New England's 45-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched down the field on another long scoring drive, taking 5:06 off the clock. Branch capped it off with a 23-yard touchdown run on a reverse play, giving the Patriots a 41–20 lead. The Steelers responded with Roethlisberger's 7-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress on their next drive, but by then there was only 1:31 left in the game.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
Brady completed 14 of 21 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dillon rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown. Branch caught 4 passes for 116 yards, rushed for 37 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Roethlisberger threw for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 45 yards, but was intercepted 3 times. Ward caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 23, 2005, AFC: New England Patriots 41, Pittsburgh Steelers 27
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Patriots and Steelers. New England had won two of the prior three meetings.


2004–05 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl XXXIX: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Patriots and Eagles.


2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to limit expenditure on player salaries. This was opposed by the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), the players' labor union, who proposed an alternative system of revenue sharing.


2004–05 NHL lockout
Attempts at collective bargaining before the season began were unsuccessful. The lockout was initiated on September 16, 2004, one day after the expiration of the existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which itself had been the result of the 1994–95 lockout. During the lockout, further attempts to negotiate a new CBA floundered, with neither side willing to back down, leading to the entire season being canceled in February 2005. The NHL and NHLPA negotiating teams finally reached an agreement on July 13, 2005, with the lockout officially ending 9 days later on July 22, after ratification by the NHL team owners and NHLPA members. The resulting CBA included both a salary cap and revenue sharing.


2004–05 NHL lockout
The lockout had lasted 10 months and 6 days, covering 1,230 unplayed games. As a result, the Stanley Cup was not awarded, for the first time since 1919. Among the major professional sports leagues in North America, this was the first (and so far only) time a whole season was canceled because of a labor dispute, and the second time a postseason was canceled (after the 1994–95 MLB strike). Large numbers of NHL players elected to play in European leagues during the lockout.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
The NHL, led by Commissioner Gary Bettman, attempted to convince players to accept a salary structure linking player salaries to league revenues, guaranteeing the clubs what the league called cost certainty. According to an NHL-commissioned report prepared by former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Arthur Levitt, prior to 2004–05, NHL clubs spent about 76 percent of their gross revenues on players' salaries – a figure far higher than those in other North American sports – and collectively lost US$273 million during the 2002–03 season.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
On July 20, 2004, the league presented the NHLPA with six concepts to achieve cost certainty. These concepts are believed to have ranged from a hard, or inflexible, salary cap similar to the one used in the National Football League, to a soft salary cap with some capped exceptions like the one used in the National Basketball Association, to a centralized salary negotiation system similar to that used in the Arena Football League and Major League Soccer.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
According to Bettman, a luxury tax similar to the one used in Major League Baseball would not have satisfied the league's cost certainty objectives. Most sports commentators saw Bettman's plan as reasonable, but some critics pointed out that a hard salary cap without any revenue sharing was an attempt to gain the support of the big market teams, such as Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Vancouver, and Philadelphia, teams that did not support Bettman during the 1994–95 lockout.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
The NHLPA, under executive director Bob Goodenow, disputed the league's financial claims. According to the union, "cost certainty" is little more than a euphemism for a salary cap, which it had vowed never to accept. The union rejected each of the six concepts presented by the NHL, claiming they all contained some form of salary cap. The NHLPA preferred to retain the existing "marketplace" system where players individually negotiate contracts with teams, and teams have complete control of how much they want to spend on players. Goodenow's mistrust of the league was supported by a November 2004 Forbes report that estimated the NHL's losses were less than half the amounts claimed by the league.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
Several players criticized the contracts that overpaid unproven players. One example was the 2002 Bobby Holik contract in which the New York Rangers signed him to five years for $45 million. After two years, his contract was bought out by the Rangers: "In the new world we live in, Bobby was just paid too much," according to Glen Sather, the Rangers' president.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
Although the NHL's numbers were disputed, there was no question that several franchises were losing money, as several had declared bankruptcy. Other franchises had held "fire sales" of franchise players, such as the Washington Capitals. Some small-market teams, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the remaining small-market Canadian teams, were actually hoping for a lockout, since those teams would make more money by losing a season. The league did not have large TV revenues in the US, so the NHL was reliant on attendance revenues more than other leagues.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Issues
After the lockout of the 2004–05 season, NHL teams made on average only 3 million dollars from television revenues. In addition in May of the 2004–05 lockout, ESPN formally denied the option to show NHL games on the network due to low ratings in previous seasons. Many NHL teams had low attendance totals in preceding seasons.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
Prior to the lockout, in late 2003 the union proposed a system that included revenue sharing, a luxury tax, a one-time five percent rollback in player salaries, and reforms to the league's entry level system. The league rejected this proposal almost immediately because it essentially maintained the status quo in favor of the players. Shortly before the lockout commenced in 2004, the NHLPA offered another proposal to the league that was believed to be similar to their earlier proposal. The league again rejected the union offer, claiming the union's new proposal was worse than the offer they rejected in 2003. At this point, negotiations stopped until early December, when the NHLPA made a highly anticipated proposal based on a luxury tax that increased the proposed one-time rollback in players' salaries from 5 to 24 percent. The NHL rejected the offer and countered with a proposal that the union quickly rejected.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
In late January 2005, near what the hockey media believed to be the point of no return for the 2004–05 season, discussions were held by the negotiators from both sides, excluding Bettman and Goodenow. The NHL was represented by Executive Vice President Bill Daly, outside counsel Bob Batterman, and NHL Board of Governors Chairman Harley Hotchkiss, who also co-owns the Calgary Flames. The NHLPA was represented by President Trevor Linden, Senior Director Ted Saskin, and associate counsel Ian Pulver. After four meetings, the sides remained deadlocked because of, according to Saskin, "significant philosophical differences." Shortly after this series of meetings, Daly presented Saskin a proposal that the league believed made a number of concessions to the players, but was still based on a salary cap linked to revenues. The players' association rejected the proposal, saying that it was "not the basis for an agreement."


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
After these negotiations failed, on Wednesday February 9, Bettman declared that if the lockout was not resolved by the weekend, there would be no hope of saving the season. When talks broke off between the NHL and the NHLPA the next day, there had been no progress in negotiations. On February 14, the union offered to accept a $52 million salary cap under the condition that it was not linked to league revenues. The league proposed a counteroffer with a $40 million cap plus $2.2 million in benefits, which the players association refused.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
The next day, Bettman sent Goodenow a letter with a final proposal of a $42.5 million cap plus $2.2 million in benefits, setting a deadline of 11:00 am the next day to accept or refuse the offer. The NHLPA presented a counter-offer involving a $49 million cap, which the league rejected.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
With no resolution by the 11:00 deadline, Bettman announced the cancellation of the 2004–05 season on February 16, 2005, making the NHL the first major professional sports league in North America to cancel an entire season because of a labor dispute; the announcement was to have come on February 14, but it was delayed because of the death of the patriarch of the Sutter hockey family four days prior, whose funeral was held on February 15.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
Two days after the cancellation announcement, The Hockey News reported that a deal with a $45 million cap had been reached "in principle" with the help of owners and former players Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Both camps immediately denied this report. A 6½-hour meeting took place the next day, but no agreement was reached, and the season was lost.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
Bolstered by the thought of losing yet another season to a labor dispute, the sides began meeting again in June, with many pundits believing the lockout would end on July 4, 2005. That date eventually came and went, but sources were reporting to media that marathon sessions were taking place. Indeed, the sides met again for ten consecutive days (July 4–13), and a deal was reached "in principle" (meaning the sides have agreed, but nothing is signed) on July 13. According to reports, the July 12 session lasted through the night and until 06:00 on July 13, at which point the talks broke off for five hours, and resumed in time to complete the deal.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Negotiations
On July 21, the players association ratified the agreement with 87 percent of its members voting in favor. The owners unanimously approved it the next day, officially ending the 310-day lockout. The salary cap would be adjusted each year to guarantee players 54 percent of total NHL revenues, and there would also be a salary floor. Player contracts are also guaranteed. The players' share will increase if revenues rise to specific benchmarks, while revenue sharing will split a pool of money from the 10 highest-grossing teams among the bottom 15. There was a $39 million cap in place for the first year of the CBA.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout
A Canadian public opinion poll conducted by Ipsos-Reid near the start of the lockout found that 52 percent of those polled blamed NHL players for the lockout, whereas 21 percent blamed the owners of NHL teams.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout
Also hurting the NHLPA was the fact that its players had very visibly high salaries, which removed much sympathy from lower-to-middle class fans. It did not help that Jeremy Roenick and several NHLPA executives had made controversial statements which showed their apparent disdain for owners and fans alike.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout
During the lockout, a movement arose to free the Stanley Cup from the NHL. By the original deed of Lord Stanley, the cup was a challenge cup open to the best amateur hockey team in Canada. Only since 1926 has it been exclusively competed for by NHL teams, and with the 2004–05 NHL season canceled, the group felt that the NHL had forfeited its right to award the Cup for the year. On February 7, 2006, a settlement was reached in which the trophy could be awarded to non-NHL teams should the league not operate for a season, although the NHL by that point was playing again.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Resolution
The loss of the 2004–05 season meant that there were no results on which to base the order of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The league settled on a lottery system in which all teams had a weighted chance at the first pick, expected to be Sidney Crosby. The lottery was tilted so teams with fewer playoff appearances over the last three seasons and fewer number one overall picks over the last four seasons had a better chance of landing higher picks.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Resolution
The complete order was determined by the lottery, and the draft was conducted in a "snake" style, meaning in even rounds, the draft order was reversed. This system was an attempt to compromise between those who felt all teams should have had an equal chance at the first pick and those who felt only the weaker teams should have been in the running.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Resolution
To ease the transition to the salary cap, teams were allowed one week to buy out players at two-thirds the cost of their remaining contract, which would not count against the salary cap. Bought out players could not re-sign with the same team.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA
NHLPA Executive Director and General Counsel Bob Goodenow, seen by many as the biggest villain in the lockout because of his hardline stance against a salary cap, resigned from his position five days after the agreement was ratified amid criticism from many of his constituents. He was replaced by Ted Saskin, formerly senior director of business affairs and licensing for the NHLPA. Saskin was officially named executive director of the NHLPA on November 25, 2005, after the players' vote of confidence was confirmed by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA
NHL Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Bill Daly was promoted to deputy commissioner after the lockout. Both Saskin and Daly had played a key role in brokering the current agreement.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA
The lockout did help franchises better manage their finances and increase their value. Combined with finally receiving a stable national television rights deal in the United States with NBC and Versus (which later became sister networks due to the Comcast NBC merger) and the launch of the NHL Network, 26 of 30 NHL franchises saw an increase in value since before the lockout.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA
Leading the way would be the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team cited even before the lockout to benefit from a lockout due to financial problems related to former team owner Howard Baldwin deferring player salaries in the 1990s (leading to the team's second bankruptcy in 1998) and former star player Mario Lemieux (who became the team's owner due to also being the team's largest creditor) dictating that the team cut costs in order to eliminate the debt from the Baldwin era.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA
Since the lockout, the Penguins' value increased by a league-high 161.4%, due in no small part to the changing financial landscape of the NHL as well as winning the "Sidney Crosby sweepstakes" after the lockout ended and the construction of the Consol Energy Center to replace the aging Mellon Arena. The only teams that have lost value from before the lockout are the Phoenix Coyotes (whose financial problems since the lockout have been well-documented), New York Islanders, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
The majority of players who agreed to play in other professional hockey leagues were playing in Europe. During 2004–05 season, 388 NHL players played in European leagues. The most popular countries were Russia, with 78 NHL players, Sweden, with 75 NHL players, the Czech Republic, with 51 NHL players, Finland, with 45 NHL players and Switzerland with 43 NHL players. In many cases, players who had originally begun their careers in Europe returned to those same teams for the lockout.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Russian Superleague (now KHL) team AK Bars Kazan signed 11 NHL players, including Ilya Kovalchuk, Aleksey Morozov, and Vincent Lecavalier while Pavel Datsyuk played for HC Dynamo Moscow, Patrik Elias played for Czech HC JME Znojemští Orli and Russian Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr played for HC Kladno and then Avangard Omsk. Morozov never returned to the NHL after 2004 (retiring from the KHL after the 2013–14 season), and Jagr would later play three additional seasons with Avangard.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Other Czech players returned to the Czech Republic, including Milan Hejduk (HC Pardubice), Martin Straka (HC Plzeň), Ales Hemsky (HC Pardubice) and Martin Rucinsky (HC Litvínov).


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Swiss Nationalliga A had its own NHL stars when Canadians Joe Thornton and Rick Nash signed with HC Davos, Danny Briere and Dany Heatley signed with SC Bern of the Swiss league. This lockout was a major benefit for Swiss ice hockey.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Swedish superstar Peter Forsberg returned to his original club, Modo (although Forsberg had been planning on playing for Modo even if the season had been played). Also returning to Modo along with Forsberg were Canucks teammates Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, and Markus Naslund, all of whom were originally drafted from Modo, while still others joined other Elitserien sides. Some Elitserien games were also being broadcast by Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Finnish SM-liiga had its share of players during the lockout. Notable Finnish players included Saku Koivu (TPS, his first professional team), Olli Jokinen (HIFK), Jarkko Ruutu (HIFK) and Vesa Toskala (Ilves). Teemu Selanne also made a contract with Jokerit where he began his professional career, but injuries prevented him from suiting up for the entire season. Foreign players included John Madden who played 2 games for HIFK, Sean Avery, who had a brief stint with the Pelicans, Brian Campbell who played for Jokerit and Hal Gill who played for Lukko.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
SM-liiga featured three top goaltenders as Dwayne Roloson played for Lukko, Tomas Vokoun played for HIFK and Tim Thomas (who had had three previous stints in the SM-liiga) played for Jokerit, leading his team to the championship finals and being awarded the league's most valuable player award. Finnish Mestis also featured NHL talent when Sami Kapanen and Kimmo Timonen played for KalPa. Timonen and Kapanen partially owned the team and the duo was joined by Adam Hall who also played for KalPa during the lockout.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Erik Cole, Olaf Kolzig, and Nathan Dempsey were among the notable players to go to Germany to play in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Fair share of Slovak NHL players returned to their home country to play for various Slovak Extraliga sides during the lockout, including Pavol Demitra, Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík (all in HK Dukla Trenčín), Miroslav Šatan and Ľubomír Višňovský (both in HC Slovan Bratislava), Michal Handzuš, Richard Zedník and Vladimír Országh (all in HKm Zvolen), Ladislav Nagy and Martin Štrbák (both in HC Košice), and Žigmund Pálffy (in HK 36 Skalica).


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Latvian league club HK Riga 2000, which played also in the Belarusian Extraleague, signed several NHL players. Two of them were Latvians Karlis Skrastins and Sergei Zholtok and the third was American Darby Hendrickson, who was a close friend of Zholtok. After Zholtok died due to a heart condition, Hendrickson left the club, so that only Skrastins finished the season with the club.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
A number of NHL players also went to Great Britain. In the Elite Ice Hockey League, Coventry Blaze signed Wade Belak, Cardiff Devils signed Rob Davison, London Racers signed Eric Cairns and Scott Nichol, and Nottingham Panthers signed Nick Boynton, Ian Moran, Steve McKenna. McKenna also used that season to play for the Adelaide Avalanche in the Australian Ice Hockey League. In the British National League, Guildford Flames signed Jamie McLennan and David Oliver, Bracknell Bees signed Brendan Witt while Newcastle Vipers signed Chris McAllister. In 2008, McCallister signed for the Vipers for a second time.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Another notable move came from Karl Dykhuis. He signed with the Amsterdam Bulldogs in the Netherlands.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Chris Mason (Nashville), Scott Hartnell (Nashville) and Travis Brigley (Colorado) became Norwegian champions with Vålerenga Ishockey. In addition, Mark Bell, who at the time was playing for Chicago Blackhawks, played for the Norwegian GET-ligaen club Trondheim Black Panthers.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Several NHL players signed in the Italian league Serie A, including Eric Belanger to the Bolzano-Bozen Foxes, Craig Adams to the Milano Vipers, Matt Cullen to SG Cortina and Fernando Pisani to the SCL Tigers, among others. Calgary Flames players Steve Montador and Steven Reinprecht won the French Ligue Magnus with HC Mulhouse.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Rob Niedermayer and Jason Strudwick played in the Hungarian league with Ferencvárosi TC.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, Europe
Most of the NHL players playing for European clubs had contract clauses allowing them to leave for the NHL once the lockout ended.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, North America
There were two attempts to form alternative professional leagues in North America during the lockout, but both failed. A revival of the World Hockey Association had been planned since 2002 and was to start play shortly after the lockout was expected to begin. Despite having former WHA star Bobby Hull as commissioner, however, the league never got off the ground. A lack of stable financing undermined plans to sign both locked-out players and top prospects such as Sidney Crosby.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, North America
Another league, the Original Stars Hockey League (OSHL), was established in Canada and expected to play four-on-four games between six teams (ostensibly representing the Original Six cities) in various Canadian cities until the lockout was settled. More than 100 players purportedly signed up to play in the OSHL. The league debuted on September 17, 2004 in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. In the inaugural game, "Toronto" defeated "Detroit" 16–13. The next and last game was played in Brampton, Ontario with "Boston" defeating "Montreal" 14–11.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, North America
Jerseys worn by players were based on Original Six (Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Toronto), but all had the words "OSHL" in white, three stars patches on the shoulders instead of team logos or cities. However, escalating salary demands by players quickly bankrupted the league. Shortly after its first two games, OSHL president Randy Gumbley announced that the league had received firm commitments from only twenty players, and the league soon folded.


2004–05 NHL lockout, Effects of the lockout, Effect on NHL and NHLPA, North America
NHL players looking for a place to play clearly preferred stable, established European clubs to upstart leagues that have since been derisively dubbed as "fly-by-night" operations by their critics. A small number of players played for established minor league teams near their families and homes, while others chose to repay the league which gave them a start by returning.