2007 Stanley Cup Finals, Television and ratings
The move to NBC for the remainder of the finals did little to compensate for the series' limited drawing power. A perennial last among the Big Four American television networks, NBC was at the time going through an intense period of ratings turmoil, setting lowest rated week records in several viewing categories over the course of spring 2007.


2007 Stanley Cup Finals, Television and ratings
Game three's coverage on NBC garnered a mere 1.1 rating (approximately 1,205,600 households), making it the lowest rated prime-time broadcast in the network's history. For comparison, game six of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, broadcast opposite game three on cable channel TNT, achieved a 5.3 rating, approximately 5,808,800 households. Game four achieved a 1.9 rating (approximately 2,082,400 households), down 5 percent from game four the previous year. Game five received slightly less, 1.8 (approximately 1,972,800 households). As a whole, NBC's ratings for the championship series were down 20 percent from the previous season, making it the least watched final in the United States.


2007 Stanley Cup Finals, Television and ratings
At the time, Versus was only available to 50 percent of cable-equipped homes in the Los Angeles area, which hurt the buzz around the Ducks' playoff run in a traditionally crowded sports and entertainment market. Versus was the fifth-most watched cable network in the Los Angeles market for game one, good only for a 1.7 local rating.


2007 Stanley Cup Finals, Television and ratings
Local numbers did improve as the series moved to free-to-air NBC. The Cup-clinching game five drew a 6.0 and a 12 share for an average audience of 496,000 viewers in the Los Angeles market, more than double that of a high-profile regular season game between baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres on KCAL 9 (3.0/5, 218,000 viewers). This symbolic, if short-lived, win over one of the region's flagship teams allowed the Ducks to close the series on a relatively high note, with the Los Angeles Times' Larry Stewart calling their final ratings performance "pretty good".


2007 Stanley Cup Finals, Television and ratings
On the CBC, Hockey Night in Canada pulled in 2,608,000, 2,378,000, and 2,553,000 viewers for games one, two and three respectively, slightly higher than their numbers for equivalent games the previous year. This was the last final that Bob Cole (play-by-play announcer) and Harry Neale (colour commentator) worked together. The following year, Cole worked with Greg Millen.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11, 2007. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup. The series ended on June 6 with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators in five games to win their first ever championship.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs
For the first time in NHL history, neither of the two teams that played in the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals (the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers) qualified for the playoffs. For the first time since 1994, all four former WHA teams; Carolina (formerly the Hartford Whalers), Colorado (formerly the Quebec Nordiques), Edmonton, and Phoenix (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) missed the playoffs in the same year, this would not happen again until 2013. Also for the first time since 1994, the Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs. This was the only time that the Atlanta Thrashers qualified for the playoffs in their twelve years in Georgia (they became the new Winnipeg Jets in 2011).


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Playoff bracket
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a maximum possible four games on their home ice, with the other team getting a maximum possible three. In the Stanley Cup Final, home ice is determined based on regular season points.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) New York Islanders
The Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners (winning the tie-breaker with Detroit in total wins), the Eastern Conference regular season and Northeast Division champions with 113 points. The Islanders qualified as the eighth seed earning 92 points during the regular season. This was the fourth and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams, with New York winning all three of the previous series. They last met in the 1980 Stanley Cup Semifinals where New York won in six games. Buffalo won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (8) New York Islanders
The Sabres defeated the Islanders in five games. Brian Campbell and Chris Drury each scored twice for the Sabres in game one as they took the opening game 4–1. Marc-Andre Bergeron's power play goal at 8:37 of the third period gave the Islanders the lead in game two as they evened the series with a 3–2 victory. Sabres forward Daniel Briere scored the game-winning goal with a two-man advantage in the second period of game three giving Buffalo a 3–2 win. Chris Drury scored two goals in a game for the second time in this series as the Sabres won game four by a final score of 4–2. Buffalo held off a late charge by the Islanders in game five as they eliminated New York with a 4–3 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
The New Jersey Devils entered the playoffs as the Atlantic Division champions, earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference with 107 points. Tampa Bay qualified as the seventh seed, earning 93 points during the regular season. This was the second meeting between these two teams, with New Jersey winning the only previous series in the 2003 Eastern Conference Semifinals in five games. Tampa Bay won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Devils defeated the Lightning in six games. New Jersey forward Zach Parise scored twice as New Jersey took game one 5–3. Johan Holmqvist made 34 saves for the Lightning and Vincent Lecavalier scored the game-winning goal early in the third period of game two as Tampa Bay evened the series with a 3–2 victory. The teams traded goals early in the third period of game three before Vaclav Prospal broke the tie with 6:29 remaining in regulation time as the Lightning won again by a score of 3–2.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Tampa Bay Lightning
Devils centre Scott Gomez scored the overtime winner at 12:54 in game four to tie the series. New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur made 31 saves in his 22nd career playoff shutout as the Devils won game five 3–0. Devils forward Brian Gionta scored the series-winning goal in game six as New Jersey took the series four games to two with a 3–2 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Atlanta Thrashers vs. (6) New York Rangers
The Atlanta Thrashers entered the playoffs as the Southeast Division champions, earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference with 97 points. The Rangers qualified as the sixth seed earning 94 points during the regular season. This was the first and to this date only playoff meeting between these two teams. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Atlanta in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 27 years. The most recent team to represent Atlanta prior to this was the Atlanta Flames who lost in the Preliminary Round in 1980. The Thrashers made their first playoff appearance since entering the league in the 1999–2000 season; this was the only playoff appearance that Atlanta made before the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. Atlanta won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Atlanta Thrashers vs. (6) New York Rangers
The Rangers swept Atlanta in four games. New York entered the third period of game one with a two-goal lead and hung on to win by a score of 4–3. Ranger forward Brendan Shanahan scored the game-winner with four minutes remaining in game two as New York earned a 2–1 victory. The Rangers dominated Atlanta in game three winning 7–0, Michael Nylander scored a hat trick in the victory. Matt Cullen scored the series-clinching goal in game four and Jaromir Jagr added an empty-net goal in the dying minutes as New York completed the sweep of the Thrashers with a 4–2 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
The Ottawa Senators entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 105 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins also earned 105 points during the regular season, but they finished as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after losing the tie-breaker with Ottawa in total wins. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Pittsburgh won this year's four-game regular season series earning six of eight points.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
The Senators defeated the Penguins in five games. Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in game one after allowing six goals to the Senators in a 6–3 loss. The Penguins scored three times in the third period as they overcame a one-goal deficit to defeat Ottawa 4–3 in game two and tie the series. Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the game-winner and added an insurance goal in game three as Ottawa regained home-ice advantage with a 4–2 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Ottawa Senators vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
Just over nine minutes into the third period of game four Anton Volchenkov broke the tie for the Senators giving his team a 2–1 victory. After a scoreless opening period in game five the Senators struck three times in the second period and goaltender Ray Emery posted a 20 save shutout to eliminate the Penguins with a 3–0 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames
The Detroit Red Wings entered the playoffs as the Western Conference regular season and Central Division champions (losing the tie-breaker with Buffalo in total wins for the Presidents' Trophy) with 113 points. Calgary qualified as the eighth seed earning 96 points during the regular season. This was the third and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams, with the teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals where Calgary won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames
The Red Wings eliminated the Flames in six games. In game one the Red Wings dominated the Flames in a 4–1 victory. Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff made 48 saves in game two as his team lost 3–1 and the Red Wings took a 2–0 series lead. Jarome Iginla scored the game-winning goal in game three as the Flames won by a score of 3–2. Calgary centre Daymond Langkow scored twice on the power play in game four as the Flames evened the series with a 3–2 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Calgary Flames
After allowing five goals against in game five Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was pulled in favour of backup Jamie McLennan. Kiprusoff was forced back into the game just 18 seconds later as Jamie McLennan was assessed a match penalty and game misconduct for slashing Red Wings forward Johan Franzen in the stomach. McLennan was later suspended for five games; the Flames organization and Head Coach Jim Playfair were also fined after a 5–1 loss. Johan Franzen scored the series-winner in double overtime in game six as the Red Wings eliminated the Flames with a 2–1 victory.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Minnesota Wild
The Anaheim Ducks entered the playoffs as the Pacific Division champions, earning the second seed in the Western Conference with 110 points. Minnesota qualified as the seventh seed earning 104 points during the regular season. This was the second and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams, with Anaheim winning the only previous series. They last met in the 2003 Western Conference Final where Anaheim won in four games. Anaheim won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (7) Minnesota Wild
The Ducks eliminated the Wild in five games. Ducks forward Dustin Penner scored the game-winner late in the third period as Anaheim took game one 2–1. In game two Francois Beauchemin scored twice on the power-play for the Ducks as they took a 2–0 series lead with a 3–2 win. The Ducks earned a tight win in game three with a 2–1 victory. The Wild avoided elimination with a three-goal third period in game four, earning a 4–1 win. Jean-Sebastien Giguere started game five for the Ducks and Ryan Getzlaf scored the series-winning goal late in the second period as Anaheim ended the series with a 4–1 victory.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Dallas Stars
The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the Northwest Division champions, earning the third seed in the Western Conference with 105 points. Dallas qualified as the sixth seed earning 107 points (losing the tie-breaker with San Jose in total wins) during the regular season. This was the second and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams with Vancouver winning the only previous series. They last met in the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals where Vancouver won in five games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Dallas Stars
Vancouver hung on to defeat the Stars in seven games. Dallas overcame a two-goal deficit in game one to force overtime, however, they came up short as Henrik Sedin won the game for Vancouver when he scored at 18:06 of the fourth overtime; this was the sixth-longest playoff game in NHL history. Roberto Luongo made 72 saves in the 5–4 Canucks victory. The Stars opened game two with a goal just 24 seconds in and the Canucks were not able to recover as Dallas goaltender Marty Turco posted a 35 save shutout in a 2–0 win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Dallas Stars
Canucks forward Taylor Pyatt scored the game-winner at 7:47 of the first overtime for a 2–1 win in game three. The Canucks pulled out another 2–1 victory in game four as Mattias Ohlund and Trevor Linden scored for Vancouver. In game five both Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco pushed aside every shot in regulation and Stars captain Brenden Morrow scored the only goal of the game 6:22 into the first overtime for a 1–0 Dallas victory.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Dallas Stars
Marty Turco shutout Vancouver in game six for the second consecutive game and the third time overall in the series as the Stars forced a seventh game with a 2–0 win. After allowing the opening goal in game seven the Canucks scored four unanswered goals and took the deciding game of the series 4–1.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
The Nashville Predators entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with 110 points. San Jose qualified as the fifth seed earning 107 points (winning the tie-breaker with Dallas in total wins) during the regular season. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams with San Jose winning the only previous series. They last met in the previous year's Western Conference Quarterfinals where San Jose won in five games. Nashville won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
For the second consecutive year, the Sharks eliminated Nashville in five games. Patrick Rissmiller scored the overtime winner for San Jose at 8:14 of the second overtime period as the Sharks won a high-scoring game one 5–4. Predator forwards Jean-Pierre Dumont and Peter Forsberg scored twice in game two as Nashville evened the series with a 5–2 win. Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun made 38 saves in a losing effort in game three as the Sharks won the game 3–1.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
Milan Michalek's second goal of the game gave the Sharks an insurmountable lead in game four as San Jose took a 3–2 victory. The teams were tied late into the third period of game five before Sharks captain Patrick Marleau scored the series-winning goal to eliminate the Predators by a final score of 3–2.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers
This was the second and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams with Buffalo winning the only previous series. They last met in the 1978 Preliminary Round where Buffalo won in three games. Buffalo won all four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers
Buffalo eliminated the Rangers in six games. Sabres forward Thomas Vanek scored twice including the game-winner as Buffalo took game one 5–2. Chris Drury and Thomas Vanek each scored their fifth goal of the playoffs for the Sabres in the third period of game two as Buffalo overcame a goal deficit, winning by a score of 3–2. In game three Michal Rozsival gave the Rangers a 2–1 win in double overtime by scoring at 16:43. The Rangers scored twice on the power-play in game four as they evened the series with a 2–1 victory.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) New York Rangers
Sabres co-captain Chris Drury scored the tying goal with less than eight seconds remaining and Maxim Afinogenov ended the game 4:39 into the first overtime on the power-play as Buffalo won game five 2–1. Jochen Hecht's second goal of the playoffs was the series-clinching goal as the Sabres ended New York's season with 5–4 victory in game six.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
This was the third and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams with the teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 2003 Eastern Conference Final where New Jersey won in seven games. New Jersey won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
Ottawa defeated the Devils in five games. The Senators scored four times in the opening period of game one and hung on to win the game 5–4. The Senators tied game two late in the third period, but Jamie Langenbrunner scored the winning goal for the Devils 1:55 into the second overtime. Game three remained scoreless into the third period before Tom Preissing put the Senators on the board, Ray Emery made 25 saves for his second playoff shutout in a 2–0 Ottawa win.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) New Jersey Devils vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur made 33 saves in a losing effort in game four as the Senators won 3–2. Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson scored the series-winning goal late in the second period of game five as the Senators ended New Jersey's season with a 3–2 win. Game five was also the final game played at Continental Airlines Arena as the Devils began playing at the Prudential Center the following year.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams with the teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals where Detroit won in four games. San Jose won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
The Red Wings won three consecutive games to eliminate San Jose in six games. Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov made 34 saves as San Jose shutout the Red Wings in game one by a score of 2–0. Pavel Datsyuk gave the Red Wings the lead with just 1:24 remaining in the third period, taking a 3–2 victory. San Jose forward Jonathan Cheechoo scored the game-winner on the power play in game three as the Sharks won the game 2–1.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) San Jose Sharks
Detroit came back from a two-goal deficit in game four by scoring in the final minute of both the second and third periods and Mathieu Schneider scored the overtime winner on the power-play for the Red Wings in a 3–2 win. After allowing the opening goal in game five the Red Wings scored four unanswered goals winning the game 4–1. Two goals from Detroit winger Mikael Samuelsson and a shutout by Dominik Hasek in game six ended the series in a 2–0 Red Wings victory.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks
This was the first and to date only playoff meeting between these two teams. Anaheim won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks
The Ducks eliminated Vancouver in five games. After allowing the opening goal in game one Anaheim responded with five unanswered goals and won by a final score of 5–1, Ducks forward Andy McDonald recorded a hat trick in the contest. The teams traded a goal apiece during regulation time and Jeff Cowan ended the game 7:49 into double overtime as Vancouver tied the series with a 2–1 victory. Anaheim's special teams made the difference in game three as the Ducks successfully killed off seven penalties and scored twice on the power-play as Anaheim won the game 3–2.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) Anaheim Ducks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks
The Ducks came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period of game four to force overtime and won the game 3–2 on a goal scored by Travis Moen at 2:07 of the first overtime period. After Vancouver forced overtime in game five goaltender Roberto Luongo was unavailable to his team at the start of the first overtime period as he was suffering from an illness, backup Dany Sabourin stopped five Anaheim shots before Luongo returned to action 3:34 into the period. Shortly into the second overtime period Scott Niedermayer fired a wrist shot that found the back of the net giving the Ducks a 2–1 win that clinched the series and moved them on to the Western Conference Final.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
This was the fourth and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams, with Buffalo winning all three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Eastern Conference Semifinals where Buffalo won in five games. This was Buffalo's second consecutive Conference Finals appearance, and their fourth overall; they lost to Carolina in seven games in the previous year. Ottawa most recently made it to the Conference Finals in 2003 where they lost to New Jersey in seven games. Ottawa won five of the eight games during this year's regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
The Senators advanced to their first Stanley Cup Finals by eliminating the Sabres in five games. The Senators took control of game one in the third period and scored three goals to win 5–2. Buffalo forward Daniel Briere scored with only six seconds left in game two to force overtime. Joe Corvo scored the game-winning goal for Ottawa at 4:58 of double overtime in a 4–3 victory. Ray Emery made 15 saves and Daniel Alfredsson scored the only goal in game three as Ottawa shut out the Sabres 1–0.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) Buffalo Sabres vs. (4) Ottawa Senators
The Sabres took a three-goal lead just before the halfway point of game four and hung on to force a fifth game with a 3–2 win. Overtime was needed in game five as the teams traded goals through regulation time, Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson ended the series with his goal at 9:32 of the first overtime as the Senators won by a final score of 3–2.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Anaheim Ducks
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Detroit winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals where Anaheim won in four games. Detroit most recently made it to the Conference Finals in 2002 where they defeated Colorado in seven games, while Anaheim most recently made it to the Conference Finals in the previous year where they lost in five games to Edmonton. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim defeated the Red Wings in six games. Detroit goaltender Dominik Hasek made 31 saves as the Red Wings took game one with a 2–1 victory. Scott Niedermayer ended game two at 14:17 of the first overtime as the Ducks tied the series with a 4–3 win. The Red Wings chased Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere from game three after he allowed three goals on thirteen shots, Detroit scored two more times and won the game 5–0.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Anaheim Ducks
After the game Chris Pronger was suspended for one game by the NHL; his suspension was the result of a simultaneous hit on Tomas Holmstrom that Scott Niedermayer was penalized for. While Pronger received no penalty on the play for the hit during the game he was later suspended after NHL officials reviewed the replays, which showed Holmstrom being boarded from behind as a result of a Pronger elbow.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks broke a tie in the third period of game four when Ryan Getzlaf scored on the power-play, they went on to add an empty net goal from Rob Niedermayer that gave Anaheim a 5–3 win that tied the series at two games. Scott Niedermayer forced overtime in game five as he scored on the power-play with 47.3 seconds remaining in the game; Teemu Selanne completed the comeback for Anaheim at 11:57 of the first overtime period as the Ducks took a 2–1 victory. The Red Wings mounted a late comeback attempt in game six before coming up short in a 4–3 loss than ended the series and sent Anaheim to the second Stanley Cup Finals in their history.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
This was the first and to date only playoff meeting between these two teams. Anaheim most recently made it to the Finals in 2003 where they were defeated by New Jersey in seven games, while Ottawa made their first Finals appearance in their fifteenth season. This was the first Finals series to be played in Ottawa since the original Ottawa Senators won the Stanley Cup in 1927. For the first time since 1999, neither of the two Stanley Cup finalists had previously won the Stanley Cup. The teams did not play each other during this year's regular season. Anaheim became the first team based in the Pacific Time zone in the NHL's modern era to win the Stanley Cup; they also became the first west coast team to win the Stanley Cup since the Victoria Cougars in 1925.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Skaters
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
These are the top five goaltenders based on either goals against average or save percentage with at least four games played.


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots Against; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes:seconds); Sv% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts


2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, Events and milestones
Detroit Red Wings defenceman Chris Chelios made his 22nd post-season appearance, breaking the record for most post-season appearances. The New York Rangers set a new post-season franchise record that year by defeating the Atlanta Thrashers 7–0 on April 17.


2007 Star Mazda Championship
The 2007 Star Mazda Championship was the ninth season of the Star Mazda Championship, an open wheel auto racing series that competes using spec chassis and engines. The season featured 12 races over 12 weekends, with only road courses and street circuits featuring on the schedule. The overall season champion was Dane Cameron, while Dan Tomlin, III and Steve Hickham won the Expert and Masters classes respectively.


2007 Star Mazda Championship
Cameron finished on the podium in eight of the twelve races and finished well ahead of second-place finisher, Australian James Davison who won once at Mosport. Canadian Lorenzo Mandarino won twice and finished eights in points as he finished outside the top-ten seven times. Canadian Marco Di Leo won the season opener at Sebring International Raceway but it would be his only win of the season. His brother Daniel finished second in that race. Ron White won back-to-back races in the rounds at Road Americaand Circuit Trois-Rivières and finished third in points.


2007 State of Origin series
The 2007 State of Origin series was the 26th year that the annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was contested entirely under 'state of origin' selection rules. Queensland won the series by winning the first two games. New South Wales avoided the whitewash by winning the third match held at Suncorp Stadium. The Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series was awarded to Queensland's hooker, Cameron Smith.


2007 State of Origin series, Game I
Ten thousand tickets to Game I at Suncorp Stadium were sold in seven minutes when they went on sale in March 2007 and all were sold within four hours. Queensland was the bookies' favourites on match day, despite the loss of Carl Webb to a hamstring injury.


2007 State of Origin series, Game I
Queensland trailed 6-18 at half-time after a spectacular kick-and-chase solo effort by Jarryd Hayne resulted in a try right on halftime. Queensland recovered after the break with three converted tries including one which followed Darren Lockyer's interception of a wild pass made by Hayne near the New South Wales goal line. Johnathan Thurston later kicked a field goal to put the final score at 25-18. This win saw Queensland claim three consecutive match victories for the first time since 1995's shock whitewash. Thurston was named man-of-the-match. The Blues' Danny Buderus and Kurt Gidley were injured in the match, while Maroons' substitute Antonio Kaufusi suffered a season-ending knee injury in his Origin debut.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
Brett Stewart was called in to make his Origin debut only 24 hours prior to the match as a replacement for the injured Anthony Minichiello. The Maroons went into this match having never won an Origin match at Telstra Stadium in 11 outings. It was also referee Shane Hayne's first State of Origin match.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
The opening minutes were almost all played in Queensland's half of the field, with the Maroons defending successfully until just before the eight-minute mark when Blues debutant fullback Brett Stewart scored the first points of the match with a close-range try from dummy half. Jamie Lyon's conversion brought the score to 6 - 0 in favour of New South Wales. Queensland then evened up the battle for field position, the game being played almost entirely in the Blues' half from then until the twenty-first minute when the Maroons scored.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
Their hooker Cameron Smith ran from dummy half on the fifth and last, down the short side and through his tacklers shot a remarkable pass out to the feet of Greg Inglis. Inglis then picked up the ball and crossed out wide (for the fifth time in only three Origin matches) to touch down after improving the field position for his kicker. Johnathan Thurston's conversion was successful so the score was 6 all with three quarters of the match remaining. Queensland dominated field position and crossed the Blues' try line three more times in the remainder of the first half but couldn't score, leaving the sides level at a single converted try each for the break.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
The first penalty of the match was given after ten minutes of the second half, followed by the second eight minutes after that, providing the Blues with some attacking opportunities which they failed to convert to points. Following the third penalty of the match, which went Queensland's way, they were attacking the New South Wales line and got their second try on the sixty-three-minute mark.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
A pass (that appeared to be forward  but was allowed by the referee) went to Thurston who, keeping the ball alive, chipped a grubbing kick through the line of defence for centre Steven Bell to pick up and dive over the try-line in the corner. The ensuing sideline conversion was missed by Thurston, leaving the score at 10 - 6 in favour of the Maroons. The following ten minutes were a fairly even arm wrestle played mostly in the middle of the field.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
With under three minutes remaining Brent Kite lost the ball in a tackle and Shaun Berrigan picked it up and ran 45 metres to put it down. However the try was disallowed by the video referee, ruling that Berrigan had also knocked the ball on when he picked it up. The Queenslanders managed to hold out New South Wales' desperate attack to leave the game at 10-6.


2007 State of Origin series, Game II
Of the match, Queensland captain Lockyer had this to say: "In games I've been involved with, that's the gutsiest I've been in." It was the first win for Queensland at Telstra Stadium following an 11-game losing streak at the venue, and the first time the Maroons had won four consecutive Origin matches since their 8-game winning streak which lasted from game 2, 1987, to game 3, 1989. Meninga was critical of referee Shayne Hayne's performance in the match with no penalties until the 51st minute and a final count going New South Wales' way 4-1.


2007 State of Origin series, Game III
In the first minute of game III, Dallas Johnson was knocked out cold when attempting a tackle and was assisted from the field. Greg Inglis injured his knee in the 20th minute, and Brent Tate left the field in the 33rd minute, also with a serious knee injury. New South Wales scored the first try in the 21st minute through Jarryd Hayne beating opposition players down the left corner. Queensland responded in the 26th minute with a try scored out wide by Justin Hodges. Thurston failed to convert leaving the score at 6-4 till half time. Queensland were without 3 reserves until Johnson returned early in the second half and played the rest of the game with only two reserves. This forced Queensland forwards such as Steve Price to play the full 80 minutes.


2007 State of Origin series, Game III
Queensland held off New South Wales' attacks for most of the second half. Matt Cooper was denied tries twice in the first 10 minutes, once by a last-ditch try-saving tackle by Bell on the try line. It was not till the 73rd minute that New South Wales' Matt King, in his farewell Origin performance having announced his intention to relocate the Super League in 2008, scored a try which was set up by a flat pass from eventual man-of-the-match Greg Bird.


2007 State of Origin series, Game III
Hazem El Masri, in his debut performance for the Blues after an 11-year top-grade career, converted from the sideline, giving New South Wales an important 8-point lead. In the 79th minute, Paul Gallen was able to offload to El Masri on the tryline and the result was sealed. This try also brought New South Wales' points total for the series above that of Queensland.


2007 State of Origin series, Game III
Jarryd Hayne received the Brad Fittler Medal for New South Wales player of the series. Cameron Smith received the Ron McAuliffe Medal as Queensland's player of the series.


2007 State of Origin series, Players, New South Wales
The Bulldogs and Knights contributed the most players, four each, to the total used by New South Wales during the series.


2007 State of Origin series, Players, Queensland
2007's defending premiers, the Brisbane Broncos were the most heavily represented club in the Maroons, with eight players.


2007 State of the Union Address
The 2007 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 110th United States Congress. It was Bush's sixth State of the Union Address and his seventh speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by Dick Cheney, the vice president, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.


2007 State of the Union Address
It was the first address to a Democratic-controlled Congress since 1994. Furthermore, the speech marked the second time that a Democrat sat behind President Bush during a joint session of Congress and the first time at a State of the Union address. Traditionally, the Speaker of the House and the Vice President (the President of the Senate) are the only individuals on the rostrum with the President.


2007 State of the Union Address
However, in a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001, following the September 11 attacks nine days earlier, president pro tempore Robert Byrd, a Democrat, took the place of Vice President Cheney, who was at an undisclosed location. As the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi is also the first woman in American history to stand on the podium during a State of the Union address.


2007 State of the Union Address
President Bush began his address by recognizing the new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:


2007 State of the Union Address
And tonight I have the high privilege and distinct honor of my own as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker.


2007 State of the Union Address, Attendance
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was not present because traditionally a member of the President's cabinet, a designated survivor, does not attend in order to ensure presidential succession in the event of an emergency. Only four Supreme Court Justices attended the speech: Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, and Anthony Kennedy. Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood were not present because of serious health problems, but were acknowledged with applause. Johnson recovered and returned to work by September, while Norwood died on February 13, 2007.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech
The President's speech focused equally on domestic policy and foreign policy.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Domestic policy
Bush placed emphasis on balancing the federal budget, eliminating excessive earmarks, changing the tax code to replace the existing business tax exemption to workers health insurance premiums with a new personal health insurance deduction, providing health care for needy individuals, and expanding health savings accounts. Bush supported "laws that are fair and borders that are secure" in regards to immigration, suggesting a temporary worker program, stating that, "[a]s a result, they won't have to try to sneak in". He suggested resolving the status of current illegal residents "without animosity and without amnesty".


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Domestic policy
Bush said the United States has been dependent on foreign oil for too long, and that this chances placing it in hostile situations. Bush asked Congress to work to reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent over the next ten years, and recommended research into alternative fuels. He asked Congress to "double the current capacity" of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Domestic policy
In what appears to be a change of stance, Bush made a connection between energy policy and climate change: "America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change." Bush specifically named plug-in hybrid vehicles as part of his "advanced energy initiative" to help end the United States "addiction to oil."


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Domestic policy
Bush asked Congress to give future federal court nominees a "fair hearing", and a "prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor."


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Domestic policy
In the realm of education, he asked Congress to renew the No Child Left Behind Act and consider school vouchers, although he never mentioned vouchers by name.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Foreign policy
A large part of Bush's speech centered on the Iraq War. Bush emphasized that he still stood behind it, stating that, "to win the War on Terror, we must take the fight to the enemy." He stated that the dangers of terrorism have not ended, and that it is the government's duty to locate terrorists and protect the American people. He stated that it was not responsible to leave Iraq yet, as it would put "ourselves in danger and our friends at risk." He emphasized that stability in Iraq is essential, and that chaos is the enemy's greatest ally. Bush asked Americans to give the Iraq War a chance, and support the troops on the field and "those on their way," a reference to the "surge" strategy involving 20,000 soldiers and Marines sent to Baghdad and al-Anbar, most of which would go to Baghdad.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Foreign policy
Bush advocated adding to the ranks of the military. He asked Congress to authorize an increase in the Army and Marine active duty forces by 92,000 in the next five years. He spoke of developing a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps which could help ease the burden on military personnel: "It would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time." The phrase terror (whether as terror, terrorism, or terrorist) appeared 22 times in his speech, highlighting its continuing significance in his administration's foreign policy and political position.


2007 State of the Union Address, Speech, Foreign policy
Bush advocated saving the people affected by the conflict in Darfur, Sudan. He advocated continuing to fight HIV/AIDS, especially in Africa. Bush asked for $1.2 billion over the next five years to combat malaria in 15 African countries.


2007 State of the Union Address, Honored guests
Toward the end of his speech, President Bush recognized four distinguished Americans. First, he pointed out Dikembe Mutombo, a player in the National Basketball Association. He is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and recently built a new hospital in Kinshasa, his hometown. Next, he introduced business and social entrepreneur Julie Aigner-Clark, who founded the Baby Einstein Company. Then, he introduced Wesley Autrey who, three weeks prior, saved a man with epilepsy from being run down by a New York City Subway train. Finally, he introduced Sergeant Tommy Rieman, an American soldier who continued to fight even though he was critically injured in Iraq.


2007 State of the Union Address, Critical response, Democratic response
Jim Webb, a Vietnam War veteran and Senator from Virginia whose son was serving in Iraq, delivered the Democratic response from Capitol Hill, the second year in a row for a Virginia politician. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine delivered the Democratic response in 2006. It lasted less than nine minutes, as expected, ending at 10:24 EST.


2007 State of the Union Address, Critical response, Democratic response
Webb said he hoped the Bush administration is serious about health care, education, and revitalizing the imperiled nation, as represented by New Orleans, Louisiana, following Hurricane Katrina (President Bush did not mention Katrina or New Orleans in his Address). He emphasized that corporate profits are not being fairly shared, stating that chief executive officers make over 400 times that of workers, on average. Therefore, it takes an average worker over one year to make as much money as his boss makes in one day. He advocated a policy that would begin to remove United States troops from Iraq, pointing out that polls show the majority of the American people do not support the direction of the Iraq War or the president's strategy.


2007 State of the Union Address, Critical response, Libertarian response
Steve Kubby, a California politician and declared candidate for the 2008 presidential election, delivered an unofficial response to the address for the Libertarian Party. Kubby criticized the president's policies on the economy, education, and foreign policy, which he referred to as "foreign military adventurism."


2007 State of the Union Address, Critical response, Conservative response
The Wall Street Journal reported in an article the following Thursday that conservatives were upset and felt abandoned by Bush's shifts on immigration and health care, and quoted a high-ranking official with the American Conservative Union saying that "the president left a lot of conservatives shaking their heads".


2007 Steelback Grand Prix
The 2007 Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto is the seventh round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season. It was held on July 8 at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Will Power won the race, followed by Neel Jani and Justin Wilson.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Qualifying results
Sébastien Bourdais led both the Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions to win his 28th career Champ Car pole position. On Saturday Bourdais and Justin Wilson traded the fast lap three times in the final minutes, with Wilson coming up only .011 second short at the end after he brushed the wall on his last lap.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
For the second race in a row rain had a major impact on the proceedings. The race began under cloudy skies and on a track that was still partially damp after heavy rains earlier in the day. Oriol Servia got the best start from the second row and led into the first corner. Trouble began as the cars funneled through turn 3 for the first time. Alex Tagliani contacted Simon Pagenaud, knocking the front wing off Pagenaud's car. Paul Tracy collected the wing but could not see that it remained stuck under his own front wing.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
Coming out of the fast turn 7 the errant wing began to interfere with Tracy's steering and he hit the outside wall. This set off a chain reaction of carnage behind him as cars behind him rounded the blind turn and were not able thread through the mess. In the end, Tracy, Katherine Legge, Alex Figge, and Tristan Gommendy all ended their races immediately, with Gommendy almost flipping up the back of Jan Heylen, catching air. Heylen was able to limp back to the pits, only to retire (his fourth consecutive retirement since returning to the series), while Graham Rahal was able to return to the race with a new front wing.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
Servia held the lead until he pitted for fuel and a fresh set of slick tires on lap 34. Rain began to fall soon after. On lap 38, Ryan Dalziel and Neel Jani came out of the pits on rain tires. It turned out to be the correct decision. Servia and Tagliani tangled at the slippery turn 3 on lap 39. Both cars were able to continue but a yellow flag was brought out. Except for Dan Clarke, the rest of the field pitted for rain tires during the caution.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
Dan Clarke lasted only 3 green flag laps on dry weather tires before finding the wall and ending his day. Meanwhile, Ryan Dalziel led a Champ Car race for the first time in his career. They were also the first laps in the lead for the Pacific Coast Motorsports team.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
After a caution period for a spin and crash by Graham Rahal, Will Power got around Dalziel on the restart on lap 56 and took the lead which he would not relinquish for the rest of the race. Dalziel was dropped to third by Jani on the next restart on lap 62. With 3 laps to go, Dalziel's hopes for a podium were dashed when Justin Wilson bounced him into the tires as he made the pass for third place.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Race
In the end Will Power cruised to his second career Champ Car race win. Meanwhile, Sébastien Bourdais' 9th-place finish cost him the championship lead. Entering the second half of the season a close three-way battle has developed. Robert Doornbos now leads the championship with 164 points, followed closely by Power with 162 and Bourdais with 161.


2007 Steelback Grand Prix, Attendance
Race attendance numbers were not released for the 2007 Steelback Grand Prix. However the race reportedly had a 12% attendance increase over the 2006 race weekend. However, the number may be released at a later date as they do exist and are currently being used in sponsor negotiations for 2008.


2007 Stevenage Borough Council election
Elections to Stevenage Council were held on 3 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 2003. The Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2007 Stirling Council election
Elections to Stirling Council were held on 3 May 2007, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections and the Scottish Parliament general election. The election was the first one using seven new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Each ward will elect three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation. The new wards replace 22 single-member wards which used the plurality (first past the post) system of election.


2007 Stock Car Brasil season
The  2007 Copa Nextel Stock Car was the 29th Stock Car Brasil season. It began on April 22 at the Interlagos and ended on December 9 at the same circuit, after twelve rounds.


2007 Stock Car Brasil season, Race calendar and results
All races were held in Brazil, excepting the round at Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez, which held in Argentina.


2007 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 3 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election. The Liberal Democrats retained overall control of the council with a majority of 9 councillors. The overall turnout was 36.7%.


2007 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election
Following the election, the make up of the council was as follows;


2007 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election
The 2007 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Stratford-on-Avon District Council in Warwickshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2007 Stratford-on-Avon District Council election, Election result
The results of the election were delayed after problems with the electronic counting system led to the count being suspended and then resumed later manually. When the results were declared the Conservatives increased their majority on the council after making 5 gains among the 18 seats that were being contested.


2007 Stroud District Council election
The 2007 Stroud Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Stroud District Council in Gloucestershire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2007 Stroud District Council election, Election result
The results saw the Conservatives stay in control of the council after making a net gain of 2 seats to hold 31 of the 51 seats. The Conservatives gained Farmhill and Paganhill from an independent, Dursley and Upton St Leonards from the Liberal Democrats and Cam East from the Labour Party. However Labour gained Cainscross back from the Conservatives, while the Liberal Democrats defeated the Conservative cabinet member Nigel Cooper in Rodborough by 5 votes. Meanwhile, the Greens held all 4 seats they had been defending and came within 12 votes of taking Nailsworth from the Conservatives. Overall turnout in the election was 41.17%.


2007 Stuttgart Open
The 2007 Stuttgart Open (known for sponsorship reasons as the Mercedes Cup) was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 30th edition of the Mercedes Cup, and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2007 ATP Tour. It took place at the Tennis Club Weissenhof in Stuttgart, Germany, from 16 July through 23 July 2008.


2007 Stuttgart Open
Rafael Nadal won his fifth clay title of the year, and sixth title overall.


2007 Stuttgart Open, Finals, Doubles
František Čermák /  Leoš Friedl defeated  Guillermo García-López /  Fernando Verdasco 6–4, 6–4


2007 Stuttgart Open – Doubles
Gastón Gaudio and Max Mirnyi were the defending champions, but Gaudio did not compete this year to focus on the singles tournament. Mirnyi teamed up with Mischa Zverev and lost in first round to tournament runners-up Guillermo García-López and Fernando Verdasco.


2007 Stuttgart Open – Doubles
František Čermák and Leoš Friedl won the tournament by defeating García-López and Verdasco 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2007 Stuttgart Open – Singles
The Men’s Singles tournament of the 2007 Stuttgart Open tennis championship (also known as the Mercedes Cup) took place in Stuttgart, Germany, between 16 and 22 July 2007. 32 players from 12 countries competed in the 5-round tournament. The final winner was Rafael Nadal of Spain, who defeated Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. The defending champion from 2006, David Ferrer, was eliminated in the second round.


2007 Subway 500
The 2007 Subway 500, the 32nd race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season and the sixth race in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, ran on Sunday, October 21, 2007, at Martinsville Speedway, located on the outskirts of Martinsville, Virginia. This race was the fifteenth of sixteen series races to use NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow template, which will be made permanent as of the 2008 season.


2007 Subway 500, Qualifying
With a lap of 19.938 seconds at a speed of 94.974 miles per hour, seven time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon took his sixth pole at the paperclip and 63rd of his career. Spring Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson started fourth. South Boston natives Jeff and Ward Burton both struggled in qualifying, having to start 18th and 36th respectively. Chase contender Tony Stewart started 34th.


2007 Subway 500, Race
The 2007 running of the race set a record for cautions in this race, with 21 yellow flags flying for 127 laps. The race was eventually decided under caution, when, during the green-white-checkers, David Ragan spun in turn number 1, ending the single attempt at a racing finish. With his third consecutive win at Martinsville, Johnson became the first driver since Rusty Wallace in 1994-1995 to win three straight races at the track.


2007 Subway 500, Points
Gordon's lead over Johnson in the standings was reduced to 58 points. (See 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup) for complete Chase standings).


2007 Subway 500, Points
For 35th place, and the last guaranteed starting spot, the #22 team (driver Dave Blaney for Bill Davis Racing) extended its lead over the #21 team (Bill Elliott for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing) to 142 points.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500
The 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the eighth race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season, and it ran on April 21, 2007, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary
This race was 500 kilometers (310 mi), one of a few of NASCAR events that use kilometers instead of laps or miles. The race also served as the first night race of the season, and the third race to use the Car of Tomorrow template. In the end, Jeff Gordon scored a historic victory.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Race
The third CoT race of the season would be the first test of the new car's aerodynamics. Previously, the CoT definitely kept the racing closer as evidenced by the two half car length finishes. Joe Gibbs Racing's Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin would be seeking out the team's first victory with the new car. From the drop of the green, Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin established themselves as the dominant cars of the race. Stewart, despite leading 132 of the 312 laps, would not find victory circle on Saturday night.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Race
Hamlin would not fare as well as his teammate as a speeding penalty put him on the tail end of the lead lap. Luck and pit strategy would eventually play a factor in the race. All of that came together during a series of green-flag pit stops on lap 283. Gordon was on pit road  when the caution came out. However, quick work by Gordon's pit crew enabled him to stay on the lead lap before a dominant Tony Stewart lapped him. On the lap 298 restart, Tony Stewart made an incredible pass for the lead going 3-wide between Gordon and the tail end car of Martin Truex Jr. However, Gordon would pass Stewart again on lap 300 and would hold on for the win.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Race
The weekend was historic for Jeff Gordon, as the win not only was his first at Phoenix, but it would also be his 76th career victory, tying Dale Earnhardt for 6th on the all-time win list. After the race, Gordon carried a flag with Earnhardt's car number, 3, emblazoned on it during the victory lap.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Race
Gordon was also the first Nextel Cup race winner at Phoenix from the pole position.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Qualifying
Gordon won his third pole of the year, and 59th of his career, tying Darrell Waltrip on the all-time list. His winning lap was 133.136 miles per hour. Michael Waltrip, Darrell's brother, missed his seventh straight race after making the Daytona 500 to start the year.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Tribute
All teams carried decal stickers in memory of the 32 people killed in the Virginia Tech massacre the previous Monday; the stickers consisted of the athletic department's logo. In addition, Morgan-McClure Motorsports altered the look of the #4 car driven by Ward Burton to include the logo on the hood of the car. (Burton is from nearby South Boston, Virginia, and Morgan-McClure is based in Abingdon.) Many drivers, including Gordon, Stewart, and Hamlin, wore VT hats throughout the weekend, and PIR displayed the school flag.


2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500, Summary, Tribute
In addition, many mechanics are from the school;  most notable of these is Darian Grubb of the #25 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala.


2007 Sudan Premier League
The 2007 Sudan Premier League was the 36th edition of the highest club level football competition in Sudan.


2007 Sudan floods
On 3 July 2007, flash floods during Sudan's rainy season devastated much of the country's central, southern, and western regions. The Sudanese government referred to the floods as the "worst in living memory".


2007 Sudan floods
An estimated 200,000 Sudanese were made homeless while 122 reportedly died. The United Nations played a principal role in the ensuing recovery and relief program.


2007 Sudan floods, Damage
As of 12 August, the emergency has caused the total or partial destruction of over 150,000 homes, leaving at least 750,000 homeless or in need of emergency shelter due to a destroyed home (according to an average of available estimates).


2007 Sudan floods, Damage
The areas worst affected were the states of Kassala, Khartoum, North Kurdufan, Unity State, and Upper Nile. The United Nations, whilst not providing specific figures for the devastation, estimates that "well over 30,000 houses" were fully destroyed, and "at least 365,000 people" have already been directly affected, including a reported 64 dead and 335 injured.


2007 Sudan floods, Damage
The United Nations reported on 19 August the following highlights:


2007 Sudan floods, Response
Within four weeks after torrential rains started to devastate many parts of the Sudan, the United Nations and partners, in support of the Government, have assisted up to half a million people affected by the floods. This includes aid of a preventive nature, designed to avert the huge risk of epidemics.


2007 Sudan floods, Response
David Gressly, acting United Nations Resident Coordinator in the country, stated: "Although the floods came earlier than expected, the response has been swift and successful. We had contingency measures in place, and were able to prevent further distress to the population. [ But] if current flooding patterns continue unabated, the situation will deteriorate considerably".


2007 Sudan floods, Response
On 6 August, the United Nations reported that the following had been achieved:


2007 Sudan floods, Funding
On 16 August, the United Nations announced that an appeal for the floods would be forthcoming. The amount of the appeal, however, was not disclosed.


2007 Sudan floods, Funding
On 20 August, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced that US$8.7 million had been allocated to the response, from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The statement also noted that US$3.8 million had already been allocated to the response from a local pooled fund.


2007 Sudan floods, Funding
The Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations, Oluseyi Bajulaiye, then launched an appeal on 28 August to the international community, requesting US$20.2 million in funding for the ongoing response.


2007 Sudirman Cup
The 2007 Sudirman Cup is the 10th tournament of the World Mixed Team Badminton Championships of Sudirman Cup. It was held from 11 to 17 June 2007 in Glasgow, Scotland.


2007 Sudirman Cup
China won for the sixth time and second in a row after beating Indonesia 3–0 in the final.


2007 Sudirman Cup, Host city selection
Scotland and South Korea submitted bids to host the event. IBF awarded Scotland the right to host the event during a council meeting in Jakarta.


2007 Sudirman Cup, Teams
As confirmed, 48 teams around the world took part in this tournament. (after the retirement of Mongolia) Geographically, they are 31 from Europe, 11 teams from Asia, 3 from Americas, two from Oceania and one from Africa. Below is the seeded the team in each group of the tournament.


2007 Sudirman Cup, Teams
Following the withdrawal of Mongolia in Group 7, now that group has been merged with Group 6, the group 6 now has two group itself.


2007 Sudirman Cup group stage
The group stage of the 2007 Sudirman Cup was the first stage of the competition. It was held at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, from 11 to 14 June.


2007 Sudirman Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2007 Sudirman Cup was the final stage of the competition, following the group stage, held from 14 to 17 June 2007.


2007 Suffolk Coastal District Council election
All of the 55 Councillor seats for Suffolk Coastal were up for election on Thursday 3 May 2007. This was held on the same day as other local council elections across England.


2007 Sugar Bowl
The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006–2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl. The game matched the 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team against the 2006 LSU Tigers football team and was televised on Fox.


2007 Sugar Bowl
This game received extra attention because it was the return of the Sugar Bowl to New Orleans. In 2006, the game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome (that game also featured a virtual "home" team, the Georgia Bulldogs). LSU won the 2007 contest 41–14, tying the Notre Dame-LSU series at 5–5 (with LSU taking a 2–0 lead in bowl game meetings).


2007 Sugar Bowl
With the loss, Notre Dame lost a record-setting nine bowl games in a row, including losing their three BCS bowl games by wide point margins.


2007 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
The 2007 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was the 16th edition of field hockey tournament the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup
The 2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup was the 35th edition of the Sultan Qaboos Cup (Arabic: كأس السلطان قابوس), the premier knockout tournament for football teams in Oman.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup
The competition began on 15 August 2007 with the Group Stage and concluded on 26 November 2007. Dhofar S.C.S.C. were the defending champions, having won their seventh title in 2006. On Monday 26 November 2007, Sur SC were crowned the champions of the 2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup when they defeated Muscat Club 5–4 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1 after extra time, hence winning the title for the third time.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup, Teams
This year the tournament had 32 teams. The winners qualified for the 2008 AFC Cup.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup, Group stage, Group Stage Results
The first match played was between Al-Nasr S.C.S.C. and Salalah SC on 15 August 2007. 16 teams advanced to the Round of 16.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup, Round of 16
16 teams played a knockout tie. 8 ties were played over two legs. The first match was played between Sur SC and  Al-Ittihad Club on 6 September 2007. 8 teams advanced to the Quarterfinals.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup, Quarterfinals
8 teams played a knockout tie. 4 ties were played over two legs. The first match was played between Al-Nahda Club and Bahla Club on 23 September 2007. Al-Nahda Club, Sur SC, Muscat Club and Al-Nasr S.C.S.C. qualified for the Semifinals.


2007 Sultan Qaboos Cup, Semifinals
4 teams played a knockout tie. 2 ties were played over two legs. The first match was played between Sur SC and Al-Nasr S.C.S.C. on 18 October 2007. Sur SC and Muscat Club qualified for the finals.


2007 Sultan of Selangor Cup
The 2007 Sultan of Selangor Cup was played on 11 August 2007, at Shah Alam Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor. It was held in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th independence.


2007 Sultan of Selangor Cup, Veterans
A match between veterans of two teams are also held in the same day before the real match starts as a curtain raiser.


2007 Summer Universiade
The 2007 Summer Universiade (Thai: กีฬามหาวิทยาลัยโลกฤดูร้อน 2007, romanized: Kīlā Mahāwitthayālại Lok Rưdū Rǭn 2007), officially known as the XXIV Summer Universiade (Thai: กีฬามหาวิทยาลัยโลกฤดูร้อน ครั้งที่ 24, romanized: Kīlā Mahāwitthayālại Lok Rưdū Rǭn Khrang Thī Yīsip-sām) and commonly known as Bangkok Universiade (Kīlā Mahāwitthayālại Lok Krung Thēp Mahā Nakhǭn), was an international multi-sport for university athletes that took place from 8 to 18 August 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, with preliminary events in some sports beginning on 7 August.


2007 Summer Universiade, Bidding process
Bangkok, Saskatoon, Poznań, Kaohsiung and Monterrey were the five candidate cities. However, Saskatoon Bid was withdrawn.


2007 Summer Universiade, Identity, Mascot
The official mascot of the 2007 Summer Universiade is a rabbit named Mighty Mai-Tri. The name of this mascot not only suggests power and friendship but it also corresponds to the Year of the Rabbit, which is the lunar year of King Bhumibol's birth. The rabbit is a symbol of agility, intelligence, gentleness, and welcomes athletes of all nations. With a smile and friendship His appearance, color, and mannerism express humility. Which is one of the uniqueness of Thai's very long established culture.


2007 Summer Universiade, Identity, Slogan
The slogan for the 24th Summer Universiade is, "All Become One", suggesting the unity of people of all races and religions from 150 countries.


2007 Summer Universiade, Identity, Logo
The logo itself consists of 5 line colors arranged in a U shape, which is derived from the word Universiade is comparable to the lines of experience transmission. The exchange of knowledge and culture between representatives and athletes from universities from 5 continents around the world all in one. Connected into a golden yellow bird patterned symbol. Which is the identity of the Thai nation Filled with joy and pride to be honored as the center of transmission and exchange of cultures.


2007 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2007 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place February 28–March 6, 2007 at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.


2007 Sun Belt Conference football season
The 2007 Sun Belt Conference football season was an NCAA football season that was played from August 28, 2007, to January 6, 2008. The Sun Belt Conference consisted of 8 football members:  Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, and Troy. Troy and FAU split the Sun Belt Championship, with FAU playing in the New Orleans Bowl where they defeated Memphis.


2007 Sun Bowl
The 2007 Brut Sun Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 31, 2007, at Sun Bowl Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas, El Paso, between the South Florida Bulls and the Oregon Ducks.


2007 Sun Bowl
The Ducks were playing without quarterback Dennis Dixon, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting but who had season-ending ACL surgery in November. Redshirt freshman Justin Roper made his first collegiate start in place of Dixon and threw for four touchdowns to tie a Sun Bowl record and lead the Ducks to a 56–21 victory.


2007 Sun Bowl
The game marked the 40th consecutive telecast by CBS Sports. No other network and bowl game has been paired for a longer period of time.


2007 SunTrust Indy Challenge
The 2007 SunTrust Indy Challenge was a race in the 2007 IRL IndyCar Series, held at Richmond International Raceway. It was held over 28 -June 30, 2007, as the ninth round of the seventeen-race calendar. It was the third of four night races on the 2007 calendar.


2007 SunTrust Indy Challenge, Note
Milka Duno was for the second race in a row parked by race officials for failing to meet the minimum speed.


2007 SunTrust Indy Challenge, Caution Periods
There were four caution periods during the race, with a total of thirty-three laps run under yellow.


2007 Sundance Film Festival
The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007 in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was Chicago 10; the closing night film was Life Support.


2007 Sundance Film Festival
3,287 feature films were submitted, of which 1,852 were U.S films (compared to 1,764 in 2006) and 1,435 were international films (vs. 1,384 in 2006). From these, 122 feature films were selected and include 82 world premieres, 24 North American premieres, and 10 U.S. premieres from 25 countries. The festival had films from almost 60 first or second-time feature filmmakers.


2007 Sundance Film Festival, Films
For a full list of films appearing at the festival, see List of films at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.


2007 Sundance Film Festival, Juries
The juries at the Sundance Film Festival are responsible for determining the Jury Prize winners in each category and to award Special Jury Prizes as they see fit.


2007 Sundance Film Festival, Juries, Jury, Independent Film Competition: Dramatic
Dawn Hudson, Elvis Mitchell, Catherine Hardwicke, Pamela Martin, Sarah Polley, George C. Wolfe


2007 Sunderland City Council election
The 2007 Sunderland Council election took place on 3 May 2007 to elect members of Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council in Tyne and Wear, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.


2007 Sunderland City Council election, Background
Before the election the council had 57 Labour, 13 Conservative, 4 independent and 1 Liberal Democrat councillors. In the period since the previous local elections in May 2006, three councillors had left their parties to sit as Independents: Peter Maddison leaving the Liberal Democrat Group in July 2006, and Bryn Sidaway (Hendon) and George Blyth (Doxford) leaving the Labour Group in November 2006. Blyth's ward colleague Mike Tansey had previously left the Labour Group to sit as an Independent in November 2005, and stood for re-election as an Independent candidate in this election.


2007 Sunderland City Council election, Background
25 seats were contested in the 2007 elections with a total of 111 candidates standing. These included a full 25 each from the Labour, Conservative and British National Party, as well as 16 independents, 15 Liberal Democrats, 2 Respect, 2 British First Party and 1 from the United Kingdom Independence Party.


2007 Sunderland City Council election, Background
As at the 2006 election this election saw Sunderland have three polling stations open for 10 days before election day in an attempt to make voting more convenient for voters.


2007 Sunderland City Council election, Election results
The results had Labour stay in control of the council but with a smaller majority. The Conservatives gained 3 seats from Labour in St Chads, Washington East and Washington South to hold 16 seats compared to 54 for Labour. The 2 Conservative gains in Washington were the first time the party had won seats in the town since it became part of Sunderland council. Labour also lost one seat to an independent in Copt Hill, but regained another in Doxford where the sitting independent councillor, Mike Tansey, had originally been elected for the Labour party. This meant there remained 4 Independents on the council, as well as 1 Liberal Democrat who was not defending a seat in the election. Overall turnout in the election was 34%, up on 32% at the 2006 election.


2007 Sunderland City Council election, Ward by ward results, Doxford ward
†Mike Tansey had been elected in 2004 as a Labour candidate, but subsequently left the party to sit as an Independent councillor. The result was technically a hold for Labour although Tansey, the incumbent, lost his seat.


2007 Sunfeast Open
The 2007 Sunfeast Open was a Tier III tennis event on the 2007 WTA Tour, organised for women's professional tennis. This was the third edition of the tournament.


2007 Sunfeast Open, Champions, Doubles
Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) /   Vania King (USA) defeated  Alberta Brianti (ITA)  /  Mariya Koryttseva (UKR), 6-1, 6-4


2007 Sunfeast Open – Doubles
Liezel Huber and Sania Mirza were the defending champions, but Huber chose not to participate that year and Mirza withdrew due to a right wrist sprain.


2007 Sunfeast Open – Doubles
Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva defeated Alberta Brianti and Mariya Koryttseva 6–1, 6–4 in the final to win their title.


2007 Sunfeast Open – Singles
Martina Hingis was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.


2007 Sunfeast Open – Singles
Maria Kirilenko won the title, defeating Mariya Koryttseva 6–0, 6–2 in the final.


2007 Sunshine Tour
The 2007 Sunshine Tour was the eighth season of professional golf tournaments since the southern Africa based Sunshine Tour was rebranded in 2000, and the marked the beginning of a new era as the tour switched to a calendar based season, having previously been seasonal. The Sunshine Tour represents the highest level of competition for male professional golfers in the region.


2007 Sunshine Tour
The tour was based predominantly in South Africa, with 24 of the 28 tournaments being held in the country. Two events were held in Swaziland, with one each in Zambia and Namibia. There were five new tournaments, the Joburg Open, one of three events co-sanctioned by the PGA European Tour, the Nashua Golf Challenge, the Lombard Insurance Classic, the returning Mount Edgecombe Trophy, and the Nedbank Affinity Cup, introduced to the schedule as an appetizer to the high profile Nedbank Golf Challenge.


2007 Sunshine Tour
The Order of Merit was won for the first time by James Kingston, breaking Charl Schwartzel's three year stranglehold on the title.


2007 Sunshine Tour, Schedule
The table below shows schedule of events for the 2007 Sunshine Tour. As usual, the tour consisted of two distinct parts, commonly referred to as the "Summer Swing" and "Winter Swing". Tournaments held during the Summer Swing generally had much higher prize funds, attracted stronger fields, and were the only tournaments on the tour to carry world ranking points, with three events being co-sanctioned with the European Tour.


2007 Sunshine Tour, Schedule
The Winter Swing ran from March to November, starting with the Mount Edgecombe Trophy, and closing with the Coca-Cola Charity Championship. Since the tour switched to a calendar based season, this part of the tour effectively splits the Summer Swing into two, with five events being held at the start of the year, and the remainder in December. Due to these scheduling changes, the first five events of the 2007 season had already been part of the 2006–07 tour schedule, but continued to count towards the final standings of both.


2007 Sunshine Tour, Schedule
Prize funds shown did not count directly towards the Order of Merit. The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of official money Sunshine Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Sunshine Tour members.


2007 Sunshine Tour, Order of Merit
Ernie Els was the fifth highest money winner (with R1,120,503.20) but did not qualify for the Order of Merit, having only played in three events. John Bickerton and Ariel Cañete were second and fourth respectively in the money list thanks to their victories in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Joburg Open, but as non tour members, and having not entered sufficient events, they were also ineligible for the Order of Merit.


2007 Super 14 Final
The Final of the 2007 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 19 May 2007 at ABSA Stadium in Durban, South Africa. The match was won by the Bulls 20 points to 19 over their hosts the Sharks. The match had four tries - two by each team, and the last of which was scored by Bulls' wing Bryan Habana in the 82nd minute to give his team the trophy. It was the first Super rugby final to be played in South Africa, as well as the first all-South African final, and the first final with a South African winner.


2007 Super 14 Final, Road to the Final
The Sharks and Bulls finished the round-robin first and second on the Super 14 table respectively. The Crusaders lost to the Chiefs in their last round-robin match (ending a 26-game home winning streak), but managed to secure a bonus point, losing by seven points. The Blues then defeated the Force in Perth to qualify for the semi-finals. The Sharks then went to the top of the table after defeating the Stormers 36-10 in Cape Town. The Bulls then played the Reds in Pretoria, and would be able to finish in second place if they won by a margin of 72 or more. They ended up crushing the Reds by 92-3 — the largest winning margin in Super Rugby history.


2007 Super 14 Final, Road to the Final
The Sharks then hosted the Blues in Durban, and the Bulls hosted the Crusaders in Pretoria. This was the first time both semi-finals had been hosted in South Africa. The Sharks defeated the Blues 34-18 with three tries to two, and the Bulls defeated the Crusaders 27-12 in a try-less match.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, First half
Two minutes into the first half Bulls' wing Brian Habana tackled Sharks' fullback Percy Montgomery in the air as he fielded a bomb. Montgomery fell on his head and Habana was subsequently penalized by referee Steve Walsh - he was considered lucky not to be issued a yellow card for such a dangerous tackle. After eight minutes Sharks' scrum-half Ruan Pienaar tapped and ran from a penalty breaking the Bulls' line and ending up in the Bulls' 22. From the resulting play the Sharks were awarded penalty after JP Nel infringed at the tackle. The penalty was converted by Montgomery to put them 3-0 up.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, First half
When the Bulls were awarded a penalty 45 metres out they elected to kick for touch, and from the resulting lineout the Bulls won possession. After two phases Bulls captain Victor Matfield passed the ball to Pierre Spies who broke through the Sharks line to score a try under the post. The try was converted by Derick Hougaard to give the Bulls a 7-3 lead after 13 minutes. The Sharks responded five minutes later when a pass from Spies was intercepted by Sharks winger JP Pietersen who outran three Bulls defenders to score. Montgomery missed the conversion, and after 19 minutes the Sharks led 8-7.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, First half
The next score came after the Sharks counterattacked from their own 22 metre line before Butch James attempted a drop goal. He missed but referee Steve Walsh was playing advantage for accidental off-side, and Montgomery kicked the resulting penalty to give the Sharks an 11-7 lead after 29 minutes. Three minutes later Hougaard kicked a penalty for the Bulls to reduce the Sharks lead to 11-10.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, First half
Following a Butch James bomb, the Bulls were penalised for being off-side and Montgomery kicked the penalty to extend the Sharks' lead to 14-10. Prior to half time the Bulls were penalised for collapsing a Sharks' maul, but Montgomery missed the penalty attempt. The Sharks went into the second half leading 14-10.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, Second half
Early in the second half Bulls flyhalf Hougaard attempted a drop goal but was unsuccessful. Then on 43 minutes he attempted a 53metre penalty but the attempt fell short. Soon after Bulls hooker Gary Botha broke through three Sharks defenders and fed the ball to Pedrie Wannenburg, but the Sharks cover defence prevented him scoring when Steyn forced him out at the corner. Sharks lock Albert van den Berg nearly scored in the 56th minute but was tackled out by Hougaard. Following sustained pressure from the Bulls with pick and goes, their centre Wynand Olivier was only prevented from scoring a try due to a James tackle. James was penalised however and Hougaard converted the penalty to narrow the Sharks lead to 14-13 in the 59th minute.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, Second half
With four minutes remaining Sharks lock Johann Muller won a lineout 25 metres from the Bulls' line. The Sharks then mauled for before it maul collapsed three metres from the Bulls line. After four phases of driving play Van den Berg drove past Danie Rossouw and Derick Kuün to score a try for the Sharks. Steyn then missed the conversion; the Sharks now led 19-13. The Bulls then needed to score a converted try to win the match, and with only a few minutes remaining of regular time they started attacking expansively.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match, Second half
In the 79th minute Gary Botha grubber kicked the ball from inside Bulls territory to within the Sharks 22-metre line. François Steyn collected the ball but did not kick out, and instead kicked down field where the ball was collected by Bulls' captain Victor Matfield. The Bulls spread the ball, and went through several phases until it reached winger Bryan Habana near the right touchline. Habana jinked back infield and ran through a gap in the Sharks' defence before scoring a try five metres to right of the goal-posts. The 83rd minute try was then converted by Hougaard to give the Bulls' a 20-19 victory.


2007 Super 14 Final, Match details
Touch judges: Lyndon Bray Bryce LawrenceTelevision match official: Kelvin DeakerAssessor: Tappe Henning


2007 Super 14 season
The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January. It finished on 19 May with the final at ABSA Stadium in Durban, in the first final between two South African teams in the history of Super Rugby. The visiting Bulls won the 2007 Super 14 Final, scoring a try in the 83rd minute and narrowly defeating the Sharks 20–19, thereby becoming the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in the professional era.


2007 Super 14 season
Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season is the second of the expansion, which led to the name change to the Super 14. The 2007 season saw an old team emerge with a new name, as the Cats changed their name to the Lions effective 8 September 2006.


2007 Super 14 season
There was also some confusion over the inclusion of the Southern Spears franchise, who were in the end not included. The season is also notable of the New Zealand sides resting several All Blacks players in the first half of the season. There were 94 matches held over the 3½ months, with each team playing one full round robin against the 13 other teams, 2 semi-finals and a final. Every team will get one bye over the 14 rounds.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
With the Rugby World Cup in September, all three countries would have some of their top players rested, to avoid injuries. All Blacks coach Graham Henry made clear his wish for up to 30 of New Zealand's best players to miss around half of the Super 14, with the five New Zealand franchises supporting him in May 2006. The mandatory stand-down period meant that the 30 players who toured at the end of 2006 would miss at least the first week of competition.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
John Connolly, the Wallabies coach, was also interested in lightening the load for his top players. It was expected that the Australians would want to rest only a few players, especially veterans such as Stephen Larkham and George Gregan, as they are seen as key to Australia's World Cup chances. Springboks coach Jake White met the board of SA Rugby, the commercial arm of the South African Rugby Union, in Cape Town on 25 May 2006 to put forward his suggestion to rest key players between then and the World Cup at regular intervals. White was also keen to rest some players during the Boks' 2006 mid-year internationals against Scotland and France.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
It was revealed in September 2006 that the All Blacks would rest 22 players, who would go into a "conditioning group" for the first 7 weeks of competition. The 22 players named were: Jerry Collins, Jason Eaton, Carl Hayman, Andrew Hore, Chris Jack, Richie McCaw, Chris Masoe, Keven Mealamu, Anton Oliver, Greg Somerville, Rodney So'oialo, Reuben Thorne, Ali Williams, Tony Woodcock, Dan Carter, Byron Kelleher, Leon MacDonald, Aaron Mauger, Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Piri Weepu.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
Seven of these players were from the Crusaders, six from the Hurricanes, four from the Blues, three from the Chiefs and two from the Highlanders. These players would be available for their franchises from Week 8. From these 22 players, Jason Eaton and Piri Weepu didn't make the final All Blacks squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
After the NZRU announced the resting of 22 leading players, Pat Wilson, Australian High Performance Manager, revealed that leading Wallabies would only be rested for one match, which was to be chosen by their state's union. This decision has drawn criticism from former Wallabies coach and current Queensland Reds coach Eddie Jones, who said that while resting the older players could be beneficial, it is better for younger players, such as his own Rodney Blake, to receive game time.


2007 Super 14 season, Player withdrawal
The SARU decided against resting their top players for the 2007 Super 14 but conceded that it was likely that players would be rested for some games. It is expected that News Corp and the other SANZAR nations will request compensation from the New Zealand Rugby Union.


2007 Super 14 season, Southern Spears saga
During the 2006 Super 14 season, SA Rugby announced that, contrary to the original plans, the Southern Spears would not replace the lowest ranked South African based side.


2007 Super 14 season, Southern Spears saga
In August 2006, however, the Spears won a court case for inclusion into the 2007 season, which would be at the expense of the Cats, who changed their name to the Lions the following month. SA Rugby and the South African Rugby Union were expected to appeal the High Court of South Africa's decision. In November 2006, SA Rugby and the Spears reached a settlement. The financially troubled Spears abandoned the court case.


2007 Super 14 season, Southern Spears saga
They will still exist as an organisation to promote and develop rugby in the Southern and Eastern Cape region, with the support of SA Rugby and the SARU, but will now not be a part of Super Rugby in the foreseeable future. With the settlement, the season's Super 14 line-up was set, with the Lions taking up the final South African place.


2007 Super 14 season, Results
The draw for the 2007 season was released on 2006-10-13. The season started 8 days earlier than the 2006 season, with the first match being between the Blues and the Crusaders at Auckland's Eden Park, the second time in the last two years the Blues had hosted the first match. In total, 94 matches were played, comprising 91 regular season matches, 2 semi-finals and the final. There were 29 Friday night match-ups and 61 Saturday matches. One match, the Brumbies-Waratahs regional derby in Week 10, was played on a Sunday night.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 1
The 2007 Super 14 started in contrast to that of 2006. The game of the week was the Blues from Auckland beating the defending champions the Crusaders, which was the first loss to a New Zealand side that the Crusaders had suffered since May 2004 and was ironically the Blues' first win over a New Zealand team for two years. The other upset was 2006 Finalists the Hurricanes losing to last years 12th placed Queensland Reds.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 2
Week two saw the New Zealand teams have a strong week with the Hurricanes, Crusaders, Blues notching wins. Western Force began to show vast improvement from 2006 winning only their second match since entering the competition in 2006. Apart from the Force all other Australian teams suffered a loss.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 3
In week three a Super rugby record was broken, although not one to be proud of. The Reds and Brumbies played in the lowest scoring match ever, a dire affair that resulted in a Brumbies win 6–3. The 22 All Blacks missing from New Zealand teams started to have a visible effect on the kiwi sides with only the Hurricanes claiming a tight win over the Blues. Another relatively low scoring match saw even the last years powerhouse champions the Crusaders beaten by last years 13th placed Lions, it was the first match in six years the Crusaders hadn't scored a single try.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 3
* Note: This match was the lowest-scoring in Super Rugby history at the time.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 4
Week Four saw the Brumbies lose their second game by conceding a try in the final seconds to the Hurricanes (the first was to the Blues in Week Two). The Blues convincingly put away  the Queensland Reds while the Force surrendered in the final seconds to the Lions leaving them yet to win a home game. The Bulls beat the Chiefs while the Crusaders began the show the form that they have displayed in past years by beating the Cheetahs 49–28.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 5
Week 5 saw the Blues defeat the Highlanders, the Chiefs drew with the Cheetahs in the final moments of the game, the Hurricanes lost at | home to bottom placed Stormers and the Crusaders suffered their 3rd defeat of the season losing in the final minute because of a blunder by Rico Gear.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 5
The Brumbies also suffered a loss at | home to the Bulls whereas the controversial game of the round saw the Waratahs draw with the Western Force because of a blunder by Waratahs utility back Sam Norton-Knight who decide to run with the ball in the final minute instead of taking the penalty shot which could have won them the game and for his mistake Lote Tuqiri shoved him and walked off the pitch looking very disappointed.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 6
Week 6 saw the Reds travel to the "House of Pain" to play the Highlanders. Recent signing Andrew Walker was rushed into the starting team, however the Reds lost 17–33. The next game saw the Brumbies looking to rectify a three-game losing streak at their home ground. They did so with a convincing 26–13 win against the Stormers. The Force were also looking to end a | home ground hoodoo against the Hurricanes.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 6
Seeking their first ever victory at Subiaco the Force looked to have squandered an 11–10 lead upon conceding a try with two minutes left to put the score at 17–11. However a try on the sideline and followed by an unlikely conversion by Force wing Cameron Shepherd gave the Force a maiden | home victory. The next day opened with the Blues thrashing an in-form Lions outfit 41–14. The game saw Doug Howlett score two tries and in doing so becoming the equal highest try scorer in Super Rugby history (with Joe Roff of the Brumbies). The Waratahs then played a | home game against the Bulls – who won 32–19 thanks to two tries apiece to Bryan Habana and Fourie du Preez.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 7
The Chiefs put on a convincing win against the Lions to start week seven. This was followed later that evening with the Force easily putting away the bottom of the table Reds in Perth. The Crusaders began to show their regular form with a win against the Bulls and the Waratahs season slumped to a new low with a home loss at the hands of the Stormers. The Cheetahs pulled off an unexpected win against the Brumbies and the undefeated Sharks continued their streak – beating the Hurricanes.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 8
The Waratahs fell to another loss – being convincingly beaten by the Blues in Auckland. The Bulls were not worried about the "House of Pain" moniker of Carisbrook – instead they turned in on the Highlanders to win 22–13. The Crusaders continued their quick ascent up the ladder with a bonus-point win over the Stormers. Queensland slipped to another loss – albeit a close one – against the Chiefs. The Sharks suffered their first loss of the season as the Brumbies recording a big upset at ABSA Stadium. It was also the Brumbies first ever away win against the Sharks. The Lions continued the Hurricanes bad season with an easy win.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 9
The Highlanders recorded a home win over the Cheetahs to open the round before the Force subjected the Sharks to their second loss in as many matches in Perth. The Hurricanes pulled off a win over the Bulls and the Blues put in a hard-fought win over the Chiefs. The Blues' Doug Howlett took sole possession of the all-| time try scoring lead in Super Rugby during the latter match. The Crusaders pulled away from the Waratahs early in the game before slacking off in the second half and seeing their lead evaporate to 34–28.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 9
The Waratahs scored a try late in the game to seemingly secure a win with the kick to come – but Peter Hewat missed a relatively easy kick to hand the Crusaders a 34–33 win. The Brumbies won a second game in South Africa – this time a close encounter against the Lions. A late Julian Huxley try securing a 14–9 win for the Canberra-based side.


2007 Super 14 season, Results, Round 10
The Blues easily put away the Cheetahs in the sole Good Friday game. The next day saw the Chiefs beat the Highlanders before a startling mountain backdrop in Queenstown. The Crusaders annihilated the Force 53–0. It was the largest score ever conceded by the Force and the largest losing margin – but for the Crusaders it didn't come close to their 96–19 win against the Waratahs in 2002. The Sharks continued the high scoring – putting 57 points on the Reds in Brisbane for a big win. The Stormers upset the Lions 30–8 in Cape Town. In the sole Easter Sunday clash the Waratahs failed to resurrect their season against the Brumbies – going down 36–10 in the interstate grudge match between the rivals. The win put the Brumbies into the top four for the first time in 2007.