2008–09 Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team, Postseason
After clinching a #3 seed in the Horizon League tournament, the Vikings went on to defeat Detroit Mercy, Illinois Chicago, Wisconsin Green Bay, and Butler on the way to their first Horizon League tournament championship, and second tournament championship in school history. On March 15, 2009 it was announced Cleveland State would face Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament. The Vikings received a #13 seed. On March 20, 2009 Cleveland State defeated Wake Forest 84–69 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Cleveland State was eliminated in the second round by losing to Arizona 71–57.


2008–09 Cleveland State Vikings men's basketball team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Squad
As of August 2, 2009Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Transfers, In
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Transfers, Out
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Statistics, International players
The following is a list of all squad members who have played for their national sides during the 2008–09 season. Players in bold were in the starting XI for their national side.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Statistics, Starting 11
Last updated: 2 Aug 2009Source: Squad stats and Start formations. Only competitive matches. Using the most used start formation. Ordered by position on pitch (from back right to front left).


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Primera División Uruguaya, Clausura's table
Villa Española was relegated due to financial issues after the Apertura.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Copa Libertadores, Round of 16, Second leg
San Luis withdrew from the tournament over the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Copa Libertadores, Quarterfinals, Second leg
Nacional 1–1 Palmeiras on aggregate. Nacional won on away goals.


2008–09 Club Nacional de Football season, Records, Comeback
Nacional have conceded the first goal in a match 17 times this season in the Primera División, the Liguille Pre-Libertadores and the Copa Libertadores,  recorded 4 wins, 5 draws and 8 loss.


2008–09 Clyde F.C. season
Season 2008–09 saw Clyde compete in their ninth consecutive season in the Scottish First Division. They finished bottom of the league, and were relegated to the Scottish Second Division.


2008–09 Clyde F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Coca-Cola Tigers season
The 2008–09 Coca-Cola Tigers season was the 7th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Colchester United's 67th season in their history and first season back in the third tier of English football following relegation, League One. Alongside competing in League One, the club also participated in the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season
Colchester returned to League One following relegation from the Championship last season. It was also their first season in their new home the Colchester Community Stadium after moving from Layer Road over the summer. It took them until October to register their first home victory by beating Carlisle United 5–0, but by this time the club had already seen managerial changes. After a poor start to the season in which the U's found themselves sporadically in the relegation zone, Geraint Williams was sacked and Paul Lambert was brought in as his replacement in early October. Colchester had a good mid-season run from November through January but had to settle for a mid-table finish come the end of the season.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season
Colchester were eliminated from the FA Cup at the first round stage by Leyton Orient, while rivals Ipswich Town beat the U's at Portman Road in the second round of the League Cup. They made the area semi-final of the Football League Trophy where they lost out to Luton Town.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
Following relegation from the Championship, Colchester experienced a summer of great change. Club stalwart Karl Duguid left the club to remain in the Championship with Plymouth Argyle, while top scorer Kevin Lisbie joined neighbours Ipswich Town for £600,000. To replace him, Geraint Williams once again broke the club's transfer record, signing Cheltenham Town forward Steven Gillespie for £400,000. Construction on the Colchester Community Stadium had completed and the moving process from Layer Road was underway during the summer months.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
The first event to be held at the new stadium was a ramp-up exhibition game against Spanish side Athletic Bilbao on 4 August. Scott Vernon had the honour of scoring Colchester's first goal at their new home as 5,610 witnessed the 2–1 defeat for the U's.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
The first ever league fixture came on 16 August when Colchester were held to a 0–0 draw against Huddersfield Town. Mark Yeates was the first competitive goalscorer at the Community Stadium, scoring both goals in a 2–2 draw with Oldham Athletic on 30 August. United couldn't find a win at home, and following a 3–0 defeat at the Stadium by Milton Keynes Dons, Williams was relieved of his duties with a record of one league win from six games and the club in the bottom four.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
Assistant manager Kit Symons took charge for four games before Paul Lambert was unveiled as the new Colchester manager in early October. They earned their first home victory of the season on 25 October, a resounding 5–0 win over Carlisle United. Lambert brought in numerous loan players, including Marc Tierney and Jimmy Walker while also signing Alan Maybury.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
In December, long-serving Chief Executive Marie Partner left the club as Robbie Cowling shuffled his boardroom, bringing in Steve Bradshaw to the position. Partner had spent over 21 years with the club. Cowling would soon buy out all remaining shares in the club.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
The club earned back-to-back wins for the first time in 19 months as they beat Yeovil Town and Northampton Town to set up a run across the New Year of nine games unbeaten. A run of ten wins and four draws from 18 games eventually earned Lambert the January League One Manager of the Month award as the U's rose to seven points off the play-off positions.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
Lambert made further late season loan signings by bringing in Karl Hawley, Neal Trotman and Ashley Vincent. However, with the play-offs on the horizon, Colchester's form took a downturn as they lost six of the remaining nine home games, including consecutive defeats in the final four home games. A club record attendance was set on 4 April, when 9,599 witnessed a 1–0 win for Leeds United at the Community Stadium. This was the highest attendance for a home league game since 20 April 1974 in a 2–0 defeat by Gillingham.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
Colchester ended the season in 12th position, 13 points off a play-off place. They had endured their worst-ever home season, suffering twelve defeats, while they also enjoyed their best-ever away season, registering eleven victories on the road.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Season overview
In the cup competitions, Colchester returned to the Football League Trophy by reaching the southern section semi-final, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Luton Town. They were beaten by Ipswich Town 2–1 in the second round of the League Cup at Portman Road, while Leyton Orient won in the first round of the FA Cup.


2008–09 Colchester United F.C. season, Squad statistics, Player debuts
Players making their first-team Colchester United debut in a fully competitive match.


2008–09 College Hockey America women's ice hockey season
In the 2008-09 season, Syracuse University joined the conference. The Mercyhurst Lakers were both the CHA regular-season and tournament champions. The Lakers were 16-0-0 in conference play.


2008–09 College Hockey America women's ice hockey season, Schools, Niagara
Margot Page would be in her final year as head coach.


2008–09 College Hockey America women's ice hockey season, Postseason, CHA Tournament
The Mercyhurst Lakers were the CHA tournament champions. In the semifinals, the Lakers disposed of  Niagara by an 8-2 mark. In the final, the Lakers defeated Wayne State by a 6-1 score. The tournament was played in Erie, Pennsylvania.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season
The 2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season was the franchise's 37th season, 30th in the National Hockey League, and 14th as the Colorado Avalanche.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season
The team finished last place in its division and conference for the first time since 1991-92 (when they were still the Quebec Nordiques) and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Regular season
The Avalanche struggled offensively, finishing 30th overall in scoring with just 192 goals (excluding 7 shootout-winning goals). They were also shut out a league-high 12 times, tied with the Los Angeles Kings.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winnerCE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Playoffs
The Colorado Avalanche failed to qualify for the 2009 NHL Playoffs.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Avalanche. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only. ‡Traded mid-season


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Draft picks
Colorado's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa • Ontario.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Farm teams, Lake Erie Monsters
The Avalanche's American Hockey League affiliate was the Lake Erie Monsters, based in Cleveland, Ohio.


2008–09 Colorado Avalanche season, Farm teams, Johnstown Chiefs
The Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL were the Avalanche's second-tier affiliate.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season
The 2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the ninth National Hockey League (NHL) season in Columbus, Ohio. On April 8, 2009, the Blue Jackets clinched a playoff berth after a shootout victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, the first berth in team history.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Preseason
The Jackets selected Russian forward Nikita Filatov with the sixth overall pick at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Filatov made an immediate impact with Columbus, scoring a goal in his NHL debut against the Nashville Predators. Columbus was rather aggressive in free agency, signing proven forward Kristian Huselius, and solidifying the defensive core with veteran Mike Commodore. General Manager Scott Howson also engineered two key pre-season trades, trading a draft pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for R. J. Umberger, and trading stars Nikolay Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers in exchange for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Regular season
Rookie goaltender Steve Mason, who missed the first month of the season following knee surgery, led the Blue Jackets into playoff contention at the All-Star break. Recalled from the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch following Pascal Leclaire's injury, Mason was named the Rookie of the Month by the NHL for November after recording five wins in eight decisions, including two shutouts. He again won Rookie of the Month honors in December, and was named to the YoungStars team at the 2009 All-Star Game in Montreal, though he declined to play after suffering back spasms.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Regular season
Captain Rick Nash was the team's representative at the All-Star Game, his fourth appearance at the game. Rookie Nikita Filatov scored his first career hat trick on January 10, 2009, in a 4–2 win against the Minnesota Wild. Filatov's achievement marked the first hat trick by a Blue Jackets rookie. On the eve of the NHL trade deadline, Columbus traded recently oft-injured goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for forward Antoine Vermette. Vermette made an instant impact with the club, racking up seven points in his first six games.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Regular season
The Blue Jackets struggled on the power play, finishing 30th in power-play goals (41) and power-play percentage (12.73%). They also had the most shutouts of any team in the league, with 11.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winnerCE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Schedule and results, Regular season
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Playoffs
The Blue Jackets have reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Blue Jackets. Stats reflect time with the Blue Jackets only. ‡Traded mid-seasonItalics denotes franchise record


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Draft picks
The Blue Jackets entered the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa with the sixth overall selection. Columbus drafted Russian forward Nikita Filatov with the pick. Filatov started the season with the Jackets' American Hockey League affiliate, scoring two goals in two games for the Syracuse Crunch before being recalled to the NHL. Filatov made his NHL debut on October 17, scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators.


2008–09 Columbus Blue Jackets season, Farm teams, ECHL
Johnstown Chiefs: GM Scott Howson announced on August 22, 2008 that the Blue Jackets reached an agreement with the Johnstown Chiefs to serve as the club's ECHL affiliate for the 2008–09 season, replacing the Elmira Jackals.


2008–09 Combined Counties Football League
The 2008–09 Combined Counties Football League season was the 31st in the history of the Combined Counties Football League, a football competition in England.


2008–09 Combined Counties Football League, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured three new teams in a league of 22 teams after the promotion of Merstham to the Isthmian League:


2008–09 Combined Counties Football League, Division One
Division One featured two new teams in a league of 18 teams:


2008–09 Conference League Cup
The Conference League Cup 2008–09, known as the Setanta Shield 2008–09 for sponsorship reasons, is the second season of the Conference League Cup competition after its resurrection by Conference sponsors Blue Square and competition sponsors Setanta. With the entrance of all Conference teams from every division, there will be 68 entries into the tournament. The total prize money is £200,000. Teams in the Conference's two regional divisions enter in the first round, are joined by the six lowest-ranked Conference National teams in the second with the competition completed by the final eighteen clubs for the third round. The tournament was abolished upon the completion of this edition.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, First round
The First Round was contested by all 44 teams from the Northern and Southern Divisions, which were divided into a Northern and Southern section. Matches were played in the week commencing 8 September 2008, with the exceptions of the Alfreton Town versus Stafford Rangers and Redditch United versus Solihull Moors games, which were played on 16 September and 23 September respectively, after both fixtures were postponed due to waterlogged pitches.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Second round
The Second Round was contested by the remaining 22 teams from the Northern and Southern Divisions and the six lowest-ranking teams from Conference National. It was divided into a Northern and Southern section. Matches will be played in the week commencing 6 October 2008.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Third round
The Third Round was contested by the remaining 14 teams from the previous fixtures with the addition of the 18 highest-ranked teams from the Conference National. Unlike previous rounds, the draw was not officially divided into a Northern and Southern section although some geographical grouping occurred in the draw. Matches will be played in the week commencing 3 November 2008.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Fourth round
The Fourth Round was contested by the remaining 16 teams from across the three divisions. Unlike the previous round the draw was officially divided into a Northern and Southern section. Matches will be played in the week commencing 2 December 2008.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarter-finals was held on 9 December 2008. Ties were to be played w/c 12 January 2009 but due to postponements two games were played in January, February and March 2009


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Semi-finals
Due to the weather disrupted winter, the semi-finals were delayed and eventually played on 26 March 2009.


2008–09 Conference League Cup, Final
The 2009 Conference League Cup Final took place on 9 April 2009 and was contested by Forest Green Rovers and AFC Telford United at The New Lawn, the home of Forest Green. Rovers had the best of the game but they lacked a cutting edge to see off Telford and ultimately they went on to lose in a penalty shoot-out. Telford goalkeeper Ryan Young saved penalties from Andrew Mangan, Conal Platt, and Paul Lloyd, whilst Jon Adams, Mark Danks, and Gavin Cowan were all successful from the spot for United.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2008–2009 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Jim Calhoun, the Huskies played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The Huskies were members of the Big East Conference.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The Huskies finished the season 31–5, 15–3 in Big East play to finish in a tie for second place. They lost to Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies received a No. 1 seed in the West Region and advanced to their third Final Four with wins over Chattanooga, Texas A&M, No. 17 Purdue, and No. 9 Missouri. In the Final Four at Ford Field, they lost to No. 8 Michigan State 73–82.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Roster
Listed are the student athletes who are members of the 2008–2009 team.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Regular season
The Huskies' season began with the team ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. behind the University of North Carolina. Off to a quick start, UConn opened with a string of eleven straight victories over non-conference opponents, including a sweep of the Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. During this stretch, the Huskies faced three teams that were ranked in the Top 25, including No. 8 Gonzaga in an overtime thriller in Seattle.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Regular season
The first Big East Conference game of the season came at home against Georgetown, which the Huskies lost 74–63. This was the start of a 19-game stretch where 18 of the games were against conference opponents, and where their opponents were ranked in nine of the games. After this first loss, the Huskies went on to win 13 straight, staying comfortably atop the Big East Conference standings. Among these was a 68–51 victory at No. 7 Louisville— the eventual outright Big East Champions.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Regular season
The Huskies reached No. 1 in the rankings on February 2, 2009, and held it for three weeks. During this span junior guard Jerome Dyson, one of the team's biggest scoring threats and its best guard defender, injured his knee. He would not be able to play for the rest of the season. The team spent the final few weeks of the regular season adjusting to their smaller rotation. A 76–68 loss at home to No. 4 Pittsburgh knocked them from the top spot.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Regular season
They would win their next three games, including at No. 8 Marquette, which was Coach Jim Calhoun's 800th career victory in Division I basketball. After one week at No. 2, UConn was again No. 1 in the polls, until a loss at No. 3 Pittsburgh to finish the regular season once again bumped the Huskies from the top.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Regular season
The Huskies finished the regular season with 27 wins and 3 losses, with a conference record of 15–3. The team was not ranked out of the top 5 in the AP Poll at any point in the season.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Post-season
In the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, UConn took on Syracuse. The game would prove to be a historic event, as it took a Big East record six overtimes before Syracuse ultimately triumphed, 127–117. The contest is tied as the second longest in NCAA Division I history.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Post-season
The Huskies earned the No. 1 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament. They began play in Philadelphia, PA, where they had two blowout victories against Chattanooga and Texas A&M. They moved on to Glendale, AZ for the West regionals, first defeating Purdue 72–60, then outlasting a pressing Missouri squad in the Elite Eight, 82–75.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Post-season
The following weekend the Huskies were in Detroit, MI for a Final Four matchup against the Midwest's No. 2 seed, Michigan State. The game was close throughout, until the Spartans began to take control near the ten-minute mark of the second half. UConn would make one last run and cut the deficit to three late in the game, but Michigan State made key free throws and held on to win, 82–73. UConn's final record was 31 wins and 5 losses.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team, Postseason awards
Big East Co-Players of the Year:Hasheem Thabeetwith DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh, Center, So.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, and are a member of the Big East Conference. They enjoyed an undefeated season and won their sixth NCAA championship by defeating the Louisville Cardinals, 76–54.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Pre-season
Both major pre-season polls ranked the Huskies number 1, each just one vote shy of unanimous. The AP Top 25 poll included all but one vote for Connecticut, with a single vote for Stanford, and the ESPN/USA Today Poll had all but one vote for Connecticut, with a single vote for Tennessee. The team returned much of the previous year's team. Of the departing seniors, only Brittany Hunter started more than half the team's game, although Mel Thomas failed to reach that mark due to a career-ending injury.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Pre-season
The Huskies started with a pair of triple digit scoring pre-season games. The first game was against Division II Stonehill College in nearby North Easton, Massachusetts. It was the first chance for fans to see freshman Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, and Heather Buck in action. Caroline and Tiffany both scored in double digits, and Heather had three rebounds and a blocked shot. The final score was in favor of UConn, 100–49. The second pre-season game was even more lopsided, with UConn prevailing over Team SRP 103–37.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Non conference opener
The regular season opening game was against Georgia Tech, a team unranked in the pre-season. The game would be tied at halftime, with Connecticut pulling ahead late to win by eleven points 82–71. Connecticut would win their next three games easily, beating San Diego State and Rhode Island at home, and BYU in Utah, each win by at least 45 points.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Non conference opener
The following game would bring #4 ranked Oklahoma to Connecticut. Characterized as a "significant test" by ESPN's Graham Hays, Connecticut would win easily by 32 points, 106–72. UConn would then play nearby Holy Cross, winning easily 96–37. In this game Caroline Doty would hit her tenth consecutive three-point goal, a UConn school record, and four off the national record.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Non conference opener
On December 14, the Huskies competed in the Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden and defeated Penn State by a score of 77–63. From December 18 to the 21, the Huskies competed in the Caribbean Classic held in Cancún, Mexico. The Huskies were undefeated at the tournament. After returning from Mexico, the Huskies traveled to South Carolina for their fifth consecutive road game. The team shot 57% from the field, and held their opponents to under 40%. Tina Charles has 21 points and 14 rebounds, helping lead the Huskies to their eleventh victory of the season.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Non conference opener
Connecticut hosted Hartford on New year's Eve. The Hartford Hawks, coached by former UConn star Jen Rizzotti, were no match, falling behind by 33 at halftime. Renee Montgomery hit 9 of 11 in the first half, and did not return in the second half after taking an elbow to the mouth. LSU came to Connecticut for the first game of the new year. Both teams had been to the prior Final Four, each losing in the semi-final round. However, LSU had graduated five seniors, so the Lady Tigers were not expected to be as strong as the previous year's team.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Non conference opener
The pollsters concurred, not giving LSU a single vote for a top 25 position in either of the two major polls. LSU played stronger than their ranking, losing by 13 for the third closest match of the season to that date. Renee Montgomery's six assists, brought her to 1500 points and 500 assists for her career, a mark reach by only two other UConn players, Diana Taurasi and Jen Rizzotti.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The Big East opening game would be against South Florida USF would go on to win the WNIT this season, but UConn was far too strong on this day. USF was one of the nation's best scoring team, scoring over 100 on five occasions, including 126 against Grambling State. UConn decided to work on defense, and held USF to just over 25% from the field. USF scored only 11 points in the second half.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The next game would be against West Virginia, in West Virginia, the home of UConn senior Renee Montgomery. In her first game in West Virginia, two years prior, she scored seven points. This time she would lead the team in points (28), assists(5), and steals(2) to lead UConn to a 30-point victory in front of her home town crowd. Three days later, UConn would play at home against DePaul. UConn built a 15-point lead by halftime against the unranked team, but despite falling another ten points behind, DePaul would play them even in the second half. The final score was 77–62, in favor of UConn.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
Maya Moore entered the game on 17 January 2009 against Syracuse 29 points shy of 1,000 for her career. She would score 40 to easily surpass that mark, reaching the plateau faster than any other female in UConn history. However, the game would also be notable for a season-ending injury to starter Caroline Doty, reported at the time to be a knee injury. Doty would score 17 points before halftime, but just before halftime, she injured her knee during a fast break. It was the same knee she injured in 2007. Moore's forty points is only the second forty-point performance in UConn women's history; the other is Nykesha Sales' 46 against Stamford in 1997. UConn would win the game 107–53.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The following game was a highly anticipated showdown between the #1- and #2-ranked teams in the nation. Both Connecticut and North Carolina entered the game 17–0 on the season. Connecticut had the higher ranking, but would need to replace starter Carolyn Doty. Her knee injury in the prior game would turn out to be a season-ending ACL tear. The result would be anticlimactic, as UConn reached a double-digit lead early in the game, extended to a 46–30 halftime lead, and finished with a 30-point victory, 88–58. The five starters, including Lorin Dixon in her first start of the season, would each score in double digits, led by Renee Montgomery with 21.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The next game against Cincinnati would be even more lopsided. UConn outscored the Bearcats in the first half 39–7. The seven points allowed in the first half were only one point off the school record of six in a half. While Cincinnati would outscore the Huskies in the second half 27–26, the outcome was not in doubt.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The 26 January game against Louisville would pit UConn against the team they beat by only six in the previous year's Big East Tournament title game. Louisville was ranked 10th in the nation, and still had Angel McCoughtry, winner of the Big East Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year in 2007. Angle would live up to her reputation with 24 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn't enough, as Maye Moore scored 27 to lead UConn to a 93–65 win.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The next game was against unranked Georgetown. UConn would win by 19, with five players scoring in double digits, but the game was surprisingly close, given that the average margin of victory for UConn was 34 at that point. The following game was against Rutgers, a team that has often given UConn a strong challenge, winning half of the last ten meetings. Rutgers would stay close in the first half, entering the half down only six 34–28, but UConn would pull away in the second half behind a double-double by Moore (24 points, 10 rebounds).


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
Marquette would endure another double-double by Moore (22 points, 10 rebounds), in their 83–49 loss to UConn on 7 February. The following game against unranked St. John's on 11 February, started as if it would be another rout. UConn led by 15 at halftime, and increased the lead to 20. The St. John's team responded and cut the lead to seven, before UConn regrouped and finished with a 13-point victory, 77–64. Maya would contribute another double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds), while Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles each scored 21 points.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The next game would be the last game of the season at Gampel Arena. The game itself would be anticlimactic, as UConn easily beat Pittsburgh 95–42. The highlight of the evening would be the induction into the Huskies of Honor for Renee Montgomery, kept a secret from her until the announcement. One of her first reactions, after the shock of the announcement, was the regret that her parents wouldn't see it, but seconds later, her parents would walk onto the floor. They had been in town, but shared the secret. Renee is the first active player at UConn to be so honored. She would go on to score a team high 20 points.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
On the 18th of February, Connecticut played Providence in Providence. The Huskies scored the first eleven points, and never trailed. The Huskies started the second half in even more impressive fashion, scoring the first 25 points of the half. UConn would win easily 75–39.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
The following game was against Notre Dame, ranked 24th at the time. The Notre Dame Irish would give Connecticut their toughest match of the year. The Irish lead most of the first half. Although UConn would go to the half with a three-point lead, Notre Dame outscored UConn in the initial minutes of the second half, with a lead of 43–41 at one time. Prior to this game the Huskies had trailed for only a combined 27 minutes all season. Connecticut would retake the lead, and finished the game with a ten-point margin, the closest game of the season to that date.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
On the 24th of February, UConn hosted Villanova. Tina Charles had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead UConn to the win 74–47. Four days later, Seton Hall came to Hartford, for the last regular season game of the year. As a surprise for the departing seniors, Maya Moore and Kaili McLaren sang the national anthem. Moore then went on to score 18 points, to help lead UConn to an 81–50 win, and guarantee a share of the Big East regular-season title.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Beginning of  conference play
On 2 March 2009, UConn played its last regular season game against rival Rutgers. UConn moved out to a 16-point halftime lead 36–20, but Rutgers outscored UConn in the second half to make the final score ten points, tied for closest result of the season. The win leaves the Huskies still undefeated on the season, now 30–0.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Big East Tournament
Connecticut opened the Big East Tournament against South Florida, a team it had beaten by 46 points earlier in the season. This game would be closer, but not by much. Kalana Greene led the Huskies with a season-high 20 points, scoring 18 points before halftime, and leading the Huskies to a 47–10 halftime lead. USF would match the UConn production in the second half, but the 37 point margin held. The final score was 79–42.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Big East Tournament
The second tournament game was against Villanova, a team UConn had beaten by 27 points less than two weeks earlier. However, the game was tied at 25 apiece, with under six minutes to go in the first half. Maya Moore then helped lead the team on a 23–2 run to put the game out of reach. The Huskies won 72–42.


2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, Regular season, Big East Tournament
The final game, on 10 March, for the Big East Tournament Championship, was against Louisville, ranked #7 in the country. The Cardinals who would go on to play in the Finals of the NCAA tournament, were no match for UConn on this day. Maya Moore left the game with eight minutes to go, having scored 28 points. At that time the Louisville team had scored 27. UConn would win the game in convincing fashion, 75–36.


2008–09 Copa America (indoor)
The 2008-09 Copa America was an indoor soccer tournament that included teams from 3 countries and 3 professional leagues. Each team was supposed to have played 10 games, with the three group winners plus a wild card team to qualify for a final 4 weekend to decide the title. Due to economic issues, the cup was cut short with teams playing an unequal number of games. The two group leaders with the most wins and points, the Saskatoon Accelerators and Monterrey La Raza, were selected to play in the championship of the now shortened Copa America competition. With the exception of the games involving the Monterrey La Raza of the NISL, all other games in the competition doubled as PASL-Pro regular season matches, CMISL regular season matches, or United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer matches.


2008–09 Copa Chile
The Copa Chile 2008 was the 29th edition of the tournament. It began on July 6, 2008, and ended on February 17, 2009. The winner of Copa Chile 2008 is eligible to play a berth in the Copa Sudamericana 2009. In the final Universidad de Concepción defeated the third division team Deportes Ovalle 2–1, thereby claiming their first title.


2008–09 Copa Federación de España
The Copa Federación de España 2008–09 was the 16th staging of the Copa Federación de España, a knockout competition for Spanish football clubs in Segunda División B and Tercera División.


2008–09 Copa Federación de España
The competition began on 2 August 2008 and ended with the finals on 2 April and 15 April 2009, where Real Jaén became champion after defeating Rayo Vallecano B 4-1 on aggregate.


2008–09 Copa Indonesia
The 2008–09 Copa Indonesia was the fourth edition of Piala Indonesia, the nationwide football cup tournament in Indonesia, involving clubs from Indonesia Super League, Premier Division and First Division. Sriwijaya FC was the tournament's defending champions. The winner of the tournament qualified to play for 2010 AFC Champions League qualification.


2008–09 Copa Indonesia
Sriwijaya became champions for the second year in a row after a 4-0 victory over Persipura Jayapura in the final match at Jakabaring Stadium, Palembang.


2008–09 Copa Indonesia, First round
Sriwijaya, Persipura Jayapura, Persija Jakarta and Pelita Jaya received byes to third round.


2008–09 Copa del Rey
The 2008–09 Copa del Rey was the 107th staging of the Copa del Rey (including two seasons where two rival editions were played). The competition started on 23 August 2008 and concluded on 13 May 2009 with the final, held at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, in which Barcelona lifted the trophy for the 25th time in their history with a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao, who qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League. The defending cup holders were Valencia, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Qualified teams
The following teams competed in the 2008–09 Copa del Rey:


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Qualified teams
21 teams of 2007–08 Segunda División (Sevilla Atlético are excluded for being a reserve team of Sevilla):


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Qualified teams
24 teams of 2007–08 Segunda División B. Teams that qualified are the top five teams of each of the 4 groups (excluding reserve teams) and the four with the highest number of points out of the remaining non-reserve teams (*):


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Qualified teams
18 teams of Tercera División 2007–08. Teams that qualified are the champions of each of the 18 groups (or at least the ones with the highest number of points within their group since reserve teams are excluded):


2008–09 Copa del Rey, First round
The matches were played on 23, 25, 26, 27 and 28 August 2008.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Second round
The matches were played on 3, 4 and 11 September 2008. Albacete received a bye.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Third round
The matches were played on 8 and 9 October 2008. Real Murcia received a bye.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Round of 32
The first leg matches were played on 28, 29 and 30 October while the second legs were played on 11, 12 and 13 November 2008.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Round of 16
The first leg matches were played on 6, 7 and 8 January while the second legs were played on 14 and 15 January 2009.


2008–09 Copa del Rey, Quarter-finals, Second legs
Sevilla 4–4 Valencia on aggregate. Sevilla won on away goals.


2008–09 Coppa Italia
The 2008–09 Coppa Italia was the 62nd season of the tournament. The competition started on 9 August 2008 and ended on 13 May 2009. The radically different format used in the 2007–08 Coppa was abandoned, with the new format more closely resembling earlier editions of the tournament.


2008–09 Coppa Italia
The final was played between Lazio and Sampdoria. The match ended with Lazio winning 6–5 on penalties. The first 90 minutes ended in a 1–1 draw, and no goals were scored in extra time. It was Lazio's fifth Coppa Italia title, and first since the 2003–04 edition. With the win, Lazio earned a spot in the play-off round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.


2008–09 Coppa Italia, Format
In the previous year, the number of teams participating was reduced to only 42: the teams in Serie A and Serie B. For 2008–09, that number was expanded to 78 with the addition of 18 clubs from Lega Pro Prima Divisione (formerly Serie C1), nine clubs from Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (formerly Serie C2) and nine clubs from Serie D. Also, except for the semifinals, all rounds were one-leg fixtures. The one-game final played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which was first adopted in 2007–08, remained.


2008–09 Coppa Italia, Format
Throughout the tournament, home stadium advantage was given to the projected higher seed (i.e., assuming no upsets). In the two-leg semifinals, the projected higher seed played the second leg at home.


2008–09 Coppa Italia, Participating teams
Due to financial problems and other sanctions, the list of 78 teams was filled as follows:


2008–09 Coppa Italia, Bracket, Elimination rounds, Section 8
1 The match was played and Cremonese won by a score of 1–0, but were later disqualified for using a player who should have been under suspension. Reggiana was awarded a 3–0 victory as a result.


2008–09 Coppa Titano
Coppa Titano 2008–09 was the forty-ninth season of San Marino's oldest football competition. It began on 2 October 2008 with the first games of the Group Stage and ended on 4 May 2009 with the Final held at Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle. Murata were the defending champions. The winners of the competition earned a place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League 2009–10.


2008–09 Coppa Titano, Competition format
The competition consisted of two stages, the Group Stage and the Elimination Rounds. The Group Stage consisted of three groups with five teams each. Every team played two games (once home and once away) against every other team of its group. The top two teams from each group, as well as the two best third-placed teams, qualified for the Elimination Rounds. The Elimination Rounds were a single-game elimination tournament. Games in the Elimination Rounds were decided by extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.


2008–09 Coppa Titano, Group stage, Deciding match
Because Murata and La Fiorita had the same number of points and identical goal difference, they played a deciding match in order to determine the second quarterfinal participant from Group A. The match was played on April 22, 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle.


2008–09 Coppa Titano, Elimination rounds, Final
The match was played on 4 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle.


2008–09 Cornell Big Red men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represented Cornell University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. This was coach Steve Donahue's 8th season at Cornell. The Big Red compete in the Ivy League and played their home games at Newman Arena. They went 11–3 in Ivy League play to win the championship and received the league's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. They received a 14 seed in the West region. They were beaten by No. 3 seed Missouri in the first round to finish their season at 21–10.


2008–09 Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey season
The 2008–09 Cornell Big Red women's ice hockey team represented Cornell University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I women's hockey season. Doug Derraugh was in his fourth season as head coach. He is assisted by Danielle Bilodeau and Kim Insalaco. The seniors on the team are Emma Chipman, Brianne Gilbert and Steph Ulrich.


2008–09 Cornwall League 1
The Cornwall League 1 2008–09 was a full season of rugby union within Cornwall League 1.


2008–09 Cornwall League 1, Team Changes
Stithians as Champions, were promoted to the Tribute Cornwall/Devon League for season 2009-10. With an increase from 12 to 16 teams in the aforementioned league, St Austell and Liskeard-Looe were also promoted. The two Cornwall leagues will combine for next season and Camborne School of Mines, Illogan Park, Lankelly-Fowey, Redruth Albany, St Agnes, St Day and Veor will join the remaining teams for the following season.


2008–09 Cornwall League 1, Table
Illogan Park withdrew at the start of the season after 14 players left the club


2008–09 Cornwall League 2
The Cornwall League 2 2008–09 was a full season of rugby union within Cornwall League 2. This was the last time Cornwall League 2 ran until the 2011-12 season, due to restructuring.


2008–09 Cornwall League 2, Team Changes
The number of teams in the Cornwall/Devon League increased from 12 teams to 16 for the following 2009-10 season, therefore the two Cornwall Leagues combined to form a single division of 12 teams, in Cornwall League 1.


2008–09 Coupe de France
The 2008–09 Coupe de France was the 92nd season of the French most prestigious cup competition and was open to all clubs in French football, as well as seven teams from overseas departments and territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Réunion). The final was held on 9 May 2009 at the Stade de France.


2008–09 Coupe de France
Guingamp claimed their first Coupe de France after defeating Rennes 2–1 after two second-half goals from Eduardo.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Calendar
On 8 July 2008, French Football Federation (FFF) announced the calendar for the Coupe de France.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Seventh Round
The draw for the seventh round of Coupe de France was conducted on 5 November 2008 in Lyon by former Lyon players Bernard Lacombe and Jean Djorkaeff, the latter who currently serves as the president of the Coupe de France Commission. The overseas region draw was conducted in Paris the same day, by Olympic medalists Pascal Gentil and Grégory Baugé. The matches were played on 21, 22 and 23 November 2008. The matches that were postponed were played on 30 November.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Eighth Round
The draw for the eighth round was conducted on 25 November 2008 at the offices of the FFF in Paris. The drawers were current France under-17 coach Philippe Bergeroo and Stéphane Guivarc'h, member of the French squad that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The overseas region draw was conducted in Paris as well, by Bernard Diomède, who was also a member of the France squad that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The following matches were played on 12, 13 and 14 December 2008. The matches that were postponed were played on 20 December.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Round of 64
The Round of 64 matches were played on 2, 3 and 4 January 2009. The draw was conducted on 15 December 2008 in Metz by former Nancy greats Olivier Rouyer and Bernard Zénier, former wheelchair fencing champion Yvon Pacault, and Anne Sophie Mathis, who is the current WBC Super-lightweight world champion. The matches that were postponed were played on 10 and 24 January 2009.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Round of 32
The Round of 32 matches were played on 23, 24, 25 and 28 January. The draw was conducted on 4 January in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris, at the headquarters of Eurosport by Chloé Mortaud, the recently crowned Miss France and 2008 Summer Olympics bronze medalist Teddy Riner. The Guingamp – Brest match was rescheduled to 20 January.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Round of 16
The Round of 16 matches were played on 3 and 4 March. The draw was conducted on 25 January 2009 in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris at the headquarters of Eurosport by French journalist and television host Michel Drucker and former player and manager Michel Hidalgo.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Quarter-finals
The quarterfinal matches were played on 17 and 18 March. The draw was conducted on 8 March 2009 in Versailles, Paris at the Galaxy Foot Salon by French female volleyball player Victoria Rava and French female sprinter Muriel Hurtis.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Semi-finals
The semifinal matches were played on 21 and 22 April. The draw was conducted on 22 March 2009 by current France international Samir Nasri.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Miscellaneous
RC Saint-André were awarded the "Petit Poucet" Plaque for achieving the best performance in the Coupe de France by an amateur club. Saint-André, who play Championnat de District Level 3 managed to reach the 6th round by eliminating Promotion Ligue side Etoile Chapelaine in the 1st Round, three d'Honneur Régionale sides (FC Nogentais, Chaumont PTT, FCO St. Julien) in the 2nd Round, 3rd Round, and 4th Round, respectively. They defeated another Promotion Ligue side in Bagneux Clesles, before suffering elimination to Foyer Barsequanais in the 6th Round. Their exploits allowed the club to accumulate 30 points and thus defeat FCE Schirrhein (29 points), who were eliminated by Ligue 1 club Toulouse after making it all the way to the Round of 32.


2008–09 Coupe de France, Media coverage
In France, France Télévisions were the free to air broadcasters while Eurosport were the subscription broadcasters.


2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue
The 2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue began on 19 August 2008, and its final was held on 25 April 2009 at the Stade de France. The former defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, were initially barred from participating in the cup after a group of PSG supporters unfurled an offensive banner during last year's final. After PSG appealed the ban, however, the Tribunal Administratif de Paris judge vacated the ruling allowing PSG to defend their Coupe de la Ligue title. Due to this, a new draw was announced.


2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue
French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes vowed to get the second ruling overturned, stating, "I won't give up," and, "I can't allow acts like this to go unpunished," but was unsuccessful. The winners of the Coupe de la Ligue qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.


2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue
Ligue 1 club Bordeaux won the competition by defeating Ligue 2 club Vannes by a score of 4–0 in the final.


2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue, Calendar
On 16 July, the Ligue de Football Professionnel announced the calendar for the Coupe de la Ligue.


2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue, Calendar
Note: Due to Paris Saint-Germain's re-entry into the tournament, the draw was redone with different dates attached to the matches.


2008–09 Coventry City F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Coventry City's 89th season in The Football League and their 8th consecutive season in the Football League Championship. Along with competing in the Championship, the club also participated in the FA Cup and Football League Cup. The season covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.


2008–09 Coventry City F.C. season, Review and events, Monthly events
This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008-09 season, presented in chronological order. This list does not include transfers, which are listed in the transfers section below, or match results, which are in the results section.


2008–09 Cowdenbeath F.C. season
During the 2008–09 season Cowdenbeath competed in the Scottish Third Division, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and the Challenge Cup.


2008–09 Cowdenbeath F.C. season, Summary
Cowdenbeath finished second in the Third Division, entering the play-offs losing 5–4 on penalties to Stenhousemuir. Following Livingston's demotion after going into Administration, Cowdenbeath were promoted to the Second Division. They reached the second round of the Scottish Cup, the second round of the League Cup and were eliminated in the Quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.


2008–09 Cowdenbeath F.C. season, Summary, Management
For season 2008–09 Cowdenbeath were managed by Danny Lennon, following the sacking of Brian Welsh in the summer.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season
This article details Crewe Alexandra's 2008–09 season in League One, their 85th competitive season in the English Football League.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season, Events
This will be a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season, Events
9 August 2009- season begins with a 2–1 loss at home to Brighton. 26 August 2009- Crewe progress into the third round of the League Cup with wins over Barnsley and then Bristol City, and are drawn to face Liverpool at Anfield.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season, Players, Squad information
Appearances (starts and substitute appearances) and goals include those in the League One (and playoffs), FA Cup, League Cup and Football League Trophy.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season, Players, Squad stats, Disciplinary record
Source:Only competitive matches = Number of bookings;  = Number of sending offs after a second yellow card;  = Number of sending offs by a direct red card.


2008–09 Crewe Alexandra F.C. season, Players, Players in and out, Out
EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League
The 2008–09 Croatian First Football League (officially known as the T-Com Prva HNL for sponsorship reasons) was the eighteenth season of the Croatian First Football League, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992. It started on 27 July 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. Dinamo Zagreb were the defending champions, having won their twelfth championship title the previous season, and they defended the title again, after a win against Slaven Belupo on 17 May 2009.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, Promotion and relegation
Međimurje were automatically relegated to Druga HNL as they finished last in the previous season, while Croatia Sesvete were automatically promoted from Druga HNL after winning the 2007–08 title. In a two-legged playoff between Inter Zaprešić and Hrvatski dragovoljac, the former kept their Prva HNL status by beating Hrvatski dragovoljac with 2–0 on aggregate (2–0, 0–0).


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, League expansion
In June 2007 Igor Štimac, president of Association of Prva HNL clubs, proposed a future expansion of Prva HNL from 12 to 16 clubs, starting from 2008–09 season. However, although a majority of club representatives supported that proposal, no strict agreement or final decision was made. On HNS meeting in late August 2007 it was decided to postpone the decision for late 2007 or even 2008 and that the expansion would not be possible before the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, League expansion
For more than a year nothing explicit was stated on that matter. Finally, on a regular HNS meeting in February 2009 HNS Secretary Zorislav Srebrić stated that club licensing would decide whether the 2009–10 season would feature 12 or 16 teams. Theoretically, if only 15 teams obtained Prva HNL license, league would have featured 12 teams. The deadline for submitting the license was 1 May 2009.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, League expansion
On 8 May 2009 HNS declared that all 19 clubs that applied for the license were awarded with it and would be in possibility to enter the league in 2009–10, now expanded to 16 clubs. Also, on 26 May 2009 HNS received official confirmations from all 19 clubs in which they expressed their will to compete in next year's Prva HNL, what means that none of the clubs would withdraw from the league. However, despite their guarantee to compete in Prva HNL, Slavonac eventually withdrew although they finished fourth and earned direct access to 2009–10 Prva HNL. Their place was taken by Međimurje while sixth-placed Hrvatski Dragovoljac competed in a relegation play-offs.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, Stadiums and locations
After the death of Hrvoje Ćustić during a game played at Zadar's Stanovi Stadium in March 2008, it was decided that the stadia for the 2008–09 season would have to pass a closer inspection to be deemed fit for first-league football. Since only 9 stadia managed to meet the requirements and obtain first-league license from the Croatian Football Federation, it was announced in May 2008 that some of the teams (Cibalia, Croatia Sesvete, Zadar and NK Zagreb) would have to share stadia and temporarily play their home games at other venues. Just before Round 1 kicked off, Cibalia managed to bring their stadium to standard, and in August, just before round 5, Zadar secured the licence to play their games at Stanovi Stadium.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, League table, Relegation play-off
Due to the expansion of Prva HNL to 16 clubs in the 2009–10 season, four clubs from 2008–09 Druga HNL were automatically promoted. Those should have been top four clubs, but since Slavonac withdrew their direct access spot was taken by fifth-placed Međimurje. Therefore, the 12th placed Croatia Sesvete played a two-legged relegation play-off against the 6th placed team of Druga HNL, Hrvatski Dragovoljac. Croatia Sesvete won 2–1 on aggregate and thereby earned a spot in the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Croatian First Football League, Results
The schedule consisted of three rounds. During the first two rounds, each team played each other once home and away for a total of 22 matches. The pairings of the third round were then set according to the standings after the first two rounds, giving every team a third game against each opponent for a total of 33 games per team.


2008–09 Croatian Football Cup
The 2008–09 Croatian Football Cup was the eighteenth season of Croatia's football knockout competition. Dinamo Zagreb were the defending champions since they won the last year's cup by defeating Hajduk Split 3–0 on aggregate.


2008–09 Croatian Football Cup, First round
The matches were played on 23 and 24 September 2008.


2008–09 Croatian Football Cup, First round
1Due to financial difficulties, Kamen Ingrad ceased competing on a senior professional level, and therefore withdrew from the competition.


2008–09 Croatian Football Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw was held on 30 October. First legs were held on 12 November and second legs on 26 November 2008.


2008–09 Croatian Football Cup, Final, Second leg
3–3 on aggregate. Dinamo Zagreb won 4–3 in penalty shootout.


2008–09 Croatian Ice Hockey League season
The Croatian Hockey League Season for 2008-2009 was the 18th such season. It was won by KHL Medveščak, making it the team's twelfth championship in the league.


2008–09 Croatian Ice Hockey League season, Playoffs, semifinal
Medvescak defeated Sisak in the semifinal series 2-0, in a best of three.


2008–09 Croatian Ice Hockey League season, Playoffs, semifinal
Mladost defeated Zagreb in the semifinal series 2-0, in a best of three.


2008–09 Croatian Ice Hockey League season, Playoffs, final
Medvescak beat Mladost 2-0, in a best of three series.


2008–09 Croatian Premier League (handball)
The 2008-09 Dukat Premijer Liga season is the eighteenth since its establishment.


2008–09 Croatian Second Football League
The 2008–09 Druga HNL (also known as 2. HNL) season was the 18th season of Croatia's second level football since its establishment in 1992. Croatia Sesvete were league champions and were promoted to Prva HNL at the end of the previous season.


2008–09 Croatian Second Football League
The league featured 16 clubs, playing in a double round robin league system. The season started on 23 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009.


2008–09 Croatian Second Football League, Changes from last season
The following clubs have been promoted or relegated at the end of the 2007–08 season:


2008–09 Croatian Second Football League, Changes from last season, Notes
In a two-legged promotion/relegation playoff between Inter Zaprešić (as 11th placed 1. HNL team) and Hrvatski Dragovoljac (as 2. HNL runners-up), the former kept their Prva HNL status by beating Hrvatski Dragovoljac with 2–0 on aggregate (2–0, 0–0).


2008–09 Croatian Second Football League, Top goalscorers
The top scorers in the 2008–09 Druga HNL season were:


2008–09 Crystal Palace F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Crystal Palace Football Club's 4th consecutive season in the Championship, after their play-off defeat in the previous campaign.


2008–09 Crystal Palace F.C. season, Matches, Preseason, Errea South West Challenge Cup
Crystal Palace finished second in their group with three points and thus qualified for the semifinal stage. However, with the squad heavily depleted through injury, Palace opted to give their semifinal place to third-placed team Torquay United


2008–09 Cuban National Series
The 48th Cuban National Series was won by La Habana over Villa Clara. Ciego de Ávila, who had the best regular season record, lost in the semifinals. Defending champion Santiago de Cuba were ousted in the first round.


2008–09 Cupa României
The 2008–09 Cupa României was the 71st season of the Romanian football knockout tournament. It began on 30 July 2008 and the final was played on 13 June 2009. CFR Cluj were the defending champions and succeeded in keeping the cup for one more year at Cluj-Napoca.


2008–09 Cupa României, Round of 32
In this round entered the 14 winners of the Phase V and the 18 teams from the 2008–09 Liga I season.


2008–09 Cupa României, Round of 32
The matches were played on October 14, 15 and 16, 2008.


2008–09 Cupa României, Quarterfinals
The matches were played on 14 and 15 April 2009.


2008–09 Cupa României, Semi-finals
The matches were played on 28 and 29 April 2009.


2008–09 Cyclo-cross Gazet van Antwerpen
The 2008–2009 Cyclo-cross Gazet van Antwerpen takes place between 1 November 2008 and 22 February 2009.


2008–09 Cyclo-cross Superprestige
The 2008–2009 Cyclo-cross Superprestige events and season-long competition takes place between 12 October 2008 and 12 February 2009. Eight events are organised.


2008–09 Cyclo-cross Superprestige, Season standings
In each race, the top 15 riders gain points, going from 15 points for the winner decreasing by one point per position to 1 point for the rider finishing in 15th position.


2008–09 Cymru Alliance
The 2008–09 Cymru Alliance was the nineteenth season of the Cymru Alliance after its establishment in 1990. The league was won by Bala Town.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup
The 2008–09 Cypriot Cup was the 67th edition of the Cypriot Cup. A total of 28 clubs entered the competition. It began on 23 September 2008 with the first round and concluded on 10 May 2009 with the final which was held at GSP Stadium. APOP Kinyras won their 1st Cypriot Cup trophy after beating AEL 2–0 in the final.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Format
In the 2008–09 Cypriot Cup, participated all the teams of the Cypriot First Division and the Cypriot Second Division. Teams from the two lower divisions (Third and Fourth) competed in a separate cup competition.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Format
The competition consisted of five rounds. All rounds, except the final, were played in a two-legged format, each team playing a home and an away match against their opponent. The team which scored more goals on aggregate, was qualifying to the next round. If the two teams scored the same number of goals on aggregate, then the team which scored more goals away from home was advancing to the next round.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Format
If both teams had scored the same number of home and away goals, then extra time was following after the end of the second leg match. If during the extra thirty minutes both teams had managed to score, but they had scored the same number of goals, then the team who scored the away goals was advancing to the next round (i.e. the team which was playing away). If there weren't scored any goals during extra time, the qualifying team was determined by penalty shoot-out.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Format
The cup winner secured a place in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, First round
In the first round participated all the teams of the Cypriot Second Division and 10 of 14 teams of the Cypriot First Division. The four first division teams which were qualified for 2007–08 Cypriot Cup's semifinals (APOEL, Anorthosis, Apollon, Omonia) did not participated in this round. The Cypriot First Division teams were not drawn together and played the second leg at home.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, First round
The draw for the First Round took place on September 10, 2008. The first legs were played on September 23, 24 and October 1, 2008. The second legs were played on October 4 and 5, 2008.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Second round
Teams that qualified for last year's semifinals entered in this round, along with the 12 winners of the previous round. The draw for the second round took place on December 29, 2008. The first legs were played on January 14 and 21, 2009. The second legs were played on January 28 and February 4, 2009.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Quarter-finals
The draw for the quarterfinals took place on February 5, 2009 at the Hilton Park hotel in Nicosia. The first legs were played on February 25 and March 4, 2009. The second legs were played on March 11 and 18, 2009.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup, Semi-finals
The draw for the semifinals took place at the Hilton Park hotel in Nicosia on March 20, 2009. The first legs were played on April 15, 2009. The second legs were played on May 6, 2009.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions
The 2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions was the 1st edition of the Cypriot Cup for lower divisions. A total of 19 clubs entered the competition. It began on 11 October 2008 with the first round and concluded on 29 March 2009 with the final which was held at Dasaki Stadium. Elpida won their 1st cup trophy after beating Digenis 2–1 in the final.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, Format
Only teams from the Cypriot Third Division and Cypriot Fourth Division could participate. Participation was not compulsory. 19 of 28 participated that season.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, Format
The competition consisted of five rounds. In the first and in the second round each tie was played as a single leg and was held at the home ground of the one of the two teams, according to the draw results. Each tie winner was qualifying to the next round. If a match was drawn, extra time was following. If extra time was drawn, there was a replay at the ground of the team who were away for the first game. If the rematch was also drawn, then extra time was following and if the match remained drawn after extra time the winner was decided by penalty shoot-out.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, Format
The next two rounds were played in a two-legged format, each team playing a home and an away match against their opponent. The team which scored more goals on aggregate, was qualifying to the next round. If the two teams scored the same number of goals on aggregate, then the team which scored more goals away from home was advancing to the next round.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, Format
If both teams had scored the same number of home and away goals, then extra time was following after the end of the second leg match. If during the extra thirty minutes both teams had managed to score, but they had scored the same number of goals, then the team who scored the away goals was advancing to the next round (i.e. the team which was playing away). If there weren't scored any goals during extra time, the qualifying team was determined by penalty shoot-out.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, First round
13 out of the 19 teams were drawn to qualify directly to the second round, without needing to play any match.


2008–09 Cypriot Cup for lower divisions, Second round
In the second round participated the winners of the first round ties.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division
The 2008–09 Cypriot First Division was the seventy season of top-tier football on Cyprus. It started on 30 August 2008 and ended on 10 May 2009. The defending champions were Anorthosis.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division
APOEL won the championship three matchweeks before the end of the season.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division
This year, for the second time, the championship also featured a group stage play-off system. Teams were divided into 3 groups: 1st–4th, 5th–8th and 9th–12th. Points from the main part of the season still counted.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division, Format
Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot First Division. Each team played against every other team twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 26 matches. After these matches, the two teams with the worst records were relegated to the 2009–10 Cypriot Second Division. The remaining twelve teams were divided into three groups: 1st-4th, 5th-8th and 9th-12th.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division, Format
The teams ranked first through fourth played out the champion and the participants for the European competitions. Teams ranked ninth through 12th determined the third relegated club, while the remaining four teams played a placement round. Every team played twice against its group opponents. Regular season records are carried over without any modifications.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division, Format
The champions ensured their participation in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League and the runners-up and the third team in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.


2008–09 Cypriot First Division, Format, Point system
Teams received three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.


2008–09 Cypriot Fourth Division
The 2008–09 Cypriot Fourth Division was the 24th season of the Cypriot fourth-level football league. Achyronas Liopetriou won their 3rd title.


2008–09 Cypriot Fourth Division, Format
Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot Fourth Division. All teams played against each other twice, once at their home and once away. The team with the most points at the end of the season crowned champions. The first three teams were promoted to the 2009–10 Cypriot Third Division and the last three teams were relegated to regional leagues.


2008–09 Cypriot Fourth Division, Format, Point system
Teams received three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.


2008–09 Cypriot Second Division
The 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division was the 54th season of the Cypriot second-level football league. Ermis won their 3rd title.


2008–09 Cypriot Second Division, Format
Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division. All teams played against each other twice, once at their home and once away. The team with the most points at the end of the season crowned champions. The first three teams were promoted to 2009–10 Cypriot First Division and the last three teams were relegated to the 2009–10 Cypriot Third Division.


2008–09 Cypriot Third Division
The 2008–09 Cypriot Third Division was the 38th season of the Cypriot third-level football league. Akritas Chlorakas won their 2nd title.


2008–09 Cypriot Third Division, Format
Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot Third Division. All teams played against each other twice, once at their home and once away. The team with the most points at the end of the season crowned champions. The first three teams were promoted to the 2009–10 Cypriot Second Division and the last three teams were relegated to the 2009–10 Cypriot Fourth Division.


2008–09 Cypriot Third Division, Format, Point system
Teams received three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.


2008–09 Czech 1. Liga season
The 2008–09 Czech 1.liga season was the 16th season of the Czech 1.liga, the second level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic. 16 teams participated in the league, and HC Slovan Ustecti Lvi won the championship.


2008–09 Czech 2. Liga
The 2008–09 Czech 2. Liga was the 16th season of the 2. česká fotbalová liga, the second tier of the Czech football league. Bohemians 1905 were promoted to the Czech First League as winners of the league. Second placed Čáslav decided not to promote and sold their license to Slovácko, who were promoted in their place.


2008–09 Czech Cup
The 2008–09 Czech Cup was the sixteenth edition of the annual football knock-out tournament of the Czech Republic. It began on 20 July 2008 with the preliminary round. The final was held on 27 May 2009.


2008–09 Czech Cup, Quarterfinals
The first legs were played on 8 and 9 April 2009. The second legs were played on 22 and 23 April 2009.


2008–09 Czech Cup, Semifinals
The first legs were played on 6 and 7 May 2009. The second legs were played on 13 May 2009.


2008–09 Czech Extraliga season
The 2008–09 Czech Extraliga season was the 16th season of the Czech Extraliga since its creation after the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League in 1993.


2008–09 Czech First League
The 2008–09 Czech First League, known as the Gambrinus liga for sponsorship reasons, was the sixteenth season of Czech Republic's top-tier of football. It began on 2 August 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009. Slavia Prague were the defending champions. Slavia secured their 17th title overall after a 3–1 win away against Viktoria Žižkov in 28th round. They were the first club to defend Czech title since the 2000–01 season.


2008–09 Czech First League, Promotion and relegation
Most and Bohemians 1905 were relegated to the second division after finishing last and second to last, respectively, in the previous season.


2008–09 Czech First League, Promotion and relegation
FK Bohemians Prague (Střížkov) (as champions) and 1. FK Příbram (as runners-up) were promoted from the second division.


2008–09 DEL season
The 2008–09 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 15th season since the founding of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (English: German Ice Hockey Leagie). 16 Teams played after the 2. Bundesliga Champion, the Kassel Huskies received the license to play in the DEL. After 52 rounds and the play-off's, the Eisbären Berlin won its 4th German Championship in the last five years.


2008–09 DEL season, Teams
In accordance to the cooperation contract between the DEL and the German Ice Hockey Federation, and after concluding that necessary reforms where not done in the 2. Bundesliga, a decision was made not to have playdowns and no teams were relegated. However, after ensuring compliance with the DEL regulations, the 2. Bundesliga Champions, the Kassel Huskies, were allowed to enter the league on July 4, 2008, expanding the league to 16 teams. This is also the first season where the Eisbären Berlin played in the brand new O2 World arena.


2008–09 DEL season, Teams
The number of regular seasons rounds was reduced to 52 from 56 in the previous season. The 6-best placed teams qualified for the playoffs, the teams in 7-10th position where to play a qualification round.


2008–09 DEL season, Teams
The average team budget was estimate at Euro € 5.24 million, raising the league total to Euro € 84.3 million from Euro € 78.7, mainly due to the addition of 1 team.


2008–09 DEL season, Playoffs, Playoff qualifications
The playoff qualifications were played between March 5 and 11, 2009 in the Best-of-five mode.


2008–09 DEL season, Playoffs, Quarterfinals
The quarterfinals were played in the Best-of-seven mode starting March 13 until March 26.


2008–09 DEL season, Playoffs, Semifinals
The semifinals were played in the Best-of-five mode, from March 29 to April 7, 2010.


2008–09 DEL season, Playoffs, Finale
The finals were played in the Best-of-five mode, from April 9, 2010.


2008–09 DEL season, Playoffs, Finale
The Eisbären Berlin won the title for the 4th time.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal
The 2008–09 DFB-Pokal was the 66th season of the annual German football cup competition. The competition began with the first round on 7 August 2008, and ended with Werder Bremen defeating Bayer Leverkusen, who for their part eliminated defending champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, in the final at the Olympiastadion, Berlin on 30 May 2009. The winners of the 2008–09 DFB-Pokal would qualify to the fourth qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal
Due to a decision made in 2006, reserve teams from professional clubs are no longer allowed to compete.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal, Draw
The draws for the different rounds were conducted as following: For the first round, the participating teams were split into two pots. The first pot contained all teams which have qualified through their regional cup competitions, the teams which were promoted from the Regionalligen and the bottom four teams of the Second Bundesliga. Every team from this pot was drawn to a team from the second pot, which contained all remaining professional teams. The teams from the first pot were set as the home team in the process.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal, Draw
The two-pot scenario was also applied for the second round, with the remaining amateur teams in the first pot and the remaining professional teams in the other pot. Once one pot was empty, the remaining pairings were drawn from the other pot with the first-drawn team for a match serving as hosts. For the remaining rounds, the draw was conducted from just one pot. Any remaining amateur team were assigned as the home team if drawn against a professional team. In every other case, the first-drawn team served as hosts.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal, Matches, First round
The draw for the first round was held on 6 July 2008. Matches were played between 7 and 10 August 2008.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal, Matches, Second round
The draw for the second round was conducted on 24 August 2008. The games were played on 23 and 24 September 2008.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal, Matches, Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was conducted on 5 October 2008. The games were played on 27 and 28 January 2009.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal Frauen
The DFB-Pokal 2008–09 was the 29th season of the competition. The first round began on 30 August 2008. In the final, held on 30 May 2009 in Berlin FCR 2001 Duisburg defeated Turbine Potsdam 7–0, marking the highest margin by which a Frauen DFB-Pokal final was ever decided.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal Frauen, 1st round
The top six clubs from last year's Bundesliga season were automatically qualified for the second round of the cup. These were 1. FFC Frankfurt, Turbine Potsdam, FCR 2001 Duisburg, Bayern Munich, SC 07 Bad Neuenahr, and VfL Wolfsburg. The other clubs from the Bundesliga all won their first round match.


2008–09 DFB-Pokal Frauen, 2nd round
In the second round Bayern Munich defeated title holder 1. FFC Frankfurt who was for the first time since 1998 not present in the DFB-Pokal final. The other match between clubs from the Bundesliga was won by SG Essen-Schönebeck against HSV Borussia Friedenstal.


2008–09 Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was the 2nd season in the Football League played by Dagenham & Redbridge F.C., an English football club based in Dagenham, Greater London. It was their second consecutive season in Football League Two after promotion from the Football Conference in 2007. The season covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.


2008–09 Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. season, Match results
League positions are sourced from Statto, while the remaining contents of each table are sourced from the references in the "Ref" column.


2008–09 Dallas Mavericks season
The 2008–09 Dallas Mavericks season is the 29th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season marked by the arrival of former NBA Coach of the Year, Rick Carlisle who hired on May 9, 2008 following Avery Johnson was fired after the 2008 NBA Playoffs.


2008–09 Dallas Mavericks season
Finishing at 50–32 as the number 6 seed, the Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round. They were, however, unable to defeat the Carmelo Anthony-led Denver Nuggets in the next round. The Nuggets would go on to the Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season
The 2008–09 Dallas Stars season was the 42nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 5, 1967. The Stars attempted to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history but the Stars would end the season missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2002.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Regular season
The Stars finished the regular season having scored the fewest shorthanded goals in the NHL, with just two.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Regular season
On February 6, 2009, the Stars defeated the New York Rangers at home by a score of 10–2. It was the first time that the Stars had scored 10 goals in a game since they defeated the San Jose Sharks at home by a score of 10–3 on November 28, 1992, when the franchise was still based in Minnesota.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Regular season
On April 4, 2009, Trevor Daley scored just 16 seconds into the overtime period to give the Stars a 5–4 home win over the St. Louis Blues. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 2008–09 regular season.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Regular season, Divisional standings
Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, p – Presidents' Trophy winnerCE – Central Division, NW – Northwest Division, PA – Pacific Division


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Schedule and results
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Playoffs
The Dallas Stars failed to qualify for the 2009 NHL playoffs. for the first time since 2002


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Stars. Stats reflect player's season totals. ‡Traded mid-seasonBold/italics denotes franchise record


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Draft picks
The Stars' picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.


2008–09 Dallas Stars season, Farm teams
In 2008, the Stars ended their affiliation with the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Iowa Stars as their primary minor league affiliate, expecting to announce the formation of a new minor league expansion team, the Texas Stars, at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. The Texas Stars will be based in Cedar Park, Texas, just three hours driving time from the metroplex. The Stars' minor league contract players are currently dispersed among four different teams in the AHL and ECHL.


2008–09 Danish 1st Division
The 2008–09 Danish 1st Division season is the 13th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association.


2008–09 Danish 1st Division
The division-champion and runner-up will be promoted to the 2009–10 Danish Superliga. The teams in the 14th, 15th and 16th places will be divided between 2nd Division East and West, based on location.


2008–09 Danish 1st Division
On February 3, Køge Boldklub declared bankruptcy. As a result, they were docked three points and were suspended from the tournament. Furthermore, they will be relegated two levels in addition to the one they have clinched at the moment, making them participate in Sjællandsserien from the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Danish 1st Division
On February 14, however, it was announced that First Division clubs Køge Boldklub and Herfølge Boldklub intended to merge their first teams to form HB Køge, and on March 14, the club was approved by the Danish FA.


2008–09 Danish 2nd Divisions
The 2008-09 season in Danish 2nd Division will be divided in two groups. The two winners will be promoted to the 2009–10 Danish 1st Division, together with the winner of a promotion game between the two runners-up. Second squad teams are ineligible for promotion.


2008–09 Danish 2nd Divisions, Play-offs, Promotion game
The two runners-up will play promotion game on home and away basis.


2008–09 Danish 2nd Divisions, Play-offs, Relegation game
The two teams placed 15th in each group will play relegation game on home and away basis.


2008–09 Danish Cup
The 2008–09 Danish Cup was the 55th season of only Danish football cup competition. It was the first time since 2004 that the cup had a sponsor name: the daily newspaper Ekstra Bladet has signed a 3-year contract with the Danish Football Association (DBU), making the official name Ekstra Bladet Cup 2008–09.


2008–09 Danish Cup
The competition started in August 2008 with the First Round and concluded on May 21, 2009 with the Final, held at Parken Stadium.


2008–09 Danish Cup, First round
In this round entered 96 teams. These include 55 teams from lower divisions, who have qualified through preliminary cups held by the regional associations, 25 teams from Second Divisions 2007–08 and all 16 teams from First Division 2007–08.


2008–09 Danish Cup, First round
The draw for the First Round was held at Ekstra Bladet's premises at The City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The matches were played around August 13, 2008.


2008–09 Danish Cup, First round, West group
The west group consisted of 46 teams. These were split into 5 minor groups.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Second round
The winners from the First Round progressed to the Second Round. Eight additional teams, placed fifth to twelfth in the 2007–08 Superliga, contested in this round.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Second round
The draw for the Second Round was held at Ekstra Bladet's premises at The City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The matches were played on August 23 and 24, 2008.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Third round
The winners from the Second Round progressed to the Third Round. Four additional teams, placed first to fourth in the 2007–08 Superliga, contested in this round.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Third round
The draw for this round was held at Ekstra Bladet's premises at The City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The matches were played between September 26 and 29, 2008.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Fourth round
The winners from the Third Round progressed to the Fourth Round.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Fourth round
The draw for this was held at Ekstra Bladet's premises at The City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The matches were played around October 29, 2008.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Fifth round
The draw for the Fifth Round was held at Ekstra Bladet's premises at The City Hall Square in Copenhagen. The matches were played on November 12, 2008.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Semifinals
The semifinals will be played on home and away basis. The first legs were played on April 15 and 16 and second on April 29, 2009.


2008–09 Danish Cup, Final
The final was held at Parken Stadium on 21 May 2009.


2008–09 Danish Superliga
The 2008–09 Danish Superliga was the 19th season of Danish Superliga league championship, which determines the winners of the Danish football championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. The season started on 19 July 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. The defending champions were Aalborg BK.


2008–09 Danish Superliga
The Danish champions qualified for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying round. Runners-up and 3rd placed team qualified for 2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds. 11th and 12th placed teams were relegated to the 1st Division. The 1st Division champions and runners-up were promoted to the Superliga.


2008–09 Danish Superliga, Promotion and relegation
The following teams were promoted to Superliga after the end of the 2007–08 season:


2008–09 Danish Superliga, Promotion and relegation
The following teams were relegated from Superliga after the end of the 2007–08 season:


2008–09 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team represented Davidson College in NCAA men's Division I competition. The Wildcats had emerged in recent years as a legitimate national power despite being a mid-major school with one of the smallest student bodies in the NCAA Division I. The team was given high expectations after advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2008.


2008–09 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team
This season was highlighted by the individual performance of Stephen Curry, who was the nation's leading scorer after making the switch from Shooting Guard to Point Guard positions. He averaged 28.6 Points per Game and 5.6 Assists per Game. Stephen this season also took the title of all-time leading career point-scorer from former All-American John Gerdy. A few months after the season, Stephen announced his entry into the 2009 NBA Draft, ending his Davidson career.


2008–09 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team
The season was ended on a disappointing note, as the Wildcats unexpectedly lost to College of Charleston in the SoCon Tournament semifinals, resulting in their omission from the NCAA Basketball Tournament Field. The Wildcats then beat the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NIT tournament before losing in the Round of 16 to Saint Mary's and their star Point Guard Patty Mills.


2008–09 Davidson Wildcats men's basketball team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


2008–09 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team represented the University of Dayton during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flyers, led by sixth year head coach Brian Gregory, played their home games at the University of Dayton Arena and were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 27–8, 11–5 in A-10 play for a tie for second-place. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated West Virginia in the round of 64 before losing in the round of 32 to defending national champion Kansas. The Flyers first round win was the program's first in the NCAA Tournament since 1990, when they defeated Illinois in the round of 64.


2008–09 Dayton Flyers men's basketball team, Previous season
The 2007–08 Dayton Flyers finished the season with an overall record of 23–11, with a record of 8–8 in the Atlantic 10 regular season for a tie for a fifth-place finish. They received an at-large bid to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament where they beat Cleveland State and Illinois State in the first and second rounds before falling to eventual champion Ohio State in the quarterfinals.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season
The 2008–09 season will be Debreceni VSC - TEVA's 16th competitive season, 16th consecutive season in the Soproni Liga and 106th year in existence as a football club.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season, Team kit
The team kits for the 2008-09 season are produced by Adidas and the shirt sponsor is TEVA and Ave-Ásványvíz. The home kit is red colour and the away kit is white colour.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season, Squad, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season, Statistics, Top scorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season, Statistics, Disciplinary record
Includes all competitive matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.


2008–09 Debreceni VSC season, Hungarian Cup, Round 5, Second leg
FC Fehérvár 2–2 Debrecen on aggregate. Debrecen won on away goals.


2008–09 Denver Nuggets season
The 2008–09 Denver Nuggets season was the 42nd season of the franchise, 33rd in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished the regular season with 54 wins and 28 losses, the franchise's best record since 1987–88. In the playoffs, the Nuggets defeated New Orleans Hornets in five games in the first round; this series included a notable 58-point bludgeoning of the Hornets in Game 4. The Nuggets then defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference Semifinals to reach the Conference Finals for the first time since 1985, ending their streak of five straight first-round exits. However, the Nuggets lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, ending their playoff run. This was the second straight year the Nuggets had their season ended by the Lakers.


2008–09 Denver Nuggets season
As of May 2021 the Nuggets' six-game loss to the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Finals was tied closest the team has ever come to reaching the NBA Finals, after they made it to the conference finals in 2020 but were once again beat by the Lakers.


2008–09 Denver Nuggets season, Key dates
During the first week of the season, superstar guard Allen Iverson was traded in a blockbuster deal to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. McDyess was released soon after the trade.


2008–09 Denver Nuggets season, Draft picks
The Denver Nuggets had no draft picks in the 2008 NBA draft, but did acquire the draft rights of Sonny Weems from the Chicago Bulls. Weems was the 39th pick of the draft.


2008–09 Deportivo de La Coruña season
The 2008–09 season was Deportivo de La Coruña's 38th season in La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. The season covered the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.


2008–09 Deportivo de La Coruña season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Deportivo de La Coruña season, Players, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Deportivo de La Coruña season, Season results, UEFA Cup, First round
2–2 on aggregate. Deportivo La Coruña won 3–2 on penalties


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season
The 2008–09 season is Derby County's 110th season in the Football League. It is their 41st season in the second division of English football and their first season in the second tier since the 2006–07 season. They were relegated from the FA Premier League in the 2007–08 season.


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season
Despite relegation from the Premier League the previous season hopes had been high of an immediate return, especially after manager Paul Jewell's summer reconstruction of the squad seeing 16 players come in and 12 leave. However, things did not go to plan and the club spent the majority of the season in the lower reaches of the table. They were bottom of the league going into the August international break, after a 2–0 defeat away to Barnsley left the club with a single point from the first four games of the season.


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season
A 2–1 win over Sheffield United was the club's first league win in almost a year, bringing to an end of a 38-game winless sequence, and a run of just one defeat in 11, with 5 wins, lifted the club to the season high of ninth. Form soon dipped again and, after a run of just two wins in 11 matches which left the club 18th in the table, Jewell quit as manager on 28 December 2008 after just over a year in the job. He left with a record of just 13 wins in 58 matches, though he did take the club to their first major cup semi-final in over 30 years when the club reached the League Cup semi-final, where they lost 4–3 on aggregate to eventual winners Manchester United.


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season
His replacement was Nigel Clough, manager of non-league Burton Albion and son of the club's former manager Brian. Despite overseeing two defeats in his first two games, Clough soon turned the club's form around, taking them to the 5th round of the FA Cup and just three defeats in 13 matches, a run which included four consecutive wins. A run of three consecutive defeats in mid April meant that survival was not guaranteed until the penultimate game of the season when Player of the Year Rob Hulse scored the winner in a 1–0 win over Charlton Athletic at Pride Park.


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
Following the final day of the 2007–08 season, Jewell publicly announced his displeasure with the current squad, promising drastic changes. Within four weeks of the close of the season Derby confirmed five new signings, namely Plymouth defender Paul Connolly, Doncaster midfielder Paul Green, Watford F.C. defender Jordan Stewart and Nottingham Forest winger Kris Commons on frees. Watford's Nathan Ellington joined on a season-long loan (with a view to a permanent deal).


2008–09 Derby County F.C. season, Review, Pre-season
In addition to these, the club signed out of contract Tranmere youngster Steve Davies on 12 June 2008 on a Bosman (although as he is under 24, a tribunal fee was set at £275k, with an additional £450k based on appearances and promotion). West Bromwich Albion's Martin Albrechtsen joined for free on 30 June 2008, and Stockport striker Liam Dickinson signed for £750k on 1 July 2008. Sheffield United striker Rob Hulse followed for £1.75m on 21 July 2008, the same day a season long loan deal for FC Porto and Poland international midfielder Przemyslaw Kazmierczak was finalised.