2008–09 National Division Three South, Season records, Player
Matt Goode for Rugby Lions at home to Bridgwater & Albion on 6 September 2008 Mart Hart for Richmond at home to Lydney on 13 September 2008


2008–09 National Division Three South, Season records, Player
Mark Davies for Lydney at home to Worthing Raiders on 6 September 2008


2008–09 National Division Three South, Season records, Attendances
London Scottish at home to Richmond on 24 January 2009


2008–09 National Division Two
The 2008-09 National Division Two was the ninth and final version (twenty second overall) of the third division of the English rugby union league system using the name National Division Two. The RFU was planning to introduced a new professionalized format of the second division for the 2009-10 season which would lead to widespread league changes throughout the English league system including National Two being renamed National One and being increased from the 14 teams to 16 teams – a decision they made halfway through the season (more information on these changes is provided in the Divisional Changes section below).


2008–09 National Division Two
New teams to the division included Birmingham & Solihull (known the following season as Pertemps Bees) and Launceston who were relegated from the 2007–08 National Division One while promoted teams included Tynedale coming up from the 2007–08 National Division Three North  while Mounts Bay (champions) and Cinderford (playoffs) both from the 2007–08 National Division Three South.


2008–09 National Division Two
At the end of the season Birmingham & Solihull made an instant return to the (newly named) 2009-10 RFU Championship. They edged out runners up Cambridge by just 3 points due to the virtue of a superior bonus points record after both sides finished with 22 wins and 4 defeats each. At the bottom of the table Waterloo, Mounts Bay, Southend and Westcombe Park were relegated with Westcombe Park and Southend dropping to the 2009–10 National League 2 South and Waterloo falling to the 2009–10 National League 2 North. The relegation of Mounts Bay was particularly potent as it led to the club going out of business in June 2009 due to spiraling debts and an inability to cope with the increase of professionalism in the game.


2008–09 National Division Two, Divisional Changes
Halfway through the season the RFU proposed to have a total restructuring of the league system. Resulting in many changes to the division:


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Team
115 - 0 Birmingham & Solihull at home to Waterloo on 4 April 2009


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Team
85 - 24 Blackheath away to Waterloo on 28 February 2009


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Team
Mounts Bay at home to Southend on 5 November 2008


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Player
Alastair Bressington for Stourbridge away to Westcombe Park on 25 October 2008 Mark Woodrow for Birmingham & Solihull at home to Waterloo on 4 April 2009


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Player
Emyr Lewis for Redruth at home to Waterloo on 21 March 2009


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Player
Mark Woodrow for Birmingham & Solihull at home to Waterloo on 4 April 2009


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Player
Daniel Hawkes for Mounts Bay at home to Southend on 5 November 2008


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Attendances
Redruth at home to Mounts Bay on 20 December 2008


2008–09 National Division Two, Season records, Attendances
Westcombe Park at home to Wharfedale on 29 November 2008


2008–09 National First Division
The 2008–09 National First Division was the 13th season of the National First Division, the second tier of South African soccer, and took place between 29 August 2008 and 2 May 2009. The champions were Jomo Cosmos, who were promoted to the South African Premier Division alongside play-off victors Mpumalanga Black Aces. FC AK and Durban Stars were relegated SAFA Second Division.


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season
The 2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League is the inaugural season for the league and the 31st anniversary of professional Division 1 indoor soccer in the United States. The members of the NISL's first season are the Baltimore Blast, the Massachusetts Twisters, the Monterrey La Raza, the Philadelphia KiXX, and the Rockford Rampage. The Orlando Sharks were supposed to play, but due to scheduling conflicts with the Amway Arena the Twisters took the Sharks' spot for the season.


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season
The league kicked off on November 15, 2008 with the Philadelphia KiXX defeating the Massachusetts Twisters 34-11 and the Baltimore Blast defeating the Rockford Rampage 14-4. The regular season concluded March 29, 2009.


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season
Each team played eighteen games, nine home and nine away. La Raza also played, and won, the Copa América against PASL-Pro and PASL-Premier teams.


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Final standings
Blue indicates bye into the NISL ChampionshipGreen indicates playoff berth clinched


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs, Game 1
Friday, 10:35PM EST, April 3, 2009 at Monterrey Arena in Monterrey, Nuevo León


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs, Game 2
Sunday, 5:35PM EST, April 5, 2009 at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, Illinois


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs, Game 3
Sunday, April 5, 2009 at Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, Illinois (Immediately followed game two)


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs, Championship
Saturday, 7:35PM EST, April 11, 2009 at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland


2008–09 National Indoor Soccer League season, Playoffs, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


2008–09 National Premier League
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Frietjes (talk | contribs) at 17:24, 30 January 2020 (expand templates per Fb team TfD outcome and Fb competition TfD outcome and Fb cl TfD outcome and Fb rbr TfD outcome). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2008–09 National Premier League
The 2008–09 National Premier League (NPL), the first division football league in the nation of Jamaica known as the Digicel National Premier League for sponsorship purposes, was contested by 12 teams. and after 33 matches was split into a champions group and relegation group. Both groups then play 5 more matches within that group.


2008–09 National Twenty20 Cup
The 2008–09 RBS Twenty-20 Cup was the fourth edition of the RBS Twenty-20 Cup, a domestic Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan. It was held in Lahore from 4 to 8 October 2008. The Sialkot Stallions won their third overall and consecutive title by defeating the Karachi Dolphins in the final. As the winners, the Stallions qualified for the 2008 Champions League Twenty20, which was later cancelled.


2008–09 National Twenty20 Cup, Format
The format remained the same from the previous edition. The 13 teams are divided into four groups: Pool A with four teams, Pool B, C and D with three each. Each group plays a single round-robin tournament and the top team from each group advances to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals play the final.


2008–09 National Twenty20 Cup, Format
The position of the teams in the points table is determined by:


2008–09 National Twenty20 Cup, Results, Teams and standings
The top team from each group qualify for the semi-finals.


2008–09 National Youth League (Australia)
The 2008–09 National Youth League was the first season of the National Youth League, the top Australian youth soccer league.


2008–09 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were coached by Connie Yori. The Cornhuskers are a member of the Big 12 Conference and did not qualify for the NCAA tournament. Those hopes were tempered with the loss of two-time first-team All-Big 12 forward Kelsey Griffin to a season-ending ankle injury in late-August. Despite playing without Griffin, the Huskers fought their way to a 9-3 record early in the season that included a dramatic come-from-behind win over No. 24 Arizona State on Dec. 28.


2008–09 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team
Nebraska, which had received votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 for five weeks, knocked off a Sun Devil squad that went on to advance to the 2009 NCAA Elite Eight. However, just days after defeating ASU, the Huskers took another hit inside with the loss of junior center Nikki Bober to a season-ending knee injury. Without two of their most experienced post players for a final non-conference game at five-time NCAA Final Four participant LSU, the Huskers closed non-conference play at 9-4 with all four setbacks coming to 2008 NCAA Tournament teams, including three on the road.


2008–09 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team, Awards and honors
Eight Nebraska women's basketball players claimed spots on the Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll. Nikki Bober, Kala Kuhlmann and Harleen Sidhu posted perfect 4.0 GPAs. Bober, Kuhlmann and Sidhu were joined on the spring honor roll by teammates Kaitlyn Burke, Kelsey Griffin, Cory Montgomery, Nicole Neals and Jessica Periago.


2008–09 Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team, Team players drafted into the WNBA
No one from the Huskers was selected in the 2009 WNBA Draft.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup
Nedbank Cup is a South African club football (soccer) tournament. The knockout tournament, based on the English FA Cup format, carries a 'David versus Goliath' theme. The competition was sponsored by ABSA until 2007, after which Nedbank took over sponsorship.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Format
The 16 Premier Soccer League clubs, 8 National First Division teams, as well as 8 teams from the amateur ranks compete for the prize money of R6 million. The winner also qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Format
The teams are not seeded at any stage, and the first 16 sides drawn out of the hat receive a home-ground advantage. There are no longer any replays in the tournament, and any games which end in a draw after 90 minutes are subject to 30 minutes extra time followed by penalties if necessary.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Teams
The 32 teams competing in the Nedbank Cup competition are: (listed according to the league that they are playing in).


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Preliminary Round
The preliminary round saw the National First Division sides play each other is a knockout round to decide who will compete in the 2009 Nedbank Cup. All the game were played on 16 December 2008 and the winners of each game went into the draw to determine the fixtures for the first round.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Second Round (Round of 16)
Orlando Pirates have been handed a tricky tie in the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup, but Kaizer Chiefs will back their chances against First Division side AmaTuks.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Second Round (Round of 16)
Bucs will travel to Bloemfontein to face PSL strugglers Bloemfontein Celtic, who will be counting on their incredible home support to see them past the high-flying Soweto side.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Second Round (Round of 16)
Chiefs have been paired with Pretoria University, while Mamelodi Sundowns face a tough task against Miguel Gamondi's Platinum Stars.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Second Round (Round of 16)
Peace Lovers, the last remaining Vodacom League side in the draw, have been rewarded for their win against Real Madrid with a home tie against Moroka Swallows.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Second Round (Round of 16)
The continued unavailability of venues due to preparations for the 2009 Fifa Confederations and 2010 World Cup is giving several clubs a king size headache just hours after the Nedbank Cup Last 16 draw.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Quarter-Finals
Only the strongest have survived to reach the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals draw held in Johannesburg on the morning of 23 March 2009.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Quarter-Finals
Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns were knocked out by a gallant Platinum Stars on Sunday afternoon 22 March 2009.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Quarter-Finals
Sundowns' exit was not the only shock of the tournament, as Kaizer Chiefs lost to First Division team Pretoria University and Pirates also lost to Bloemfontein Celtic.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Semi-Finals
On Tuesday 14 April 2009 the First Division giant killers Pretoria University drew their third successive Premier Soccer League side in the form of Ajax Cape Town  when the draw for the semifinal of the country's biggest knockout competition was made.


2008–09 Nedbank Cup, Results, Semi-Finals
In the other semifinal another First Division giant killer, Black Leopards, will play Moroka Swallows.


2008–09 Neftchi Baku PFK season
The Neftchi Baku 2008–09 season was Neftchi Baku's seventeenth Azerbaijan Premier League season. They started the season under the management of Anatoliy Demyanenko, however he was replaced by Hans-Jürgen Gede on 1 September 2008. On 28 February 2009 Gede was replaced Boyukaga Agaev, who was in charge until the end of the season. They finished 8th in the league and were knocked out of the Azerbaijan Cup at the quarterfinal stage by Karabakh. Neftchi also took part in the UEFA Intertoto Cup, reaching the Third Round before losing to Vaslui of Romania.


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


2008–09 Neftchi Baku PFK season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Neftchi Baku PFK season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Neftchi Baku PFK season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Neftchi Baku PFK season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I
The 2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, also known as NB I, was the 107th season of top-tier football in Hungary. The league was officially named Soproni Liga for sponsoring reasons. The season started on 25 July 2008 with Kaposvári Rákóczi FC beating the defending champions MTK Budapest by 3–1. The last games were played on 30 May 2009.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Promotion and relegation
FC Sopron withdrew their participation in the winter break of last year's season after they declared bankruptcy. The team was put into last place and got all points deducted. The remaining relegation spot was earned by FC Tatabánya, who finished the season with a mere 10 points.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Promotion and relegation
Promotion to the league was granted to the champions of the two NB II divisions. Kecskeméti TE won the Eastern Division while the winners of the Western Division were Szombathelyi Haladás.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Top goalscorers
Source:  (in Hungarian) – Note: Click on "Góllövő lista" to retrieve the scorers


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Regular season, Standings
Pld - Played; W - Won; L - Lost; PF - Points for; PA - Points against; Diff - Difference; Pts - Points.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Regular season, Results
In the table below the home teams are listed on the left and the away teams along the top.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Champion Play-off, Final Standings
Pld - Played; W - Won; L - Lost; PF - Points for; PA - Points against; Diff - Difference; Pts - Points.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), 5 to 8 Play-off, Final Standings
Pld - Played; W - Won; L - Lost; PF - Points for; PA - Points against; Diff - Difference; Pts - Points.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), 5 to 8 Play-off, Results
In the table below the home teams are listed on the left and the away teams along the top.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Relegation Round, Final Standings
Pld - Played; W - Won; L - Lost; PF - Points for; PA - Points against; Diff - Difference; Pts - Points.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Relegation Round, Results
In the table below the home teams are listed on the left and the away teams along the top.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 2009–10 Nemzeti Bajnokság I was the fifty-eighth series of the national team handball championship for Hungarian women. The defending champions were Győri Audi ETO KC and they managed to defend their title after winning the playoffs with five victories and only one draw. The regular season began on September 5, 2008 and ended on March 28, 2009. The playoff round finished on May 31, with Alba Fehérvár KC beating Hódmezővásárhelyi NKC for the fifth place.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Overview, Teams
The club of Budapest Óbudai Goldberger SE was the only relegated team last season and was replaced by PTE-PEAC from Pécs.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Overview, Teams
This year's first division championship was geographically pretty well divided : the league gathered two teams from the capital city Budapest (Vasas and FTC), two other from the Northern Great Plain (DVSC and Nyíradony) and Central Transdanubia (Dunaferr and Alcoa), three from the Southern Great Plain (ASA-Consolis-HNKC, Kisunhalas and PTE-PEAC), and finally one from Central Hungary (Vác) and Western Transdanubia (Győr).


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Overview, Teams
After a regular season of 22 matchdays, teams are divided into three groups of four depending on their position. First four teams compete for the title, next four play the 5-8 Classification Round and finally, last four placed clubs play to escape the relegation. In those playoffs, the clubs play in a round-robin system in which points were given according to their position in the regular season.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Overview, Teams
As Hungarian champions, Győri Audi ETO KC entered the Group Phase of the 2008–09 EHF Women's Champions League. Anita Görbicz's team made a brilliant performance and qualified for the final against Danish Viborg HK but lose by one goal at total score. The runners-up of last season, Dunaferr NK played a qualification tournament but finished second of their group and didn't make it to the next round. Therefore, they were reversed in the EHF Cup. DVSC-Aquaticum entered the third round of the 2008–09 EHF Women's Cup Winners' Cup, won against Italian Pallamano Bancole but was eliminated by Romanian Oțelul Galați. In the EHF Cup, three teams represented Hungary : Dunaferr NK (from the CL), Budapest Bank-FTC-RightPhone and Fehérép Alcoa FKC. First was eliminated in Round 3, the others in the eight-finals. Consequently, only Győri Audi ETO KC played a European Cup's final this season.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason
Teams finished in bottom four positions after the regular season enter the classification round for 9–12 places, where a double round-robin system is used. In addition, they are given bonus points depending on their final position in the regular season: Ninth placed Kiskunhalas got four points, tenth placed Vác received three points, PTE-PEAC got two points and finally, last placed Vasas SC was awarded only one point. Clubs with the two lowest combined points get relegated.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason, Classification round 9–12, Table
Additional points that were awarded after the final positions in the regular season are indicated in the bonus column.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason, Classification round 5–8
The system is the same as for the precedent playoffs.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason, Classification round 5–8, Table
Additional points that were awarded after the final positions in the regular season are indicated in bonus points column.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason, Classification round 1–4
First four placed teams of the regular season entered the playoffs for the title. After a round-robin system, best placed team was designed champion. This year, Győri Audi ETO KC won the championship with five victories and one draw.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Postseason, Classification round 1–4, Table
Additional points that were awarded after the final positions in the regular season are indicated in bonus points column.


2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság II
The 2008–09 Nemzeti Bajnokság II was Hungary's the 58th season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság II, the second tier of the Hungarian football league system.


2008–09 Netball Superleague season
The 2008–09 Co-operative Netball Superleague season saw Team Bath finish as champions for the third time. For a third season out of four, they defeated Galleria Mavericks in the grand final. The Superleague expanded to nine teams, with the addition of Glasgow Wildcats, the first team from Scotland. Team Bath finished the regular season with a 100% record.


2008–09 Netball Superleague season, Teams
The Superleague expanded to nine teams, with the addition of Glasgow Wildcats.


2008–09 Netball Superleague season, Regular season
Team Bath finished the regular season with a 100% record.


2008–09 Netball Superleague season, Play offs
The play-offs utilised the Page–McIntyre system to determine the two grand finalists. This saw the top two from the regular season, Team Bath and Loughborough Lightning, play each other, with the winner going straight through to the grand final. The loser gets a second chance to reach the grand final via the minor final. The third and fourth placed teams, Galleria Mavericks and Leeds Carnegie also play each other, and the winner advances to the minor final. The winner of the minor final qualifies for the grand final.


2008–09 New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey season
The New Hampshire Wildcats women’s ice hockey team represents the University of New Hampshire. The Wildcats participated in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.


2008–09 New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockey season, Regular season
Jennifer Wakefield led New Hampshire in scoring. In addition, Wakefield led the Wildcats with 13 power play goals, four shorthanded goals and nine game-winning goals.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season
The 2008–09 New Jersey Devils season was the team's 27th season in the National Hockey League (NHL) since the franchise relocated to New Jersey.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Regular season
The Devils finished the regular season with the fewest power-play opportunities, with just 307.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Regular season, Conference standings
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Playoffs
The New Jersey Devils ended the 2008–09 regular season as the Atlantic Division Champions and the Eastern Conference's third seed. The Devils have made the playoffs for the 12th straight season.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Media
Television coverage was now on MSG Plus, still under the play-by-play of Mike Emrick and Chico Resch. Radio coverage was still on WFAN with Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; Min = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts


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


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Draft picks
New Jersey's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.


2008–09 New Jersey Devils season, Farm teams
The Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League and the Trenton Devils of the ECHL remain the New Jersey Devils' minor league affiliates for the 2008–09 season.


2008–09 New Jersey Nets season
The 2008–09 New Jersey Nets season was the 42nd season of the franchise, and their 33rd in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


2008–09 New Jersey Nets season, Offseason
On June 26, it was announced the Nets had officially traded Richard Jefferson in exchange for Milwaukee Bucks players Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. After missing the playoffs last season and going no further than the Eastern Conference Semi-finals the past five years, the Nets needed to change. Jefferson left after seven years at New Jersey where he ended up as the Nets third all-time leading scorer in franchise history. On July 21, the Nets acquired Orlando Magic guard Keyon Dooling in exchange for cash considerations.


2008–09 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
The 2008–09 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos were coached by second-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at the University Arena, also known as "The Pit", in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


2008–09 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
The Lobos finished the season 22–12, 12–4 in Mountain West play. They were Co–Champions of the Mountain West Conference with Utah and BYU. They were defeated by Wyoming in the semifinals of the 2009 Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. They invited of the 2009 National Invitation Tournament. They defeated Nebraska before losing to Notre Dame in the second round.


2008–09 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team
The 2008–09 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represented New Mexico State University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. This was Marvin Menzies 2nd season as head coach. The Aggies played their home games at Pan American Center and competed in the Western Athletic Conference. They finished the season 17–15, 9–7 in WAC play. They lost in the 2nd round of the 2009 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament to end the season.


2008–09 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team, 2008-09 Schedule and results
|-The attendance for the 16 home games was 99,839 which averaged 6,240 per game.


2008–09 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team, Ring of Honor Additions
During the Jan 31, 2009 game against Hawaii, a ceremony was held which added new Aggies to the Ring of Honor - they were Jimmy Collins, Jerry Hines, and John Williamson. Also recognized were the 1978–79 and 1998-99 teams which each appeared in the NCAA Tournament.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season
The 2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season was the 7th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season
The regular season was marred by injuries, with only Rasual Butler playing in all games. The remaining four starters missed a combined 68 games, of whom center Tyson Chandler missed 37 games. Even when not on the injured list, Chandler's season was sub-par. Perhaps partly as a result of this, on February 18 Chandler was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. Despite the less than stellar season, this was generally perceived as a payroll-shedding move. However, within a day, the trade was rescinded due to concerns regarding Chandlers turf toe, which curiously, according to Chandler and the Hornet organization was not the reason for his stints on the injury list.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season
Battling these issues for much of the season, the Hornets finished the season with a record of 49–33, 7 games off the franchise best record of the previous season. This meant that the Hornets only finished 4th in the Southwest Division and 7th in the Western Conference. In the 2009 NBA Playoffs, the Hornets lost 1–4 in the first round to the second seeded Denver Nuggets. All four losses were severe, with the worst being a 58–point drubbing at home in Game 4, losing 63–121, which tied for the most lopsided loss in NBA Playoff history. Naturally lamented by fans and media alike, the embarrassing performance can at least be partly explained by the health situation of the players, with arguably the top 5 Hornets ailing to varying injuries.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season, Offseason
On July 9 the Hornets announced they had signed their All Star point guard Chris Paul to a contract extension. Hornets owner George Shinn saying ''Chris is the face of our franchise and a leader both on and off the court... Getting him signed to an extension was our number one priority...'' On July 23 it was announced the Hornets had acquired free agent forward James Posey. Posey, a member of the 2008 Boston Celtics team that won the championship said ''I am excited to be a Hornet, it was a coveted destination for me...''


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season, Trades
December 10, 2008: The New Orleans Hornets traded Mike James to the Washington Wizards for Antonio Daniels.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season, Trades
February 17, 2009: The Hornets traded Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox and rights to DeVon Hardin. The trade was nullified when Chandler failed his physical because of a previous turf toe injury.


2008–09 New Orleans Hornets season, All Stars
For the second year in a row the Hornets were represented with two players at the NBA All Star Game as Chris Paul was voted in by the fans as a starter, and David West was selected as a reserve by the NBA coaches.


2008–09 New York Islanders season
The 2008–09 New York Islanders season was the 37th season in franchise history. On April 14, 2009, the Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery to receive the first overall draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Regular season
Captain Bill Guerin was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March. The captaincy was left vacant for the rest of the season.


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Regular season, Conference standings
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


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


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Playoffs
The New York Islanders did not qualify for the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.


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


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Draft picks
The Islanders picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.


2008–09 New York Islanders season, Farm teams
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League, the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL, and the Odessa Jackalopes of the Central Hockey League are the Islanders' minor league affiliates for the 2008–09 season.


2008–09 New York Knicks season
The 2008–09 New York Knicks season was the 63rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).


2008–09 New York Rangers season
The 2008–09 New York Rangers season was the National Hockey League franchise's 82nd season of play and their 83rd season overall. It saw the Rangers qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Rangers started the season in Europe. First, as part of the inaugural Victoria Cup being held in Switzerland, the Rangers played an exhibition game against SC Bern on September 30, and then the main game against the 2008 European Champions Metallurg Magnitogorsk on October 1 (the first game between a Russian club and an NHL team since 1991). They won both games, and were awarded the first Victoria Cup. The Rangers battled from a 3–0 deficit in the Victoria Cup to win the game by a score of 4–3. Ryan Callahan scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds left.


2008–09 New York Rangers season
On October 3, 2008 Chris Drury was named the 25th captain in Rangers history. The Rangers opened the NHL regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning with two games in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4 and 5. Alexei Cherepanov, a former first-round draft pick of the Rangers, died suddenly on October 13 during a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) game in Moscow. The Rangers tied the 1983–84 Rangers for the best start in franchise history with a 5–0 record.


2008–09 New York Rangers season
The quest for the greatest start in franchise history was put to a halt on October 15, 2008, with a 3–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers set the franchise record for best start in a season by going 10–2–1 for 21 points in the first 13 games. The 10 wins and 21 points both marked franchise records. On January 24, 2009, the festivities for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game began in Montreal with Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal playing for the Sophomore Team in the YoungStars Game.


2008–09 New York Rangers season
Staal scored two goals in the game, but the Rookie Team won 9–5. Henrik Lundqvist was the Rangers' only All-Star selection, and stopped 12 of 16 shots in the Elimination Shootout during the SuperSkills Competition. On January 25, 2009, Lundqvist stopped 15 of the 21 shots he faced in the second period of the All-Star Game, helping the East beat the West 12–11 in a shootout.


2008–09 New York Rangers season
On February 3, 2009, the New York Rangers retired Adam Graves' number 9 jersey before a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, joining fellow 1994 Stanley Cup champion teammates Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Mike Richter, as well as Ranger greats Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacomin, in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. On February 22, the Rangers retired Andy Bathgate's number 9 and Harry Howell's number 3 jerseys before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. A day later, Head Coach Tom Renney was fired after five seasons with the Rangers.


2008–09 New York Rangers season
Former Rangers assistant coach and coach of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, John Tortorella, was hired later that same day to replace Renney. Rangers Assistant general manager Jim Schoenfeld was given the interim assistant coaching position. Shortly after that, Sean Avery made his return to the Rangers, claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars. Head Coach John Tortorella was suspended for Game 6 of the Rangers–Washington Capitals playoff series after an altercation with a fan towards the end of the Rangers' 4–0 loss in Washington, D.C., during Game 5. On May 4, 2009, Markus Naslund announced that he would be retiring after one season with the Rangers.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Regular season
The Rangers finished the regular season with the League's best penalty-kill percentage, at 87.84%.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Regular season, Conference standings
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Regular season, Conference standings
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Schedule and results
Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Playoffs
The New York Rangers ended the 2008–09 regular season as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. They were defeated in the first round by the Washington Capitals in seven games.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only. ‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Transactions
The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2008–09 season.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Draft picks
New York's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario:


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Farm teams, Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
The 2008–09 season will be the 12th season of American Hockey League (AHL) hockey for the franchise.


2008–09 New York Rangers season, Farm teams, Charlotte Checkers (ECHL)
The 2008–09 season will be the 16th season of ECHL hockey for the franchise.


2008–09 New Zealand Figure Skating Championships
The 2008–09 New Zealand Figure Skating Championships was held at the Ice Sports Southland in Gore from 28 September through 3 October 2008. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, and synchronized skating across many levels, including senior, junior, novice, adult, and the pre-novice disciplines of juvenile, pre-Primary, primary, and intermediate.


2008–09 New Zealand Football Championship
The NZFC 2008–09 season is the fifth season of the New Zealand Football Championship competition.


2008–09 New Zealand Football Championship
The previous seasons champion, Waitakere United, and second-ranked club Auckland City FC will also be competing in the 2008-09 O-League which will run alongside the NZFC season.


2008–09 New Zealand V8 season
The 2008–09 New Zealand V8 season began at Taupo on 3–5 October 2008 and finished at Hamilton near Auckland on 17–19 April 2009 after seven championship meetings and one season-ending non-championship event. Kayne Scott overturned a 38-point deficit heading into the final round at Pukekohe Park Raceway, to finish as champion; winning the title by nine points ahead of John McIntyre.


2008–09 New Zealand V8 season, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers are competing in the current series.


2008–09 New Zealand V8 season, Points structure
Each championship round consists of three races, one on Saturday afternoon, one on Sunday morning and a final reverse grid race on Sunday afternoon. Points for the 2008/2009 championship are allocated as follows:


2008–09 Newcastle Jets FC season
The 2008–09 season was the fourth season for the Newcastle Jets, and the first as defending champions.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets FC season, Players, 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 Newcastle Jets FC season, Players, Transfers
TriallistsThe following players trialled with the Jets but were unsuccessful in gaining a contract.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets FC season, 2009 AFC Champions League, Champions League squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets FC season, Other squads, Youth squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets FC season, Other squads, Women's squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets W-League season
The 2008–09 season is the Newcastle Jets' first season of football (soccer) in Australia's new women's league, the W-League.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets W-League season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2008–09 Newcastle Jets W-League season, Milestones
First game = 2–1 win home V Canberra UnitedLargest win = 4–1 win home V Perth GloryLargest loss = 3–2 loss away V Adelaide United


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Newcastle United's 16th consecutive season in the top division of English football. This season saw the club relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, the first time the club had been relegated since 1989.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season
Things had looked reasonable for Newcastle at the start of the new season, but a major falling out between Kevin Keegan and the board saw Keegan resign as manager. This led to an awful run of form under caretaker manager Chris Hughton and the surprise appointment of Joe Kinnear was made to try to help the team out. A health scare saw Kinnear have to leave his office as manager in February. Under Hughton and Colin Calderwood, the club went on another horrible run of form as they were sucked deeper into the relegation battle. Ex-player Alan Shearer was appointed as a temporary manager for the last eight matches of the season but he was only able to win one of these games and Newcastle were relegated.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Keegan resigns
In the summer transfer window, Newcastle United signed Jonás Gutiérrez, Danny Guthrie, Sébastien Bassong and Fabricio Coloccini. There were also a number of departures from the first team, most notably that of James Milner to Aston Villa, whose departure was rumoured to have sparked disagreements between Keegan and the board, with Keegan claiming he was not consulted about his contract renewal. Shortly after the Arsenal game on 30 August, Spanish under-21 international Xisco was unveiled at St James' Park by Director of Football Dennis Wise.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Keegan resigns
On 1 September, there were widespread media reports that Keegan had either resigned or been sacked. While these reports were revealed to be premature, Keegan did tender his resignation on 4 September, citing fury over a lack of control over transfers and interference from the board, reflecting upon the sale of James Milner and the arrival of Xisco, a player he claimed to have known nothing about. Many Newcastle fans were furious with the perceived mistreatment of Keegan; public anger was directed at owner Mike Ashley, Executive Director Dennis Wise, Vice-Chairman Tony Jimenez and Chairman Derek Llambias, who were perceived to have forced Keegan out of the club.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Keegan resigns
Shortly after Keegan's departure, the League Managers Association warned Newcastle United to develop a structure which would satisfy the next manager to avoid a similar situation occurring again. They also reported that Keegan would consider a return to the club should they develop a structure he would be happy with. The club hit back at the allegations, claiming Keegan was aware of the structure when he joined.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Keegan resigns
In December, however, following reports that Ashley was set to end his bid to sell United, it was reported that a legal battle was commencing between Ashley and Keegan, with Ashley rumoured to be claiming damage to his public image and Keegan claiming for breach of contract, following backing from the League Managers Association.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Joe Kinnear
Assistant manager Chris Hughton took over as caretaker manager for several weeks, during which Newcastle remained winless in all three of their matches. On 26 September, Hughton was replaced by Joe Kinnear as "interim manager." Kinnear's appointment proved completely unimpressive with the fans and resulted in Kinnear profusely verbally abusing and swearing at the media upon his first media interview. He then announced he would not speak to any national press again and would only speak with the local media. In his first two matches in charge, Newcastle managed 2–2 draws with Everton and Manchester City, coming from behind both times (the latter with ten men).


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Joe Kinnear
In the last week of January, key players Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia left, causing an already thin squad to lose more talent. Amongst ongoing criticism of the club board following Keegan's departure, Joe Kinnear managed five wins, ten draws, and 11 losses, and talks opened between Joe Kinnear and the board as to whether he would consider a full-time position the following season.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Joe Kinnear
On 7 February, however, the club's torrid season took another major blow when Kinnear was admitted to hospital following heart problems, and Chris Hughton once again took charge of the team, this time with the help of Colin Calderwood. By the end of March, the club was struggling to find form and keep pace with the opposition. With scarce wins over the course of the season, the team now faced a relegation battle.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Alan Shearer
Keeping to his decision not to rush Kinnear back into his role too shortly after his surgery, Mike Ashley brought in club icon Alan Shearer to take over from Kinnear as the club's interim manager on 1 April. As Shearer's appointment was announced, Dennis Wise resigned as director of football and the club announced there were no plans to replace him in the role. Shearer hired Iain Dowie as his assistant coach and began his reign as caretaker manager, losing 0–2 to Chelsea at St James' Park and drawing 1–1 away at Stoke City.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Alan Shearer
After losing 1–0 to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and drawing 0–0 at home with Portsmouth, the club was plunged even deeper into the tight relegation fight. The ignominious 3–0 loss to title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on 3 May, with Joey Barton being sent off on 77 minutes for a dangerous tackle, left the club in 18th place. Shearer recorded his first victory as manager on 11 May, defeating fellow strugglers Middlesbrough 3–1, lifting the club out of the relegation zone to 17th place on goal difference.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Alan Shearer
The feel-good factor did not last, however, as the following week, Newcastle slumped to a 0–1 home defeat to Fulham to fall back in the relegation zone with only the away game to Aston Villa left to play. This left the club needing to better the results of Hull City and Sunderland to avoid relegation. Despite Sunderland, Hull and Middlesbrough all losing their matches, Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship for the first time since 1993 after a 1–0 defeat to Aston Villa.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Alan Shearer
The club was then placed for sale by Ashley, who noted the club's terrible season following bad decisions on his part, which he believed led the club into major financial loss and constant criticism following relegation. Ashley said, "It has been catastrophic for everybody. I've lost my money and I've made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can." Newcastle released an official statement on the club's sale, including a press phone number and email address which was quickly made further public by the national press, although the address provided was merely for general enquiries.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Alan Shearer
This resulted in a large number of hoax bids being sent, most of which were made by rival Sunderland supporters. More controversy was once again caused by Dennis Wise, who claimed the club were still paying him £80,000 a month despite his departure in April, and claimed it was a factor in why Ashley was struggling to sell the club.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Compensation to Keegan
On 2 October, a Premier League arbitration panel ruled in favour of Kevin Keegan on his dispute with the club. The club confessed that they had lied to the media, public and staff, and that their correspondence on Keegan's departure was just "PR". Keegan confirmed his delight at the outcome, stating he felt the £2 million pay-out + interest fully justified his departure and mistreatment by the club. Dennis Wise announced to the press that he did not feel solely responsible for the situation that developed at the club, but yet did not wish to contradict or debate Keegan's accusations, although he announced deep sorrow over the situation and felt his career has been left "in tatters".


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Compensation to Keegan
The panel ruled in Keegan's favour, citing that player Nacho González was signed by Dennis Wise against Keegan's wishes, but also against the principles of the generally understood role of a Premier League manager, which usually states the manager has the final decision on player signings. The panel revealed that Wise asked Keegan to review González from YouTube, no more than 24 hours before the closing of the summer transfer window, from which Keegan refuted the player. The club revealed to the panel that Keegan had never been informed his word was not final and that they were not in a position to sack him should he not have agreed to their demands.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Season summary, Compensation to Keegan
Keegan rejected talk of a third return to the club, feeling the fans had "had enough," leaving the role open for Chris Hughton to become full-time manager.


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Team kit
The team kit for the 2008–09 season was produced by Adidas and Northern Rock remained as the main sponsor. The home kit remained the same for the season while the new away kit was revealed to the public on 20 June 2008.


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


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


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


2008–09 Newcastle United F.C. season, Players, Under-18 squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


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


2008–09 Nissar Trophy
The Mohammad Nissar Trophy was an annual first class cricket competition which takes place in Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi, India from 15 to 18 September 2008. It was contested over four days between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited cricket team the winner of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy from Pakistan and Delhi cricket team the winner of Ranji Trophy from India.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The head coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team won the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the fifth NCAA national title in school history.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Preseason
The Tar Heels were a trendy pick to win the National Championship that year, primarily because Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson decided to withdraw from the 2008 NBA Draft, and consensus national Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough never declared for that draft. In addition, the players had been embarrassed in the previous season's Final Four by Kansas, and they were motivated to atone for that poor performance. In the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll the Tar Heels were ranked #1. They were the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. UNC also received the first unanimous preseason #1 ranking in the history of the Associated Press Poll.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
The Tar Heels rolled through the nonconference schedule, along the way winning the Maui Invitational for the third time. They sputtered out of the gate to start ACC play, dropping their first two conference games to Boston College and Wake Forest. However, they recovered to reel off 10 straight conference wins, including a 101–87 thrashing of rival Duke. Their only relatively close games during this stretch came against the ACC's two Florida teams—most notably against Florida State, in which they escaped with a Ty Lawson buzzer-beater.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
They lost to Maryland in overtime, but recovered to win their last three games. A win over Virginia Tech gave the Tar Heels at least a share of their 27th regular season title (which are not recognized by the ACC as official championships; the tournament winner is declared champnion), and third in a row. They won the title outright with a season-ending win over Duke.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
The ACC Tournament did not go nearly as well, largely because Ty Lawson was sidelined with an injured big toe. They needed a last-minute score to defeat Virginia Tech, then fell to Florida State in the second round. Still, the Tar Heels were rewarded with the #2 ranking in the final AP Poll, behind Louisville. They also finished third in the final regular-season Coaches Poll, behind Louisville and Memphis.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
Despite not making it to the ACC title game, the Tar Heels received the top seed in the NCAA South Region. It was the 13th time the Tar Heels had been selected as a #1 seed—the most since the NCAA began seeding the tournament field in 1979. It is also UNC's 41st NCAA appearance—tied with UCLA for the second-most in history.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
The Tar Heels played their first- and second-round games at the Greensboro Coliseum, just an hour west of Chapel Hill. They easily dispatched Radford and LSU to advance to the regionals at the FedExForum in Memphis. In the regional round, the Heels dismantled Gonzaga 93–77. In the regional final, they defeated Oklahoma 72–60 to advance to the Final Four for the 18th time in school history—tied with UCLA for the most ever. The wins in the regional phase were also the school's 100th and 101st wins in the NCAA Tournament, passing Kentucky for most all-time, although Kentucky has reclaimed the top spot as of 2019.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
The Tar Heels were the highest seed to reach the Final Four at Ford Field in Detroit; they were the overall #3 seed in the tournament behind Louisville and Pittsburgh. In the national semifinal, the Tar Heels pounded Villanova 83–69 to advance to the national championship game for the ninth time in school history. They played against Michigan State, whom the Tar Heels defeated 98–63 during the December 2008 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They were no less dominant in the title game, winning 89–72 for the school's fifth NCAA national title—tied for the third-most all-time.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
The win capped off one of the most dominant runs in the tournament's history. The Tar Heels won every game by at least 12 points—a feat all the more remarkable since they upended four teams ranked in the top 15 of the final AP Poll in the process (#10 Gonzaga, #7 Oklahoma, #11 Villanova and #8 Michigan State). They also led for all but 10 minutes of a possible 240 minutes of game time. It also allowed Tyler Hansbrough and his fellow seniors to end their careers as the winningest class in school history.


2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team, Schedule
Wayne Ellington was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, the fourth Tar Heel to earn the award.


2008–09 North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team
The 2008–09 North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team represented North Dakota State University. The head coach was Saul Phillips. The team played its home games in the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo, North Dakota, and was a member of the Summit League. They received an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning The Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament in their first year of eligibility, the first team to do so since Long Beach State in 1970.


2008–09 North West Counties Football League
The 2008–09 North West Counties Football League season (known as the 2008–09 Vodkat League for sponsorship reasons) was the 27th in the history of the North West Counties Football League, a football competition in England. Teams were divided into two divisions: the Premier and the First. This was a change from previous seasons when the divisions were known as Division One and Division Two respectively.


2008–09 Northampton Town F.C. season
The 2008–09 season is the 31st season in the fourth division of English football, and the 94th season as a professional club played by Northampton Town F.C., a football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.


2008–09 Northern Counties East Football League
The 2008–09 Northern Counties East Football League season was the 27th in the history of Northern Counties East Football League, a football competition in England.


2008–09 Northern Counties East Football League, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 17 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with three new clubs.


2008–09 Northern Counties East Football League, Division One
Division One featured 13 clubs which competed in the previous season, along with six clubs:


2008–09 Northern Football League
The 2008–09 Northern Football League season was the 111th in the history of Northern Football League, a football competition in England.


2008–09 Northern Football League, Division One
Division One featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with three new clubs, promoted from Division Two:


2008–09 Northern Football League, Division Two
Division Two featured 17 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with three new clubs:


2008–09 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team represented Northern Illinois University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. This season was head coach Ricardo Patton's second season at Northern Illinois University.


2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represents University of Northern Iowa in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, which plays in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), is led by third-year head coach Ben Jacobson. In 2007–08, the Panthers finished 18–14 (9–9 in the MVC).


2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team, Pre-season
Northern Iowa played two games during the preseason. They faced Dubuque and Wayne State at home.


2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team, Regular season
On January 31, 2009 the Panthers tied a school record for the most consecutive wins with a 61–57 victory over Indians State. The record tied the 1963–1964 State College of Iowa Panthers team. On February 2, 2008 Northern Iowa received 1 point in the AP Top 25 poll which had them ranked 45th. On March 9, 2008 Northern Iowa received 3 points in the AP Top 25 poll which had them ranked T-37th.


2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers 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 Northern Premier League
The 2008–09 was the 41st season for the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and the second season for the Northern Premier League Division One North and South.


2008–09 Northern Premier League
As continuing part of non-league restructuring, the Division One South temporarily has 20 teams, while the Division One North contains 21, with a targeted number for both of 22 teams. This will naturally affect the number of relegation slots available this season, as the league attempts to enlarge the size of the divisions at the end of the season.


2008–09 Northern Premier League, Cup Results
Chairman's Cup: Between Champions of NPL Division 1 North and NPL Division 1 South.


2008–09 Northern Premier League, Peter Swales Shield
The 2009 version of the Peter Swales Shield saw the champions of the 2008–09 NPL Premier Division, Eastwood Town, play against the winners of the 2009 NPL Chairman's Cup, Durham City. Eastwood Town won the match 2–1.


2008–09 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball team represented Northwestern University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. This was head coach Bill Carmody's ninth season at the Northwestern. The Wildcats are members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Welsh-Ryan Arena. They finished the season 17–14, 8–10 in Big Ten play, lost in the first round of the 2009 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament and were invited to the 2009 National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to the University of Tulsa. Northwestern matched their school record for most wins in a season and recorded their first post-season appearance since 1999.


2008–09 Norwegian Futsal Premier League
The 2008–09 Norwegian Futsal Premier League season (known as Telekiosken Futsal Liga for sponsorship reasons) is the first ever season for futsal in Norway. It began 29 November 2008 and ended 15 February 2009.


2008–09 Norwegian Futsal Premier League, League table
Source: Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored. P = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; (C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated.


2008–09 Norwich City F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Norwich City's fourth consecutive year in the Football League Championship. On 3 May 2009, the club was relegated to play League One football for the first time in 49 years after losing 4–2 to Charlton Athletic and finishing in 22nd place. This article shows statistics and lists all matches played by the club during the season.


2008–09 Norwich City F.C. season, Club sponsors
From 26 April 2008, it was announced that Flybe would be stepping down as the main club sponsor. On 29 April 2008 it was announced that Aviva would be the new shirt sponsors, having signed a three-year contract. Aviva are the parent company of Norwich Union.


2008–09 Norwich City F.C. season, Board changes
On 2 September 2008, Andrew and Sharon Turner announced that they were leaving the football club's board of directors. This left a £2 million hole in Norwich City's budget. On 4 September 2008, Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones announced that they would be injecting £2 million, avoiding financial problems for the club.


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


2008–09 Norwich City F.C. season, Transfers, Out
0* Indicates player joined club after being released by Norwich City


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represents the University of Notre Dame in the 2008-09 college basketball season, competing in the Big East Conference. The team is led by ninth-year head coach, Mike Brey, and plays their home games in the Edmund P. Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Indiana.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason, Roster changes and recruiting
Notre Dame lost senior forward and team captain Rob Kurz to graduation. Freshman guard Ty Proffit left Notre Dame and transferred to another school Notre Dame had two players transfer in and they will sit out this season per NCAA rules for transfer students.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason, Roster changes and recruiting
Notre Dame did not sign any recruits from high school for the 2008-09 class.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason, Preseason outlook
With returning Big East Player of The Year Luke Harangody, the Irish were picked to finish fourth in the Big East conference by the Big East coach's poll. Harangody was also a unanimous first-team all-Big East selection and was picked to repeat as player of the year. Senior point guard Kyle McAlarney also made first-team all-Big East selection. Notre Dame is also looking to keep its 37 consecutive home game win streak alive.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Preseason, Preseason outlook
Notre Dame was selected as the pre-season No. 9 team in the country in the USAToday/ESPN preseason coaches poll, the program's highest ever preseason ranking in that poll. The Irish also debuted at No. 9 in the AP preseason poll, the fifth time Notre Dame has been ranked in the top 10 of that poll and its first top 10 ranking since the 1980–81 season.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Regular season, Roster
Hansbrough and Martin are not eligible to play due to NCAA transfer rules.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team, Regular season, Coaches
*Solomon returns to the staff for his fourth year after a previous stint from 2000 to 2003.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season
The 2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. Their regular season began on October 11, 2008, against Denver and concluded on February 28, 2009, against Michigan State Spartans. Note Dame finished first in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and advanced to the 2009 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament where they defeated Michigan 5–2 in the championship game. Notre Dame was given the top seed in Midwest Region and second seed overall for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season
In the opening game of the tournament, the Fighting Irish lost 5–1 to Bemidji State. They played their home games at the Edmund P. Joyce Center, and were coached by Jeff Jackson. Notre Dame's assistant coaches included Paul Pooley, Andy Slaggert, and Mike McNeill. Their athletic director was Jack Swarbrick. Games were broadcast over the radio on local ESPN Radio (AM1580), and were reported on by local newspaper the South Bend Tribune and Notre Dame's student newspaper The Observer.


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Schedule and results
^ Denotes Shillelagh Tournament (neutral site: Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates, Illinois)


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Schedule and results
" Denotes 2009 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament semifinals (neutral site: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan)


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Schedule and results
× Denotes 2009 CCHA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament final (neutral site: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan)


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Schedule and results
± Denotes 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament regional semifinal (neutral site: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan)


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Player statistics, Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes


2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey season, Player statistics, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalty minutes


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Nottingham Forest's first season back in the Football League Championship, following promotion from League One in the 2007–08 season, after spending three years in the third tier. Forest finished in 19th place, seven points above the relegation zone, having been involved in the relegation scrap all season, with Billy Davies changing fortunes around to secure Championship status for the 2009–10 season.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Pre-season and friendlies, Summary
Forest had a busy pre-season, making six promising signings, with seven players leaving as they prepared for the 2008–09 season. The players to come in were Welsh international striker Robert Earnshaw on a three-year deal for £2.65 million, Liverpool midfielder Paul Anderson on a one-year loan, ex-Manchester United striker Andrew Cole on a 12-month contract, French midfielder Guy Moussi from Angers SCO, striker Mickael Darnet from AS Cannes and Joe Garner from Carlisle United for £1.14 million. Those departing Forest were striker Grant Holt to Shrewsbury Town, Northern Ireland international midfielder Sammy Clingan to Norwich City, Ghanaian international striker Junior Agogo to Egyptian side Zamalek Sporting Club, left-back Matt Lockwood to Colchester United and midfielder Kris Commons to Derby County.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Pre-season and friendlies, Summary
Forest had a reasonably successful pre-season, winning four, drawing one and losing two in their seven pre-season fixtures. Their warm-ups included two games against Premier League opposition in Everton and Sunderland. Forest were then asked to partake in a friendly against a second-string Republic of Ireland side on 9 October during the international break, which Forest lost 2–0.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Forest kicked off the 2008–09 season with a goalless home draw against Reading before suffering their first league defeat in the Championship in a 3–1 loss at Swansea City. With four strikers injured, Forest secured the loan signing of Manchester United forward Lee Martin. Martin started the scoring in the 3–2 success over Watford with a 25-yard curler; the victory was Forest's first of the Championship campaign.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Robert Earnshaw netted his first league goal for the club in the victory, with Nathan Tyson, returning from injury, taking just four minutes after stepping off the bench to net the winner to put Forest 14th in the league table. Forest finished the month with a 5–1 defeat to Wolves, who went top of the Championship following the result. This marked Tyson's first start of the season after a hamstring injury.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Forest picked up one point in five games during September in a 0–0 home draw against Charlton sandwiched by 2–1 loses to both Burnley and Preston, and losses at Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday. Forest then lost their first two games in October with a 2–0 home loss to Crystal Palace and a 2–1 defeat at QPR. They won a home point against Ipswich Town but lost again four days later to Cardiff City, with both goals conceded both penalties. This run of poor form saw Forest prop up the Championship.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
With two away games coming up, it was being touted that manager Colin Calderwood faced the sack if they could not record a victory, but they did with a 2–1 away victory at Crystal Palace, with goals coming from midfielders Chris Cohen and Matt Thornhill. This was Forest's first win in ten games and in more than two months, and saw Forest them off the foot of the league.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
November started with the East Midlands derby against Derby County at Pride Park Stadium, the first time the two teams had met in a competitive fixture in over three years. The match proved to be controversial, with Emanuel Villa scoring at both ends to make the score 1–1. Lewis McGugan was given a straight red card, then a 93rd-minute penalty for Derby was saved by former Ram Lee Camp, with manager Colin Calderwood commenting after that the save would go down in the folklore.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Veteran striker Andrew Cole then had his contract cancelled by "mutual consent" after the ex-Manchester United forward had fallen out with the club, as he was often being left on the bench. Forest followed up the Derby draw with another 1–1 draw at home to promotion-chasing Birmingham City and then a 2–2 draw away to Bristol City; the latter match saw Camp save another injury-time penalty and a point, seeing Forest into a four-game unbeaten run. However, they then lost 2–1 at home to Norwich City to return to the bottom of the table.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
A further 0–0 away draw at relegation rivals Doncaster Rovers saw mass tabloid speculation that manager Colin Calderwood was set to be replaced by Billy Davies. In the next game, at home to Barnsley, Forest won by a 36th-minute header from Joe Garner, moving off the foot of the table to 23rd. Forest drew 2–2 at Coventry City, twice coming from behind to claim a point, but their poor home form continued with a 1–0 home loss to Sheffield United and a 0–0 draw against relegation rivals Blackpool.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Forest then recorded an important victory away at Southampton, with defender Wes Morgan scoring his first goal of the season and Joe Garner chipping the goalkeeper from 35 yards. This took Forest to just one point off safety, with their next game at home to bottom-of-the-table Doncaster Rovers, but Forest were 4–0 down within an hour and down to ten men for much of the second half after Julian Bennett came off injured after Forest had used all their substitutions, with a cruciate-ligament injury ruling the left-back out for the rest of the season.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Forest replied with two late goals, but immediately after the game the Forest board terminated manager Colin Calderwood's contract after two and a half years in charge of the club; assistant manager David Kerslake was also dismissed. Reserve-team manager John Pemberton took caretaker charge at Norwich City, which Forest won 3–2 to rise out of the relegation zone for the first time in three months; this game saw the end of Lee Camp's loan spell. On 1 January, Nottingham Forest appointed Billy Davies as their new manager, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with David Kelly named as his assistant manager.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Davies watched the next match, against nouveau-riche Premier League side Manchester City in the FA Cup third round, which saw Forest won 3–0 with goals from strikers Nathan Tyson, Robert Earnshaw and Joe Garner. Davies' first game in charge saw Forest go to bottom of the table Charlton Athletic and beat the strugglers 2–0, with Tyson and Earnshaw netting for the Reds. Their third victory in a row pushed Forest up to 21st and moved them closer to teams directly above them.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
A 2–0 home win Plymouth Argyle moved them into 20th before a big rival match in the FA Cup against Derby County at Pride Park, which ended 1–1. There will be a replay on 4 February at the City Ground. This was followed up by a 2–1 home win against Sheffield Wednesday, in which Forest came from behind to win. The result put them 17th, four points clear of the relegation zone. February saw just one win for Forest at the end of the month against promotion chasing Reading.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Forest lost their opening game of February to local rivals Derby in the FA Cup. Forest then drew 1–1 with QPR before going on a three-game losing streak to Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Derby this time in the league.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
After the bitter disappointment of picking up just one victory in February, Forest were looking to get off to the best possible start, and they did against Preston in a 2–1 victory with a brace from Rob Earnshaw sending Forest three places up the table into 18th and looking a lot less likely to face the drop after another good result this time a 1–1 draw to Swansea City.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
However another three game losing streak to Watford, a 5–0 loss to Burnley and then a 1–0 defeat to Wolves thanks to a Michael Kightly goal saw Forest take another dramatic downturn and they slipped in the league table to the regulation place of 22nd. Forest knew that with just six games left to stay in the Championship they needed something special. After a 1–1 draw against Barnsley following a desperate equaliser from Rob Earnshaw, Forest still sat in the drop zone.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Up next were Bristol City, when city went ahead through Ivan Sproule things looked bleak again at the City Ground. Rob Earnshaw again showed his fantastic ability to score vital goals after grabbing an equaliser but with twelve minutes to go Forest went 2–1 down thanks to Dele Adebola. Forest turned things round in a fantastic comeback, Joe Garner making it 2–2 and then in stoppage time on loan Dexter Blackstock grabbed the late winner to give Forest a vital three points and climb themselves out of the drop zone.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
A midweek match against Sheffield United followed the fantastic win against City but it was a dull affair. After Kelvin Wilson was sent off early on, Forest's best chance fell to Joe Garner who fired over the crossbar and the Red's had to settle for a 0–0 draw that put them back into the drop zone on goal difference with Barnsley. Coventry City was the next opponents Forest had to face. Forest seemed more likely too pick up a result as the match was at the City Ground following the hysterics last week against Bristol City.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
And the only goal from James Perch after 46 minutes gave Forest a well-deserved win sending them up to 20th and out the drop zone, however they could not be complacent yet as both Norwich City and Barnsley, the two teams behind them had games in hand. Following the draw at Coventry, Forest saw that both Barnsley and Norwich failed to pick up a result that threatened Forest's safety. The early kick off saw on 25 April saw Forest hold Blackpool to a 1–1 draw at Bloomfield Road.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Coca-Cola Championship, Summary
Barnsley played Wolves and looked to have won what was a vital game however a late equaliser for Wolves saw Forest with a chance to stay up if Norwich were to lose to Reading. And they did, two goals from Shane Long meant Forest had escaped the drop. On the final day Forest beat already relegated Southampton 3–1 and secure 19th place just behind rivals Derby County.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Squad statistics, Appearances and goals
The statistics for the following players are for their time during 2008–09 season playing for Nottingham Forest. Any stats from a different club during 2008–09 are not included.


2008–09 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Squad statistics, 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 Notts County F.C. season
Notts County are the oldest club in the Football League. The 2008–09 season was its 12th year in The Football League.


2008–09 Notts County F.C. season, Season review, Cups, FA Cup
Notts County took on non-League side Sutton Town where they won. After that they took on another non-league side, Kettering Town where they drew resulting in a replay where they lost 2–1.


2008–09 Notts County F.C. season, Season review, Cups, League Cup
Notts County started their League Cup campaign against newly promoted Championship side, Doncaster Rovers. Myles Weston scored the only goal to put them through to the second round, where they took on Premier League side Wigan Athletic. There they lost 4–0.


2008–09 Notts County F.C. season, Season review, Cups, Football League Trophy
Notts County's Football League Trophy campaign only lasted one match. League One outfit Scunthorpe United beat the County 2–1 at Glanford Park.


2008–09 Notts County 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 OB I bajnoksag season
The 2008–09 OB I bajnokság season was the 72nd season of the OB I bajnokság, the top level of ice hockey in Hungary. Six teams participated in the league, and Alba Volan Szekesfehervar won the championship.


2008–09 OFC Champions League
The 2008–09 OFC Champions League was the 8th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 3rd season under the current OFC Champions League name. The competition consisted of a home and away group stage, followed by a knockout round. It took place from 2 November 2008 until 3 May 2009.


2008–09 OFC Champions League
A qualifying round was due to be played, but due to the withdrawal of the representatives from the Cook Islands and Tuvalu, the entrants from Papua New Guinea automatically gained entry to the main draw. It is unknown why the domestic champions of Tahiti and New Caledonia were unable to participate.


2008–09 OFC Champions League
The winner of the tournament was Auckland City of New Zealand, who beat Koloale of the Solomon Islands in the two legged final, claiming Oceania's US$1 million (NZ$1.41 million) berth in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.


2008–09 OFC Champions League, Participating teams
Under the rules of the OFC Champions League, the winner of the O-League Preliminary competition replaces the last-placed member nation from the previous year's O-League.


2008–09 OFC Champions League, Participating teams
Hekari United automatically qualified to the Group Stage following the withdrawal of the representative clubs from Cook Islands and Tuvalu.


2008–09 OFC Champions League, Final
The OFC Champions League winner also advances to the qualifying round of the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.


2008–09 OHL season
The 2008–09 OHL season was the 29th season of the Ontario Hockey League. Twenty teams played 68 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on September 17, 2008 and concluded on March 15, 2009. The OHL inaugurated the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy following his death in the previous season. The Windsor Spitfires played their last game at Windsor Arena on December 4, defeating the Guelph Storm, 2–1. The Spitfires played their first game at the WFCU Centre on December 11 against the Belleville Bulls, losing the game 4–0. The playoffs began on March 18, 2009, and ended on May 8, 2009 with the Windsor Spitfires winning the J. Ross Robertson Cup, and a berth in the 2009 Memorial Cup which was held in Rimouski, Quebec. Windsor went on to win the Memorial Cup.


2008–09 OHL season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime Losses; SL = Shootout Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title


2008–09 OHL season, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


2008–09 OHL season, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime losses; SL = Shootout losses; GA = Goals allowed; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


2008–09 OHL season, Playoffs, Playoff scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2008–09 OHL season, Playoffs, Playoff leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; Mins = Minutes Played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime Losses; SL = Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals Against Average


2008–09 OHL season, All-Star Classic
The 2009 Subway OHL All-Star Classic was played February 4, 2009 at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, won 11–6 by the Eastern Conference. Cody Hodgson of the Brampton Battalion won the player of the game award, as he scored three goals and added two assists. The skills competition was held the previous night on February 3, with the Western Conference winning. Honorary captains for the event were former Peterborough Petes player Steve Yzerman for the Eastern Conference, while former Windsor Spitfires player Adam Graves represented the Western Conference.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 OHL Priority Selection
On May 2, 2009, the OHL conducted the 2009 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds held the first overall pick in the draft, and selected Daniel Catenacci from the York-Simcoe Express. Catenacci was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded to the top pick in the draft.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 OHL Priority Selection
Below are the players who were selected in the first round of the 2009 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 CHL Import Draft
On June 30, 2009, the Canadian Hockey League conducted the 2009 CHL Import Draft, in which teams in all three CHL leagues participate in. The Plymouth Whalers held the first pick in the draft by a team in the OHL, and selected Gabriel Landeskog from Sweden with their selection.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 CHL Import Draft
Below are the players who were selected in the first round by Ontario Hockey League teams in the 2009 CHL Import Draft.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 NHL Entry Draft
On June 26–27, 2009, the National Hockey League conducted the 2009 NHL Entry Draft held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. In total, 45 players from the Ontario Hockey League were selected in the draft. John Tavares of the London Knights was the first player from the OHL to be selected, as he was taken with the first overall pick by the New York Islanders.


2008–09 OHL season, 2009 NHL Entry Draft
Below are the players selected from OHL teams at the NHL Entry Draft.


2008–09 OJHL season
The 2008–09 OJHL season was the 16th and final season of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) before it was divided into two leagues for a single season. The twenty-nine teams of the Phillips, Ruddock, and MacKinnon Divisions will play 49-game schedules, while the eight teams of the Ontario Hockey Association's Central Division Hockey will play an experimental 53-game season.


2008–09 OJHL season
Come February, the top eight teams of each division will play down for the Frank L. Buckland Trophy, the OJHL championship. The winner of the Buckland Cup will compete in the Central Canadian Junior "A" championship, the Dudley Hewitt Cup. If successful against the winners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and Superior International Junior Hockey League, the champion would then move on to play in the Canadian Junior Hockey League championship, the 2009 Royal Bank Cup.


2008–09 OJHL season, Current Standings
as of February 13, 2009Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime Losses; SL = Shootout Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title


2008–09 OJHL season, 2008-09 Frank L. Buckland Trophy Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs
Note: C is Central, M is Mackinnon, P is Phillips, R is Ruddock.


2008–09 OJHL season, 2008-09 Frank L. Buckland Trophy Playoffs, Divisional Playoffs
Playoff results are listed by Pointstreak on the official league website.


2008–09 OJHL season, Dudley Hewitt Cup Championship
Hosted by the Schreiber Diesels in Schreiber, Ontario. The Kingston Voyageurs finished in first place.


2008–09 OJHL season, 2009 Royal Bank Cup Championship
Hosted by the Victoria Grizzlies in Victoria, British Columbia. The Kingston Voyageurs lost out in the semi-final.


2008–09 OJHL season, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2008–09 OJHL season, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; Mins = Minutes Played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OTL = Overtime Losses; SL = Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals Against Average


2008–09 OK Liga
The 2008–09 OK Liga was the 40th season of the top-tier league of rink hockey in Spain.


2008–09 OK Liga, Competition format
The eight first teams at the end of the regular season qualified for the playoffs while the three last teams were relegated to Primera División.


2008–09 OK Liga, Playoffs
Quarterfinals were played with a best-of-three format, while semifinals and final were played with a best-of-five series.


2008–09 OK Liga, Playoffs
Seeded teams played games 1 and 3 of the quarterfinals and 1, 2 and 5 of semifinals and finals at home.


2008–09 OK Liga, Copa del Rey
The 2009 Copa del Rey was the 66th edition of the Spanish men's roller hockey cup. It was played in A Coruña between the eight first qualified teams after the first half of the season.


2008–09 OK Liga Femenina
The 2008–09 OK Liga Femenina was the first edition of Spain's premier women's rink hockey championship. It was played without Catalan teams due to the high cost of the travels during the competition.


2008–09 OK Liga Femenina
Biesca Gijón was the first champion of the new league.


2008–09 OK Liga Femenina, Copa de la Reina
The 2009 Copa de la Reina was the 4th edition of the Spanish women's roller hockey cup. It was played in Mieres.


2008–09 OK Liga Femenina, Copa de la Reina
Vilanova L'Ull Blau won its first cup ever by beating Alcorcón Cat's Best in the final by 10–1, the widest win ever in a final of this competition.


2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball team representing Oakland University.


2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
Oakland was picked to finish third in The Summit League's preseason poll. Oral Roberts was voted to finish first and North Dakota State second. However, only eight votes separated the three teams. Senior forward Derick Nelson and junior guard Johnathon Jones were named to the Preseason All-League First Team. Senior guard Erik Kangas was named to the Second Team.


2008–09 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team
Prior to the first game of the year against Cleveland State, senior forward Derick Nelson suffered a foot injury and sat out most of the season. Nelson played in two games against Eastern Michigan and Michigan State, but did not record a point and took a medical redshirt. Oakland lost their first game against CSU and defeated Pacific-10 Conference opponent Oregon for the second year in a row.


2008–09 Odense Boldklub season
The 2008–09 Odense Boldklub season was the club's 121th season, and their 48th appearance in the Danish Superliga. As well as the Superliga, they competed in the Ekstra Bladet Cup.


2008–09 Odense Boldklub season, Squad statistics, Goalscorers
Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2008–09 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team represented Ohio University in the college basketball season of 2008–09. The team was coached by John Groce and played their home games at the Convocation Center.


2008–09 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represented The Ohio State University. The head coach was Thad Matta, then in his fifth season with the Buckeyes. The team played its home games in Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes finished fourth in the conference's regular season, and was runner up in the Big Ten tournament, falling to Purdue 65–61 in the final game. In the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes lost in the first round to the Siena Saints in double overtime.


2008–09 Oklahoma City Thunder season
The Oklahoma City Thunder played its inaugural season in the 2008–09 NBA season. It was the team's 1st season in Oklahoma City since the Seattle SuperSonics relocation was approved by league owners prior to settling a lawsuit. The team played at the Ford Center.


2008–09 Oklahoma City Thunder season
Oklahoma City hosted the New Orleans Hornets for two seasons, due to Hurricane Katrina's devastation along the Gulf Coast in August 2005.


2008–09 Oklahoma City Thunder season, Draft picks
The 2008 NBA Draft was the final time that the Seattle SuperSonics made an NBA Draft appearance, as well as the final time that the SuperSonics appeared in official media publications. In early July, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder made their first NBA Draft appearance in 2009.


2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach is Jeff Capel, who was in his third year with the team. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK.


2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Sooners were coached by Sherri Coale. The Sooners are a member of the Big Twelve Conference and qualified for the Final Four.


2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team, Regular season
Cal led by 17 points, 69-52, before Oklahoma (8-2) closed the game with a 34-6 run. Stevenson finished with 21 points and Courtney Paris had 18 points and 13 rebounds to extend her consecutive streak of double-doubles dating to her freshman season to 102 games in Oklahoma's third straight victory since their loss to top-ranked Connecticut on Nov. 30. Cal had won the only other two meetings with Oklahoma but this marked the first matchup between the schools since Nov. 28, 1987, when the Bears won 81-66 in the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu.


2008–09 Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team, Regular season
Five Sooners scored in double-figures, including Courtney Paris, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds in only 22 minutes to stretch her NCAA record streak of consecutive double-doubles to 105 games.


2008–09 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team
The 2008–09 Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball team represented Oklahoma State University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Travis Ford's inaugural season at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys competed in the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at Gallagher-Iba Arena. They finished the season 23–12, 9–7 in Big 12 play. They lost in the semifinals of the 2009 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament. They received an at–large bid to the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning an 8 seed in the East Region, where they advanced to the Second Round by defeating 9 seed Tennessee 77–75. The Cowboy's fell in the Second Round to 1 seed Pittsburgh.


2008–09 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, Pre-Season
In the Big 12 preseason polls, released October 7, Oklahoma State was selected to finish sixth in the Big 12 coaches poll.


2008–09 Old Dominion Monarchs basketball team
The 2008–09 Old Dominion Monarchs basketball team represented Old Dominion University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball during the 2008–09 season. Playing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and led by eighth-year head coach Blaine Taylor, the Monarchs finished the season with a 25–10 overall record and won the 2009 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament – the first year of the tournament's existence.


2008–09 Old Dominion Monarchs basketball team
In CAA play, the Monarchs finished in third place with a 12–6 record. They advanced to the semi-finals of the 2009 CAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual champion VCU, 61–53.


2008–09 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Oldham Athletic's 113th season and their 10th consecutive season in the third tier of the English football league system.


2008–09 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season, Review, Pre-season and friendlies
Oldham Athletic was originally scheduled to play their first pre-season friendly versus Belgian First Division side, Cercle Brugge, on 15 July 2008, but the game was cancelled due to disputes between the two clubs. On 16 July, the Latics played their first friendly versus Rhyl of the Welsh Premier League at Belle Vue. Oldham won the game 3–0 as new midfielder Danny Whitaker scored in the 71st minute. The club's next pre-season friendly was a 2–1 victory over Grimsby Town three days later.


2008–09 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season, Review, Pre-season and friendlies
Oldham included many new transfers in the line-up, as well as Demar Phillips who was on trial from Premier League club Stoke City. Deane Smalley won the match for Oldham with a goal just five minutes before the final whistle. On 23 July, Oldham faced former-Premier League club Derby County at Boundary Park. Following a John Oster goal for Derby in the 16th minute, new striker Chris O'Grady put the Latics back level just six minutes later, with the game finishing in a 1–1 draw.