2012 St. Louis Cardinals season, Postseason, National League Championship Series, Game 6
Sunday, October 21, 2012 – 7:45 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California


2012 St. Louis Cardinals season, Postseason, National League Championship Series, Game 7
Monday, October 22, 2012 – 8:07 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California


2012 St. Louis Cardinals season, Postseason, National League Championship Series, Composite line score
2012 NLCS (4–3): San Francisco Giants over St. Louis Cardinals


2012 St. Louis Rams season
The 2012 season was the St. Louis Rams' 75th in the National Football League, their 18th in St. Louis and their first under head coach Jeff Fisher. Finishing at 7–8–1, they improved on their 2–14 record from 2011. In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, the game ended in a 24–24 tie, the first since the 2008 NFL season. It was Sam Bradford's second and final full season as the Rams starting quarterback as two torn ACLs sidelined him for much of the next season and the entire 2014 season.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Personnel changes
On January 2, 2012, Rams' owner Stan Kroenke fired coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney after a 2–14 season, and their 10–38 record after three seasons. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was signed to be the new head coach and Les Snead was hired to be the new general manager.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Staff
† – suspended for the 2012 season(see New Orleans Saints bounty scandal)


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Detroit Lions
The Rams started their season on the road against the Lions. The Rams drew first blood in the first quarter with a 48-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein to take a 3–0 lead for the only score of that quarter. The Lions then took a 7–3 lead with Joique Bell's 1-yard run for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Detroit Lions
The Rams responded with a 29-yard field goal from Zuerlein as they came up within a point 7–6 before on the Lions' next possession, Matthew Stafford was picked off by Cortland Finnegan and it was returned 31 yards for a touchdown as the Rams retook the lead 13–7. The Lions then responded with Jason Hanson kicking a 41-yard field goal to shorten the Rams' lead to 13–10 at halftime. After the break, the Lions scored first with Jason Hanson kicking a 45-yard field goal to tie the game 13–13 for the only score of the 3rd quarter.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1: at Detroit Lions
However, the Rams moved back into the lead in the 4th quarter with Brandon Gibson's 23-yard catch from Sam Bradford to make it 20–13. The Lions tied the game back up with Kevin Smith running for a touchdown from 5 yards out to tie the game 20–20. The Rams then retook the lead with Greg Zuerlein kicking a 46-yard field goal to make the score 23–20. On their last possession, the Lions moved down the field and Matthew Stafford found Kevin Smith on a 5-yard touchdown pass to make the final score 27–23 as the Rams began their season 0–1.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. Washington Redskins
After a tough loss, the Rams returned home for a game against the Redskins. With the win, the team improved to 1–1. Before the game, the Rams were fined $20,000 for not reporting Steven Jackson's injury.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: at Chicago Bears
After defeating the Redskins at home, the Rams traveled on the road against the Bears. The Bears scored first in the first quarter with a 54-yard field goal from Robbie Gould to take a 3–0 lead for the only score of the quarter. In the 2nd quarter, the Bears increased their lead when Michael Bush scored a touchdown on a 5-yard run to make the score 10–0. The Rams responded with Greg Zuerlein's 56-yard field goal to shorten the lead to 10–3 at halftime.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: at Chicago Bears
In the 3rd quarter, the Rams drew closer as Zuerlein kicked a 46-yard field goal to make the score 10–6 for the only score of the quarter. But in the 4th quarter, the Bears held on for victory as Gould kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 13–6 and then on the Rams' next possession, Sam Bradford was intercepted by Major Wright who then returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to make it 20–6. Gould kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the final score 23–6 as the Rams dropped to 1–2.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With the win, the Rams improved to 2–2, And 2–0 in home games.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals
With the win, the Rams improved to 3–2. This was also the first time since 2006 the Rams were at least a game above .500. The team was 3–0 at home and 0–2 in road games at this point of the season.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 6: at Miami Dolphins
With the loss, the Rams fell to 3–3. With the Seahawks' win over the Patriots, the Rams were at the bottom of the NFC West. The team was also 0–3 in road games.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers
With the loss, the Rams fell to 3–4 and suffered their first home loss of the season.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. New England Patriots
With the loss, the Rams fell to 3–5 on the season. In this rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, the Rams traveled to London and were considered the home team in the 2012 International Series. The Rams' struggles continued as the team lost to the Patriots 45–7 heading into their bye week. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was able to have his way against the Rams' secondary, throwing touchdowns to four different Patriot wide receivers including two to ex-Ram Brandon Lloyd.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: at San Francisco 49ers
With their 3-game losing streak snapped, the Rams' record stood at 3–5–1 after the game ended in a 24–24 tie. This was the first NFL tie game since 2008 when the Bengals and Eagles played to a 13–13 tie game. It was also the first tie between the Rams and 49ers since 1968 when both teams played to a 20–20 tie game while the Rams were still in Los Angeles, thus this was the first tie game between the Rams based in St. Louis and the 49ers.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. New York Jets
With the loss, the Rams fell to 3–6–1. After going 3–0 in their first 3 home games, their home record dropped to 3–3.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: at Arizona Cardinals
With the win, the Rams improved to 4–6–1, won their first road game of the season and swept the Cardinals for the first time since 2003.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. San Francisco 49ers
With the win, the Rams improved to 5–6–1. After going into OT with the 49ers for the second time during the season, the Rams once again faced the threat of a tie. However kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked a 54-yard field goal to seal the win for the Rams.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 14: at Buffalo Bills
With the road win, the Rams improved their record to 6–6–1. The win was attributed to a late fourth quarter comeback drive by Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. The drive resulted in a touchdown reception by Brandon Gibson, bringing the score to 13–12. The Rams then scored a 2-point conversion on a quick pass to Danny Amendola, making the score 15–12 Rams. With under 2 minutes left in the game, the Bills attempted a comeback of their own, but came up short in what resulted in the Rams win.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With the loss, the Rams fell to a 6–7–1 record on the season. The Rams' loss came due to a stellar, over 200 yards rushing performance by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, and by early mistakes by the Rams' offense. During the game, Steven Jackson rushed for 73 yards, making him the 27th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 rushing yards in his career.


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite the win, the Rams were officially eliminated from playoff contention due to the Vikings 23–6 win over the Texans, but are aiming to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2004 with a win at Seattle at next week


2012 St. Louis Rams season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 17: at Seattle Seahawks
After winning over the Buccaneers, the Rams traveled up to Seattle to take on the Seahawks with a division record of 4–0–1. The Seahawks defeated the Rams and hand the team their only divisional loss of the season. The Rams finished 7–8–1, their 6th straight losing season dating back to 2007 and their 9th straight non-winning season dating back to 2004.


2012 St. Norbert Green Knights football team
The 2012 St. Norbert Green Knights football team represents St. Norbert College in the 2012 NCAA Division III football season. They are led by fourteenth year head coach Jim Purtill and play their home games at Schneider Stadium. They are a member of the Midwest Conference. On August 31, 2012, St. Norbert played their season opener against John Carroll at Donnybrook Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The game was played as part of the 2012 Global Ireland Football Tournament. It marked the first time in 20 years an NCAA Division III regular season game was played in Europe.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating
A tourist in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland was beaten, robbed, and stripped by several assailants on March 18, 2012, the day after St. Patrick's Day and the celebrations that occurred. The video was posted online and went viral, and a negative internet response resulted. Four suspects were arrested and charged with acts related to the crime; all pleaded guilty and were sentenced by the criminal justice system.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, The attack
On March 18, 2012, the day after St. Patrick's day celebrations, a crowd gathered around a tourist in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The crowd beat, robbed, and stripped the tourist of his clothes. The victim, a 31-year-old man from Alexandria, Virginia, said in statements to the police that he was traveling from Power Plant Live to a hotel in Mount Vernon. The victim had already consumed alcohol, and he had been intoxicated at the time of the attack.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, The attack
The attack occurred around 2 AM, outside of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse (Courthouse East). The victim lost the keys to his Audi car, his iPhone, and his TAG Heuer watch. The victim had valued the watch at $1,300. He woke up with injuries, and had no recollection of what had occurred.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, The attack
Several other acts of violence had been occurring in the Inner Harbor area during the same evening.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Video posting and internet response
Videos of the beating were widely shared after they were uploaded to social media sites and shock sites. The videos were posted to several high traffic websites, including 4chan, Reddit, Worldstar Hip Hop, and YouTube. Katie Rogers of The Washington Post said "No one can be sure of which site had the videos first". Justin Fenton and Peter Hermann of The Baltimore Sun stated that "it made it to the now typical stops for such shock clips: Worldstarhiphop, LiveLeak, YouTube, Twitter." The video was uploaded to WorldStar on March 30, 2012. The victim was unaware of the presence of the video until a relative notified him. Over 500,000 people watched the video showing the victim receiving a punch to the face.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Video posting and internet response
As a result of the release of the video of the beating, various users on social media used tools to identify and track down the assailants. Anthony Mandich, a man from Orange County, California, posted blog entries with information about the incident. On one night, users of 4chan worked for hours to try to find the suspects. Facebook and Twitter posters also examined Internet postings in order to track suspects.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
On Friday April 13, 2012, the first suspect, Aaron Jacob Parsons, a 20-year-old man from Rosedale, Maryland, was arrested after he turned himself in. Parsons worked as a party promoter and had graduated from Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Baltimore County. Prior to the arrest of Parsons, WBFF (Fox 45 Baltimore) interviewed him without notifying the Baltimore Police Department. As a result, the department ended the station's relationship with the department in regards to the program "Fugitive Files."


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
Three other suspects were also arrested. They were 20-year-old Shayona Mikia Davis of northwest Baltimore, 18-year-old Deangelo Carter of Baltimore, and 21-year-old Shatia Baldwin of Baltimore.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
All of the suspects were black, while the victim was white. The police were not investigating the incident as a hate crime. Frederick H. Bealefeld III, the police commissioner of Baltimore City and a White American, said on The C4 Show on WBAL that the attack was "drunken opportunistic criminality" after a caller into the show argued that if the victim was black and the attackers were white, the four suspects would have been charged with hate crimes and the case would have called the attention of civil rights leaders.


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
LZ Granderson commented on this case in relation to the Trayvon Martin incident in Florida by saying "For if President Obama had a son, he would look like Trayvon, but he would also look like one of the assailants in that video. That's the uncomfortable truth that the black community must deal with: Racism still hurts us, but not nearly as much as we hurt ourselves."


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
Davis was charged with armed robbery since she used her shoe to hit the victim. After Mandich learned that Parsons was arrested, Mandich said that "I actually take no pleasure in his arrest".


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
By May 10, 2012, the state government dropped 13 of the 24 total criminal charges filed against the defendants. On July 9, 2012, the suspects pleaded guilty, with Parsons and Baldwin doing so to robbery and Carter and Davis to second degree assault. Parsons received a three-year jail sentence, with two of these years being suspended. Carter and Davis were sentenced to one year each, including time served. Baldwin's sentencing was scheduled to occur on December 7, 2012. Baldwin received three years in prison. Warren Brown, the defense attorney, said that Parsons "offered an apology to both the victim and the city, interestingly because he knows he brought disrepute to the city, considering this went viral and cast a negative image of the city."


2012 St. Patrick's Day beating, Legal aftermath
Carter was incarcerated in the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center; he is no longer incarcerated. Parsons was incarcerated in the Baltimore City Detention Center. He is no longer incarcerated. Baldwin was incarcerated in the Baltimore City Detention Center. She is no longer incarcerated.


2012 St. Paul Cash Spiel
The 2012 St. Paul Cash Spiel was held from October 12 to 14 at the St. Paul Curling Club in St. Paul, Minnesota as part of the 2012–13 World Curling Tour. The event was held in a round robin format, and the purses for the men's and women's events were USD$16,000 and USD$7,200, respectively.


2012 St. Paul Cash Spiel
In the men's final, John Shuster defeated Todd Birr with a score of 6–4 to win his second World Curling Tour title as skip, while Patti Lank defeated Margie Smith in the women's final with a score of 7–2 to claim her second consecutive title at the St. Paul Cash Spiel.


2012 St. Petersburg Open
The 2012 St. Petersburg Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the St. Petersburg Open, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2012 ATP World Tour. It took place at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex in Saint Petersburg, Russia, from 17 September through 23 September 2012. Third-seeded Martin Kližan won the singles title.


2012 St. Petersburg Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2012 St. Petersburg Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2012 St. Petersburg Open, Finals, Singles
Martin Kližan defeated  Fabio Fognini, 6–2, 6–3It was Kližan's first title on the ATP World Tour.


2012 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles
In the doubles competition of the 2012 St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament, Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins were the defending champions, but lost in the quarterfinals to Martin Kližan and Filip Polášek. In the final, first seeds Rajeev Ram and Nenad Zimonjić prevailed over the Slovak team of Lukáš Lacko and Igor Zelenay by the score of 6–2, 4–6, [10–6].


2012 St. Petersburg Open – Singles
Marin Čilić was the defending champion but chose not to compete. Martin Kližan won his first ATP World Tour title by defeating Fabio Fognini in the final, 6–2, 6–3.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season
The 2012 season is Stabæk's 7th consecutive year in Tippeligaen, and their 17th season in the top flight of Norwegian football. It is Petter Belsvik's first season as the club's manager after Jörgen Lennartsson joined IF Elfsborg at the end of the previous season. Stabæk also competed in the UEFA Europa League after qualifying through the Fair Play rankings. They entered, and were knocked out, in the First Qualifying Round against JJK of Finland. On October 28, Stabæk were relegated from the Tippeligaen to the Adeccoligaen with three games still remaining.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Stabæk Fotball season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team
The 2012 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by second-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team
The Cardinal won their first Pac-12 championship since 1999 after defeating UCLA in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. They represented the Pac-12 in the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Wisconsin to win their first Rose Bowl championship since 1972. This was Stanford's third consecutive year playing in a BCS bowl game. They finished the season with a 12–2 record (8–1 Pac-12).


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, San Jose State
Known as the "Bill Walsh Legacy Game" (Bill Walsh was a graduate of San Jose State and a two-time head coach at Stanford), this game marked the 66th meeting between Stanford and San Jose State—the most times Stanford has faced a single non-Pac-12 opponent. In their first game after the Andrew Luck era, the Cardinal struggled offensively, but persevered over the Spartans, taking a 20–17 victory. Luck's successor at quarterback, Josh Nunes, threw one touchdown pass and running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 116 yards and scored Stanford's other touchdown in the first quarter. The Spartans added two third-quarter touchdowns—a Blake Jurich run and a David Fales to Noel Grigsby completion—to tie the score. A fourth-quarter field goal from Jordan Williamson put the Cardinal in front to stay.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Duke
Drew Terrell returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown and caught a Josh Nunes pass for another as Stanford routed Duke, 50–13. Nunes completed 16 of 30 passes for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Cardinal defense stifled the Blue Devils, holding them to just 27 rushing yards. Stanford defensive back Ed Reynolds intercepted Duke quarterback Sean Renfree twice, returning one 71 yards for another touchdown.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, USC
Stanford's defense held USC to just 26 rushing yards and sacked Matt Barkley 5 times as the Cardinal came from behind to upset the second-ranked Trojans, 21–14. Stanford won its fourth in a row against USC, its longest winning streak in the rivalry that dates to 1905. Stanford's Stepfan Taylor rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass from Josh Nunes that tied the game in the third quarter. Nunes later connected on a fourth-quarter strike to tight end Zach Ertz to put the Cardinal ahead to stay.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, USC
Barkley, who likely finished his college career winless against Stanford, threw two interceptions as USC failed to score in the second half. Stepfan Taylor was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts, and Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner, who recorded six tackles (3.5 tackles for losses) and a sack, was the conference Defensive Player of the Week.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Washington
Stanford failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2007 as the Huskies beat the Cardinal 17–13. The Husky defense held the Cardinal to just 235 yards of total offense. Stanford's defense was stingy in the first half, and gave the Cardinal its only touchdown of the day when linebacker Trent Murphy tipped and returned a Keith Price pass 40 yards for the score. But the Huskies broke through on the last play of the third quarter, when Bishop Sankey broke free on a fourth down play for a 61-yard touchdown run. Price connected with Kasen Williams for a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Huskies.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Arizona
Coming off a lackluster performance the previous week in which Stanford failed to score an offensive touchdown, Stanford's Josh Nunes threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for three more as the Cardinal came back from a 14 point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Wildcats in overtime, 54–48. For the Wildcats, Ka'Deem Carey ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Matt Scott completed 45 of 69 passes (school records for attempts and completions), including three touchdown passes. However, on the first possession in overtime, Scott's pass was intercepted by Chase Thomas, setting up a 21-yard Stepfan Taylor touchdown run to win the game.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, at Notre Dame
In a defensive struggle with a controversial ending, Stanford fell to Notre Dame in overtime, 20–13. For the second time in three weeks, the Cardinal failed to score an offensive touchdown, with its lone touchdown coming as Chase Thomas recovered an Everett Golson fumble in the end zone. Stanford's defense later knocked Golson out of the game and replaced him with Tommy Rees. Notre Dame would tie the score on a Kyle Brindza field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, at Notre Dame
Notre Dame got the ball first and Rees connected with TJ Jones on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Stanford quickly moved the ball to first-and-goal from the four, and after three Notre Dame stops, had the ball inside the one on fourth down. On the game's final play, Stepfan Taylor dove for the end zone, but his initial rush was stopped. Although he eventually reached the end zone, officials ruled that his forward progress had been stopped. An official review did not overturn the decision and Notre Dame took back the Legends Trophy.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, California
The Cardinal defense held the Bears to 3 yards rushing on the way to a 21–3 victory, their third straight Big Game win. Quarterback Josh Nunes threw for 214 yards and a touchdown. Backup quarter Kevin Hogan threw and completed his first career pass for the Cardinal, a touchdown to Levine Toilolo. Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 189 yards (a career-high) and a touchdown. He moved past Toby Gerhart for second place overall among Stanford's career rushing list. Taylor's 3,616 yards trails only Darrin Nelson.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, California
This marked the first time that the Big Game was played in October. The game was moved due to scheduling issues created with the expansion of the conference and the television programming requirements of the Pac-12 Network.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Washington State
Washington State, winless in Pac-12 play, kept Stanford close, but the Cardinal prevailed, 24–17. The Cardinal offense sputtered all day, with just 12 first downs on the day and converting only 5 of 12 third downs. Stepfan Taylor managed only 58 yards on 21 carries and no scores, while quarterback Josh Nunes completed just 7 of 15 passes and a lone touchdown pass to Jamal-Rashad Patterson. For Washington State, quarterback Jeff Tuel threw for 401 yards and two touchdown passes, but was sacked by the Cardinal defense 10 times, leading to an overall rushing yardage loss of 16 yards. Tuel also threw a fourth quarter interception that was returned for a touchdown by Stanford safety Ed Reynolds, which provided the final winning margin.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Stanford head coach David Shaw turned over his offense to quarterback Kevin Hogan late in the first quarter as Stanford gave Colorado its first shutout at home in 26 years, 48–0. Whereas in previous weeks, quarterback Josh Nunes had looked ineffective, Hogan was extremely effective, running for 48 yards and throwing for 184 more and two touchdowns. Stepfan Taylor added two touchdown runs, and Ed Reynolds returned an interception for a touchdown, his third of the season.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Oregon State
In his first start as quarterback, Kevin Hogan connected for two late touchdown passes to lead the Cardinal to a comeback victory over the Beavers, 27–23. Stanford had taken an early lead on a Stepfan Taylor run and a Hogan pass to Ryan Hewitt, but the Beavers took momentum into halftime on a Terron Ward run and a short field goal, and continued to control the game in the third quarter, taking the lead on a Cody Vaz touchdown pass to Markus Wheaton and padding it with two more Trevor Romaine field goals.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Oregon State
But on the last play of the third quarter, Stanford's Taylor caught a short pass from Hogan and took it 40 yards to bring the Cardinal within 2 points. After Hogan's third touchdown pass of the day to Zach Ertz gave the Cardinal back the lead, quarterback Vaz fumbled on Oregon State's next possession and Stanford ran out most of the clock to secure the victory.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Oregon
In an overtime thriller, Stanford upset #1-ranked Oregon 17–14, all but ending the Ducks' hopes for a return to the BCS National Championship Game and putting the Cardinal in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Rose Bowl. Stanford's defense limited Oregon's rushing attack, then ranked third in the nation, to just 198 rushing yards, and held its leading rusher, Kenjon Barner, to just 66 yards.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Oregon led 14–7 with less than two minutes to go before Kevin Hogan found Zach Ertz in the end zone for a touchdown catch that was initially ruled incomplete; further official review overturned the call, saying that Ertz controlled the ball before rolling out of bounds. In the first possession of overtime, Ducks kicker Alejandro Maldonado missed a 41-yard field goal. In Stanford's possession, kicker Jordan Williamson, who had been inconsistent most of the year and who had missed a game-winning attempt in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Cardinal the win.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, UCLA
Stanford defeated UCLA 35–17 to clinch the Pac-12 North Division title, setting up a rematch with UCLA in the 2012 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Stepfan Taylor rushed for two touchdowns, Anthony Wilkerson rushed for another, and Kevin Hogan threw a touchdown pass to Drew Terrell in a balanced offensive performance. Usua Amanam recovered a fumble following a kickoff and returned it for the final Stanford touchdown.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, UCLA (Pac-12 Championship Game)
The Cardinal earned its first Rose Bowl appearance in 13 years with a comeback 27–24 victory over the Bruins, whom they had met just six days earlier in their final regular season game. The Cardinal's rushing defense, ranked among the nation's best, gave up the most yards it had all season as the Bruins rushed for 284 yards, 194 of which came from Johnathan Franklin, who also scored two touchdowns. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw for 155 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown to tie the score. Hogan also ran for Stanford's first touchdown. Stanford kicker Jordan Williamson had two field goals, including the game winner with less than 7 minutes remaining in the game. UCLA kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 52-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 39 seconds left to send Stanford to its third straight BCS bowl appearance.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin (Rose Bowl)
Stanford won its first Rose Bowl in 41 years, winning 20–14 over Wisconsin, which lost its third Rose Bowl in as many years. The Cardinal appeared poised to run away with the game, scoring quickly on its first possession following a trick play where wide receiver Drew Terrell threw a 34-yard pass to Jamal-Rashad Patterson. Stepfan Taylor added a three-yard run on Stanford's next possession.


2012 Stanford Cardinal football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin (Rose Bowl)
Stanford held Wisconsin out of the end zone on fourth and goal from the one yard line but after punting from their own end zone, were unable to stop the Badgers' Montee Ball on an 11-yard touchdown run. Stanford's Jordan Williamson added a long field goal, and then Wisconsin scored just before halftime to close within three points. In the third quarter, teams exchanged punts as both defenses held firm and allowed no scoring. In the fourth quarter, Stanford drove inside the Wisconsin 10, but the Badgers forced a field goal keeping the game within a single score. But Stanford's Usua Amanam intercepted Curt Phillips on the next series, icing the game for the Cardinal.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2011–12 season, and the culmination of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Kings defeated the Eastern Conference playoff champion New Jersey Devils four games to two, capturing the first Stanley Cup title in the team's 45-year history, dealing the Devils just their second Stanley Cup Finals defeat in five tries and first since 2001. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2012 Final ended a long Stanley Cup Finals appearance drought for the Los Angeles Kings, who had appeared in the Finals only once in franchise history, in 1993, when the Kings lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. The New Jersey Devils last appeared in 2003, when they defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup title. It was the first championship series since 2007 whose Stanley Cup-clinching game was played on the winning team's home ice.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals
The Eastern Conference winner had home ice advantage for the first time since 2006, since the Devils had a better regular season record than the Kings. The Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals, a record previously held by the Devils when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals
With the Devils entering the playoffs as the ninth seed of the 16 playoff teams by regular season record (no division titles) and the Kings as the 13th, their combined seed of 22 was the second highest of any playoff matchup (only trailing the 1991 Cup Finals with 23), and it was the first playoff matchup with no team seeded better than 9th. The Kings became the first, as well as the last eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup since the conference-based seedings were introduced in 1994.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings historically have not fared well in the postseason, having only progressed beyond second round of the playoffs once in franchise history. There were some highlights in franchise history, such as a dramatic seven-game series loss to the heavily favored Boston Bruins in 1976, the upset of the top seeded Edmonton Oilers (including the game three Miracle on Manchester) in 1982, and a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers in 1989.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, Los Angeles Kings
The first time that they advanced to the Conference Finals was in 1993, where the Kings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to reach their first Cup Finals in franchise history, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. From 1994 to 2011 the Kings won just one playoff series, during the 2001 postseason when they upset the Detroit Red Wings in six games (featuring the game four "Stunner at Staples") and coming back from a 3–1 deficit to push the eventual Cup champions Colorado Avalanche to seven games.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, Los Angeles Kings
The Kings started the regular season at 13–12–4 before firing head coach Terry Murray on December 12, 2011. John Stevens served as interim coach before the team hired Darryl Sutter on December 20. Under Sutter, the Kings finished the season at 95 points. The Kings lost their final two regular season games to fall from first place in the Pacific Division (and the #3 seed in the West) to third place in the division and eighth in the conference. The Kings won only 40 out 82 games, and with 95 points became first losing record team to finish the season with more than 90 points.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, Los Angeles Kings
The Kings then went on to become the second team to eliminate the first, second and thirds seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason (and the first team to do so in that order), after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames, also coached by Darryl Sutter, eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in five games, the St. Louis Blues in four games, and the Phoenix Coyotes in five games. In addition, the Kings went a perfect 8–0 on the road in these playoff games and the first team to go undefeated while en route to the Final.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, Los Angeles Kings
The Kings are the second eighth seed to reach the Finals, following the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 (the Oilers lost out to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games). Kings players Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene were part of that Oilers team in 2006, while teammate Justin Williams played for the Cup-winning Hurricanes.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, New Jersey Devils
The Devils started the season having missed the playoffs in the 2010–11 season for the first time since 1995–96 season, breaking a 13 consecutive post-season appearance streak. This was the Devils' first season under head coach Peter DeBoer, who replaced the retiring Jacques Lemaire during the offseason. Under DeBoer, New Jersey finished the regular season with 102 points, but ended up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals, New Jersey Devils
The Devils eliminated DeBoer's former team, the Southeast division-winning Florida Panthers, in seven games, and two of their division rivals, first the fifth-seeded Philadelphia Flyers in five games, and the first-seeded New York Rangers in six games.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game one
Los Angeles scored first on Colin Fraser's goal at 09:56 of the first period. The Kings then held the Devils without a shot on goal for the first 14 minutes of the second period, but could not increase their lead. The Devils tied the game at 18:48 of the second period when Anton Volchenkov's shot bounced off of Kings defenceman Slava Voynov and into the Los Angeles net. At 3:58 of the third period, a Devils goal was waved off when Zach Parise illegally pushed the puck with his hand over the Kings goal line. Anze Kopitar beat Martin Brodeur on a breakaway goal 8:13 into overtime to give the Kings a 2–1 win in game one. The Kings' Jonathan Quick made 17 out of 18 saves, while Brodeur made 23 out of 25.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game one
With the win, the Kings became the first team to win their first nine road games in a single postseason.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game two
The Kings extended their 2012 playoff road winning streak to ten with another 2–1 overtime victory. This time, it was Jeff Carter who scored at 13:42 of the extra period. After Carter's initial shot from the right side was stopped, he then went around the net to grab the puck on the other side and then made a shot through traffic that beat Martin Brodeur. Los Angeles scored first on Drew Doughty's unassisted goal at 7:49 of the first period.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game two
The Devils tied the game at 2:59 of the third period when Ryan Carter deflected Marek Zidlicky's shot into the Kings' net. Neither team could take advantage of their power plays, nor on a 4-on-4 late in the third period. Both teams had more shots than game one; Jonathan Quick made 32 out of 33 saves, while Brodeur made 30 out of 32.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
Los Angeles scored four goals, and Jonathan Quick stopped all 22 New Jersey shots, as the Kings defeated the Devils 4–0. The Kings' first goal at 5:58 of the second period was controversial. Dwight King's original shot against Martin Brodeur was stopped, but King kept on swiping the puck until Alec Martinez finally pushed it across the goal line. Brodeur argued that he had the puck covered up just before Martinez's shot, but the officials did not blow the play dead and the goal stood.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
The Kings' scored their second goal at 15:07 of the third period when Justin Williams sent a pass near the boards to Dustin Brown, who then passed to Anze Kopitar on the other side, who then lifted the puck over Brodeur. In the third period, two New Jersey penalties led to two Los Angeles power play goals. Meanwhile, New Jersey could not score off of Los Angeles' five penalties during the game, including Jeff Carter's high-sticking double-minor in the first period that led to a Devils 5 on 3 for about a minute.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
This contest also saw the return of Kings' left winger Simon Gagne, who had been out of the Los Angeles lineup since December 26, 2011, due to a head injury. Gagne, who played in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in three years, took Brad Richardson's spot in the lineup. In 2010, Gagne, along with current Kings teammates Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, were members of the Philadelphia Flyers that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
With the win, the Kings became the first team in NHL history to take a 3–0 series lead in each of the four rounds of the playoffs.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game four
New Jersey avoided being swept for the first time in team history when Adam Henrique scored at 15:29 of the third period to break a 1–1 tie, and Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty-netter with 19.1 seconds left, defeating the Kings 3–1, and forcing a fifth game. This marked the third time in this playoffs that the Kings failed to close out a series in game four after winning the first three games.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game four
The game remained scoreless until 7:56 of the third period when Patrik Elias shot a rebound into the Los Angeles net, giving New Jersey their first lead of the series. This lead was cut short a minute later, as David Clarkson was called for boarding at 8:52, and four seconds later Drew Doughty tied the game with a power play goal for the Kings. With the loss, the Kings failed to match the record set by the Edmonton Oilers, who was the last team to lose only two games in their 1988 championship run with at least 16 required games played in a four-round format.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
The Devils gave the Kings their only playoff road loss with a 2-1 victory, ending their 10-game road-winning streak, and became the first club since the Detroit Red Wings in 1945 to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Cup Finals to force a game six. New Jersey scored first at 12:45 of the first period, their first power play goal of the series, after Jonathan Quick misplayed the puck and Zach Parise found an open net on the other side before the Los Angeles goalie could recover.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
The Kings tied the game at 3:26 of the second when Justin Williams took a pass from Matt Greene, skated into the New Jersey zone and beat Martin Brodeur. But the Devils took the lead for good at 9:05 of the second when Bryce Salvador's shot deflected off of Kings defenceman Slava Voynov into the Los Angeles net. Jarret Stoll's goal at 11:16 of the second period, which would have tied the game, was waved off because he shot it with a high-stick. The Devils later held on for the final minute of the game on a 4-on-4 and the Kings pulling their goalie for the extra attacker on what became essentially a 5-on-4 advantage.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
The Kings defeated the Devils 6–1 to capture the series and win their first Stanley Cup in team history. This was the most lopsided Cup-clinching game since 1991, when the Pittsburgh Penguins won game six by beating the Minnesota North Stars 8–0. At 10:10 of the first period, New Jersey's Steve Bernier was assessed a major boarding penalty and a game misconduct on a hit to Los Angeles' Rob Scuderi. The Kings then put the game out of reach by scoring three goals on the ensuing five-minute power play (when a major penalty is assessed, the full five-minute penalty must be served)—the first by Dustin Brown, the second by Jeff Carter, and the third by Trevor Lewis.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
Carter then beat Martin Brodeur to score his second goal of the game at 1:50 of the second period after Anton Volchenkov collided with a linesman while trying to defend Brown, who was carrying the puck into the New Jersey Zone. Unimpeded after Volchenkov was screened from the play, Brown easily got the pass off to Carter. Adam Henrique got the Devils' lone goal at 18:45 of the second period after getting the rebound off of a shot by Petr Sykora. Lewis added an empty net goal at 16:15 of the third period after Brodeur was pulled for an extra attacker. With Brodeur back in the net, Matt Greene scored the Kings' sixth goal of the game 15 seconds later.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
Regarding Bernier's game-changing penalty, Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger wrote that it was "the most devastating call in the Stanley Cup finals since the illegal curve on Marty McSorley's stick in 1993". Several Devils fans and other observers believed that there was inconsistency with the officials' calls, and that they missed a couple of calls on the Kings at the time of that hit, such as one Jarret Stoll made on the Devils' Stephen Gionta.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
But James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail gave credit to the referees for making the hard call, stating that "Scuderi had his back to Bernier much of the play ... It's also the type of play the league showcased at the GM meetings as one where more and more players had been 'letting up' rather than plowing a vulnerable opponent from behind. The NHL, in other words, wants these hits out of the game."


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game six
With the win, the Kings became only the second California-based NHL team to win the Stanley Cup, following the Anaheim Ducks, who beat Ottawa in 2007, the 12th expansion team to win it, and the second to last of the surviving 1967 expansion teams to do so (in 2019, the St. Louis Blues became the last franchise from the 1967 expansion to win the Cup).


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Notes
The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first time two American-born captains faced off in the championship series of the NHL as Dustin Brown of Los Angeles battled against Zach Parise of New Jersey. This scenario ensured a second time in league history of an American-born captain leading his team to the Stanley Cup championship. Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars was the first American-born captain to do so, leading his team over the Buffalo Sabres in 1999.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Notes
These finals guaranteed the lowest-seeded Stanley Cup champion in history. New Jersey, as a fifth seed, won the Stanley Cup in 1995. With the Kings' victory, they became the first team ever to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed. They are also the second team to win the Stanley Cup without having home ice advantage in any of the four rounds of the playoffs, also after the Devils in 1995.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Notes
For the second consecutive Finals, both participating teams' arenas (New Jersey's Prudential Center and Los Angeles' Staples Center) served as host to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Prudential Center opened prior to the 2007–08 season, while the Staples Center opened in time for the 1999–2000 season (in 2011, the Boston Bruins' TD Garden and Vancouver Canucks' Rogers Arena, which both opened within days of one another in September 1995, were the two venues that had the honors).


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Notes
The Kings are the fourth consecutive team to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season in Europe as part of the NHL Premiere Series. Previous NHL Premiere participants (Pittsburgh—2009, Chicago—2010, Boston—2011) went on to win the Cup.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Notes
Jonathan Quick became the third American Conn Smythe Trophy winner, following previous winners Brian Leetch (1994) and Tim Thomas (2011).


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Team rosters
Years indicated in boldface under the "Finals appearance" column signify that the player won the Stanley Cup in the given year.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 2012 Stanley Cup was presented to Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, following the Kings 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in the sixth game of the finals.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Kings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Officials
The following officials were chosen for the Stanley Cup Finals:


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Television
In Canada, the series was televised in English on CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. In the United States, NBC broadcast the first two and the final two games, while the NBC Sports Network televised games three and four.


2012 Stanley Cup Finals, Television
The 2012 Final rated poorly in comparison to the four most recent Stanley Cup Finals on United States television. The first four games were marred by low ratings; had the series ended in four games, this series would have produced the lowest television ratings ever for a championship series of any major league sport. However, game five and game six produced somewhat higher ratings than the first four games, which gave the 2012 Final a slightly higher rating than the 2007 Final (which was on par with the 2006 Final); the 2007 Final therefore remains the lowest-rated championship series in American television history.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 11, 2012, after the conclusion of the 2011–12 NHL regular season, and ended on June 11, with the Los Angeles Kings defeating the New Jersey Devils in six games to win their first Stanley Cup title. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, having recorded a 1.41 goals against average, was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Vancouver Canucks made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners for the second consecutive year with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Detroit Red Wings increased their postseason appearance streak to twenty-one seasons, the longest active streak at the time. The Florida Panthers returned to the postseason to end a record-breaking 10-season drought from the playoffs that began with the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
This was also the first time that the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs during their active playoff appearance drought; as of 2021, they have tied Florida's record for longest playoff appearance drought in league history. This was the first year since 1996 in which no Canadian-based teams advanced past the first round. It marked the first time since 2004 in which none of the previous year's conference finalists (Boston Bruins, Vancouver, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks) advanced past the first round.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
After clinching a postseason spot in their 81st game of the regular season, the Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history (and the second eighth seed to reach the Cup Finals after the 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers). Their postseason began with an elimination of the Vancouver Canucks, who became the third Presidents' Trophy-winning team in the last four seasons to be eliminated in the first round.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
Los Angeles went on to become the second team to eliminate the first, second, and third seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames (and the first team to do so in that order). In addition, the Kings became the first team to make the Finals undefeated on the road (with their 8–0 record). As the sixth seed in their conference, the Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals, breaking a record they set when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Playoff seeds
The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The top three seeds in each conference were awarded to the division winners; while the five remaining spots were awarded to the highest finishers in their respective conferences.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Playoff bracket
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage. In the Stanley Cup Final series, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team plays at home for games one and two (plus five and seven if necessary), and the lower-seeded team is at home for games three and four (and if necessary, game six).


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals
One of the other major headlines during the conference quarterfinals were the number of suspensions and fines handed by the league. However, several players, coaches and writers complained about the lack of consistency that Brendan Shanahan, the NHL's Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations, was handing out these fines and suspensions. (for each specific fine or suspension, see each series summary below)


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
The New York Rangers entered the playoffs as the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 109 points. The Ottawa Senators earned 92 points during the regular season to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Ottawa won three of the games in the season's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
The first few games of the series were overshadowed by rough play and suspensions on both sides. In the first game, Rangers' checking center Brian Boyle punched defenceman Erik Karlsson but was not penalized. Senators' head coach Paul MacLean responded by adding enforcers Zenon Konopka and Matt Carkner for game two. Konopka harried Boyle as he conducted a live TV interview during the pre-game warm-ups, earning himself and his club fines. Carkner attacked Boyle at the beginning of the game and continued punching after Boyle fell to the ice.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
Boyle never dropped his gloves and Carkner was given a five-minute major and game misconduct. The Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky was also ejected as the third man in on the altercation; he threw a Gatorade cooler as he exited. Carkner received a one-game suspension for fighting an unwilling player. In an unrelated incident in that same game, New York's rookie skater Carl Hagelin elbowed Ottawa's captain Daniel Alfredsson in the head. Hagelin was given a five-minute major penalty and Alfredsson left the game and did not return. Hagelin was suspended for three games prompting a question of consistency by the New York Rangers. Alfredsson missed three games due to a concussion from the incident.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators
New York had a 4–2 victory in game one, but Ottawa's Chris Neil scored 1:17 into overtime of game two to tie the series at 1–1. In game three, Boyle scored the lone goal in the Rangers' 1–0 win. The Senators then overcame a two-goal deficit in game four to even the series yet again with Kyle Turris' goal 2:42 into overtime. Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson stopped all 41 shots in a 2–0 victory on the road in game five, giving the Senators their first lead in the series. New York scored three goals in the second period in their 3–2 victory in game six and then held on to a 2–1 win in game seven to take the series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
The Boston Bruins, the defending 2011 Stanley Cup champions, entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Northeast Division with 102 points. The Washington Capitals earned 92 points during the regular season to finish seventh overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with each team having won one of the previous playoff series. The most recent series between these teams was the 1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which was won by Washington in six games. Washington won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
This was the first ever playoff series in NHL history in which all seven games were decided by only one goal. In addition, four of these games were decided in overtime. Rookie Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who started in place of injured regulars Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, allowed only two goals in the first two games, matching his Bruins counterpart Tim Thomas. Thomas recorded a shutout in Boston's 1–0 overtime victory in game one. In game two, the Capitals battled back with a double overtime thriller when forward Nicklas Backstrom scored early in the second overtime period.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
The Bruins' 4–3 win in game three was followed by Backstrom getting suspended for one game after his post-game cross-check on Bruins forward Rich Peverley. Even without Backstrom, the Capitals evened the series with a 2–1 victory in game four. Washington's Troy Brouwer then scored the winning goal on a power play with 1:27 left in regulation of game five. Boston, facing elimination, went to Washington and managed to extend the series with Tyler Seguin's goal in overtime of game six. Game seven started with Washington forward Matt Hendricks deflecting the puck past Thomas.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals
The Bruins answered with a shot that snuck behind Holtby and Tyler Seguin finding the puck and putting it in, but Washington's Joel Ward scored in overtime to give Washington a 2–1 victory in game seven and eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins. With Washington's victory in the series, Holtby became just the third rookie goaltender in NHL history to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup champions.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
The Florida Panthers entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Southeast Division with 94 points. The New Jersey Devils earned 102 points during the regular season to finish sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with New Jersey having swept the 2000 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the last time the Panthers qualified for the playoffs. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
In the first two games of the series, the winner scored the first three goals. In game one, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur won his 100th career playoff game, only the second netminder after Patrick Roy to do so, as New Jersey won 3–2. The Panthers' 4–2 win in game two was their first playoff win since April 17, 1997, and ended a streak of nine straight defeats in a 15-year span. game three saw both starting goaltenders pulled from the game.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
Florida's Jose Theodore surrendered three goals in the first period before being replaced by Scott Clemmensen, appearing in only his second playoff game. Brodeur was then pulled after the Panthers rallied to tie the game in the second period en route to 4–3 win. This was the first time since game one of the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Carolina Hurricanes that Brodeur was pulled in a postseason game, which coincidentally marked Clemmensen's playoff debut.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
Brodeur bounced back in game four and broke another one of Roy's records with his 24th career playoff shutout, as the Devils beat the Panthers, 4–0. But Theodore responded with his second career postseason shutout, as the Panthers took a 3–2 series lead with a 3–0 victory in game five. The Devils then tied the series with Travis Zajac's winning goal 5:39 into the overtime of game six. New Jersey's Adam Henrique then scored two goals in game seven, including the series-winning goal 3:47 into double overtime, to defeat Florida, 3–2.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 108 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned 103 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams, with Philadelphia having won three of the five previous playoff series. In the most recent matchup in the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Penguins defeated the Flyers in six games. Philadelphia won four of the games in this year's six-game regular season series. The Penguins entered the series as the favourites, with many hockey commentators predicting them to be the Stanley Cup champions.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
However, the Flyers won the first three games of the series en route to eliminating the Penguins in six games. Pittsburgh struggled defensively, giving up eight goals in each of games two and three. The Penguins did however score 10 goals in their game four win, becoming the first team to do so in a playoff game since the Los Angeles Kings scored 12 in the 1990 Smythe Division Semifinals against the Calgary Flames. The Flyers' goaltending flaws resurfaced in that game, with neither Ilya Bryzgalov nor Sergei Bobrovsky able to stop the Penguins' torrid shooting. Again facing elimination, Pittsburgh went on to win game five, 3–2, in the lowest scoring game of the series. But Philadelphia rebounded to eliminate Pittsburgh in game six by the score of 5–1.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
Game three was overshadowed by a flurry of penalties drawn between the two teams, reminiscent of their penultimate regular season meeting on April 1. Three Penguins players drew suspensions. Arron Asham was suspended four games for a cross-check on Brayden Schenn, Craig Adams was suspended one game for instigating a fight, and James Neal was suspended one game for charging Claude Giroux. Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was fined $10,000 because of Adams' instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the game.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
The 45 goals scored through the first four games set an NHL record for goals in the first four games of a best-of-seven series. A total of 56 goals were scored over the course of the entire series, the highest total in any playoff series since 1995.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the Western Conference regular season champions and Presidents' Trophy winners, earning 111 points. The Los Angeles Kings qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed with 95 points. This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams, the two teams each having won two of the previous playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals, where the Canucks defeated the Kings in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. The Canucks entered the series as the favourites, with many hockey commentators predicting them to be the Western Conference champions.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
However, the Kings won the first three games of the series en route to eliminating the Canucks in five games. In doing so, Los Angeles became the third California team, and the sixth team overall, to eliminate a Presidents' Trophy winner in the first round of the playoffs. Vancouver struggled offensively throughout the series, while Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick only allowed eight total goals, including a shutout in game three. The Canucks' Byron Bitz was suspended for two games after boarding the Kings' Kyle Clifford in game one.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
Cory Schneider then replaced Roberto Luongo as Vancouver's starting goaltender for game three, prompting speculation that Luongo might be traded after the season. Game four saw the return of Vancouver's Daniel Sedin, in his first appearance since suffering a concussion on March 21. He had an assist in the Canucks' 3–1 victory in game four, and the team avoided becoming the first Presidents' Trophy winner to be swept in a conference quarterfinal series. However, Jarret Stoll ended the Canucks season, scoring at 4:27 of overtime to give the Kings a 2–1 victory in game five, the only overtime game of the series. They moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks
The St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs as the Central Division champions, earning 109 points. The San Jose Sharks qualified for the postseason as the seventh seed with 96 points. This was the fourth playoff series between these two teams, with San Jose having won two of the three previous playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2004 Western Conference Quarterfinals, where the Sharks defeated the Blues in five games. St. Louis swept this year's four-game regular season series, outscoring San Jose by a combined score of 11–3. A large part of the Blues' success was the play of their goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, who both allowed a league low of 165 combined team goals, earning them the William M. Jennings Trophy.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks
The Blues began the playoffs with Halak on goal, partly based on his playoff experience playing for the Montreal Canadiens. The Sharks took game one off of Martin Havlat's goal in double overtime. Halak then suffered a lower-body injury early into game two, but Elliott picked up where Halak left off in a Blues' 3–0 shutout, and subsequently allowed only five San Jose goals in St. Louis' victories in games three, four, and five to capture the series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
The Phoenix Coyotes entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference by winning the Pacific Division with 97 points. The Chicago Blackhawks earned 101 points during the regular season to finish sixth overall in the Western Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Phoenix won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
This became only the second playoff series in NHL history in which the first five games went into overtime, the first being the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens. Games one and two both saw the Blackhawks score the tying goal with less than 15 seconds left in regulation. In game two, Chicago's Andrew Shaw was ejected and later suspended for three games, after hitting Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith in the head. Smith laid on the ice for five minutes but remained in that game.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
Then in game three, the Coyotes' Raffi Torres hit the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa in the open ice. Hossa was carted out on a stretcher. Torres left his feet, Hossa did not have the puck when Torres hit him, and Torres did not receive a penalty during the game, Torres was later suspended for 25 games and next season's preseason games. The hit violated three rules: interference, charging, and hit to the head.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks
Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker scored the overtime winning goal in both Game three and four, giving the Coyotes a 3–1 series lead, though Chicago was able to stave off elimination in Game five with a 2–1 overtime win, making it five consecutive games that the two teams required overtime. Game six ended up being one-sided as Smith shutout the Blackhawks, 4–0, and the Coyotes won their first playoff series since moving from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996, and the first one in franchise history since 1987.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings
The Nashville Predators entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference with 104 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned 102 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Western Conference. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with Detroit having won both of the previous playoff series in six games, and the most recent matchup occurring in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals, Western Conference Quarterfinals, (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings
The Predators defeated the Red Wings in five games, with four of them each being decided by only one goal. In the final seconds of game one, Nashville captain Shea Weber slammed Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass, cracking Zetterberg's helmet. Weber was later fined $2,500 for the action with no suspension or further disciplinary action. Although the Red Wings had the most home wins in the league during the regular season (with an overall home record of 31–7–3), the Predators won both games three and four on the road, Nashville's first-ever playoff victories at Joe Louis Arena.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
This was the seventh playoff series between the Rangers and the Capitals, with Washington having won four of the previous six playoff series. This also was the third series between these two teams in the last four seasons, with the previous two series occurring in the 2009 and 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Washington won 4–3 and 4–1, respectively. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
New York eliminated Washington in seven games. In game one, the Rangers scored two goals within 1:30 in the third period to take a 3–1 victory. The Capitals then took game two, 3–2, after Alexander Ovechkin scored the game-winning power-play goal with 7:27 left in the third period. Game three then ended at 14:41 of the third overtime with Marian Gaborik's goal to give New York a 2–1 win.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
This game was the 20th longest overtime game in NHL playoff history, the first 3OT game for the Rangers since 1971, and the longest overtime game in Rangers franchise history since 1939. New York also snapped a streak of seven consecutive playoff overtime losses, their last playoff overtime win coming in 2007. For Washington, it was the third-longest game in franchise history.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
Washington evened the series in game four with Mike Green's power play goal with 5:48 remaining to give the Capitals a 2–1 win. In game five, with Washington leading 2–1 with 21.3 seconds remaining, Capitals forward Joel Ward took a double-minor penalty for high-sticking Rangers forward Carl Hagelin, and on the ensuing power play New York forward Brad Richards scored the game-tying goal with 6.6 seconds left in regulation, the latest game-tying playoff goal in Rangers franchise history.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
The Rangers remained on the power play to start the overtime period, with Ward serving the second half of his double-minor, and Rangers defenceman Marc Staal scored the game-winning goal at 1:35 of OT, completing the comeback. Washington rebounded in game six, winning 2–1 as goaltender Braden Holtby made 30 saves to force game seven. Brad Richards scored 1:32 into the first period to give the Rangers an early 1–0 lead game seven, then Michael Del Zotto scored in the third period to make it 2–0.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals
Washington's Roman Hamrlik cut the score to 2–1 shortly after Del Zotto's goal, but the Capitals were unable to score another goal and lost the series. Through their first 14 games of the playoffs, the Rangers did not allow more than three goals in any of the games, setting an NHL record.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams, with each team having won two of the previous four playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, where the Flyers defeated the Devils in five games. The Atlantic division rivals split this year's six-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
The Devils defeated the Flyers in five games. In each game of the series, the team that scored first ended up losing. Daniel Briere scored 4:36 into overtime of game one to give Philadelphia its lone victory of the series by the score of 4–3. New Jersey then scored four third-period goals in a 4–1 victory in game two. Alexei Ponikarovsky's goal 17:21 into overtime defeated the Flyers, 4–3, in game three. Then in game four, the Devils scored four unanswered goals to overcome a 2–0 deficit to win, 4–2. And finally in game five, New Jersey scored two first-period goals 3:18 apart en route to a 3–1 victory to win the series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with St. Louis having swept Los Angeles out of both of the previous playoff series; the most recent matchup was in the 1998 Western Conference Quarterfinals. Los Angeles won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
The Kings swept the Blues to advance to their first conference finals since 1993. Los Angeles scored 15 total goals in the series, while goaltender Jonathan Quick only allowed six total St. Louis goals. This series marked the first time in Kings history that they swept a seven-game series, and the first time in NHL history the eighth seed defeated both the first and the second seeds. This was the only sweep of the entire playoffs.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators
This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators
The Coyotes defeated the Predators in five games to advance to their first ever conference finals in team history. This also marked the first time that Phoenix jumped to a 2–0 series lead since 1987. Ray Whitney scored the overtime winner in the Coyotes' 4–3 victory in game one. In game two, four different Phoenix players each had a goal and an assist in their 5–3 win. The Predators bounced back in game three, with goaltender Pekka Rinne stopping all 32 shots in a 2–0 victory.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators
Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith responded with a shutout of his own in game four, stopping 25 shots, while Shane Doan scoring the lone goal in a 1–0 Phoenix win. Smith then continued to hold Nashville scoreless until 14:01 of the third period of game five, and the Coyotes held on to a 2–1 victory to win the series. Nashville was without forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for games three and four, as the team suspended both players for breaking team curfew prior to game three. This marked the last time that the Coyotes won a playoff series until 2020, when they defeated Nashville in the Qualifying Round.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams, with New Jersey's only win coming from a sweep of the Rangers in the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Devils and the Rangers last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which the Rangers won in five games. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series. In 1994, the Rangers and the Devils also met in the Eastern Conference Final, with New York prevailing in seven games, en route to winning the 1994 Stanley Cup. The Devils reached the Conference Finals for the first time since beating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, while the Rangers reached the Conference Finals for the first time since 1997, when they lost to rival Philadelphia Flyers.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
The Rangers scored three unanswered goals in the third period, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 New Jersey shots, to take game one, 3–0. In game two, David Clarkson's score early in the third period broke a 2–2 tie to give the Devils a 3–2 victory. Game three then ended up being similar to game one, as New York scored another three unanswered goals in the third period, and Lundqvist stopped all 37 New Jersey shots, en route to a second 3–0 win in this series. With his fifth goal of the playoffs in game three, Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider set an NHL record for goals and points (5 goals, 7 points) for a player in the playoffs before his first regular season game.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Final, (1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils
New Jersey then took game four, 4–1, as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur made 28 saves and Zach Parise scored two goals. Game five ended up being a wild contest, as New Jersey scored three unanswered goals in the first period before New York tied it up early in the third period. Ryan Carter then scored at 15:36 of the third period, and Zach Parise added an empty-net goal, to give the Devils the 5–3 win. Adam Henrique's goal at 1:03 of overtime of game six then gave New Jersey a 3–2 victory to win the series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
This was the first playoff series between these two franchises (including when the Coyotes were in Winnipeg). Each team won three games in this year's six-game regular season series. The Kings reached the Conference Finals for the first time since losing in the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals to the Montreal Canadiens, while this marks the first Conference Finals appearance for the Phoenix Coyotes franchise, which made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1987. Since the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers made it to the playoffs, game four of the series had to be played on the same day as game four of the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
The Kings defeated the Coyotes in five games, advancing to their first Cup Finals since 1993. Los Angeles out-shot Phoenix in game one, 48–27, en route to a 4–2 win. The Kings then shut the Coyotes out in game two, 4–0, as goaltender Jonathan Quick made 24 saves and Jeff Carter scored a hat trick. Los Angeles then overcame an early 1–0 deficit to take game three, 2–1. However, Shane Doan scored Phoenix's only two goals, and goaltender Mike Smith stopped all 36 shots, to give the Coyotes a 2–0 victory in game four to extend the series.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Final, (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
But Dustin Penner's goal at 17:42 of overtime of game five gave the Kings a 4–3 victory to win the series. The game five win extended the Kings' road playoff winning streak to ten games, eight of which came this season, both setting NHL playoff records. The Kings became only the second team to eliminate the top three seeds from the same postseason, after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames, and the second team in the eighth seed to get to the finals under this playoff format, after the 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
This was the first playoff series between the Kings and the Devils. The Devils defeated the Kings in both games in this year's two-game regular season series. This was New Jersey's fifth appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, and their first since the 2003 Cup win over Los Angeles's rival Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. This was Los Angeles's second Finals appearance; their only other appearance was a five-game Stanley Cup Final loss to the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The combined seeds of the teams, 14, is the highest ever for the Stanley Cup Finals. On June 11, 2012, the Los Angeles Kings defeated New Jersey four games to two and won their first championship.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
By winning the first two games on the road in Newark, New Jersey, the Los Angeles Kings set the single-season consecutive playoff road winning record at ten. They also improved the record to twelve consecutive road wins going back to the 2011 NHL playoffs when they beat the San Jose Sharks the last two games played in San Jose.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Skaters
These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, goals take precedence, and all the tied skaters are shown.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Skaters
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage, with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Player statistics, Goaltending
GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Television
National Canadian English-language coverage of the first three rounds of the playoffs were split between CBC and TSN. CBC held exclusive rights to the Finals. French-language telecasts were broadcast on RDS and RDS2.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Television
As part of the NHL's new American TV contract with NBC, this was the first time that all playoffs are aired nationally in the United States on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC, and NHL Network. American regional sports networks still carried their teams' first-round games, but all games from the second round onward were exclusive to one of NBC's networks.


2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Television
After the completion of the Quarterfinals, the games on the NBC networks garnered the best ever TV rating for NHL games in the United States. The most watched Quarterfinals game ever was game six between Boston and Washington.


2012 Star Mazda Championship
The 2012 Star Mazda Championship was the 14th season of the Star Mazda Championship, an American-based open-wheel racing series sanctioned by IndyCar as part of the Road to Indy program. It featured 17 races held over 10 race weekends. Five race weekends were held on temporary street courses, three on permanent road courses, and two on ovals. The series increased the number of double-header weekends to reduce the costs per race for competitors. Fastest lap times in race 1 determined the starting grid for race 2 on double-header race weekends.


2012 Star Mazda Championship
The championship consisted of a main championship as well as a Star Mazda Expert Series for drivers over 30 years old. The expert class consists of a driver's best 10 races, enabling an Expert Series competitor to complete a full complement of races in just five race weekends.


2012 Star Mazda Championship
21-year-old Englishman Jack Hawksworth driving for Team Pelfrey dominated the championship, winning eight of the 17 races and four of the eight poles awarded, setting a series record for wins in a season. He sat out the final race of the year but still won the championship over Colombian-American Gabby Chaves by 37 points. Chaves won the final two races of the season. American Sage Karam won three races and finished third in points in a tie-breaker over fellow American Connor De Phillippi who won two races after finishing second in points a year ago. Finn Petri Suvanto finished fifth in points, in his first season in Star Mazda, winning the seat by winning the Road to Indy's U.S. F2000 National Championship the year before. Other race winners were Chile's Martin Scuncio and Venezuela's Camilo Schmidt, who won a bizarre wet-dry race in Edmonton.


2012 Star Mazda Championship
American Walt Bowlin won the Expert series championship by virtue of being the only Expert series competitor to participate in more than two race weekends.


2012 Star Mazda Championship, Race calendar and results
The series schedule was announced December 1, 2011. Two race weekends were listed on the schedule with the location yet to be determined. The season finale was later confirmed to be held at Road Atlanta, supporting the Petit Le Mans sportscar event.


2012 Star World Championships
The 2012 Star World Championships were held in Hyères, France between May 5 and 11, 2012. The hosting yacht club was COYCH.


2012 Star World Championships, Results
Legend: BFD – Black flag disqualification; DNC – Did not come to the starting area; DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSQ – Disqualified; OCS – On the course side of the starting line; RAF – Retired after finishing; RDG – Redress given;


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series
The 2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series (WCS) is part of the Battle.net World Championship Series, a series of video game tournaments held by Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the video game StarCraft II (SC2). Tournaments were held in more than 28 countries to find top StarCraft II competitors. The top-ranked players from each continent were then invited to compete in the Global Finals in Shanghai, China. Korean player Won "PartinG" Lee-Sak emerged victorious in the final match against Jang "Creator" Hyun Woo, with third place going to Jung "Rain" Yoon Jong.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Background
Blizzard Entertainment partnered with Turtle Entertainment, the company behind the Electronic Sports League (ESL). The Electronic Sports League helped run national level tournaments for the series in eleven countries: Naples, Italy; Wroclaw, Poland; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Madrid, Spain; Cologne, Germany; London, England; Singapore; Paris, France; Kyiv, Ukraine; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition, ESL hosted an event for citizens of other European countries which did not have a national level tournament. ESL also helped operate the South American Continental Finals which took place in São Paulo, Brazil.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Background
Blizzard also partnered with DreamHack for the European Continental Finals and the Nordic Nationals, with MLG for the North American Continental Finals and respective nationals, GOM TV for the South Korean Nationals, NetEase for the Chinese Nationals, the Asian Continental Finals and the Global Finals, the Taiwan eSports League for the Taiwanese nationals, eSports Tournaments NZ for the New Zealand Nationals and the Australian Cyber League for the Australian Nationals and Oceania Finals.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Seeding
The WCS began in April 2012, starting at the local level, with qualifiers held in 28 countries. Players that win a seed at the local level advance to the national level championships. From there, the top seeds are invited to one of several continental championship events, with the winners of those events advancing to the final stage of the series: the WCS Global Finals. The season included more than 30 electronic sports events.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, National finals
The United Kingdom national finals were held in London at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on June 30 and July 1, 2012. The top three players from the event were invited to the next stage in the series: the European continental finals. 1000 spectators were estimated to attend the event in person, with others watching it online through live broadcasts hosted by Paul "ReDeYe" Chaloner and casting by Nick "Tasteless" Plott and GomTV's Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, National finals
The France national finals (sponsored by AsusTek Republic of Gamers brand) were held in Paris at The 13th Impact Japan Expo in Paris-Nord Villepinte from July 5 to 8, 2012. with a prize pool of $15,000 Also The top three players from the event qualified for the European continental finals.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, National finals
The United States national finals were held in Anaheim, California at The Anaheim Convention Center from June 8 to 10, 2012. with a prize pool of $30,000 Also The top sixteen players from the event qualified for the North America continental finals.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Continental finals
The 2012 WCS European finals took place in the Ericsson Globe in Sweden on September 15–16 with a prize pool of $60,000 Also The top six players from the event qualified for the World Championship finals.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Continental finals
The 2012 WCS North America finals took place in Anaheim at The 2012 MLG Pro Circuit/Spring in Anaheim Convention Center from August 24 to 26, 2012 with a prize pool of $60,000 Also The top seven players from the event qualified for the World Championship finals.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Global Finals
The WCS Global Finals were held at the Shanghai Expo Mart in Shanghai, China as part of the Battle.net World Championship event. The event included both the StarCraft II WCS Global Finals as well as the World of Warcraft Arena Global Finals. The event sold out, and the coordinators expected over 10,000 attendees.


2012 StarCraft II World Championship Series, Global Finals
Korean player Won "PartinG" Lee-Sak took first place in the StarCraft II WCS, with Creator and Rain following for second and third, respectively.


2012 State of Origin series
The 2012 State of Origin series was the 31st time the annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams was played entirely under 'state of origin' rules. For the fourth successive year a Queensland victory set a new record for consecutive State of Origin titles, reaching seven. Game I was played at Melbourne's sold out Etihad Stadium and won by Queensland; its television broadcast watched by more than 2.5 million viewers, rating it as the most-watched State of Origin broadcast since the introduction of OzTAM ratings in 1999.


2012 State of Origin series
New South Wales' series-equalling win in Game II, played at Sydney's sold out ANZ Stadium, set a new TV ratings record for most-watched second game of any series in State of Origin history. The decider, Game III was played at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and was won by Queensland. This game set a new record for the highest television audience in Australia for a rugby league match since the introduction of the OzTam ratings system in 2001.


2012 State of Origin series
In 2012, the first year of the independent Australian Rugby League Commission, a new rule was put into place that would set out earlier in a player's career which was his state of origin. For the second successive year, Queensland hosted Game III and New South Wales hosted Game II; typically the states would alternate the hosting of these games.


2012 State of Origin series
Ricky Stuart stepped down as New South Wales head coach after the series in August, shortly after signing a contract to coach the Parramatta Eels from 2013 onwards. Later in the year New South Wales' player of the series was named: hooker Robbie Farah.


2012 State of Origin series
2012 also saw the inaugural Under 20s State of Origin match which was played at Centerbet Stadium, with New South Wales taking out the Darren Lockyer Shield against Queensland.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
The opening game for the New South Wales Blues saw Todd Carney, James Tamou, Tony Williams and Jamie Buhrer make their debuts, with all either having previous international representative or grand final experience. Michael Jennings was the first Origin player in 29 years to be selected to the squad after playing in the reserve grades, where he was dropped from the Penrith Panthers for one game due to poor off-field discipline.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
Jamie Buhrer from the Manly Sea Eagles was generally the shock selection in the squad, only playing for City Origin earlier in the year as his sole representative honour and was yet to play 50 games for his club, but was selected due to his big game experience, having played in Manly's winning 2011 NRL Grand Final team, and his high utility value to replace their recognised utility in Kurt Gidley who was unable to play in the 2012 series to due a season-long injury. Only 9 of the selected 17 players were incumbent from Game Three in 2011.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
Queensland's selected side for the first game was largely unchanged from the 2011 series, with only four changes made. Their only debutant was Matt Gillett from the Brisbane Broncos to play a utility role from the bench. It was hooker Cameron Smith's first match and series as the permanent captain for his state, having previously filled in for the role only in Darren Lockyer's absence.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
New South Wales held most of the momentum early in the match, and scored first through winger Akuila Uate in the sixth minute of the match, who recovered a bomb kick and scored in the corner; Todd Carney missed the conversion and New South Wales led 4–0. In the twenty-first minute, a brawl erupted; Blues centre Michael Jennings, who ran some distance to leap into the brawl and punch Brent Tate in the head, was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes. The Maroons scored shortly afterwards, with winger Darius Boyd touching down in the corner and Johnathan Thurston converting to give Queensland a 6–4 lead. Boyd scored again in the thirty-eighth minute, and another successful conversion from Thurston gave Queensland a 12–4 lead at halftime.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
New South Wales added points early in the second half, with Jennings scoring a try from a bomb kick; Carney's successful conversion brought the score to 12–10. New South Wales had most of the attack during the second half, but Queensland was able to defend its goal-line and prevent the Blues from scoring; and in the fifty-second minute, Carney narrowly missed a long-range penalty goal attempt which would have levelled the scores at twelve apiece, but after seventy minutes, Queensland still led 12–10.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
After a repeat set of six in the seventy-third minute, Maroons' centre Greg Inglis crossed the line in controversial circumstances: after recovering the ball from a cross-field kick, Inglis lost control of the ball when it contacted the boot of Blues' hooker Robbie Farah, before regathering and grounding in goal. After a lengthy review, the video referee awarded a try: he ruled that Farah had intentionally played at and kicked the ball out of Inglis' hands, and that Inglis' loss of control was therefore not a knock-on.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
The try was converted, and there was no further score, giving Queensland 18–10 victory. The decision to award the try to Inglis was highly controversial. Blues captain Paul Gallen argued vehemently with the referee onfield following the decision, although was more circumspect after the match. Inglis' controversial try saw him pass Dale Shearer to become the all-time leading try scorer in State of Origin football. Michael Jennings received a one-match suspension for the punch for which he was sin-binned during the match. It was Queensland's fourth Game One victory in a row, the first time either team had achieved the feat.


2012 State of Origin series, Game I
After the controversial Inglis try call, and others during the game, New South Wales coach Ricky Stuart asked his players not to give interviews to media in the lead-up to Game II, although the ban was lifted after two days. The decision was officially endorsed by referees' coach Bill Harrigan the following day.