2016–17 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 22, 2017, AFC: New England Patriots 36, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
New England dominated the second half, burying the Steelers with four unanswered scores. After forcing them to punt, New England drove 55 yards in nine plays, 24 of them coming on a catch by Hogan. Gostkowski finished the drive with a 47-yard field goal that put the team up 20–9. Following another punt, Brady's 39-yard completion to Hogan led to a one-yard touchdown by LeGarrette Blount, giving the team a 27–9 lead with 2:44 left in the third quarter.


2016–17 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 22, 2017, AFC: New England Patriots 36, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
On the first play after the kickoff, Kyle Van Noy forced a fumble from Eli Rogers that was recovered by linebacker Rob Ninkovich on the Steelers' 28-yard line. Brady completed an 18-yard pass to Edelman on the next play, and eventually found him in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Gostkowski missed the extra point, but the Patriots had effectively put the game away with a 33–9 lead going into the fourth quarter.


2016–17 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 22, 2017, AFC: New England Patriots 36, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
In the final period, the Steelers drove to New England's 2-yard line, but turned the ball over on downs. Then after a punt, Eric Rowe intercepted a pass from Roethlisberger and returned it 37 yards to the Steelers' 32-yard line, leading to a Gostkowski field goal that increased New England's lead to 36–9. All that remained from this point on was Roethlisberger's garbage-time 30-yard touchdown pass to Cobi Hamilton and subsequent 2-point conversion pass to Williams that made the final score 36–17. Brady completed 32 of his 42 passing attempts for 384 yards and three touchdowns. Hogan caught nine passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns, while Edelman had eight receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. Roethlisberger threw for 314 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.


2016–17 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)
Despite the Falcons taking a 28–3 lead midway through the third quarter, the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game at 28 with less than a minute left in regulation and take the game to the first overtime period in Super Bowl history. On the first possession of overtime, Patriots running back James White punched in the game-winning score to give his team a 34–28 comeback victory. Additionally, this was the first Super Bowl since XLVII four years earlier to not have both #1 seeds from their respective conferences against each other, as Atlanta was the #2 seed in the NFC.


2016–17 NFL playoffs, Television coverage
ABC simulcasted one AFC Wild Card game with ESPN. One NFC Wild Card game was broadcast on NBC. Coverage of the remainder of the AFC playoff games was split between CBS and NBC, while the remainder of the NFC playoff games was broadcast by Fox. CBS had exclusive coverage of the AFC Championship Game. Fox had exclusive coverage of the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LI.


2016–17 NHL season
The 2016–17 NHL season was the 100th season of operation (99th season of play) of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams were competing in an 82-game regular season from October 12, 2016, to April 9, 2017. The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 12 and concluded on June 11, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup over the Nashville Predators in six games. On June 11, the Pittsburgh Penguins became the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997–98, winning the franchise's fifth Stanley Cup and their third in nine seasons.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Salary cap
In December 2015, commissioner Gary Bettman informed teams that he projected the salary cap to be at least $74.5 million for the 2016–17 season, and that it could increase as much as $3.1 million. It was eventually set at $73.1 million.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Expansion
On June 22, 2016, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman officially announced that the league had approved an expansion team in Las Vegas, Nevada, later christened the Vegas Golden Knights, who were set to begin play in the 2017–18 season.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Media rights
Canadian rightsholder Rogers Media reinstated Ron MacLean as host of Hockey Night in Canada for the 2016–17 season to replace George Stroumboulopoulos, whose introduction in the 2014–15 season was met with mixed reception by viewers. MacLean will host the early game of the weekly doubleheader, with David Amber handling the late games. Alongside HNIC, MacLean continues to host the travelling, Sunday-night Hometown Hockey games on Sportsnet.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Media rights
On June 20, 2016, the Buffalo Sabres announced that it had agreed to a 10-year extension of its regional television rights deal with MSG, which saw the establishment of a joint venture known as MSG Western New York—an expansion of MSG's existing regional feed for the Sabres' market which contains additional team-produced programming for the Sabres and their sister NFL team, the Buffalo Bills. There were no on-air changes in staffing for Sabres telecasts.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Media rights
On June 27, 2016, Sports Business Daily reported that the NHL had reached a deal in principle with Fox Sports to allow in-market, authenticated online streaming for eligible pay TV subscribers, of regional NHL games on Fox Sports Networks via the Fox Sports Go service.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Centennial celebration
On September 27, 2016, the NHL announced that it would organize a series of initiatives and events throughout 2017 to mark the league's 100th year of operations, and the upcoming 2017–18 season — the NHL's 100th season of play.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Centennial celebration
The campaign began with the NHL Centennial Classic outdoor game on January 1, 2017, and continued throughout the calendar year, including documentaries and a daily "Time Capsule" feature across NHL media properties, a "Centennial Truck Tour" of all NHL cities with a traveling museum and other activities, a 2017 Winter Classic-themed float appearing during the Tournament of Roses Parade, and the unveiling of the top 100 players during the weekend of the All-Star Game, and the top 100 moments of the league's history later in the year.


2016–17 NHL season, League business, Centennial celebration
A centennial emblem was designed, which was displayed on all game pucks and as shoulder patches on all jerseys throughout 2017. The centennial campaign extended into the following 2017–18 season. On March 17, 2017, the NHL announced that the Ottawa Senators would host an outdoor game against the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL 100 Classic, at TD Place Stadium on December 16, 2017.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season
The regular season began on October 12, 2016, and ended on April 9, 2017. The playoffs began on April 12, 2017, and ended on June 11, 2017. The schedule was released on June 21, 2016. Each team will receive a five-day "bye week" and no practices can be held during the time period.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, Outdoor games
The Winnipeg Jets hosted the Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers at Investors Group Field on October 23, 2016. The Oilers won the game, 3–0.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, Outdoor games
The Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the Centennial Classic at BMO Field on January 1, 2017, against the Detroit Red Wings. The game commemorated the 100th season of the Maple Leafs and NHL as a whole. The following day, January 2, 2017, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Winter Classic at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Blackhawks.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, Outdoor games
On February 25, 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 at Heinz Field in the Stadium Series game.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, All–Star Game
The 62nd National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Los Angeles at Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Kings, on January 29, 2017. The format was identical to the 2016 All-Star Game.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, Postponed games
The Detroit Red Wings – Carolina Hurricanes game scheduled for December 19, 2016, at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, was postponed due to poor ice conditions. The game was rescheduled for March 27, 2017. This resulted in the two teams playing in Raleigh on consecutive nights, as they were already scheduled to play each other on March 28, and caused Detroit to play games on three consecutive nights.


2016–17 NHL season, Regular season, Postponed games
The Winnipeg Jets – New Jersey Devils game scheduled for March 14, 2017, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, was postponed due to the effects of the March 2017 nor'easter. The game was rescheduled for March 28. This resulted in both teams forfeiting a three-day break from March 27 to 29.


2016–17 NHL season, Standings
Tie Breakers:1. Fewer number of games played. 2. Greater Regulation + OT Wins (ROW)3. Greatest number of points earned in head-to-head play (If teams played an unequal # of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.) 4. Greater Goal differential


2016–17 NHL season, Playoffs, Bracket
In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division made the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference, for a total of eight teams from each conference.


2016–17 NHL season, Playoffs, Bracket
In the First Round, the lower seeded wild card in the conference played against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card played against the other division winner, and both wild cards were de facto #4 seeds. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better seed; in the last two rounds, it was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.


2016–17 NHL season, Statistics, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of games played on April 9, 2017.


2016–17 NHL season, Statistics, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on April 9, 2017, while playing at least 1800 minutes.


2016–17 NHL season, NHL awards
Awards were presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, to be held following the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. Finalists for voted awards are announced during the playoffs and winners are presented at the award ceremony. Voting will conclude immediately after the end of the regular season. The Presidents' Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are not presented at the awards ceremony. The Lester Patrick Trophy is announced during the summer and presented in the fall.


2016–17 NHL season, Milestones, First games
The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2016–17 season, listed with their first team.


2016–17 NHL season, Milestones, Last games
The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2016–17, listed with their team:


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines
The following is a list of all suspensions and fines enforced in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2016–17 NHL season. It lists which players or coaches of what team have been punished for which offense and the amount of punishment they have received.


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines
Based on each player's average annual salary, divided by number of days in the season (180) for first time offenders and games (82) for repeat offenders, salary will be forfeited for the term of their suspension. Players' money forfeited due to suspension or fine goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, while money forfeited by coaches, staff or organizations as a whole go to the NHL Foundation.


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Suspensions
† - suspension covered at least one 2016 NHL preseason game


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Suspensions
‡ - suspension covered at least one 2017 postseason game


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Suspensions
R  - Player was considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (player had been suspended in the 18 months prior to this suspension)


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Fines
Players can be fined up to 50% of one day's salary, up to a maximum of $10,000.00 for their first offense, and $15,000.00 for any subsequent offenses. Fines listed in italics indicate that was the maximum allowed fine.


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Fines
Coaches, non-playing personnel, and teams are not restricted to such maximums.


2016–17 NHL suspensions and fines, Fines
Fines for players/coaches fined for diving/embellishment are structured uniquely and are only handed out after non-publicized warnings are given to the player/coach for their first offense. For more details on diving/embellishment fines:


2016–17 NHL transactions
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that occurred in the National Hockey League during the 2016–17 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed.


2016–17 NHL transactions
The 2016–17 NHL trade deadline was on March 1, 2017. Any players traded or claimed off waivers after this date were eligible to play up until, but not in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Contract terminations
A team and player may mutually agree to terminate a player's contract at any time.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Contract terminations
Teams may buy out player contracts (after the conclusion of a season) for a portion of the remaining value of the contract, paid over a period of twice the remaining length of the contract. This reduced number and extended period is applied to the cap hit as well.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Contract terminations
All players must clear waivers before having a contract terminated. Injured players cannot be bought out.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Free agency
Note: This does not include players who have re-signed with their previous team as an unrestricted free agent or as a restricted free agent.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Free agency, Imports
This section is for players who were not previously on contract with NHL teams in the past season. Listed is their previous team and the league that they belonged to.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Trades
* Retained Salary Transaction: Each team is allowed up to three contracts on their payroll where they have retained salary in a trade (i.e. the player no longer plays with Team A due to a trade to Team B, but Team A still retains some salary). Only up to 50% of a player's contract can be kept, and only up to 15% of a team's salary cap can be taken up by retained salary. A contract can only be involved in one of these trades twice.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Trades
Hover over retained salary or conditional transactions/considerations for more information.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Waivers
Once an NHL player has played in a certain number of games or a set number of seasons has passed since the signing of his first NHL contract (see here), that player must be offered to all of the other NHL teams before he can be assigned to a minor league affiliate.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Expansion Draft
The 2016–17 NHL season saw the entrance of a 31st team to the league, the Vegas Golden Knights. While the team does not begin play until the 2017–18 NHL season, the team was active and able to make trades with the other 30 teams and sign free agents starting March 1, 2017. In order to create a roster, an Expansion Draft was held June 21, 2017.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Expansion Draft
Vegas was required to select one player from each of the existing teams, for a total of 30 players selected. At least 20 of the players selected had to be on contracted for the 2017–18 NHL season and Vegas had to take a minimum of number of player at each position. Each of the thirty other teams were allowed to protect up to 11 players, but also had to expose a minimum number of players with NHL experience for Vegas to select at each position. Teams were required to protect players with No-Movement Clauses (or the player must waive it); all first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, and players determined to have career threatening injuries were exempt from selection and were not be counted toward their teams' protection limits.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Expansion Draft
On June 17, 2017, a waiver and trade freeze, as well as moratorium on signing players to new contracts went into effect for all teams except for Vegas, and each team had to submit their expansion protection lists. Vegas had from June 18–21 to negotiate with all exposed free agents; if Vegas came to terms with a player in this time, that player counted as their previous team's expansion selection and Vegas was not able to select another player from that team.


2016–17 NHL transactions, Expansion Draft
On June 21, 2017, Vegas' final roster was submitted, and was announced as part of the NHL Awards Ceremony that evening. Any players picked by Vegas cannot be traded back to their former team before January 1, 2018, nor can they have their contracts bought out by Vegas until after the completion of the 2017–18 season.


2016–17 NIFL Championship
The 2016–17 NIFL Championship was the first season of the second-tier Irish League since gaining senior status. The fixtures were announced on 7 July 2016. The season began on 13 August 2016 and concluded on 29 April 2017.


2016–17 NIFL Championship
On 1 April 2017, Warrenpoint Town came from 0–2 down to defeat Institute 3–2 to clinch the league title and an instant return to the NIFL Premiership for the 2017–18 season.


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Teams
The 2016–17 NIFL Championship consisted of 12 teams. Ards were champions of Championship 1 in the previous season and were promoted to the 2016–17 NIFL Premiership. The next highest place team eligible for promotion, fifth-placed finishers Institute were defeated by Ballinamallard United in the Premiership play-off; therefore failing to achieve promotion.


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Teams
The bottom two teams from the previous season, Lisburn Distillery and Donegal Celtic were relegated to the third-tier NIFL Premier Intermediate League; they were joined by Bangor after they failed to gain the Championship Licence, required for playing at second-tier level. They were replaced by PSNI, runners-up of the (now defunct) Championship 2 in the previous season; champions Limavady United were ineligible for promotion after failing to gain the required licence.


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Results, Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home-and-away).


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Results, Matches 23–32
During matches 23–32 each team played every other team in their half of the table twice (home-and-away).


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Play-offs, NIFL Premiership play-offs
The second and third-placed teams from the Championship, Institute and Ballyclare Comrades respectively, took part in the Premiership play-off semi-final. The winners will then play Carrick Rangers in the play-off final; the winners of this tie will play in the top-flight next season.


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Play-offs, NIFL Championship play-off
The eleventh-placed team from the Championship, Armagh City, played the runners-up from the 2016–17 Premier Intermediate League, Newry City, over two legs for one spot in the 2017–18 NIFL Championship.


2016–17 NIFL Championship, Play-offs, NIFL Championship play-off
Newry City won 7–1 on aggregate and are promoted to the 2017–18 NIFL Championship; Armagh City are relegated to the 2017–18 NIFL Premier Intermediate League.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership
The 2016–17 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of Northern Ireland's highest national football league in this format since its inception in 2008, the 116th season of Irish league football overall, and the fourth season of the league operating as part of the Northern Ireland Football League. The fixtures were announced on 7 July 2016. The season began on 6 August 2016 and ended on 29 April 2017, with the play-offs taking place in May 2017.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership
Crusaders were the two-time defending champions after winning the title for the previous two seasons. On 29 April 2017, Linfield beat Cliftonville 3–1 to win their 52nd league title on the final day of the season.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership
It was an unlikely title win for Linfield, as after a 1–0 home defeat to Coleraine in January 2017, they sat seven points behind defending champions, Crusaders. A 1–1 draw at home against Portadown on 17 February 2017 meant the gap had grown to nine points with nine games left to play. However, Linfield won all nine of their remaining games, going unbeaten in their last 14 games of the season since the Coleraine defeat, winning 13 of them and drawing the other (the 1–1 draw against Portadown). They picked up 40 out of a possible 42 points to capitalise on Crusaders dropping points, and pipped them to the title on the final day of the season by two points.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership
Linfield qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. The runners-up, Crusaders, along with third-placed Coleraine and the play-off winners, Ballymena United, qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Teams
Twelve teams competed in the 2016–17 NIFL Premiership. Warrenpoint Town were relegated after finishing bottom of the 2015–16 NIFL Premiership and after a failed appeal against an IFA ruling not to deduct points from Carrick Rangers after their manager incorrectly served a touchline ban. Warrenpoint Town were replaced by Ards as the winners of the 2015–16 NIFL Championship.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Teams
Ballinamallard United finished second from bottom but retained their Premiership place after winning the promotion-relegation play-off against NIFL Championship runners-up Institute 5–4 on aggregate. Portadown started this season with a 12-point deduction, after the IFA found the club guilty of breaching the rules by paying Peter McMahon, despite the player being contracted to the club as an amateur. The club appealed against the decision, but this was rejected in October 2016.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Results, Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Results, Matches 23–33
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team for the third time (either at home, or away).


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Results, Matches 34–38
During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once. As this was the fourth time that teams played each other this season, home sides were chosen so that they will have played each other twice at home and twice away.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Play-offs, UEFA Europa League play-offs
Teams finishing fourth to seventh took part in Europa League play-offs to decide which team would qualify for next season's Europa League first qualifying round.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Play-offs, NIFL Premiership play-offs, Pre-play-off
The runners-up and third-placed teams from the Championship, Institute and Ballyclare Comrades respectively, took part (over two legs) in a pre-play-off.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Play-offs, NIFL Premiership play-offs, Play-off
The eleventh-placed team from the Premiership, Carrick Rangers, played the winners of the pre-play-off, Institute, over two legs for one spot in the 2017–18 NIFL Premiership.


2016–17 NIFL Premiership, Play-offs, NIFL Premiership play-offs, Play-off
Carrick Rangers won 5–2 on aggregate and retained their spot in the NIFL Premiership for the 2017–18 season; Institute remained in the NIFL Championship.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team
The 2016–17 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team represented the New Jersey Institute of Technology during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Highlanders, led by first-year head coach Brian Kennedy, played their home games at the Fleisher Center in Newark, New Jersey as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). They finished the season 11–20, 3–11 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN Tournament to Lipscomb.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team
This season was the Highlanders' final season playing at Fleisher Center. The school opened the new Wellness and Events Center for the 2017–18 season.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team, Previous season
The Highlanders finished the 2015–16 season 20–15, 8–6 in A-Sun play to finish in to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-Sun Tournament to Stetson. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Army, Boston University, and Texas–Arlington to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Columbia.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders men's basketball team, Previous season
On April 1, 2016 head coach Jim Engles resigned to become the head coach at Columbia. He finished at NJIT with an eight-year record of 111–139. On April 13, the school hired assistant Brian Kennedy as head coach.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders women's basketball team
The 2016–17 NJIT Highlanders women's basketball team represented New Jersey Institute of Technology during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Highlanders, led by fifth year head coach Steve Lanpher, played their home games at the Fleisher Center as second year members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. This will be their final season playing at the Fleisher Center before moving to the Wellness and Events Center in 2017. They finished the season 11–19, 4–10 in A-Sun play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-Sun Tournament to Kennesaw State.


2016–17 NJIT Highlanders women's basketball team
This was their last season playing at Fleisher Center as they moved in to the newly built Wellness and Events Center beginning in the 2017–18 season.


2016–17 NK Aluminij season
The 2016–17 season was Aluminij's second season in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian top division, since the league was created. Aluminij competed in Slovenian PrvaLiga and Slovenian Football Cup.


2016–17 NK Aluminij season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016–17 NK Celje season
The 2016–17 season was Celje's 26th season in the Slovenian top division, Slovenian PrvaLiga, since the league was created in 1991 with Celje as one of the league's founding members. Celje competed in Slovenian PrvaLiga and Slovenian Football Cup.


2016–17 NK Celje season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016–17 NK Domžale season
The 2016–17 season is Domžale's 19th season in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian top division, since the league was created. Domžale compete in Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian Football Cup and UEFA Europa League.


2016–17 NK Domžale season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016–17 NK Krško season
The 2016–17 season will be Krško's 2nd season in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian top division, since the league was created in 1991. Krško will compete in Slovenian PrvaLiga and Slovenian Football Cup.


2016–17 NK Krško season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016–17 NK Maribor season
The 2016–17 season was Maribor's 57th season of football and 26th consecutive season in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian top division, since the league establishment in 1991 with Maribor as one of the league's founding members. The team participated in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian Football Cup, and UEFA Europa League. The season covers the period from 1 June 2016 to 31 May 2017.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Slovenian League, Matches
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Slovenian Cup
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, UEFA Europa League, Play-off round
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Friendlies
Colour key: Green = Maribor win; Yellow = draw; Red = opponents win.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Squad statistics, Appearances and goals
Correct as of 27 May 2017, match v. Krško. Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The players squad numbers, playing positions, nationalities and statistics are based solely on match reports in Matches sections above and the official website of NK Maribor and the Slovenian PrvaLiga. Only the players, which made at least one appearance for the first team, are listed.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Squad statistics, Discipline
Correct as of 27 May 2017, match v. Krško. Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The players squad numbers, playing positions, nationalities and statistics are based solely on match reports in Matches sections above and the official website of NK Maribor and the Slovenian PrvaLiga. If a player received two yellow cards in a match and was subsequently sent off the numbers count as two yellow cards, one red card.


2016–17 NK Maribor season, Squad statistics, Foreign players
Below is the list of foreign players who have made appearances for the club during the 2016–17 season. Players primary citizenship is listed first.


2016–17 NK Rudar Velenje season
The 2016–17 season will be Rudar's 22nd season in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, Slovenian top division, since the league was created. Rudar will be compete in PrvaLiga and Cup.


2016–17 NK Rudar Velenje season, Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016–17 NLA season
The 2016–17 National League A season was the tenth ice hockey season of Switzerland's top hockey league, the National League A. Overall, it was the 79th season of Swiss professional hockey.


2016–17 NLA season
SC Bern went on to win its 15th NLA title as the defending champions by defeating EV Zug. It was the first time since the 2000–01 season when the defending champions (ZSC Lions) won back-to-back titles.


2016–17 NLA season, Coaching changes
On September 22, 2016, Fribourg-Gottéron's Gerd Zenhäusern was relieved of his duties of head coach after posting a 1-1-1-3 record through 6 games this season. It was later announced that Larry Huras would take over the job for the remainder of the season.


2016–17 NLA season, Coaching changes
On October 1, 2016, the SCL Tigers fired head coach Scott Beattie after posting a 1-0-2-7 record through 10 games this season. He eventually went on to coach his final game that same day against EHC Kloten, which Langnau won 5-3. On October 2, 2016, it was announced that Heinz Ehlers would be Langnau's new head coach for the remainder of the season and through the 2017–18 season should the team stay in the NLA.


2016–17 NLA season, Coaching changes
On November 14, 2016, EHC Biel fired head coach Kevin Schlaepfer after posting an 8-0-2-11 record through 21 games this season. Mike McNamara who was coaching Biel junior team at the time, became the interim head coach for the main club.


2016–17 NLA season, Coaching changes
On January 16, 2017, HC Lugano fired head coach Doug Shedden and assistant coach Pat Curcio after posting a 14-4-3-19 record through 40 games this season. It was later announced that Greg Ireland would replace Shedden at the helm of the team for the end of the season.


2016–17 NLA season, Coaching changes
On January 30, 2017, HC Ambrì-Piotta parted ways with head coach Hans Kossmann after posting a 7-8-4-24 record through 43 games this season, sitting dead last in the NLA at the time. Gordie Dwyer will coach the team for the remainder of the season.


2016–17 NLA season, Arenas
Lausanne played its final season at Malley before playing two seasons in a temporary arena which will be located in the old city's slaughterhouse. Meanwhile, their new 10,000-seat arena will be built on the site of the old Malley.


2016–17 NLA season, Arenas
This was Fribourg's last season in the current BCF Arena before it undergoes major renovations in the spring of 2017, which will last for about two years and increase the capacity from 6,500 to 8,500. The team should still be able to play in the arena during the renovations.


2016–17 NLEX Road Warriors season
The 2016–17 NLEX Road Warriors season was the 3rd season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2016–17 NOFV-Oberliga
The 2016–17 season of the NOFV-Oberliga was the ninth season of the league at tier five (V) in the German football league system and the 27th overall. The league is split into northern and southern divisions.


2016–17 NOFV-Oberliga, North
The 2016–17 season of the NOFV-Oberliga Nord saw four new clubs in the league. VSG Altglienicke, SV Grün-Weiß Brieselang and FC Mecklenburg Schwerin were all promoted from the Verbandsligas while FSV Optik Rathenow was relegated from the Regionalliga Nordost.


2016–17 NOFV-Oberliga, South
The 2016–17 season of the NOFV-Oberliga Süd saw four new clubs in the league. BSG Chemie Leipzig and SV Merseburg 99 were promoted from the Landesligas or Verbandsligas while VfB Germania Halberstadt was relegated from the Regionalliga Nordost and Brandenburger SC Süd 05 moved from the northern division.


2016–17 NOFV-Oberliga, Promotion round to the Regionalliga
The two second-placed teams in the NOFV-Oberliga played each other for one more spot in the Regionalliga next season:


2016–17 NTFL season
The 2016/17 NTFL season was the 96th season of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).


2016–17 NTFL season
The first four games in Round 1 were played on Saturday, 8 October 2016, and the Grand Final was played on Saturday 18 March 2017, with the St Marys Saints defeating Wanderers Eagles by 54 points to win their 32nd premiership title (The most titles in NTFL history).


2016–17 NTFL season, Women's Premier League
The Women's Premier League for 2016/17 season was won by the Darwin Buffettes having a 18-point win over Waratah.


2016–17 NWHL season
The 2016–17 NWHL season is the second season of operation of the National Women's Hockey League. All four teams from the inaugural season returned for this season: the Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, and New York Riveters.


2016–17 NWHL season, League business, Team locations
During the off-season, the Connecticut Whale moved to Northford Ice Pavilion in North Branford, Connecticut, and the defending champion Boston Pride moved to the new Warrior Ice Arena in the Boston neighborhood of Brighton.


2016–17 NWHL season, League business, Team locations
On August 1, 2016, it was announced that the New York Riveters moved from Brooklyn to the Barnabas Health Hockey House in Newark, New Jersey, situated within the Prudential Center as the New Jersey Devils practice arena. The facility was the site of the first Isobel Cup finals the previous season.


2016–17 NWHL season, League business, Team locations
With the changes in arenas, it left the Buffalo Beauts, playing their second season at Harborcenter, as the sole team not to change arenas.


2016–17 NWHL season, League business, All-star game
The 2nd NWHL All-Star Game was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the first NWHL game to be played outside of its four markets. Amanda Kessel and Kelley Steadman were named as All-Star captains. Kessel would go on to score the first hat trick in NWHL All-Star history.


2016–17 NWHL season, Transactions, Draft
The 2016 NWHL Draft took place on June 18, 2016, and was the second in league history. Defender Kelsey Koelzer of Princeton was selected first overall by the New York Riveters.


2016–17 NZ Touring Cars Championship
The 2016–17 NZ Touring Cars Championship was the eighteenth season of the series, and the second under the NZ Touring Cars name. The field comprised three classes racing on the same grid. Class one featured both V8ST and NZV8 TLX cars. Class two and three consisted of older NZV8 TL cars.


2016–17 NZ Touring Cars Championship
Simon Evans successfully defended the title with another dominant display throughout the championship, whilst Liam MacDonald won the Class Two category.


2016–17 NZ Touring Cars Championship, Calendar
Round 1 will be held in support of the 2016 ITM Auckland SuperSprint while Round 5 will be in support of the 2017 New Zealand Grand Prix.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season
The 2016–17 Nashville Predators season was the 19th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The Predators advanced to their first ever Conference Final with a 4–2 series win over the St. Louis Blues in the Semifinals, and then advanced to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in six games. They became the third team to make the Stanley Cup Final from the eighth seed since the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season
It was also the first time a Tennessee-based team in an American professional sports league had made a championship round since the NFL's Tennessee Titans in 1999.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, October
The Predators opened their season on October 14 with three power play goals in a 3–2 victory over the Blackhawks. Newly acquired defenseman P. K. Subban scored the first goal for the Predators in his debut for the team. The next night on the road, the Predators fell in a three-goal hole after ten minutes into the first period and scored three to pull within one in the third period, but a hat-trick goal by Richard Panik with 91 seconds remaining secured a 5–3 victory for the Blackhawks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, October
Back home in Nashville on October 18, the Predators tied the game in the second period with a power play goal from captain Mike Fisher. But it was not enough to overcome goals from Adam Cracknell and Jason Spezza, and the Predators fell 2–1 to the Stars. On October 21, the Predators traveled to Detroit, and Subban, Mike Ribeiro and Fisher scored to extend the Predators NHL-leading eight power play goals to that date.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, October
However, with 22 seconds remaining, Darren Helm scored an empty net goal to secure a 5–3 victory for the Red Wings and hand the Predators their third straight loss. They returned home the next day to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins despite multiple illnesses, involving starting goaltender Pekka Rinne and Fisher; Juuse Saros made his first start of the season.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, October
In the first of a five-game road trip on October 26, the Predators – suffering a second period collapse of surrendering five goals, including two short-handed goals for only the fourth time in franchise history – fell 6–1 to the Ducks. The next night at the Staples Center, the Predators scored on a short-handed goal by Viktor Arvidsson one minute into the third period to jump to a 2–1 lead.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, October
However, Tyler Toffoli of the Kings responded 41 seconds later to tie the game and send it into overtime, where Jeff Carter shot past Rinne with 29 seconds remaining in overtime, defeating the Predators 3–2. The Predators capped their month of play on October 29 with a 4–1 loss to the Sharks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
Starting off the month of November, the Predators killed all four of the Colorado Avalanche's power play opportunities and scored five goals, two from Craig Smith, to defeat the Avalanche 5–1 and end a three-game losing skid. The Predators ended their five-game road trip in Glendale with a 3–2 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Back home in Nashville on November 5, the Predators and the Hurricanes played through an even matchup, with goals from James Neal and Matt Irwin, that went to a shootout where Jaccob Slavin scored the winning goal past Rinne, and the Hurricanes defeated the Predators 3–2.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
In their next game on November 8, the Predators returned to winning form putting up three goals by Ryan Ellis, Neal and Subban in a 3–1 victory over the Senators. Against division rival St. Louis, the Predators scored three goals in the span of six and a half minutes between the second and third period – two by Calle Jarnkrok and one by Neal – to defeat the Blues 3–1. In the final game of the four-game home-stand on November 12, the Predators put on a shutout with goals from Ellis, Neal, Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, and 27 saves by Rinne in a 5–0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
On the road for the first of several swings through Canada this season on November 15, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arvidsson and Neal put two goals on the board for the Predators, but Marek Mazanec – starting in place of Rinne, who sat out with a lower back injury – allowed 6 goals on 32 shots (including a hat-trick by James van Riemsdyk) and the Predators lost 6–2. Two nights later in Ottawa against the Senators, the Predators rebounded from their first regulation loss of the month with a 5–1 victory. Neal scored in his sixth straight game during the contest, setting a career-high and tying the franchise record for longest goal streak. Concluding their road swing in St. Louis against the Blues, the Predators scored one goal from Ribeiro in a 3–1 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
Back in Nashville on November 21, the Predators made easy work of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a goal from Arvidsson and two goals from Subban in a 3–1 victory. Playing the Dallas Stars two nights later, the Predators – led by goals from Fisher, Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Neal and Smith – held the Stars to two goals in a 5–2 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
On November 25 against the Winnipeg Jets, the Jets scored early with a first period goal from Dustin Byfuglien, but the Predators responded with five unanswered goals – three in the second period alone – with two each from Johansen and Colin Wilson, and one from Neal, in a 5–1 victory. In a rematch in Winnipeg two days later, the Predators were shut out for the first time of the season in a 3–0 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, November
The Predators ended the month in Denver with goals from Arvidsson (whose second period goal seven seconds in tied the franchise record for fastest opening goal in a regulation period), Kevin Fiala, Fisher, Johansen and Austin Watson in a 5–3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
Playing the New Jersey Devils in Nashville on December 3, the Predators, thanks to goals from Fiala (with two), Josi and Subban, carried a 4–1 lead into the third period. But the Devils responded in the third period with three goals from Michael Cammalleri, Andy Greene and Adam Henrique to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Cammalleri scored with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to hand the Predators a 5–4 loss. The next evening against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Predators, who had been 27 for 28 in power play kills at home, gave up two power play goals to Wayne Simmonds in a 4–2 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
Playing Colorado on December 6, the Predators capitalized on mistakes by the Avalanche's defensemen with goals by Arvidsson, Neal and Subban, and Josi scored the winning goal one minute and four seconds into the third period on a five-on-three power play to defeat the Avalanche 4–3. In the next game, away at Dallas on December 8, Arvidsson scored a shorthanded goal in the first, and Jarnkrok scored in the third period, but the Predators could not overcome Rinne giving up four goals on 18 shots in the first period and fell 5–2. On the road against Arizona on December 10, the Predators scored one goal, by Josi, in a 4–1 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
Back home in Nashville on December 13, the Predators fell into a three-goal hole by the start of the second period against St. Louis thanks to Brad Hunt, Ryan Reaves and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Predators – with goals by Fisher (who scored two goals), Forsberg, Johansen, Neal and Ribeiro – rallied with six unanswered goals to defeat the Blues 6–3 on December 13. Two nights later against the Minnesota Wild, Nashville, with goals from Ellis and Fisher, held the Wild to a one-goal lead through the third period.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
However, as the Wild's offense sputtered through the final two periods, former Predators goaltender Devan Dubnyk picked up the slack with 34 saves and the Wild, thanks to two empty net goals, beat the Predators 5–2. Capping the week on December 17 against the New York Rangers, the Predators tied the score with a second period goal by team captain Fisher, but their miserable run in overtime continued as former Predator Jimmy Vesey scored the first goal in the shootout, and the Rangers won 2–1.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
On the road against Philadelphia on December 19, Forsberg tied the game in the third period to send it into overtime, and Ellis scored the lone shootout goal to win a game in overtime for the first time of the season (they were 0–5 in overtime coming into the game) in a 2–1 victory over the Flyers. The next night away at New Jersey, the Predators matched their highest offensive score of the season with goals from Mattias Ekholm, Forsberg, Johansen – who scored a short-handed goal – and Neal, who scored two, in a 5–1 victory against the Devils. Back home in Nashville on December 22 to play the Los Angeles Kings, the Predators ended the week in a 4–0 shutout loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
Back in action at home on December 27 against the Wild following Christmas break, Reid Boucher and Forsberg scored for the Predators in the second period and tied the game, but Jared Spurgeon of Minnesota scored the winning goal in overtime to hand the Wild a 3–2 victory. Two nights later against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Predators, who scored the first period with a goal by Forsberg, broke a 1–1 tie in the third period with a Fisher power play goal.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, December
But a penalty call on Smith for tripping put the Blackhawks in the power play, and Jonathan Toews tied the at two midway through the period. Patrick Kane scored the go-ahead goal with five minutes remaining and the Blackhawks defeated the Predators 3–2. The next night in St. Louis, the Predators closed out the month of December with goals by Arvidsson, Forsberg, Yannick Weber and Wilson. Saros earned his first career shutout in a 4–0 victory over the Blues.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
On January 3 at home, the contest against the Montreal Canadiens played out as a goaltender duel between Carey Price, with 22 saves, and Rinne, with 41 saves, until it was broken up by Fiala scoring for the Predators with 53 seconds remaining in the second period. Four minutes into the third period, former Predators captain Shea Weber, playing his first game in Nashville since being traded to Montreal prior to the start of the season, scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
With 19 seconds remaining in overtime, Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal and the Predators fell 2–1. Two nights later on January 5 away against Tampa Bay, Colton Sissons led a high-scoring attack with his first career hat-trick and goals from Ellis, Fisher and Forsberg in a 6–1 Predators victory. The next night in Sunrise, Florida, the Predators failed to build on their high-scoring victory from the night before as Smith scored their only goal in a 2–1 loss to the Panthers. Traveling up to Chicago on January 8, the Predators – being without top scorers Arvidsson, Neal, Subban and Wilson the entire road trip – mustered only two goals by Ekholm and Watson in a 5–2 loss to the Blackhawks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Back in Nashville on January 10 to face the Vancouver Canucks, Watson put the Predators on the board 35 seconds into the second period. The Predators controlled the game the rest of the way until Brandon Sutter scored the tying goal for the Canucks with 49 seconds remaining in regulation and sent the contest into overtime. Facing a four-on-three power play situation, Jarnkrok scored the game-winning, short-handed goal with one second remaining in overtime to give the Predators a 2–1 victory over the Canucks, their first non-shootout overtime victory of the season.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Two nights later, Watson and Forsberg scored for the Predators while Saros made 35 saves in a 2–1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Making their third trip of the season to Denver on January 14, the Predators gave up two goals to start the game but scored three unanswered goals – credited to Fisher, Foresberg and Cody McLeod, whom the Predators acquired in a trade with the Avalanche the day prior – to win 3–2.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Flying up to Vancouver on January 17, Canucks center Henrik Sedin scored the lone goal of the game with seven-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game to hand the Predators their third shutout loss of the season and snap a three-game win streak.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
A Derek Grant goal in the first period for the Predators was overturned on review, despite such a play not being reviewable by NHL rules, after the NHL declared that game referee Ghislain Hebert, who was standing behind the net when the goal was scored, "was in the process of blowing his whistle to stop play when Miller covered the puck with his blocker before the puck crossed the goal line".


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Continuing their swing through Canada on January 19 in Calgary, the Predators jumped to a 4–0 lead – thanks to Ellis (two goals), Forsberg and Neal – at the beginning of the third period. Saros made 32 saves and held off a three-goal rally in the final four minutes of the game to beat the Flames 4–3. The next night in Edmonton, Ardvisson and Ellis scored for the Predators, while goals by Matt Hendricks and Milan Lucic of the Oilers sent the contest into overtime.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Ellis and Neal scored in shootout to give the Predators a 3–2 victory over the Oilers. Back in the United States on January 22 to conclude their five-game road trip, the Predators scored four unanswered goals – thanks to Forsberg (two), Johansen and Neal – to overcome a two-goal deficit, defeat the Minnesota Wild 4–2 and give head coach Peter Laviolette his 500th career victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Back in Nashville on January 24, the contest played out as an even match-up with the Predators and Buffalo Sabres matching one another goal for goal, until the Predators took control of the game in the third period with a go-ahead goal by Arvidsson and a goal by Neal a few minutes later. With less than six minutes remaining, Brian Gionta pulled the Sabres within a goal by scoring one on Saros's blindspot and tied the game, and subsequently sent it into overtime, with a Kyle Okposo goal with 65 seconds remaining.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Two-and-a-half minutes into overtime, Jack Eichel broke past Subban and Wilson, got off a shot and snapped a three-game win streak for the Predators at 5–4. Two nights later, in their final game prior to the All-Star break, the Predators – thanks to goals from Jarnkrok, two goals from Smith and Harry Zolnierczyk – held off a late comeback by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 4–3 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, January
Closing out the month of January on the road in Pittsburgh, the Predators mustered just two goals, by Järnkrok and Wilson, and fell 4–2 to the Penguins.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
On February 2 in Nashville, Arvidsson and Johansen scored for the Predators, and Rinne put up 31 saves to earn his second shutout of the season to lead the Predators to their seventh–straight win over the Edmonton Oilers. Two nights later, the Predators fell 1–0 to the Detroit Red Wings.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Facing Vancouver on February 7, the Predators rebounded from their shutout loss against Detroit – with goals from Arvidsson, Fisher, Forsberg (whose goal was initially waved off but restored after video review showed the puck crossing the line under Jacob Markström's glove) and Järnkrok – with a 4–2 victory over the Canucks. On the road at Madison Square Garden two nights later, Järnkrok and McLeod put the Predators up to a two–goal lead, but a power play goal by Josi in the third period could not overcome four–unanswered goals by the New York Rangers, and the Predators fell 4–3.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Back in Nashville on February 11, Arvidsson recorded a hat trick and Josi scored for the Predators, but it was not enough to overcome surrendering four goals in the second period in a 7–4 loss to the Florida Panthers. The next day against division rival Dallas, the Stars got off to a three–goal lead, two of which came on power play goals (one being a 5–on–3 power play) thanks to undisciplined play by the Predators. Late in the second period, the Predators – with goals from Fisher, Forsberg, Järnkrok and two from Josi – scored five–unanswered goals to defeat the Stars 5–3.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Traveling up to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to face the Wild following a five–day break, Subban and Wilson scored to pull the Predators within a goal midway through the third period. But a breakaway goal by Jason Zucker and an empty net goal by Eric Staal sealed a 5–2 victory for the Wild.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
The next evening in Columbus, Ohio, the Predators and Blue Jackets matched one another point–for–point with goals from Ellis, Fiala, Järnkrok and Mattias, who scored the game–winning goal that broke a 3–3 tie halfway through the third period, and Saros made 35 saves in a 4–3 victory over the Blue Jackets.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Back home in Nashville on February 21 to face Calgary, the Predators fell into a three–goal deficit early in the contest but rallied with a four–goal second period – three of which came from Forsberg, earning him his third career hat trick, and Wilson – to take a one–goal lead at 5–4. Midway through the third period, Mikael Backlund scored the tying goal for the Flames, and the game went into overtime. Forty–three seconds into overtime, Mark Giordano scored the winning goal for the Flames, and the Predators fell 6–5.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Two nights later, Forsberg achieved back–to–back hat tricks and led the Predators to a season sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in a 4–2 victory. On Saturday, Forsberg, Arvidsson, and Fisher scored a goal each, and Josi scored 2 goals, giving the Predators a 5–2 victory over the Washington Capitals. The next night, the Predators – with goals from Arvidsson, Ellis, Vernon Fiddler, Forsberg and Wilson – scored their ninth straight win over the Edmonton Oilers in a 5–4 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, February
Closing out the month of February on the road in Buffalo, the Predators and Sabres, the Sabres jumped to a two–score lead, the Predators responded with goals from Fisher and Wilson, and a third goal by the Sabres ended of the second period. After the Sabres jumped to a 4–2 lead early in the third period, Forsberg and Johansen led a two–goal rally to tie the game and send it into overtime. After a successful 4 on 2 penalty kill, Forsberg scored two minutes and 45 seconds into overtime and handed the Predators a 4–2 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
Traveling up to Montreal on March 2, Ellis put the Predators on the board with a first period goal but surrendered a tying goal by Brendan Gallagher midway through the third period and a breakaway Paul Byron goal with nine seconds remaining to fall 2–1 to the Canadiens.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
Back home two nights later, the Predators kept themselves in contention against Chicago with goals from Arvidsson (with two) and Järnkrok, but Brian Campbell put the game away with a wrist shot goal with only 65 seconds remaining – and Kane padded the score with an empty net goal – to hand the Predators a 5–3 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
On the road in Anaheim, California, on March 7, the Predators and Ducks played to a three-goal tie in regulation with goals by Ellis, Forsberg, and Wilson for the Predators and goals by Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, and Nick Ritchie of the Ducks. In the fifth round of shootout, Patrick Eaves shot the winning goal past Rinne to hand the Ducks a 4–3 victory. Two nights later across town in Los Angeles, the Predators and Kings played to a two–goal tie in regulation with goals by Fiala and Järnkrok and goals by Marián Gáborík and Jarome Iginla of the Kings.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
With less than 90 seconds remaining in overtime, Iginla scored his second goal of the game, and winning goal, to beat the Predators 3–2. Concluding their three–game swing through California on March 11 in San Jose, the Predators – with goals by Arvidsson (short–hand empty net), Johansen and Neal, and 25 saves by Saros, including four penalty kills – snapped a four–game losing skid with a 3–1 win over the Sharks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
In Nashville on March 13, the Predators and Winnipeg Jets matched each other point for point through the contest – with goals by Fisher, Forsberg, Neal, and Watson for the Predators, and Joel Armia, Dustin Byfuglien, Patrik Laine, and Blake Wheeler for the Jets – and it went into overtime. On the power play, Neal fired a wrist shot past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, and the Predators won 5–4. On the road in Washington, D.C., three nights later, the Capitals put the first point on the board with a goal from Brett Connolly.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
Neal tied the game for the Predators with 64 seconds remaining in the second period, and it went into overtime. Sixty–five seconds into overtime, Arvidsson scored the winning goal, and the Predators won 2–1. Ending their two–game road trip in Raleigh, North Carolina, on March 18, goals from Arvidsson and Forsberg could not lift the Predators past allowing the first two goals and an empty net goal in the closing seconds in a 4–2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
Back in Nashville on March 20 against Arizona, Arvidsson and Ellis scored for the Predators to retake third in the Central Division in a 3–1 victory that also eliminated the Coyotes from playoff contention. The hunt for third in the Central Division continued two nights later when Ellis, Järnkrok and Sissons scored to put the Predators over the Calgary Flames 3–1. On March 26, Neal and Sissons scored twice and Arvidsson, McLeod, and Subban scored – keeping the Predators in the hunt for third in the Central Division – in a 7–2 win over the San Jose Sharks.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, March
In Brooklyn on March 27, the Predators – thanks to Arvidsson, Fiala, and Johansen – won their fourth straight game, matching their longest win streak of the season in a 3–1 victory over the New York Islanders. The next night in Boston, Smith put the Predators on the board in a 4–1 loss to the Bruins that ended their four–game win streak. Returning to Nashville on March 30, Forsberg's 30th goal of the season and outshooting Toronto 13–2 in the third period was not enough to overcome a second period two–goal deficit, and the Predators lost 3–1 to the Maple Leafs.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, April
On April 1, the Predators – thanks to goals from Fiala and Forsberg, and an empty net goal by Subban – pulled to a tie for third in the Central Division after a 3–0 win over the Minnesota Wild. The next night in St. Louis, Johansen scored the lone goal for the Predators in a 4–1 loss to the Blues. The day ended with the Predators clinching a playoff spot after the Los Angeles Kings were eliminated in a 2–1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Regular season, April
Back in Nashville for the final time in the regular season on April 4, the Predators – with a goal from Fisher – and New York Islanders – with a goal from Brock Nelson – played to a tie in regulation. Thomas Hickey scored the winning goal in overtime and the Predators took the consolation point in a 2–1 overtime loss. On the road in Dallas on April 7, Arvidsson (2), Fiala, Josi, Smith (2), and Harry Zolnierczyk scored in a 7–3 win over the Stars. Closing out the regular season in Winnipeg, the Predators failed to better their playoff seeding and locked themselves into a first round match-up with the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2–1 loss to the Jets.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, First round: Chicago
On April 13, the Predators began their first postseason series of 2017 on the road. In Game 1, the Predators scored first against the Chicago Blackhawks when Arvidsson redirected Forsberg's shot on goal past goalie Corey Crawford midway through the first period, and Rinne recorded 29 saves, despite the Blackhawks controlling the defensive zone of the Predators for much of the last two periods. Two nights later in Game 2, Rinne's 30 saves led to another shutout of the Blackhawks, and goals from Ellis, Fiala, Johansen, Sissons, and Zolnierczyk gave the Predators a 5–0 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, First round: Chicago
The Blackhawks' scoring drought ended when Dennis Rasmussen and Patrick Kane scored in the second period of Game 3 on April 17 in Nashville. Forsberg's two goals tied the game, and Fiala scored the winning goal 16:44 into overtime to give the Predators a three-game lead in the series. Rinne stopped all but one shot, and Josi scored twice to complete their first sweep in franchise history in a 4–1 victory over the Blackhawks on April 20.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Second round: St. Louis
In Game 1, Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Sobotka each scored in the third period to tie the contest for the St. Louis Blues after Forsberg, Subban, and Wilson scored in the first two periods. Fiddler scored the winning goal to give the Predators a 4–3 win on April 26. The Predators spent 11 minutes on penalty kill to two by the Blues in Game 2, contributing to the Blues' comeback at the stick of Vladimir Tarasenko, and saw their five-game playoff win streak snapped in a 3–2 loss.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Second round: St. Louis
The offensive-oriented defensemen of the Predators played the biggest role in scoring for Game 3 on April 30, with two of three goals coming from Ellis and Josi, to give them a 3–1 victory and 2–1 series lead over the Blues. Rinne saved 32 of 33 shots, and Ellis and Neal scored in the third period to give the Predators a 3–1 series advantage in Game 4 on May 2. Dmitrij Jaškin and Jaden Schwartz of the Blues denied the Predators an opportunity to clinch the series with a 2–1 victory in Game 5 on May 5. After giving up the first goal in Game 6, the Predators scored three unanswered goals to send them to their first Conference Final appearance in franchise history.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Western Conference Final: Anaheim
In Game 1, the Predators and the Anaheim Ducks matched each other goal for goal in regulation, with Forsberg and Watson scoring for the Predators, and Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Silfverberg scoring for the Ducks. During overtime, Neal made a shot that bounced off the right shoulder of Ducks forward Corey Perry and went over Ducks goalie John Gibson to give the Predators a 3–2 victory. Rinne, who entered with the best goals against average of goalies in the 2017 playoffs, allowed a playoff–high four goals in a 5–3 loss to the Ducks in Game 2 on May 14.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Western Conference Final: Anaheim
In Nashville for Game 3 on May 16, Rinne blocked 19 of 20 shots, and Forsberg and Josi scored, keeping the perfect postseason home record of the Predators intact with a 2–1 victory. The Predators found themselves in a two–goal hole with under seven minutes remaining in regulation in Game 4 on May 18, but Subban's shot with six minutes and 27 seconds to go and Forsberg's goal with 34 seconds left sent the game into overtime.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Western Conference Final: Anaheim
During overtime, Ducks forward Perry shot the puck at the front of the net, which bounced off Subban's stick past Rinne for the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over the Predators. Despite losing their first home playoff game in over a year, the Predators moved to one win away from their first Stanley Cup Final appearance with a 3–1 victory over the Ducks in Game 5 on May 20. Sissons recorded a hat-trick, the second playoff hat-trick in Predators history, sending the Predators to their first Stanley Cup Final with a 6–3 victory in Game 6 over the Ducks on May 22.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final opened on May 29 with a goal by P. K. Subban, which was overturned after the Pittsburgh Penguins challenged that Forsberg was offside. Two minutes later in the first period, the Penguins took control of the game with a three-goal swing and went into the first intermission with a 3–0 lead. Over the course of the next 37 minutes, the Nashville Predators erased the deficit with a three-goal rally and held the Penguins to zero shots on goal through the second period and part of the third period.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
The feat marked the first time a team was held to no shots in a period during a Stanley Cup Final since the NHL started tracking the statistic in 1957–58. Jake Guentzel ended the Penguins' shot on goal drought with the game–winning goal with three minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the game, and a subsequent empty netter with 62 seconds remaining by Nick Bonino, to take Game 1 at 5–3.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
The Predators struck first in Game 2 on May 31 with a goal by Pontus Aberg, but Guentzel evened the score with three-and-a-half minutes left in the first period. The Predators controlled the puck for most of the game, shooting a combined 32 shots on goal (18 in the first and 14 in the second) to the Penguins' 19 (12 in the first and seven in the second), but did not convert more than one into a goal. The Penguins opened a three-goal barrage ten seconds into the third period, then scored two goals in the span of 15 seconds, the latter of which resulted in Saros playing the rest of the game in place of Rinne, to give the Penguins Game 2 at 4–1.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
Guentzel put the Penguins on top with an early goal in the first period of Game 3 on June 3, but could not capitalize on three power play opportunities, or a bouncing shot from defenseman Ron Hainsey. While sloppy play in the first period slowed the Predators down, the momentum swung their way when Josi shot from the right face-off circle and scored on a power play goal roughly six minutes into the second period. Gaudreau scored 42 seconds later, Neal scored with 22.6 seconds remaining in the period and Smith and Ekholm scored in the third period to give the Predators their first ever Stanley Cup Final game victory at 5–1.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
Smith deflected Watson's shot and Jarnkrok, on the rebound, shot the puck past Matt Murray to give the Predators a 1–0 lead nearly 15 minutes into the first period of Game 4 on June 5. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby got the puck on a breakaway just over a minute later and beat Rinne on a forehand-to-backhand move to tie the game. Gaudreau scored on a wrap-around, after an official review, that proved to be the winning goal – cemented by Arvidsson's breakaway goal and an empty-netter by Forsberg – of a 4–1 series-tying Game 4 victory.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Season summary, Postseason, Stanley Cup Final: Pittsburgh
Returning to Pittsburgh, the Predators lost 6–0 before being eliminated at home 2–0 in Game 6 of the Finals after a waved-off goal by Colton Sissons followed by two goals by the Penguins.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Schedule and results, Regular season
Legend:  Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Player stats, Goaltenders
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Predators. Stats reflect time with the Predators only. ‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Predators only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Transactions
The Predators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2016–17 season.


2016–17 Nashville Predators season, Draft picks
Below are the Nashville Predators' selections at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, held in June 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Bulgaria) season
The 2016–17 National Basketball League (Bulgaria) season was the 76th season of the Bulgarian NBL. The season started on October 14, 2016 and ended on May 30, 2017.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Bulgaria) season, Regular season, Results, Second stage
Home and away games depend of table after the first stage.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season
The 2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season was the 24th season of the Czech NBL.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season, Format
Teams in regular season play home and away against every other team in a round-robin tournament, before being split into two groups of six teams for playing again home and away against the teams from the same group.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season, Format
After the end of the stage after the first split, the six teams from to top group and the two first qualified teams from the bottom group joined the play-offs.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season, Format
The other four teams would play again home and away against themselves for avoiding the relegation.


2016–17 National Basketball League (Czech Republic) season, Playoffs
Seeded teams played at home games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the finals and the third place game where played with a double-legged series, playing the seeded team the second match at home.


2016–17 National Cricket League
The 2016–17 National Cricket League was the eighteenth edition of the National Cricket League, a first-class cricket competition that was held in Bangladesh. The tournament started on 25 September 2016 and concluded on 6 January 2017. Khulna Division were the defending champions.


2016–17 National Cricket League
Heavy rain affected the first three rounds of matches, with only two matches out of twelve ending in a result other than a draw. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced that all matches scheduled to take place on 14 October 2016 would be delayed until the weather improved. However, there was no improvement in the weather and those matches and future fixtures were postponed due to the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The tournament restarted on 20 December 2016 after the conclusion of the BPL.


2016–17 National Cricket League
Khulna Division retained their title when they beat Dhaka Metropolis by 398 runs in their final match. Dhaka Metropolis were relegated to Tier 2 for the next season, while Rangpur Division were promoted to Tier 1.


2016–17 National Cricket League
Following the conclusion of this tournament, the 2016–17 Bangladesh Cricket League began.


2016–17 National First Division
The 2016–17 National First Division was the season from August 2016 to May 2017 of South Africa's second tier of professional soccer, the National First Division.


2016–17 National League
The 2016–17 National League season, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, was the second season under the new title of National League, thirteenth season consisting of three divisions and the thirty-eighth season overall.


2016–17 National League
The National League covers the top two levels of non-League football in England. The National League is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid, while the National League North and National League South exist at the sixth level. The top team and the winner of the play-off of the Premier division will be promoted to League Two, while the bottom four are relegated to the North or South divisions. The champions of the North and South divisions will be promoted to the Premier division, alongside the play-off winners from each division. The bottom three in each of the North and South divisions are relegated to the premier divisions of the Northern Premier League, Isthmian League or Southern League. The fixtures were announced on 6 July 2016.


2016–17 National League, National League, Promotion and relegation
The following teams changed divisions after the 2015–16 season. Solihull Moors were the first team to be promoted after North Ferriby United's 2–0 loss to Stalybridge Celtic on 13 April 2016 clinched them the National League North title. This will be their first season in the National League. Sutton United were promoted on 23 April 2016 after a 2–0 win over Chelmsford City, returning to the league for the first time in sixteen years.


2016–17 National League, National League, Promotion and relegation
Dagenham & Redbridge were relegated from League Two on 16 April 2016 after their 3–2 loss to Leyton Orient returning to the fifth tier after nine years in the Football League. York City were relegated on 23 April after their 3–0 loss to Accrington Stanley, returning to the league for the first time since the 2011–12 season. North Ferriby United's 2–1 win over AFC Fylde and Maidstone United's win on penalties over Ebbsfleet United made them the National League North and National League South play-off winners respectively. It is the first time both teams have competed in the league.


2016–17 National League, National League, Promotion and relegation
The six teams replace Cheltenham Town, Grimsby Town, FC Halifax Town, Altrincham, Kidderminster Harriers and Welling United. Cheltenham Town were promoted back to League Two at their first attempt after beating FC Halifax Town 2–0 on 16 April 2016. Grimsby Town were promoted back to the Football League after beating Forest Green Rovers 3–1 in the 2015–16 National League play-off final. Kidderminster Harriers and Welling United were relegated on the same day after defeats to Barrow and Chester.


2016–17 National League, National League, Promotion and relegation
On the final day of the season, Altrincham were relegated after losing 3–0 to Braintree Town, ending their two-year stay in the league. FC Halifax Town's 1–1 draw against Macclesfield Town was not enough to save them after Guiseley's 4–3 win over Torquay United, ending their three-year stay in the league.


2016–17 National League 1
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Rjwilmsi (talk | contribs) at 19:56, 2 January 2020 (→Round 30: Journal cites: format pages,). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2016–17 National League 1
The 2016–17 National League 1, known for sponsorship reasons as the SSE National League 1 was the eighth season of the third tier of the English rugby union system, since the professionalised format of the second tier RFU Championship was introduced; and was the 30th season since league rugby began in 1987.


2016–17 National League 1
Hartpury College were crowned the champions on 11 March 2017 after winning their 25th match and maintaining their 100% record. The college side went on break more National League 1 records by winning all 30 games and gaining promotion to the highest level in the club's history. Other records by Hartpury included most league points in a season (143), most points scored (1,455), as well as tying with Ealing Trailfinders (2014–15) for most bonus points gained in a season (28).


2016–17 National League 1
Due to London Welsh going into liquidation in January 2017 and being expelled from the RFU Championship, only two teams were relegated from National League 1. On 1 April 2017 newly promoted Macclesfield were the first team to be relegated after they lost 18–21 at home to Plymouth Albion. The second relegation spot was keenly contested and went to the last game of the season with 14th placed Hull Ionians 3 points ahead of 15th placed Blaydon. In the end Blaydon lost their final game while Hull Ionians won theirs to finish 6 points clear. It ended a run of 10 years in the 3rd tier for Blaydon.


2016–17 National League 1, Structure
The league consisted of sixteen teams with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches each. There was one promotion place with the champions promoted to the Greene King IPA Championship. There are usually three relegation places with the bottom three teams relegated to either National League 2 North or National League 2 South depending on the geographical location of the team. Due to the expulsion of the championship team London Welsh in January 2017, there was no relegation from the championship and subsequently only two teams relegated from this league.


2016–17 National League 1, Participating teams and locations
Twelve of the sixteen teams participated in the preceding season's competition. The 2015–16 champions, Richmond, were promoted to the 2016–17 RFU Championship and replaced by Birmingham Moseley (who changed their name from Moseley prior to the season) and were relegated from the 2015–16 RFU Championship. The three teams relegated last season, were Henley Hawks and Cinderford (both to the 2016–17 National League 2 South) and Wharfedale (2016–17 National League 2 North) – with Wharfedale dropping from the third tier for the first time in 20 years. The promoted teams are Cambridge and Macclesfield champions of the 2015–16 National League 2 South and 2015–16 National League 2 North respectively, and Old Albanian who won the promotion play-off against Sedgley Park.


2016–17 National League 1, Fixtures, Round 11
* Hartpury is the first team (in the top three divisions) to win a bonus point in eleven consecutive matches.


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Team
92 – 7 Hartpury College at home to Macclesfield on 22 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Team
8 – 73 Coventry away to Old Albanian on 8 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Team
Hartpury College at home to Macclesfield on 22 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Team
Hull Ionians at home to Darlington Mowden Park on 3 September 2016Cambridge away to Plymouth Albion, both on 3 September 2016Cambridge away to Rosslyn Park on 10 September 2016Blaydon away to Birmingham Moseley on 24 September 2016Rosslyn Park away to Loughborough Students on 8 October 2016Blaydon at home to Hull Ionians on 12 November 2016


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Attendances
Coventry at home to Birmingham Moseley on 17 December 2016


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Attendances
Loughborough Students v Blaydon (7 January 2017)Loughborough Students v Old Albanian (4 February 2017)


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Player
Protheroe for Hartpury College at Cambridge on 28 October 2016Law for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Fylde on 8 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Player
Gair Currie for Loughborough Students away to Cambridge on 1 October 2016Dan George for Blackheath at home to Blaydon on 8 August 2016Luke Eves for Harpury College at home to Hull Ionians on 8 October 2016Ed Sheldon for Birmingham Moseley at home to Old Albanian on 22 October 2016Joe Brown for Esher at home to Blaydon on 22 October 2016Scott Armstrong for Fylde at home to Hull Ionians on 22 October 2016Jonas Mikacius for Hartpury College at home to Ampthill on 22 October 2016Jonas Mikacius for Hartpury College at home to Rosslyn Park on 5 November 2016Matt Thompson for Blaydon at home to Hull Ionians on 12 November 2016Caven for Hartpury College at home to Darlingham Mowden Park on 19 November 2016Ali Thomson for Hull Ionians away to Cambridge on 26 November 2016Dan Williams for Plymouth Albion home to Hartpury College on 17 December 2016Matt Thompson for Blaydon at home to Blackheath on 28 January 2017Andy Radwan for Darlington Mowden Park at Old Albanian on 28 January 2017Liebeneberg for Cambridge at Macclesfield on 4 February 2017Peter White for Coventry at home to Hull Ionians on 18 February 2017Chris Briers for Fylde at Ampthill on 4 March 2017Andy Radwan for Darlington Mowden Park home to Macclesfield on 4 March 2017Protheroe for Hartpury College home to Old Albanian on 11 March 2017Nigel Baker for Ampthill away to Blaydon on 1 April 2017Garry Law for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Fylde on 8 April 2017Max Trimble for Coventry at Old Albanian on 8 April 2017Jonas Mikacius for Hartpury College at home to Macclesfield on 22 April 2017Callum Irvine for Hull Ionians at home to Old Albanian on 22 April 2017Jonas Mikacius for Hartpury College away to Blackheath on 29 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Player
Adam Hastings for Hartpury College at home to Macclesfield on 22 April 2017


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Player
Kieran Hallett for Plymouth Albion away to Fylde on 8 October 2016


2016–17 National League 1, Season records, Player
Lee Millar for Hull Ionians at home to Darlington Mowden Park on 3 September 2016Jack Green for Cambridge away to Plymouth Albion on 3 September 2016Dan Lewis for Cambridge at Rosslyn Park on 10 September 2016Nathan Horsfall for Blaydon at Birmingham Moseley on 24 September 2016Scott Sneddon for Rosslyn Park away to Loughborough Students on 8 October 2016Ryan Foreman for Blaydon at home to Hull Ionians on 12 November 2016Callum Irvine for Hull Ionians at home to Cambridge on 1 April 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North
The 2016–17 National League 2 North is the eighth season (30th overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the division include Wharfedale who were relegated from National League 1 while Sheffield Tigers were promoted as champions of National League 3 North along with Scunthorpe (champions) and Hinckley (play-off) from National League 3 Midlands.


2016–17 National League 2 North
Caldy were crowned champions on the 8 April 2017 with two games to go, after beating second place Sale 28–26 in front of a crowd of 1,432 at Paton Field (the biggest in the league that season) to make sure that the Heywood Road side could not catch them. It was the first time Caldy had won National League 2 North and the highest level they have reached in the club's history.


2016–17 National League 2 North
Up until the last few games, Sale had been neck and neck with Caldy but in the end two defeats to the Wirral-based club meant that they finished 9 points adrift in second place. However, a strong finish by Sale meant that they would go into the promotion play-off against the runner-up from the 2016–17 National League 2 South, Old Elthamians, with home advantage as they gained more league points (124) than the southern based side (122). Despite home advantage Sale were unable to join Caldy in the 2017–18 National League 1 as they lost a close game 14–19 to Old Elthamians in front of a crowd of 1,297 at Heywood Road.


2016–17 National League 2 North
The liquidation of London Welsh in January 2017, and their expulsion from the RFU Championship, meant that there were only five teams relegated from National League 2 South and National League 2 North this season – meaning that one league would have three teams going down and the other having just two depending on league points at the end of the season. On the same day that Caldy won the league title, Preston Grasshoppers were the first team to be relegated, losing 32–48 to relegation rivals Harrogate and ending the club's 12-year stay in the division.


2016–17 National League 2 North
The battle for the other relegation places was much closer as on the last day of the season three sides could still go down. In the end it was Harrogate and newly promoted Scunthorpe who were relegated as both teams lost their matches, while another newly promoted side, Sheffield Tigers, won theirs. With regards to the Tigers, who at one point looked likely to go down, they had an absolute fantastic finish to the season, winning four out of five games to remain in National League 2 North.


2016–17 National League 2 North
There had been some hope that the 14th placed team might have been kept safe but the equivalent side in the 2016–17 National League 2 South, Barnstaple, escaped relegation as they gained more points (51) than their northern counterparts (47). Following their relegation, Preston Grasshoppers and Harrogate will start next season in National League 3 North, while Scunthorpe will drop back down to National League 3 Midlands.


2016–17 National League 2 North
There were other points to contemplate at the end of the campaign. Attendances in National League 2 North were very good this season - up to 78,160 (or 326 per game) from 65,338 (273 per game) the previous year - which was the best support since the 2013-14 campaign when sides such as Darlington Mowden Park were taking part.


2016–17 National League 2 North
This was mostly due to the consistent support which went to watch Wharfedale, Tynedale and Hinckley (two of whom were new to the division), along with several good individual attendances at both Caldy and Sale who benefited from being involved in a tightly contested title battle. A second point of note went to Nick Royle of Caldy who had another record breaking campaign.


2016–17 National League 2 North
Firstly, his 32 tries equaled a season best for the division (Gareth Collins and Royle himself had previously achieved this),and secondly he finished as the top try scorer in the division for the third time in his career - a National League 2 North record. Finally, another record was equaled in the division by Wharfedale's Tom Barrett, who scored 3 drop kicks in a game - twice during the season.


2016–17 National League 2 North, Structure
The league consists of sixteen teams with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches each. There is one automatic promotion place, one play-off place and three relegation places. The champions are promoted to the 2017–18 National League 1 and the runner-up play the second-placed team in the 2016–17 National League 2 South with the winner also being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either National League 3 North or National League 3 Midlands depending on the geographical location of the team (in some cases teams may join the southern regional leagues).


2016–17 National League 2 North, Structure
The results of the matches contribute points to the league as follows:


2016–17 National League 2 North, Participating teams and locations
Eleven of the teams listed below participated in the 2015–16 National League 2 North season; Wharfedale were relegated from the 2015–16 National League 1 while Sheffield Tigers were promoted as champions of National League 3 North and Scunthorpe (champions) and Hinckley came up from National League 3 Midlands.


2016–17 National League 2 North, Promotion play-off
Each season, the runners-up in the National League 2 North and National League 2 South participate in a play-off for promotion to National Division 1. Sale finished second in the 2016–17 National League 2 North and because they had a better record than the 2016–17 National League 2 South runners-up, Old Elthamians, they hosted the play-off match.


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Team
67 – 14 Sedgley Park at home to Scunthorpe on 3 December 2016


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Team
61 - 7 Sale away to Scunthorpe on 4 March 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Team
76 - 35 Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Team
Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Team
Wharfedale at home to Scunthorpe on 19 November 2016Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 28 January 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Player
Jack Lavin for Caldy at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 14 January 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Player
Johnny Matthews for Sedgley Park at home to Luctonians on 15 October 2016 Andrew Riley for Sedgley Park at home to Scunthorpe on 3 December 2016 Jack Lavin for Caldy at home to Preston Grasshoppers on 14 January 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Player
Luke McGovern for Sale at home to Wharfedale on 11 March 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Player
Steve Johnson for Scunthorpe away to Harrogate on 22 October 2016


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Player
Tom Barrett for Wharfedale at home to Scunthorpe on 19 November 2016 Tom Barrett for Wharfedale at home to Luctonians on 28 January 2017


2016–17 National League 2 North, Season records, Attendances
South Leicester at home to Caldy on 22 October 2016


2016–17 National League 2 South
The 2016–17 National League 2 South was the eighth season (30th overall) of the fourth tier (south) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the division include Henley Hawks and Cinderford (both relegated from National League 1) while Exmouth (champions) and Barnstaple were promoted from National League 3 South West along with London Irish Wild Geese who won National League 3 London & SE.


2016–17 National League 2 South
The league system is 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and additional bonus points being awarded for scoring 4 or more tries and/or losing within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions are promoted to National League 1 while the second-placed team play-off against the second-placed team from National League 2 North (at the home ground of the club with the superior league record) for the final promotion place.


2016–17 National League 2 South
At the end of the season Bishop's Stortford were crowned champions on 22 April 2017 after beating Exmouth 60-7 away - reaching the highest level in the clubs' history. It was a worthy reward for Bishop's Stortford who finished 3rd the previous season and lost the playoff the season before that. A further highlight for Bishop's Stortford was the club record attendance of 1,664 that attending Silver Leys for the final league match of the season - a figure that was also the highest in National League 2 South that year.


2016–17 National League 2 South
Although Bishop's Stortford's won the league with a game to spare it had been a very close battle for promotion as they faced strong competition from Chinnor and Old Elthamians up until the penultimate game. Chinnor had looked likely champions during the first half of the season but in the end missed out on promotion altogether, as despite finishing dead level on points with Old Elthamians they had one less win than the Kent side.


2016–17 National League 2 South
As runners up Old Elthamians would have to head north for their promotion playoff as the 2016–17 National League 2 North second placed side, Sale, had finished with more 2 more league points (124 to 122). On 6 May 2017 Old Elthamians beat Sale 19-14 at Heywood Road to clinch promotion to join Bishop's Stortford in the 2017–18 National League 1 - and just like the Hertfordshire side it would the highest level Old Elthamians had ever reached in the club's history.


2016–17 National League 2 South
The liquidation of London Welsh in January 2017, and their expulsion from the RFU Championship, meant that there were only 5 teams instead of the usual 6 relegated from National League 2 South and National League 2 North this season - meaning that one league would have 3 teams going down and the other having just 2 depending on league points gained. Newly promoted Exmouth were the first team to be relegated on 8 April 2017 when they lost 20-36 away to Clifton, way adrift of the teams above them.


2016–17 National League 2 South
The other spots were much more keenly contested with 4 teams facing possible relegation on the last day of the season in what was one of the most exciting relegation battles for years. In the end it was Barnes who went down - a final round try bonus point defeat not enough despite tying them with relegation rivals, Barnstaple, who had a superior win record.


2016–17 National League 2 South
Any other season Barnstaple would have gone down as they finished in 14th place but they ended up having more than the equivalent side Harrogate had in the 2016–17 National League 2 North - 51 points to 47 - condemning the Yorkshire side to the drop instead. The final league table shows how close this season was at both ends of the table. Only 5 points separate the top 3 sides, while just 3 points separate 12th placed Worthing Raiders from 15th placed Barnes. Exmouth would fall down to National League 3 South West while Barnes would drop to National League 3 London & SE.


2016–17 National League 2 South
Other points to consider for the season was that despite falling attendances in leagues such as the RFU Championship, National League 2 South actually recorded an increase in overall attendances - up to 91,074 (or 379 per game) from 88,674 (369 per game) the previous year. This was helped by record club attendances for both Bishop's Stortford and Chinnor (both over 1,500), while promoted side Barnstaple also did well. Redruth, who struggled towards the end of the season, were once again the best supported side in the division, averaging over 800 supporters per game. This was despite losing the Cornish derby with Launceston who were relegated the previous season.


2016–17 National League 2 South, Structure
The league consists of sixteen teams with all the teams playing each other on a home and away basis to make a total of thirty matches each. There is one automatic promotion place, one play-off place and three relegation places. The champions are promoted to the 2017–18 National League 1 and the runners-up play the second-placed team in the 2016–17 National League 2 North with the winner being promoted. The last three teams are relegated to either National League 3 London & SE or National League 3 South West depending on the geographical location of the team (in some cases teams may join the Midlands regional leagues).


2016–17 National League 2 South, Participating teams and locations
Eleven of the teams listed below participated in the 2015–16 National League 2 South season; Henley Hawks and Cinderford were relegated from the 2015–16 National League 1 while London Irish Wild Geese were promoted as champions of National League 3 London & SE and Exmouth (champions) and Barnstaple (playoffs) from National League 3 South West. This season would also see Old Elthamians move from the 500 capacity Queen Mary Sports Ground in Chiselhurst to College Meadow in Eltham.