In team sports, a shutout (US) or clean sheet (UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of effective defensive play even though a weak opposing offense may be as much to blame. Some sports credit individual players, particularly goalkeepers and starting pitchers, with shutouts and keep track of them as statistics; others do not.
Shutouts in American football are uncommon. Keeping an opponent scoreless in American football requires a team's defense to be able to consistently shut down both pass and run offenses over the course of a game. The difficulty of completing a shutout is compounded by the many ways a team can score in the game. For example, teams can attempt field goals, which have a high rate of success. The range of NFL caliber kickers makes it possible for a team with a weak offense to get close enough to the goalposts (within "field goal range") to kick a field goal. Of 2,544 regular season NFL games from 2000 to 2009, 89 (3.5%) were shutouts.
There are at least five instances in American football in which a team had been shut out throughout an entire season, and four in which a team has shut out all of their opponents in the season (the longest of these being the ten-game perfect season in which the 1933 Providence Huskies did not concede a single point). [1]
In college football, the Tennessee Volunteers hold the record for most consecutive shutout wins with 17. The streak started against Tennessee-Chattanooga on November 30, 1938 and ended with a 27–12 loss against Alabama on October 19, 1940. [2]
The achievement of a shutout is much more difficult in Canadian football, where scoring and offensive movement is generally more frequent and a single point can be scored by kicking the ball into the end zone such that the other team does not, or cannot, return it or kick it out of the end zone.
In association football and other sports with a goalkeeper, the goalkeeper may be said to "keep a clean sheet" if they prevent their opponents from scoring during an entire match. Because football is a relatively low-scoring game, it is common for one team, or even both teams, to score no goals. [3] A theory as to the term's origin is that sports reporters used separate pieces of paper to record the different statistical details of a game. If one team did not allow a goal, then that team's "details of goals conceded" page would appear blank, leaving a clean sheet. If a game ends with a final score of 0–0, both sides are considered to have kept a clean sheet. [4] [5]
In Major League Baseball, a shutout (denoted statistically as ShO or SHO [6] ) refers to the act by which a single pitcher pitches a complete game and does not allow the opposing team to score a run. If two or more pitchers combine to complete this act, no pitcher will be awarded a shutout, although the team itself can be said to have "shut out" the opposing team. The only exception to this is when a pitcher enters a game before the opposing team scores a run or makes an out and then completes the game without allowing a run to score. That pitcher is then awarded a shutout, although not a complete game.
The all-time career leader in shutouts is Walter Johnson, who pitched for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. He accumulated 110 shutouts, [7] which is 20 more than second placed Grover Cleveland Alexander. [8] The most shutouts recorded in one season was 16, which was a feat accomplished by both Grover Alexander (1916) and George Bradley (1876). [9] These records are considered among the most secure records in baseball, as pitchers today rarely earn more than one or two shutouts per season with a heavy emphasis on pitch count and relief pitching. Complete games themselves have also become rare among starting pitchers. As of 2021, the current active leader in shutouts is Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose 15 shutouts ties him for 463rd all time. Only four pitchers whose entire careers were in the post-1920 live-ball era threw as many as 60 career shutouts, with Warren Spahn leading those pitchers with 63. [10]
In ice hockey, a shutout (SO) is credited to a goaltender who successfully stops the other team from scoring during the entire game. In regular season games, if the score is 0–0 with the game going to a penalty shootout, both goaltenders are credited with a shutout. [11] The record holder for most regular-season career shutouts in the National Hockey League (NHL) is Martin Brodeur with 125 (see the all-time regular season shutout leaders). For a single NHL season, the most shutouts recorded by a goaltender is 22, by George Hainsworth during the 1928–29 season. The modern-day record for a team being shut out in a season is held by the Columbus Blue Jackets at 16, during the 2006–07 season.
In the event that a shutout is accomplished by a team using more than one goaltender in the game, the shutout is credited to the team, and no goaltender is awarded a shutout. This has happened several times in NHL history:
Clean sheets are not common in either rugby union or league, since it is relatively simple to score a penalty kick. The 2005 Gillette Rugby League Tri-Nations final was the first time that Australia had been "nilled" since 1981.[ citation needed ] There is no alternative term for the occurrence of a team failing to score, except to say that the team scored "nil" (or "zero" or "nothing" in North America). For example, the December 2006 Celtic League match between Munster and Connacht ended 13–0 to Munster; [17] it was, therefore, said that Munster won "thirteen–nil."
Recent examples of clean sheets in international rugby union include England vs Scotland in 2014, France vs Italy in 2015, France vs Argentina in 2016, Scotland vs Italy in 2017, New Zealand vs South Africa in 2017, New Zealand vs Australia in 2019, and Wales vs Italy in 2020.
Generally, a team that is well-disciplined defensively, as well as behaviorally (not giving away penalty kicks), is most likely to not concede scores. This may also occur if there is a significant difference in class between the two teams, for example, when Scotland beat Spain (who were playing in their only Rugby World Cup) 48–0 in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, [18] or when Australia beat Namibia 142–0 in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. [19]
Joseph Georges Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and nine in the National Hockey League (NHL), all with the Montreal Canadiens. After being signed by the Canadiens in 1910, Vézina played in 327 consecutive regular season games and a further 39 playoff games, before leaving early during a game in 1925 due to illness. Vézina was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and died on March 27, 1926.
Cecil Ralph "Tiny" Thompson was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), first for the Boston Bruins, and later for the Detroit Red Wings. A four-time Vezina Trophy winner, Thompson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. He was a member of one Stanley Cup-winning team, as a rookie in the 1928–29 season with the Boston Bruins. At the start of the 1938–39 season, after ten full seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he completed the season, and played another full one before retiring. During his NHL career, he recorded 81 shutouts, the sixth-highest of any goaltender. After retiring from playing, he coached lower-league teams before becoming a noted professional scout. Thompson helped popularize the technique of the "glove save" which was catching the puck with his hands as a method of making a save. A competent puckhandler, he was the first goaltender in the NHL to record an assist in 1936 by passing the puck with his stick to a fellow player.
The 1928–29 NHL season was the 12th season of the National Hockey League. Ten teams played 44 games each. This was the first Stanley Cup Finals that saw two United States–based teams compete for the cup. The Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers two games to none in the best-of-three final.
Carey Price is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently under contract with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the best goaltenders in the world during his career, Price is the winningest goaltender in Canadiens history as of the 2023–24 season, with 361 career wins.
The 1917–18 Ottawa Senators season was the team's first season in the newly formed National Hockey League (NHL) and 33rd season of play overall. The Senators, along with the Montreal and Quebec franchises of the National Hockey Association (NHA), voted to suspend the NHA and form the NHL. Ottawa would finish second and third in the first and second halves of the season, and did not qualify for the playoffs.
The 1918–19 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 34th season, second in the National Hockey League (NHL), and they would see much improvement over the previous season. The season was cut short by the Toronto Arenas suspending operations, leaving the Senators and Montreal Canadiens to play the first best-of-seven playoff series to determine the NHL championship, won by Montreal.
The 1919–20 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 35th season of play and third season in the NHL. It was a very successful season, as they set an NHL record for wins (19), points (38), and won both halves of the season, therefore the Sens automatically were awarded the NHL championship and the right to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Senators defeated Seattle to win their eighth Stanley Cup title.
The 1920–21 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 36th season of play, fourth season in the NHL, and they were out to defend their 1920 Stanley Cup championship. The club would win the NHL championship and defeat Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Finals to win the club's ninth Stanley Cup.
The 1921–22 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 37th season of play, fifth season in the NHL, and they were coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup Championship seasons, winning in 1920 and 1921. The Senators would finish in first place in the standings, but lost in the playoff to the Toronto St. Pats.
The 1922–23 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 38th season of play and sixth season in the NHL. They were coming off a disappointing playoff run in 1922, as they lost to the Toronto St. Pats in the NHL finals in a close, hard-fought series. The Senators would finish first in the standings, defeat Montreal in the playoffs, defeat Vancouver in the Stanley Cup semi-finals and defeat Edmonton to win their tenth Stanley Cup title.
The 1923–24 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 39th season of play and seventh season in the NHL. Coming off a Stanley Cup Championship in 1923, they had won three cups in the previous four seasons. The Senators moved into the brand new Ottawa Auditorium prior to the season. The club had an outstanding regular season, but lost in the NHL playoffs to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1924–25 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 40th season of play and eighth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Ottawa would finish in fourth place in the league, failing to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1917–18 NHL season, ending a streak of six straight seasons.
The 1925–26 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 41st season of play and ninth season in the NHL. The Senators placed first during the regular season but were upset in the playoffs by the Montreal Maroons.
The 1970–71 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 47th season in the NHL. As defending champions, Boston set many NHL records. They earned 54 wins and 121 points, surpassing the previous records set by the 1968–69 Montreal Canadiens. They also scored 399 goals to shatter their own record set in 1968–69, and their goal differential of +192 surpassed the previous record set by the 1943–44 Montreal Canadiens as well. The NHL's top four scorers, each with over 100 points, were all Bruins; previously, there had only been four players in the history of the NHL with 100-point seasons, and no other NHL franchise has ever produced the top four scorers in a season. With 76 goals and 152 points, Esposito broke Bobby Hull's single season record for goals, as well as his own single season points record, both set in 1968–69. Finally, with 102 assists, Orr broke the single season record for most assists that he set the previous year.
The 1944–45 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the club's 28th season in the NHL. Toronto finished in third place in the regular season, with a 24–22–4 record, earning 52 points. The Leafs eliminated their archrivals Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, and then defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the 1945 Stanley Cup Finals.
The 1969–70 St. Louis Blues season involved them finishing in first place in the West Division and being the only team in the West Division with a winning record for the second consecutive season, as they finished 22 points ahead of the second-placed Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blues matched their previous season's total of 37 wins but finished with 86 points, two points shy of the previous season's points total. NHL legend Camille Henry played his final game with the St. Louis Blues, notching 3 points in 4 games.
The 1968–69 St. Louis Blues season was the second in the history of the franchise. The Blues won the NHL's West Division title for the first time in their history. In the playoffs, the Blues swept the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings, winning both series four games to none, before losing the Stanley Cup Finals in four straight to the Montreal Canadiens for the second straight season.
The 1964–65 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 39th season in the NHL, and the club was coming off a second-place finish in 1963–64, as Chicago won a team record 36 games and also set a club record with 84 points. The Hawks would defeat the Detroit Red Wings in 7 games in the NHL semi finals, but would fall to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals in another hard fought 7-game series.
The 1970–71 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' 45th. The Black Hawks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1965 but were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens in seven games.
The 2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 43rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL).
