1996-97 NHL season

The 1996-97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-six teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years.

League Business

This was the first season for the Phoenix Coyotes, who had relocated from Winnipeg, Manitoba and had previously been known as the Winnipeg Jets.

On March 25, 1997, the Hartford Whalers announced that they would move from Connecticut following the 1996-97 season. Starting in the 1997-98 NHL season, they were known as the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 1996-97 season marked the retirement of Craig MacTavish, the last active NHL player who played without a protective helmet. He had been grandfathered under the old rule requiring them to be worn because he had signed a pro contract before the rule was established.

Regular season

The Boston Bruins recorded the league's worst record, missing the playoffs for the first time in thirty seasons and ending the longest consecutive playoff streak ever recorded in the history of North American professional sport.

Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

Eastern Conference

Northeast Division Team W L T GF GA Pts Buffalo Sabres 40 30 12 237 208 92 Pittsburgh Penguins 38 36 8 285 280 84 Ottawa Senators 31 36 15 249 276 77 Montreal Canadiens 31 36 15 249 276 77 Hartford Whalers 32 39 11 226 256 75 Boston Bruins 26 47 9 234 300 61

Atlantic Division Team W L T GF GA Pts New Jersey Devils 45 23 14 231 182 104 Philadelphia Flyers 45 24 13 274 217 103 Florida Panthers 35 28 19 221 201 89 New York Rangers 38 34 10 258 231 86 Washington Capitals 33 40 9 214 231 75 Tampa Bay Lightning 32 40 10 217 247 74 New York Islanders 29 41 12 240 250 70

Western Conference

Central Division Team W L T GF GA Pts Dallas Stars 48 26 8 252 198 104 Detroit Red Wings 38 26 18 253 197 94 Phoenix Coyotes 38 37 7 240 243 83 St. Louis Blues 36 35 11 236 239 83 Chicago Blackhawks 34 35 13 223 210 81 Toronto Maple Leafs 30 44 8 230 273 68

Pacific Division Team W L T GF GA Pts Colorado Avalanche 49 24 9 277 205 107 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 36 33 13 243 231 85 Edmonton Oilers 36 37 9 252 247 81 Vancouver Canucks 35 40 7 257 273 77 Calgary Flames 32 41 9 214 239 73 Los Angeles Kings 28 43 11 214 268 67 San Jose Sharks 27 47 8 211 278 62

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTS
Mario Lemieux	Pittsburgh	76	50	72	122
Teemu Selanne	Anaheim	78	51	58	109
Paul Kariya	Anaheim	69	44	55	99
John LeClair	Philadelphia	82	50	47	97
Wayne Gretzky	NY Rangers	82	25	72	97
Jaromir Jagr	Pittsburgh	63	47	48	95
Mats Sundin	Toronto	82	41	53	94
Zigmund Palffy	NY Islanders	80	48	42	90
Ron Francis	Pittsburgh	81	27	63	90
Brendan Shanahan	Hartford/ Detroit	81	47	41	88

Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

	First Round					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	2	Buffalo	4
	7	Ottawa	3
						2	Buffalo	1
						3	Philadelphia	4
	3	Philadelphia	4
	6	Pittsburgh	1
											3	Philadelphia	4
	Eastern Conference
										5	NY Rangers	1
	1	New Jersey	4
	8	Montreal	1
						1	New Jersey	1
						5	NY Rangers	4
	4	Florida	1
	5	NY Rangers	4
																E3	Philadelphia	0
																W3	Detroit	4
	3	Detroit	4
	6	St. Louis	2
						3	Detroit	4
						4	Anaheim	0
	4	Anaheim	4
	5	Phoenix	3
											1	Colorado	2
	Western Conference
										3	Detroit	4
	1	Colorado	4
	8	Chicago	2
						1	Colorado	4
						7	Edmonton	1
	2	Dallas	3
	7	Edmonton	4

The Stanley Cup

Conference quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

Montreal vs. New Jersey Date Away Home April 17 Montreal 2 5 New Jersey April 19 Montreal 1 4 New Jersey April 22 New Jersey 6 4 Montreal April 24 New Jersey 3 4 Montreal 3OT April 26 Montreal 0 4 New Jersey New Jersey wins series 4–1	Ottawa vs. Buffalo Date Away Home April 17 Ottawa 1 3 Buffalo April 19 Ottawa 3 1 Buffalo April 21 Buffalo 3 2 Ottawa April 23 Buffalo 0 1 Ottawa OT April 25 Ottawa 4 1 Buffalo April 27 Buffalo 3 0 Ottawa April 29 Ottawa 2 3 Buffalo OT Buffalo wins series 4–3
Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia Date Away Home April 17 Pittsburgh 1 5 Philadelphia April 19 Pittsburgh 2 3 Philadelphia April 21 Philadelphia 5 3 Pittsburgh April 23 Philadelphia 1 4 Pittsburgh April 26 Pittsburgh 3 6 Philadelphia Philadelphia wins series 4–1	NY Rangers vs. Florida Date Away Home April 17 NY Rangers 0 3 Florida April 20 NY Rangers 3 0 Florida April 22 Florida 3 4 NY Rangers OT April 23 Florida 2 3 NY Rangers April 25 NY Rangers 3 2 Florida OT NY Rangers win series 4–1

Western Conference

Chicago vs. Colorado Date Away Home April 16 Chicago 0 6 Colorado April 18 Chicago 1 3 Colorado April 20 Colorado 3 4 Chicago 2OT April 22 Colorado 3 6 Chicago April 24 Chicago 0 7 Colorado April 26 Colorado 6 3 Chicago Colorado wins series 4–2	Edmonton vs. Dallas Date Away Home April 16 Edmonton 3 5 Dallas April 18 Edmonton 4 0 Dallas April 20 Dallas 3 4 Edmonton OT April 22 Dallas 4 3 Edmonton April 25 Edmonton 1 0 Dallas 2OT April 27 Dallas 3 2 Edmonton April 29 Edmonton 4 3 Dallas OT Edmonton wins series 4–3
St. Louis vs. Detroit Date Away Home April 16 St. Louis 2 0 Detroit April 18 St. Louis 1 2 Detroit April 20 Detroit 3 2 St. Louis April 22 Detroit 0 4 St. Louis April 25 St. Louis 2 5 Detroit April 27 Detroit 3 1 St. Louis Detroit wins series 4–2	Phoenix vs. Anaheim Date Away Home April 16 Phoenix 2 4 Anaheim April 18 Phoenix 2 4 Anaheim April 20 Anaheim 1 4 Phoenix April 22 Anaheim 0 2 Phoenix April 24 Phoenix 5 2 Anaheim April 27 Anaheim 3 2 Phoenix OT April 29 Phoenix 0 3 Anaheim Anaheim wins series 4–3

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

NY Rangers vs. New Jersey Date Away Home May 2 NY Rangers 0 2 New Jersey May 4 NY Rangers 2 0 New Jersey May 6 New Jersey 2 3 NY Rangers May 8 New Jersey 0 3 NY Rangers May 11 NY Rangers 2 1 New Jersey OT NY Rangers win series 4–1

Philadelphia vs. Buffalo Date Away Home May 3 Philadelphia 5 3 Buffalo May 5 Philadelphia 2 1 Buffalo May 7 Buffalo 1 4 Philadelphia May 9 Buffalo 5 4 Philadelphia OT May 11 Philadelphia 6 3 Buffalo Philadelphia wins series 4–1

Western Conference

Edmonton vs. Colorado Date Away Home May 2 Edmonton 1 5 Colorado May 4 Edmonton 1 4 Colorado May 7 Colorado 3 4 Edmonton May 9 Colorado 3 2 Edmonton OT May 11 Edmonton 3 Colorado 4 Colorado wins series 4–1

Anaheim vs. Detroit Date Away Home May 2 Anaheim 1 2 Detroit OT May 4 Anaheim 2 3 Detroit 3OT May 6 Detroit 5 3 Anaheim May 8 Detroit 3 2 Anaheim 2OT Detroit wins series 4–0

Conference finals

Eastern Conference NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia Date Away Home May 16 NY Rangers 1 3 Philadelphia May 18 NY Rangers 5 4 Philadelphia May 20 Philadelphia 6 3 NY Rangers May 23 Philadelphia 3 2 NY Rangers May 25 NY Rangers 2 4 Philadelphia Philadelphia wins series 4–1 and Prince of Wales Trophy

Western Conference Detroit vs. Colorado Date Away Home May 15 Detroit 1 2 Colorado May 17 Detroit 4 2 Colorado May 19 Colorado 1 2 Detroit May 22 Colorado 0 6 Detroit May 24 Detroit 0 6 Colorado May 26 Colorado 1 3 Detroit Detroit wins series 4–2 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

Stanley Cup final

Detroit vs. Philadelphia Date Away Home May 31 Detroit 4 2 Philadelphia June 3 Detroit 4 2 Philadelphia June 5 Philadelphia 1 6 Detroit June 7 Philadelphia 1 2 Detroit Detroit wins series 4–0 and Stanley Cup Mike Vernon (Detroit) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts
Eric Lindros	Phi	19	12	14	26
Joe Sakic	Col	17	8	17	25
Claude Lemieux	Col	17	13	10	23
Valeri Kamensky	Col	17	8	14	22
Rod Brind'Amour	Phi	19	13	8	21
John LeClair	Phi	19	9	12	21
Wayne Gretzky	NYR	15	10	10	20
Sergei Fedorov	Det	20	8	12	20
Brendan Shanahan	Det	20	9	8	17
Peter Forsberg	Col	14	5	12	17
Sandis Ozolinsh	Col	17	4	13	17
Vyacheslav Kozlov	Det	20	8	5	13
Paul Kariya	Ana	11	7	6	13
Steve Yzerman	Det	20	7	6	13
Janne Niinimaa	Phi	19	1	12	13

NHL Awards

The NHL Awards presentation took place on June 19, 1997.

Presidents' Trophy:	Colorado Avalanche
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Philadelphia Flyers
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Memorial Trophy:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Tony Granato, San Jose Sharks
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Bryan Berard, New York Islanders
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Mike Vernon, Detroit Red Wings
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Michael Peca, Buffalo Sabres
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Jack Adams Award:	Ted Nolan, Buffalo Sabres
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
King Clancy Memorial Trophy:	Trevor Linden, Vancouver Canucks
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers
Vezina Trophy:	Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Martin Brodeur/Mike Dunham, New Jersey Devils
Lester Patrick Trophy:	Bill Cleary, Pat LaFontaine

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres	G	Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Brian Leetch, New York Rangers	D	Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks
Sandis Ozolinsh, Colorado Avalanche	D	Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins	C	Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Mighty Ducks	RW	Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks	LW	John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1996-97 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Dwayne Roloson, Calgary Flames
• Marc Denis, Colorado Avalanche
• Roman Turek, Dallas Stars
• Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit Red Wings
• Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Hartford Whalers
• Tomas Vokoun, Montreal Canadiens
• Jay Pandolfo, New Jersey Devils
• Bryan Berard, New York Islanders
• Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators
• Janne Niinimaa, Philadelphia Flyers
• Vaclav Prospal, Philadelphia Flyers
• Patrick Lalime, Pittsburgh Penguins

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1996-97 (listed with their last team):

• Tim Cheveldae, Boston Bruins
• Charlie Huddy, Buffalo Sabres
• Denis Savard, Chicago Blackhawks
• Sergei Makarov, Dallas Stars
• Neal Broten, Dallas Stars
• Mike Ramsey, Detroit Red Wings
• Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
• Dale Hawerchuk, Philadelphia Flyers
• Brad McCrimmon, Philadelphia Flyers
• Dan Quinn, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Joe Mullen, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Tim Hunter, San Jose Sharks
• Craig MacTavish, St. Louis Blues
• Gary Leeman, St. Louis Blues
• Jon Casey, St. Louis Blues
• Jay Wells, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Don Beaupre, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Nick Kypreos, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Mike Ridley, Vancouver Canucks

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1996 NHL Entry Draft
• 47th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team

References

• Hockey Database
• http://nhl.com/