1996–97 NHL season

1996–97 NHL season
1996–97 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 4, 1996 – June 7, 1997
Number of games	82
Number of teams	26
TV partner(s)	CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada); ESPN, Fox (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Chris Phillips
Picked by	Ottawa Senators
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Colorado Avalanche
Season MVP	Dominik Hasek (Sabres)
Top scorer	Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Mike Vernon (Red Wings)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Detroit Red Wings
Runners-up	Philadelphia Flyers
NHL seasons
	← 1995–96 1997–98 →

The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings. They swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games. The Red Wings had not won the Stanley Cup for 42 years.

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 number of years in a row in the playoffs 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

Conference Quarterfinals			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

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 5	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, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	RW	Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	LW	John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers

First games

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1996–97 (listed with their first team, stars(*) mark start 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

References