1995–96 NHL season

National Hockey League season August 2023 1995–96 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 6, 1995 – June 10, 1996 Draft 1995 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Bryan Berard Ottawa Senators Regular season Presidents' Trophy Detroit Red Wings Mario Lemieux (Penguins) Hart Memorial Trophy Mario Lemieux (Penguins) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup 1996 Stanley Cup Finals Colorado Avalanche Florida Panthers Joe Sakic (Avalanche) Conn Smythe Trophy 1996–97 1994–95 NHL 82 26 CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada)ESPN, Fox (United States) thumb | right | From 1986-1998 the all volunteer team raised over six million dollars for charities with sell-out crowds in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Detroit and more. The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. As part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed after the 1994–95 NHL lockout, each team began playing 82 games per season. The Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver, Colorado, becoming the Colorado Avalanche. The Stanley Cup winners were the Avalanche, who swept the Florida Panthers in the finals, in four games. League business Franchise relocation The 1995–96 season was the first season in Denver for the Avalanche, who had relocated from Quebec City where they were previously known as the Quebec Nordiques. Prior to the season, Colorado was assigned to the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They played at McNichols Arena from 1976 to 1982 before they were purchased and moved to become the New Jersey Devils. The Avs would play in that building until they moved to the Pepsi Center in 1999. It was also the final season for the Winnipeg Jets until the 2011–12 season, as the franchise's assets relocated from Manitoba to Arizona and become the Phoenix Coyotes at season's end. The NHL would not return to Manitoba until the Atlanta Thrashers moved there to become the "new" Jets in 2011.NHL Announces Consolidation of Winnipeg Jets' History https://media.nhl.com/public/news/20034 September 24, 2026 NHL.com September 24, 2026 Implementation of an 82-game schedule During the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons, each team played 84 games (including two neutral site games). The 1994–95 NHL lockout had resulted in a shortened 48-game season and the cancellation of the planned neutral site games. Starting in the 1995–96 season, the neutral site games were eliminated, reducing the regular season to 82 games per team. The NHL would maintain 82-game schedules each season (with the exception of the lockout-cancelled 2004–05 season, the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, and the COVID-shortened 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons) until the 2025–26 season, with the league adding two divisional games to increase the schedule back to 84 games per team starting in the 2026–27 season. Implementation of the entry draft lottery This was the first year that the entry drafting order was partially set by a draft lottery system, allowing teams who had missed the playoffs to have a chance to move up in the order. Teams would no longer be guaranteed the first overall pick if they finished with the worst record during the previous regular season, and therefore have less incentive to "tank". The 1995 NHL entry draft was then held at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 8. Bryan Berard was selected first overall by the Ottawa Senators. Uniform changes Third jersey program Improvements in dye-sublimation printing on modern uniform fabrics, having been featured in recent seasons on uniforms in the National Basketball Association and the Canadian Football League, had caught the interest of the NHL, which decided to allow alternate jerseys that could take advantage of this technology to produce new and unusual designs not possible under traditional jersey-making techniques. Six teams elected to participate in the process, but St. Louis Blues coach and general manager Mike Keenan vetoed the Blues' proposed third jersey, which would have featured blaring trumpets across the front. The five teams that did participate were the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks. The Ducks' and Kings' third jerseys proved unpopular at the time and were retired by the end of the season, while the Canucks underwent a complete rebrand for the 1997–98 season. The Penguins' third jersey was promoted to their primary road jersey for the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs through the 2001–02 season, and the Bruins retained their third jersey the longest, through the 2005–06 season. Additional uniform changes In addition to the Avalanche, two other teams underwent rebrands prior to the season, albeit only changing their logos and colors. The New York Islanders used the dye-sublimation technique to create new jerseys with wavy stripes as well as a logo bearing a fisherman mascot, which ended up being heavily derided and phased out over the next few seasons. The Washington Capitals abandoned their patriotic red, white, and blue scheme and their 1970s uniform design for a more modern look featuring a less saturated blue, black, and bronze, with the new logo featuring an attacking eagle with stars in its wings. This look would last (with slight changes) through the 2006–07 season. The arrival of the Avalanche would also see the first new provider of on-ice jerseys in the NHL since 1989, when Nike ended its relationship with the Edmonton Oilers. For the next six seasons, CCM had been the sole provider of NHL jerseys; however, Starter, which had begun providing select NFL teams with their on-field jerseys and had also been selling consumer replica NHL jerseys, were tapped to provide Colorado's initial jerseys. Following the season, Starter would expand its presence in the NHL to nine other teams, while Nike would re-enter the league through the use of its subsidiary, Bauer Hockey. Arena changes The Boston Bruins moved from Boston Garden, where they spend the last 67 seasons, to the FleetCenter, with FleetBoston Financial acquiring the naming rights. The Calgary Flames' home arena, Olympic Saddledome, was renamed Canadian Airlines Saddledome as part of a new naming rights agreement with Canadian Airlines. The relocated Colorado Avalanche moved from Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec to McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The Edmonton Oilers' home arena, Northlands Coliseum, was renamed Edmonton Coliseum as part of a new leasing agreement between the team and the building's operator, Northlands, to instead reference the city. The Montreal Canadiens moved from the Montreal Forum to Molson Centre on March 16, 1996, with Molson Brewery acquiring the naming rights. With the Montreal Forum closed, Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens became the last remaining arena from the Original Six era. The Ottawa Senators moved from Ottawa Civic Centre to the Palladium on January 17, 1996. It was then renamed the Corel Centre after Corel acquired the naming rights one month later. The Vancouver Canucks moved from Pacific Coliseum to General Motors Place, with General Motors Canada acquiring the naming rights. Regular season All-Star Game The All-Star Game was held on January 20, 1996, at the FleetCenter in Boston, home of the Boston Bruins. Highlights The Detroit Red Wings enjoyed a spectacular season, having finished the year as the Western Conference's top seed with 131 points, and at the time second only to the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens, and setting the NHL record for most wins ever in the regular season (62). Neither mark was eclipsed until 27 years later, when the Boston Bruins achieved a record-breaking 65 wins and 135 points in the 2022–23 season. However, the Wings fell to the future Stanley Cup champion Avalanche in the 1996 Western Conference Finals, the sixth game of which marked the beginning of the heated Detroit-Colorado rivalry, which would last for years to come. The New Jersey Devils became the first team since the 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup during the previous season. Four teams allowed 300 or more goals in 1995–96. A total of three would do so from 1996–97 through 2003–04. Final standings Eastern Conference start break end Western Conference start break end GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold. Playoffs 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs Bracket The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the two division winners seeded 1–2 based on regular season records, and the six remaining teams seeded 3–8. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home-ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Bracket Awards + 1995–96 NHL awards Award Recipient(s) Runner(s)-up/finalists Presidents' Trophy(best regular-season record) Detroit Red Wings Colorado Avalanche Prince of Wales Trophy(Eastern Conference playoff champion) Florida Panthers Pittsburgh Penguins Clarence S. Campbell Bowl(Western Conference playoff champion) Colorado Avalanche Detroit Red Wings Alka-Seltzer Plus-Minus Award(best plus-minus statistic) Vladimir Konstantinov (Detroit Red Wings) Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings) Art Ross Trophy(player with most points) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh Penguins) Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy(perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication) Gary Roberts (Calgary Flames) N/A Calder Memorial Trophy(best first-year player) Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators) Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators)Eric Daze (Chicago Blackhawks)Ed Jovanovski (Florida Panthers) Conn Smythe Trophy(most valuable player, playoffs) Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche) N/A Frank J. Selke Trophy(best defensive forward) Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings) Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings)Ron Francis (Pittsburgh Penguins)Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings) Hart Memorial Trophy(most valuable player, regular season) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)Eric Lindros (Philadelphia Flyers)Mark Messier (New York Rangers) Jack Adams Award(best coach) Scotty Bowman (Detroit Red Wings) Scotty Bowman (Detroit Red Wings)Terry Crisp (Tampa Bay Lightning)Doug MacLean (Florida Panthers) James Norris Memorial Trophy(best defenceman) Chris Chelios (Chicago Blackhawks) Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins)Chris Chelios (Chicago Blackhawks)Brian Leetch (New York Rangers) King Clancy Memorial Trophy(leadership and humanitarian contribution) Kris King (Winnipeg Jets) N/A Lady Byng Memorial Trophy(sportsmanship and excellence) Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)Adam Oates (Boston Bruins)Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg Jets/Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) Lester B. Pearson Award(outstanding player) Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) N/A Vezina Trophy(best goaltender) Jim Carey (Washington Capitals) Jim Carey (Washington Capitals)Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings)Daren Puppa (Tampa Bay Lightning) William M. Jennings Trophy(goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon (Detroit Red Wings) N/A All-Star teams First team Position Second teamJim Carey, Washington Capitals GChris Osgood, Detroit Red WingsChris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks DVladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red WingsRay Bourque, Boston Bruins DBrian Leetch, New York RangersMario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins CEric Lindros, Philadelphia FlyersJaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins RWAlexander Mogilny, Vancouver CanucksPaul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim LWJohn LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers Player statistics Scoring leaders Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins broke the record for assists and points by a right winger in a single season.http://geocities.com/Colosseum/Pressbox/8025/bio.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20091020150825/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/Pressbox/8025/bio.htm The Jaromir Jagr Show Jaromir Jagr's bio and facts geocities.com October 20, 2009 Mario Lemieux, a teammate of Jagr's, scored 161 points in 70 games, marking the NHL's final season in which a player would surpass the 150 point plateau during the 1990s.April 14, 2023 Only three NHL players have ever scored more points than McDavid did this year https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/mcdavid-oilers-more-points-ever-than-three-players Williams Rob April 15, 2023 Daily Hive April 14, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230414232033/https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/mcdavid-oilers-more-points-ever-than-three-players live This also marked the final season of the 1990s where at least one NHL player would score at least 60 goals (Jagr and Lemieux).http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280403023 Ovechkin passes single-season mark as Capitals keep playoff hopes alive ESPN 3 April 2008 9 May 2013 5 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121105195951/http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280403023 dead Regular season Playoffs Player Team GP G A Pts Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 70 69 92 161 Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 82 62 87 149 Joe Sakic Colorado 82 51 69 120 Ron Francis Pittsburgh 77 27 92 119 Peter Forsberg Colorado 82 30 86 116 Eric Lindros Philadelphia 73 47 68 115 Paul Kariya Anaheim 82 50 58 108 Teemu Selanne Winnipeg/Anaheim 79 40 68 108 Alexander Mogilny Vancouver 79 55 52 107 Sergei Fedorov Detroit 78 39 68 107 Source: NHL.Dinger 2011 154 Player Team GP G A Pts Joe Sakic Colorado 22 18 16 34 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 18 11 16 27 Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 18 11 12 23 Valeri Kamensky Colorado 22 10 12 22 Peter Forsberg Colorado 22 10 11 21 Petr Nedved Pittsburgh 18 10 10 20 Steve Yzerman Detroit 18 8 12 20 Sergei Fedorov Detroit 19 2 18 20 Sandis Ozolinsh Colorado 22 5 14 19 Dave Lowry Florida 22 10 7 17 Mike Ricci Colorado 22 6 11 17 Adam Deadmarsh Colorado 22 5 12 17 Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points Leading goaltenders Regular season Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA SV% Ron Hextall Philadelphia 53 3102 112 4 2.17 .913 Chris Osgood Detroit 50 2933 106 5 2.17 .911 Jim Carey Washington 71 4069 153 9 2.26 .906 Mike Vernon Detroit 32 1855 70 3 2.26 .903 Martin Brodeur New Jersey 77 4433 173 6 2.34 .911 Jeff Hackett Chicago 35 2000 80 4 2.40 .916 Daren Puppa Tampa Bay 57 3189 131 5 2.46 .918 Mike Richter New York Rangers 41 2396 107 3 2.68 .912 John Vanbiesbrouck Florida 57 3178 142 2 2.68 .904 Ed Belfour Chicago 50 2956 135 1 2.74 .902 https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1996_leaders.html 1995-96 NHL Leaders January 26, 2018 March 28, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180328103313/https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1996_leaders.html live Milestones Debuts The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1995–96 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): Martin Biron, Buffalo Sabres Jarome Iginla*, Calgary Flames Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars Miroslav Satan, Edmonton Oilers Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers Jeff O'Neill, Hartford Whalers Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils Petr Sykora, New Jersey Devils Steve Sullivan, New Jersey Devils Bryan McCabe, New York Islanders Todd Bertuzzi, New York Islanders Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators Daymond Langkow, Tampa Bay Lightning Andrew Brunette, Washington Capitals Shane Doan, Winnipeg Jets Last games The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1995–96 (listed with their last team): Cam Neely, Boston Bruins Troy Murray, Colorado Avalanche Bob Kudelski, Florida Panthers Jimmy Carson, Hartford Whalers Joe Cirella, Ottawa Senators (last active player to have been a member of the Colorado Rockies) Glenn Anderson, St. Louis Blues Coaches Eastern Conference Team Coach CommentsBoston BruinsSteve KasperBuffalo SabresTed Nolan Florida PanthersDoug MacLean Hartford WhalersPaul Holmgren Replaced midseason by Paul MauriceMontreal Canadiens Jacques Demers Replaced early in the season by Mario TremblayNew Jersey DevilsJacques Lemaire New York IslandersMike MilburyNew York Rangers Colin Campbell Ottawa SenatorsRick Bowness Replaced early in the season by Dave Allison, who would be replaced after 25 games by Jacques MartinPhiladelphia Flyers Terry Murray Pittsburgh Penguins Eddie Johnston Tampa Bay LightningTerry Crisp Washington Capitals Jim Schoenfeld Western Conference Team Coach CommentsMighty Ducks of AnaheimRon WilsonCalgary FlamesPierre Page Chicago BlackhawksCraig Hartsburg Colorado AvalancheMarc CrawfordDallas Stars Bob Gainey Replaced midseason by Ken HitchcockDetroit Red WingsScotty Bowman Edmonton OilersRon LowLos Angeles KingsLarry RobinsonSt. Louis BluesMike KeenanSan Jose SharksKevin Constantine Replaced early in the season by Jim WileyToronto Maple Leafs Pat Burns Replaced late in the season by Nick BeverleyVancouver Canucks Rick Ley Replaced late in the season by Pat QuinnWinnipeg JetsTerry Simpson Broadcasting Canada This was the eighth season that the league's Canadian national broadcast rights were split between TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. During the regular season, Saturday night games aired on CBC, while TSN primarily had Monday and Thursday night games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series. United States This was the second season of the league's five-year U.S. national broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN. Both ESPN and ESPN2 aired weeknight games throughout the regular season, and Fox had the All-Star Game and weekly regional telecasts on six selected weekend afternoons between January and April. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while Fox had Sunday regional telecasts. Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster produced local coverage of first and second-round games (except for those games on Fox). Fox's Sunday telecasts continued into the Conference Finals, while ESPN had the rest of the third-round games. The Stanley Cup Finals were also split between Fox and ESPN. See also 1995 in sports 1995 NHL entry draft 1995-96 NHL transactions 1996 in sports 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game References Total Hockey Diamond, Dan Total Sports 2000 Kingston, New York 1-892129-85-X Dinger Ralph 2011 The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012 Dan Diamond & Associates 978-1-894801-22-5 Toronto registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto 2000 0-7710-4179-9 Fischler Stan Fischler Shirley Hughes Morgan Romain Joseph Duplacey James 2003 The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League Publications International Inc. 0-7853-9624-1 Lincolnwood, Illinois Fischler 2003 Notes External links Hockey Database nhl.com 1995 Category:1995–96 in Canadian ice hockey by league Category:1995–96 in American ice hockey by league