1996–97 NHL season

January 2021 National Hockey League season 1996–97 NHL season National Hockey League Ice hockey October 4, 1996 – June 7, 1997 Draft 1996 NHL Draft List of first overall NHL draft picks Chris Phillips Ottawa Senators Regular season Presidents' Trophy Colorado Avalanche Dominik Hasek (Sabres) Hart Memorial Trophy Mario Lemieux (Penguins) Art Ross Trophy Playoffs 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup 1997 Stanley Cup Finals Detroit Red Wings Philadelphia Flyers Mike Vernon (Red Wings) Conn Smythe Trophy 1997–98 1995–96 NHL 82 26 CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada)ESPN, Fox (United States) The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Winnipeg Jets were deactivated, with their assets transferring to Phoenix, Arizona, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes.NHL Announces Consolidation of Winnipeg Jets' History https://media.nhl.com/public/news/20034 September 24, 2026 NHL.com September 24, 2026 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. The regular season saw a decline in scoring and rise in the number of shutouts to an all-time record of 127.https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997_goalies.html 1996-97 NHL Goalie Statistics Hockey-Reference.com January 26, 2018 July 11, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170711003706/http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997_goalies.html live This trend continued into the playoffs, during which an all-time record of 18 shutouts were recorded.https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_1997_goalies.html 1997 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Goalie Statistics Only two players, Mario Lemieux and Teemu Selanne, reached the 100-point plateau during the regular seasonhttps://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997_leaders.html 1996-97 NHL Leaders Hockey-Reference.com January 26, 2018 November 8, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171108094704/https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997_leaders.html live (compared with 12 who reached the plateau in 1995–96https://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). Many regulatory factors, including ruling changes that resulted in fewer power plays, more calls of the skate-in-the-crease rule, fewer shots on goal and more injuries to star players than the season before, contributed to the reduction in scoring and skyrocketing in shutouts. This was the first time in 30 years—and in the entire expansion era—that the Boston Bruins had a losing record and missed the playoffs, ending a still-unsurpassed North American professional sports streak of 29-straight seasons in the playoffs. League business Winnipeg Jets deactivation and Hartford Whalers relocation Prior to the season, the Winnipeg Jets were deactivated, with their assets being transferred to a new expansion team in Phoenix, Arizona, named the Coyotes. While initially considered a relocation, in 2026, the NHL retconned the Coyotes as an expansion team for this season, while the Jets' records and statistics pre-1996 were given to the current Jets (formerly the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011). On March 26, 1997, the Hartford Whalers announced that they would move from Connecticut following the 1996–97 season. On May 5, they announced that starting in the 1997–98 NHL season, they would be known as the Carolina Hurricanes. Entry draft The 1996 NHL entry draft was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 22. Chris Phillips was selected first overall by the Ottawa Senators. Rule changes The maximum stick length was increased from the 60-inch limit set in 1985–86 to 63 inches.https://records.nhl.com/history/historical-rule-changes Historical Rule Changes NHL.com October 7, 2024 October 7, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241007103318/https://records.nhl.com/history/historical-rule-changes live Offside rules were clarified, requiring all players to clear their opponents' zone before they can shoot the puck back into that zone. Craig MacTavish, the last active NHL player who played without a protective helmet, retired after this 1996–97 season. MacTavish was the last active player who had been grandfathered under the rule requiring them to be worn because he had signed a pro contract before the rule was established on June 1, 1979. The first player to ever wear a helmet was George Owen in the 1928–29 season. Arena changes The Buffalo Sabres moved from Buffalo Memorial Auditorium to Marine Midland Arena, with Marine Midland Bank acquiring the naming rights. The New Jersey Devils' home arena, Brendan Byrne Arena, was renamed Continental Airlines Arena in January 1996 as part of a new naming rights deal with Continental Airline. The relocated Phoenix Coyotes moved from Winnipeg Arena to America West Arena. The Philadelphia Flyers moved from the CoreStates Spectrum to the CoreStates Center, with CoreStates Financial Corporation also acquiring the naming rights. The Tampa Bay Lightning moved from the Thunderdome in St. Petersburg, Florida to the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida. The Washington Capitals' home arena, the USAir Arena, was renamed US Airways Arena after USAir rebranded to US Airways. Regular season All-Star Game The All-Star Game was held on January 18, 1997, at San Jose Arena in San Jose, home of the San Jose Sharks. Highlights The Boston Bruins recorded the league's worst record, missing the playoffs for the first time in 30 seasons and ending the longest consecutive playoff streak ever recorded in the history of North American professional sports. On November 16, 1996, the eight-sided scoreboard at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo crashed to the ice during a maintenance check. The accident occurred only 90 minutes after the visiting Boston Bruins players had conducted their morning practice. No-one was injured, but the game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Bruins was postponed.Weekes Don The Best and Worst of Hockey's Firsts: The Unofficial Guide 2003 Greystone Books Canada 9781550548600 240 https://archive.org/details/bestworstofhocke0000week/page/240 A large-scale on-ice brawl occurred during the Colorado Avalanche–Detroit Red Wings game on March 26. The game featured 18 fighting major penalties and 144 minutes in penalties. Final standings Eastern Conference start break end Western Conference start break end Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points Playoffs 1997 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 The NHL Awards presentation took place on June 19, 1997. Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche Prince of Wales Trophy: (Eastern Conference playoff champion) Philadelphia Flyers Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Western Conference playoff champion) Detroit Red Wings Art Ross 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 All-Star teams First Team   Position   Second TeamDominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres GMartin Brodeur, New Jersey DevilsBrian Leetch, New York Rangers DChris Chelios, Chicago BlackhawksSandis Ozolinsh, Colorado Avalanche DScott Stevens, New Jersey DevilsMario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins CWayne Gretzky, New York RangersTeemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim RWJaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh PenguinsPaul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim LWJohn LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers Player statistics Scoring leaders Regular season Playoffs Player Team GP Games played G Goals scored A Assists scored Pts Points scored 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 Source: NHL.Dinger 2011 154 Player Team GP Games played G Goals scored A Assists scored Pts Points scored 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 Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points Leading goaltenders Regular season Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA SV% Martin Brodeur New Jersey 67 3838 120 10 1.88 .927 Andy Moog Dallas 48 2738 98 3 2.15 .913 Jeff Hackett Chicago 41 2473 89 2 2.16 .927 Dominik Hasek Buffalo 67 4037 153 5 2.27 .930 John Vanbiesbrouck Florida 57 3347 128 2 2.29 .919 Chris Osgood Detroit 47 2769 106 6 2.30 .910 Patrick Roy Colorado 62 3698 143 7 2.32 .923 Mark Fitzpatrick Florida 30 1680 66 0 2.36 .914 Mike Vernon Detroit 33 1952 79 0 2.43 .899 Garth Snow Philadelphia 35 1884 79 2 2.52 .903 Coaches Eastern Conference Boston Bruins: Steve Kasper Buffalo Sabres: Ted Nolan Florida Panthers: Doug MacLean Hartford Whalers: Paul Maurice Montreal Canadiens: Mario Tremblay New Jersey Devils: Jacques Lemaire New York Islanders: Mike Milbury and Rick Bowness New York Rangers: Colin Campbell Ottawa Senators: Jacques Martin Philadelphia Flyers: Terry Murray Pittsburgh Penguins: Eddie Johnston and Craig Patrick Tampa Bay Lightning: Terry Crisp Washington Capitals: Jim Schoenfeld Western Conference Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Ron Wilson Calgary Flames: Pierre Page Chicago Blackhawks: Craig Hartsburg Colorado Avalanche: Marc Crawford Dallas Stars: Ken Hitchcock Detroit Red Wings: Scotty Bowman Edmonton Oilers: Ron Low Los Angeles Kings: Larry Robinson Phoenix Coyotes: Don Hay San Jose Sharks: Al Sims and Darryl Sutter St. Louis Blues: Mike Keenan, Jim Roberts (interim) and Joel Quenneville Toronto Maple Leafs: Mike Murphy Vancouver Canucks: Tom Renney Milestones 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 Roman Turek, Dallas Stars Tomas Holmstrom, Detroit Red Wings Mike Knuble, Detroit Red Wings Mike Grier, Edmonton Oilers Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Hartford Whalers Tomas Vokoun, Montreal Canadiens Bryan Berard, New York Islanders Todd Bertuzzi, New York Islanders Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators Vaclav Prospal, Philadelphia Flyers Dainius Zubrus, Philadelphia Flyers Patrick Lalime, Pittsburgh Penguins Last games The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1996–97 (listed with their last team): 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, Phoenix Coyotes Joe Mullen, Pittsburgh Penguins Tim Hunter, San Jose Sharks Craig MacTavish, St. Louis Blues (the last helmetless player) Jay Wells, Tampa Bay Lightning Don Beaupre, Toronto Maple Leafs Dave McLlwain, New York Islanders Gary Leeman, St. Louis Blues Broadcasting Canada This was the ninth 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 third 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 March. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while Fox provided 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 List of Stanley Cup champions 1996 NHL entry draft 1996–97 NHL transactions 47th National Hockey League All-Star Game National Hockey League All-Star Game NHL All-Rookie Team Lester Patrick Trophy 1996 World Cup of Hockey 1996 in sports 1997 in sports 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, ON registration https://archive.org/details/nationalhockeyle0000unse_u6g5 Dryden Steve Century of hockey McClelland & Stewart Ltd. Toronto, ON 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 1996 Category:1996–97 in American ice hockey by league Category:1996–97 in Canadian ice hockey by league