# 1996–97 NHL season

The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes. 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. This trend continued into the playoffs, during which an all-time record of 18 shutouts were recorded. Only two players, Mario Lemieux and Teemu Selanne, reached the 100-point plateau during the regular season (compared with 12 who reached the plateau in 1995–96). 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
### Franchise relocation

This was the first season for the Phoenix Coyotes, who had relocated from Winnipeg and had previously been known as the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. They would remain in the Central Division.
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.
* 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 2000 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.
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

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 45 | 23 | 14 | 231 | 182 | 104 |
| 2 | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 45 | 24 | 13 | 274 | 217 | 103 |
| 3 | 4 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 35 | 28 | 19 | 221 | 201 | 89 |
| 4 | 5 | New York Rangers | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 258 | 231 | 86 |
| 5 | 9 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 33 | 40 | 9 | 214 | 231 | 75 |
| 6 | 11 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 217 | 247 | 74 |
| 7 | 12 | New York Islanders | 82 | 29 | 41 | 12 | 240 | 250 | 70 |
Northeast Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 237 | 208 | 92 |
| 2 | 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 285 | 280 | 84 |
| 3 | 7 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 31 | 36 | 15 | 226 | 234 | 77 |
| 4 | 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 31 | 36 | 15 | 249 | 276 | 77 |
| 5 | 10 | Hartford Whalers | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 226 | 256 | 75 |
| 6 | 13 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 234 | 300 | 61 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 45 | 23 | 14 | 231 | 182 | 104 |
| 2 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 237 | 208 | 92 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 45 | 24 | 13 | 274 | 217 | 103 |
| 4 | Florida Panthers | ATL | 82 | 35 | 28 | 19 | 221 | 201 | 89 |
| 5 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 258 | 231 | 86 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 285 | 280 | 84 |
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 31 | 36 | 15 | 226 | 234 | 77 |
| 8 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 31 | 36 | 15 | 249 | 276 | 77 |
| 9 | Washington Capitals | ATL | 82 | 33 | 40 | 9 | 214 | 231 | 75 |
| 10 | Hartford Whalers | NE | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 226 | 256 | 75 |
| 11 | Tampa Bay Lightning | ATL | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 217 | 247 | 74 |
| 12 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 29 | 41 | 12 | 240 | 250 | 70 |
| 13 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 234 | 300 | 61 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs

#### Western Conference

Central Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 252 | 198 | 104 |
| 2 | 3 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 38 | 26 | 18 | 253 | 197 | 94 |
| 3 | 5 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 38 | 37 | 7 | 240 | 243 | 83 |
| 4 | 6 | St. Louis Blues | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 236 | 239 | 83 |
| 5 | 8 | Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 223 | 210 | 81 |
| 6 | 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | 230 | 273 | 68 |
Pacific Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 277 | 205 | 107 |
| 2 | 4 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 36 | 33 | 13 | 243 | 231 | 85 |
| 3 | 7 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 36 | 37 | 9 | 252 | 247 | 81 |
| 4 | 9 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 35 | 40 | 7 | 257 | 273 | 77 |
| 5 | 10 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 32 | 41 | 9 | 214 | 239 | 73 |
| 6 | 12 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 214 | 268 | 67 |
| 7 | 13 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 211 | 278 | 62 |
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Colorado Avalanche | PAC | 82 | 49 | 24 | 9 | 277 | 205 | 107 |
| 2 | Dallas Stars | CEN | 82 | 48 | 26 | 8 | 252 | 198 | 104 |
| 3 | Detroit Red Wings | CEN | 82 | 38 | 26 | 18 | 253 | 197 | 94 |
| 4 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PAC | 82 | 36 | 33 | 13 | 245 | 233 | 85 |
| 5 | Phoenix Coyotes | CEN | 82 | 38 | 37 | 7 | 240 | 243 | 83 |
| 6 | St. Louis Blues | CEN | 82 | 36 | 35 | 11 | 236 | 239 | 83 |
| 7 | Edmonton Oilers | PAC | 82 | 36 | 37 | 9 | 252 | 247 | 81 |
| 8 | Chicago Blackhawks | CEN | 82 | 34 | 35 | 13 | 223 | 210 | 81 |
| 9 | Vancouver Canucks | PAC | 82 | 35 | 40 | 7 | 257 | 273 | 77 |
| 10 | Calgary Flames | PAC | 82 | 32 | 41 | 9 | 214 | 239 | 73 |
| 11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | CEN | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | 230 | 273 | 68 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Kings | PAC | 82 | 28 | 43 | 11 | 214 | 268 | 67 |
| 13 | San Jose Sharks | PAC | 82 | 27 | 47 | 8 | 211 | 278 | 62 |
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

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

## 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 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 |

## Player statistics
### Scoring leaders

| Regular season | Playoffs |
| PlayerTeamGPGAPts Mario LemieuxPittsburgh765072122 Teemu SelanneAnaheim785158109 Paul KariyaAnaheim69445599 John LeClairPhiladelphia82504797 Wayne GretzkyNY Rangers82257297 Jaromir JagrPittsburgh63474895 Mats SundinToronto82415394 Zigmund PalffyNY Islanders80484290 Ron FrancisPittsburgh81276390 Brendan ShanahanHartford/ Detroit81474188 Source: NHL. | PlayerTeamGPGAPts Eric LindrosPhi19121426 Joe SakicCol1781725 Claude LemieuxCol17131023 Valeri KamenskyCol1781422 Rod Brind'AmourPhi1913821 John LeClairPhi1991221 Wayne GretzkyNYR15101020 Sergei FedorovDet2081220 Brendan ShanahanDet209817 Peter ForsbergCol1451217 Sandis OzolinshCol1741317 |
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.