# 1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season

The 1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the fourth season in franchise history. The team qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

## Offseason

Forward Paul Kariya was named team captain, following the retirement of defenseman Randy Ladouceur.
The Ducks only made one trade in the summer as the team looked good enough for the future following last season's late run, trading Mike Maneluk to the Ottawa Senators for Kevin Brown on July 1. Just before the season started Anaheim made another deal with Ottawa, trading Shaun Van Allen and Jason York in exchange for Ted Drury and Marc Moro.

## Regular season

The previous season of 1995–96 the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim had just narrowly missed the playoffs after being in the chase for the first time. The team put together a run of 12-4-3 over the final two months of the season to finish even with the Winnipeg Jets at 78 points in the standings, but the Jets earned the final spot thanks to having one more win.
So the Mighty Ducks start to the 96–97 season with a month of October that saw the team go 1-9-2 including an eight-game losing streak was a huge disappointment to say the least. Anaheim was held to two or fewer goals eight times during the stretch, and the two times they exploded for six goals in a game they ended up having to settle for a tie.
With all of four points through the first month, Anaheim was bottom of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. The division-leading Colorado Avalanche were 11 points clear, and the Los Angeles Kings held the eighth and final playoff spot six point clear of the Mighty Ducks. Over the course of the rest of the season three teams, including Anaheim, would unseat the teams in playoff positioning in the West after the first month.
The combination of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya was synonymous with the Mighty Ducks of the mid-late 1990s, so lacking one half of that dynamic duo at the start of the season was a major issue. Kariya missed the first 11 games of the campaign with a pulled abdominal muscle, contributing greatly the Anaheim offensive woes.
Selanne lead the team in scoring through the first month with six goals and seven assists in the 12 games, with Kevin Todd in second with four goals and seven assists. Veteran Jari Kurri, signed in the offseason from the Rangers, contributed as well with three goals and four assists, while on the backend Roman Oksiuta chipped in three goals and five assists and Fredrik Olausson had two goals and three assists.
The lack of scoring punch affected the defense as well. For the full season Anaheim averaged 28.4 shots per game while allowing 32.7, yet during the opening month the Mighty Ducks put 26.8 shots on goal per game while allowing 32.5. Anaheim averaged 2.3 goals per game during October, well below their eventual season average of 3.0, while surrendering 4.2 against per game. Goalie Guy Hebert struggled as well, posting a .874 save percentage amidst the lack of support.
Anaheim didn't immediately vault up the standings with Kariya returning to the lineup in November, but the play stabilized and the team wouldn't lose more than three straight (which happened only twice) with Kariya and Selanne reunited. The offense kicked in to gear, with the Mighty Ducks averaging 3.3 goals per game in November and 3.7 goals per game in December.
By the time the All Star break rolled around Anaheim had pulled its season record up to 17-22-5, and Selanne, Kariya, and Hebert were all named to the Western Conference All Star team, giving the Mighty Ducks their first season with multiple All Star Game representatives. Selanne posted 25 goals and 31 assists in all 44 of the Mighty Ducks' games, while Kariya had 16 goals and 28 assists in 31 games. Hebert recovered as well, backstopping Anaheim to a 13-9-3 mark in his 26 starts following October with a .928 SV% and four shutouts during the span.
In the three months that followed the abysmal opening one, the Mighty Ducks didn't immediately vault upwards standings-wise, but they began winning more than they were losing. A 6-5-2 November was built upon with a 6-5-1 December. January saw Anaheim post a 7-5-1 mark before a 6-6-1 February. With two months left in the season the Mighty Ducks sat at 26-30-7, but were primed to make their big run.
After a 3–1 loss at the Great Western Forum to Los Angeles on February 20, Anaheim began its best run of form for the season. The Mighty Ducks picked up points in 12 consecutive games, going 7-0-5 from February 22 to March 19, winning five and tying three against eventual playoff qualifiers during the stretch. Selanne and Kariya again lead the way, Selanne with 11 goals and eight assists while Kariya posted seven goals and 10 assists.
Yet Anaheim also saw significant contributions from Steve Rucchin with two goals and nine assists, Joe Sacco's two goals and six assists, and Ted Drury potting four goals and dishing two assists. The defense chipped in with Dmitri Mironov scoring three goals and adding eight assists, while Darren Van Impe had two goals and five assists. Hebert was lights-out as well, appearing in every game during the streak with a .946 SV%, and had nine games with more than 30 saves and two with more than 40.
The Mighty Ducks closed the season out with another unbeaten streak, going 5-0-2 over the final seven games. From February 22 on Anaheim went a league-best 13-3-7 to help the team sew up its first winning record, first playoff berth, and home ice against the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round. Selanne finished second in the league with 51 goals and second with 109 points, while Kariya earned Lady Byng honors with 99 points in 69 games while taking just three minor penalties.

### Final standings

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 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
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

## Playoffs

The Mighty Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Anaheim beat Phoenix 4–3 in the 1st round but was swept in the 2nd round by Detroit 4–0.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1996–97 regular season :
October: 1–9–2 (home: 0–5–0; road: 1–4–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 5, 19961–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)0–1–0Recap
2TOctober 7, 19966–6 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)0–1–1Recap
3WOctober 9, 19962–0@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)1–1–1Recap
4TOctober 10, 19966–6 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)1–1–2Recap
5LOctober 12, 19962–4@ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)1–2–2Recap
6LOctober 16, 19963–4Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)1–3–2Recap
7LOctober 18, 19961–4San Jose Sharks (1996–97)1–4–2Recap
8LOctober 20, 19961–5Boston Bruins (1996–97)1–5–2Recap
9LOctober 22, 19960–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)1–6–2Recap
10LOctober 24, 19961–4@ Hartford Whalers (1996–97)1–7–2Recap
11LOctober 27, 19961–4Calgary Flames (1996–97)1–8–2Recap
12LOctober 30, 19963–6Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)1–9–2Recap :
November: 6–5–2 (home: 5–3–2; road: 1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
13WNovember 1, 19964–3San Jose Sharks (1996–97)2–9–2Recap
14TNovember 3, 19961–1 OTColorado Avalanche (1996–97)2–9–3Recap
15LNovember 6, 19965–6Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)2–10–3Recap
16WNovember 8, 19967–4Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)3–10–3Recap
17LNovember 11, 19962–3Dallas Stars (1996–97)3–11–3Recap
18WNovember 13, 19963–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)4–11–3Recap
19LNovember 15, 19963–4@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)4–12–3Recap
20LNovember 17, 19962–4@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)4–13–3Recap
21TNovember 20, 19962–2 OTNew York Islanders (1996–97)4–13–4Recap
22WNovember 23, 19963–0@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)5–13–4Recap
23WNovember 24, 19963–1Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)6–13–4Recap
24LNovember 27, 19962–3St. Louis Blues (1996–97)6–14–4Recap
25WNovember 29, 19962–0Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)7–14–4Recap :
December: 6–5–1 (home: 4–2–0; road: 2–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
26WDecember 1, 19964–2Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)8–14–4Recap
27WDecember 4, 19963–1Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)9–14–4Recap
28TDecember 6, 19961–1 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)9–14–5Recap
29LDecember 7, 19963–5@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)9–15–5Recap
30WDecember 9, 19965–2@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)10–15–5Recap
31LDecember 11, 19963–7Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)10–16–5Recap
32WDecember 13, 19965–4Washington Capitals (1996–97)11–16–5Recap
33WDecember 20, 19967–0Calgary Flames (1996–97)12–16–5Recap
34LDecember 23, 19961–2Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)12–17–5Recap
35LDecember 27, 19962–3@ New York Rangers (1996–97)12–18–5Recap
36LDecember 28, 19963–5@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)12–19–5Recap
37WDecember 30, 19964–3 OT@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)13–19–5Recap :
January: 7–5–1 (home: 4–1–0; road: 3–4–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
38WJanuary 1, 19973–0@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)14–19–5Recap
39LJanuary 3, 19972–3@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)14–20–5Recap
40LJanuary 6, 19971–5Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)14–21–5Recap
41WJanuary 8, 19973–2Florida Panthers (1996–97)15–21–5Recap
42WJanuary 10, 19975–2Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)16–21–5Recap
43WJanuary 12, 19973–2@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)17–21–5Recap
44LJanuary 15, 19971–2@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)17–22–5Recap
45WJanuary 22, 19973–1New Jersey Devils (1996–97)18–22–5Recap
46LJanuary 23, 19973–6@ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)18–23–5Recap
47TJanuary 25, 19972–2 OT@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)18–23–6Recap
48WJanuary 27, 19974–1@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)19–23–6Recap
49LJanuary 29, 19971–3@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)19–24–6Recap
50WJanuary 31, 19976–3Hartford Whalers (1996–97)20–24–6Recap :
February: 6–6–1 (home: 4–1–1; road: 2–5–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
51LFebruary 2, 19972–5Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)20–25–6Recap
52LFebruary 4, 19973–4@ New York Islanders (1996–97)20–26–6Recap
53LFebruary 5, 19972–4@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)20–27–6Recap
54WFebruary 8, 19972–1 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)21–27–6Recap
55LFebruary 9, 19971–6@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)21–28–6Recap
56WFebruary 12, 19975–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)22–28–6Recap
57LFebruary 15, 19972–4@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)22–29–6Recap
58WFebruary 17, 19975–1Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)23–29–6Recap
59LFebruary 20, 19971–3@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)23–30–6Recap
60WFebruary 22, 19974–2Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)24–30–6Recap
61WFebruary 23, 19975–2Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)25–30–6Recap
62TFebruary 26, 19973–3 OTEdmonton Oilers (1996–97)25–30–7Recap
63WFebruary 28, 19974–1@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)26–30–7Recap :
March: 7–3–4 (home: 4–0–2; road: 3–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
64TMarch 2, 19971–1 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)26–30–8Recap
65WMarch 5, 19974–1Ottawa Senators (1996–97)27–30–8Recap
66WMarch 7, 19975–2New York Rangers (1996–97)28–30–8Recap
67TMarch 9, 19972–2 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)28–30–9Recap
68WMarch 12, 19972–1Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)29–30–9Recap
69TMarch 14, 19974–4 OTSt. Louis Blues (1996–97)29–30–10Recap
70TMarch 16, 19972–2 OTCalgary Flames (1996–97)29–30–11Recap
71WMarch 19, 19976–2Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)30–30–11Recap
72LMarch 21, 19973–4@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)30–31–11Recap
73WMarch 23, 19974–1@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)31–31–11Recap
74LMarch 25, 19972–3@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)31–32–11Recap
75LMarch 26, 19973–5@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)31–33–11Recap
76WMarch 28, 19974–3@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)32–33–11Recap
77WMarch 30, 19971–0 OT@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)33–33–11Recap :
April: 3–0–2 (home: 2–0–1; road: 1–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
78TApril 1, 19973–3 OTChicago Blackhawks (1996–97)33–33–12Recap
79TApril 2, 19975–5 OT@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)33–33–13Recap
80WApril 4, 19973–2Dallas Stars (1996–97)34–33–13Recap
81WApril 9, 19974–1Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)35–33–13Recap
82WApril 11, 19974–3@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)36–33–13Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Phoenix Coyotes – Mighty Ducks win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WApril 16, 19974–2Phoenix CoyotesMighty Ducks lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 18, 19974–2Phoenix CoyotesMighty Ducks lead 2–0Recap
3LApril 20, 19971–4@ Phoenix CoyotesMighty Ducks lead 2–1Recap
4LApril 22, 19970–2@ Phoenix CoyotesSeries tied 2–2Recap
5LApril 24, 19972–5Phoenix CoyotesCoyotes lead 3–2Recap
6WApril 27, 19973–2 OT@ Phoenix CoyotesSeries tied 3–3Recap
7WApril 29, 19973–0Phoenix CoyotesMighty Ducks win 4–3Recap :
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings – Red Wings win 4–0
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LMay 2, 19971–2 OT@ Detroit Red WingsRed Wings lead 1–0Recap
2LMay 4, 19972–3 3OT@ Detroit Red WingsRed Wings lead 2–0Recap
3LMay 6, 19972–5Detroit Red WingsRed Wings lead 3–0Recap
4LMay 8, 19972–3 2OTDetroit Red WingsRed Wings win 4–0Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Mighty Ducks only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Mighty Ducks only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 8 | Teemu Selanne | RW | 78 | 51 | 58 | 109 | 28 | 34 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 10 | −3 | 4 |
| 9 | Paul Kariya | LW | 69 | 44 | 55 | 99 | 36 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 13 | −2 | 4 |
| 20 | Steve Rucchin | C | 79 | 19 | 48 | 67 | 26 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −2 | 10 |
| 15 | Dmitri Mironov† | D | 62 | 12 | 34 | 46 | 20 | 77 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| 17 | Jari Kurri | RW | 82 | 13 | 22 | 35 | −13 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 12 | Kevin Todd | C | 65 | 9 | 21 | 30 | −7 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
| 14 | Joe Sacco | RW | 77 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 1 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −4 | 2 |
| 23 | Brian Bellows† | LW | 62 | 15 | 13 | 28 | −11 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −7 | 2 |
| 29 | Darren Van Impe | D | 74 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 3 | 90 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 16 |
| 46 | Jean-Francois Jomphe | C | 64 | 7 | 14 | 21 | −9 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Ted Drury | LW | 73 | 9 | 9 | 18 | −9 | 54 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 4 |
| 2 | Bobby Dollas | D | 79 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 55 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 4 |
| 16 | Warren Rychel | RW | 70 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 218 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 19 |
| 54 | Sean Pronger | C | 39 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 18 | Garry Valk‡ | LW | 53 | 7 | 7 | 14 | −2 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Roman Oksiuta‡ | RW | 28 | 6 | 7 | 13 | −12 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | Dave Karpa | D | 69 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 210 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 20 |
| 36 | J. J. Daigneault† | D | 13 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −6 | 16 |
| 4 | Fredrik Olausson‡ | D | 20 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Ken Baumgartner | LW | 67 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 182 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
| 28 | Jason Marshall | D | 73 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 140 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 32 | Alex Hicks‡ | C | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Dan Trebil | D | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −6 | 6 |
| 27 | Mike Leclerc | LW | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Richard Park† | C | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 2 |
| 24 | Mark Janssens† | C | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 47 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 15 |
| 11 | Valeri Karpov | RW | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 52 | Peter Leboutillier | RW | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 121 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Guy Hebert | G | 67 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 5 | Ruslan Salei | D | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −8 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Nikolai Tsulygin | D | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Shawn Antoski† | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | Frank Banham | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | Barry Nieckar | LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Mike O'Neill | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Adrien Plavsic | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 51 | Craig Reichert | RW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 | Mikhail Shtalenkov | G | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2 |
| 40 | Jeremy Stevenson | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | Igor Nikulin | RW | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | GS | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | GS | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 31 | Guy Hebert | 67 | 66 | 29 | 25 | 12 | 2,133 | 172 | 2.67 | .919 | 4 | 3,862:36 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 255 | 18 | 2.02 | .929 | 1 | 533:31 |
| 35 | Mikhail Shtalenkov | 24 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 539 | 52 | 2.89 | .904 | 2 | 1,078:47 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 162 | 10 | 2.84 | .938 | 0 | 211:27 |
| 1 | Mike O'Neill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 5.76 | .700 | 0 | 31:16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Lady Byng Memorial Trophy | Paul Kariya |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Paul Kariya (Left Wing) |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Teemu Selanne (Right Wing) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Guy Hebert |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Paul Kariya |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Teemu Selanne |

### Records

* Teemu Selanne – most points in a season (109)
* Paul Kariya – most plus/minus in a season (+36)
* Guy Hebert – most ties in a season (12)
* Guy Hebert – most shots against in a season (2133)

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Ruslan Salei | October 7, 1996 |
| First game | Nikolai Tsulygin | October 22, 1996 |
| First game | Frank Banham | January 25, 1997 |
| First game | Peter Leboutillier | January 27, 1997 |
| First game | Craig Reichert | February 4, 1997 |
| First game | Dan Trebil | February 5, 1997 |
| First game | Mike Leclerc | March 28, 1997 |
| First game | Igor Nikulin | April 27, 1997 |

## Transactions

| July 1, 1996 | To Mighty Ducks Kevin Brown | To Ottawa Senators Mike Maneluk |
| October 1, 1996 | To Mighty Ducks Espen Knutsen | To Hartford Whalers Kevin Brown |
| October 1, 1996 | To Mighty Ducks Ted Drury Marc Moro | To Ottawa Senators Shaun Van Allen Jason York |
| November 18, 1996 | To Mighty Ducks Brian Bellows | To Tampa Bay Lightning 6th-round pick in 1997 |
| November 19, 1996 | To Mighty Ducks Shawn Antoski Dmitri Mironov | To Pittsburgh Penguins Alex Hicks Fredrik Olausson |
| February 21, 1997 | To Mighty Ducks J. J. Daigneault | To Pittsburgh Penguins Garry Valk |
| March 18, 1997 | To Mighty Ducks Richard Park | To Pittsburgh Penguins Roman Oksiuta |
| March 18, 1997 | To Mighty Ducks Mark Janssens | To Hartford Whalers Bates Battaglia 4th-round pick in 1998 |

## Draft picks

Anaheim's picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 9 | Ruslan Salei | D | Belarus | Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) |
| 2 | 35 | Matt Cullen | C | United States | St. Cloud State University (NCAA) |
| 5 | 117 | Brendan Buckley | D | United States | Boston College (NCAA) |
| 6$^1$ | 149 | Blaine Russell | G | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 7 | 172 | Timo Ahmaoja | D | Finland | JYP (Finland) |
| 8 | 198 | Kevin Kellett | D | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 9 | 224 | Tobias Johansson | LW | Sweden | Malmo IF (Sweden) |

### Notes

* The Mighty Ducks acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 8, 1995, that sent St. Louis' sixth-round pick in 1995 back to St. Louis in exchange for this pick.
* The Mighty Ducks third-round pick went to the Phoenix Coyotes (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) as the result of a trade on February 27, 1996, that sent Teemu Selanne, Marc Chouinard and a fourth-round pick in 1996 (92nd overall) to Anaheim in exchange for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and this pick (62nd overall).
* The Mighty Ducks fourth-round pick went to the Dallas Stars as the result of a trade on June 22, 1996, that sent a third-round pick in 1996 (58th overall) to Washington in exchange for a third-round pick in 1996 (70th overall) and this pick (90th overall).
       Washington previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 2, 1995, that sent Todd Krygier to Anaheim in exchange for this pick.
* The Mighty Ducks sixth-round pick went to the Detroit Red Wings as the result of a trade on April 4, 1995, that sent Mike Sillinger and Jason York to Anaheim in exchange for Stu Grimson, Mark Ferner and this pick (144th overall).