# 1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes season

The 1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes season was the team's first of 28 seasons in Arizona in the National Hockey League (NHL) since relocating from Winnipeg the season prior. The franchise's 25th season since its founding in 1972, and 18th season in the National Hockey League since 1979.

## Off-season

The Winnipeg Jets team was sold to Phoenix businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke, and in 1996, the club moved to Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes.
In the summer that the move took place, the franchise saw the exit of Jets stars like Teemu Selanne and Alexei Zhamnov, while the team added established superstar Jeremy Roenick from the Chicago Blackhawks.

## Regular season

Roenick teamed up with power wingers Keith Tkachuk and Rick Tocchet to form a dynamic 1–2–3 offensive punch that led the Coyotes through their first years in Arizona. Also impressive were young players like Shane Doan (who became the last remaining active original Jet in the NHL), Oleg Tverdovsky and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, whom the fans nicknamed the "Bulin Wall."
Forward Keith Tkachuk was renamed captain, replacing Kris King.

### Final standings

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 |
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

In their first year, the Coyotes managed to make the playoffs. However, they lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4 games to 3 in round one.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1996–97 regular season :
October: 4–6–1 (home: 2–3–1; road: 2–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 5, 19960–1@ Hartford Whalers (1996–97)0–1–0Recap
2WOctober 7, 19965–2@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)1–1–0Recap
3WOctober 10, 19964–1San Jose Sharks (1996–97)2–1–0Recap
4WOctober 12, 19964–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)3–1–0Recap
5LOctober 14, 19963–6Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)3–2–0Recap
6LOctober 18, 19961–3Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)3–3–0Recap
7TOctober 20, 19961–1 OTFlorida Panthers (1996–97)3–3–1Recap
8LOctober 22, 19961–2St. Louis Blues (1996–97)3–4–1Recap
9LOctober 26, 19962–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)3–5–1Recap
10WOctober 28, 19965–4 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)4–5–1Recap
11LOctober 30, 19961–4@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)4–6–1Recap :
November: 4–6–3 (home: 3–4–3; road: 1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
12WNovember 1, 19963–2 OT@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)5–6–1Recap
13TNovember 3, 19964–4 OTMontreal Canadiens (1996–97)5–6–2Recap
14LNovember 6, 19962–3Dallas Stars (1996–97)5–7–2Recap
15LNovember 8, 19961–4Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)5–8–2Recap
16LNovember 14, 19961–2Hartford Whalers (1996–97)5–9–2Recap
17WNovember 16, 19963–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)6–9–2Recap
18TNovember 18, 19962–2 OTDetroit Red Wings (1996–97)6–9–3Recap
19LNovember 20, 19960–6@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)6–10–3Recap
20LNovember 21, 19963–4 OT@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)6–11–3Recap
21TNovember 23, 19963–3 OTNew York Islanders (1996–97)6–11–4Recap
22LNovember 26, 19961–3New York Rangers (1996–97)6–12–4Recap
23WNovember 28, 19964–3 OTNew Jersey Devils (1996–97)7–12–4Recap
24WNovember 30, 19963–1Calgary Flames (1996–97)8–12–4Recap :
December: 9–5–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 6–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25LDecember 3, 19961–4Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)8–13–4Recap
26WDecember 5, 19963–0@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)9–13–4Recap
27WDecember 7, 19964–3 OT@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)10–13–4Recap
28LDecember 9, 19962–5@ New York Rangers (1996–97)10–14–4Recap
29LDecember 10, 19962–8@ New York Islanders (1996–97)10–15–4Recap
30WDecember 13, 19964–2@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)11–15–4Recap
31WDecember 14, 19965–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)12–15–4Recap
32WDecember 17, 19964–3Washington Capitals (1996–97)13–15–4Recap
33WDecember 20, 19965–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)14–15–4Recap
34LDecember 22, 19962–7Calgary Flames (1996–97)14–16–4Recap
35WDecember 23, 19962–1@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)15–16–4Recap
36LDecember 26, 19962–5@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)15–17–4Recap
37WDecember 27, 19967–4Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)16–17–4Recap
38WDecember 30, 19965–3@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)17–17–4Recap :
January: 5–7–0 (home: 2–3–0; road: 3–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
39WJanuary 2, 19974–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)18–17–4Recap
40LJanuary 3, 19970–3@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)18–18–4Recap
41LJanuary 5, 19971–5@ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)18–19–4Recap
42LJanuary 9, 19974–5 OTDetroit Red Wings (1996–97)18–20–4Recap
43WJanuary 10, 19974–3@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)19–20–4Recap
44LJanuary 12, 19972–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (1996–97)19–21–4Recap
45LJanuary 13, 19974–5@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)19–22–4Recap
46LJanuary 15, 19971–4St. Louis Blues (1996–97)19–23–4Recap
47WJanuary 23, 19976–3Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)20–23–4Recap
48WJanuary 25, 19974–0Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)21–23–4Recap
49LJanuary 28, 19971–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)21–24–4Recap
50WJanuary 29, 19973–0@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)22–24–4Recap :
February: 6–7–0 (home: 3–4–0; road: 3–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
51LFebruary 1, 19971–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)22–25–4Recap
52LFebruary 4, 19970–2Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)22–26–4Recap
53WFebruary 6, 19973–2Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)23–26–4Recap
54LFebruary 8, 19974–5 OTDallas Stars (1996–97)23–27–4Recap
55WFebruary 10, 19974–2@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)24–27–4Recap
56WFebruary 12, 19975–0@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)25–27–4Recap
57LFebruary 13, 19972–3Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)25–28–4Recap
58WFebruary 15, 19975–4 OTBoston Bruins (1996–97)26–28–4Recap
59WFebruary 18, 19976–1Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)27–28–4Recap
60LFebruary 22, 19972–4@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)27–29–4Recap
61LFebruary 24, 19973–5Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)27–30–4Recap
62WFebruary 26, 19975–2@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)28–30–4Recap
63LFebruary 27, 19972–6@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)28–31–4Recap :
March: 7–4–2 (home: 1–3–2; road: 6–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
64LMarch 2, 19970–4Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)28–32–4Recap
65WMarch 5, 19973–0@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)29–32–4Recap
66WMarch 6, 19975–0@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)30–32–4Recap
67WMarch 8, 19972–0@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)31–32–4Recap
68LMarch 10, 19971–4Ottawa Senators (1996–97)31–33–4Recap
69TMarch 12, 19975–5 OTPittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)31–33–5Recap
70WMarch 14, 19974–1@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)32–33–5Recap
71WMarch 17, 19973–2St. Louis Blues (1996–97)33–33–5Recap
72LMarch 19, 19972–7@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)33–34–5Recap
73WMarch 20, 19974–2@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)34–34–5Recap
74WMarch 22, 19973–0@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)35–34–5Recap
75TMarch 27, 19971–1 OTToronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)35–34–6Recap
76LMarch 29, 19971–3Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)35–35–6Recap :
April: 3–2–1 (home: 1–0–1; road: 2–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
77WApril 1, 19977–1San Jose Sharks (1996–97)36–35–6Recap
78WApril 3, 19975–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)37–35–6Recap
79LApril 6, 19971–2@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)37–36–6Recap
80TApril 7, 19972–2 OTDallas Stars (1996–97)37–36–7Recap
81LApril 9, 19974–6@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)37–37–7Recap
82WApril 11, 19976–2@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)38–37–7Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim – Mighty Ducks win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LApril 16, 19972–4@ Mighty Ducks of AnaheimMighty Ducks lead 1–0Recap
2LApril 18, 19972–4@ Mighty Ducks of AnaheimMighty Ducks lead 2–0Recap
3WApril 20, 19974–1Mighty Ducks of AnaheimMighty Ducks lead 2–1Recap
4WApril 22, 19972–0Mighty Ducks of AnaheimSeries tied 2–2Recap
5WApril 24, 19975–2@ Mighty Ducks of AnaheimCoyotes lead 3–2Recap
6LApril 27, 19972–3 OTMighty Ducks of AnaheimSeries tied 3–3Recap
7LApril 29, 19970–3@ Mighty Ducks of AnaheimMighty Ducks win 4–3Recap :
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 Coyotes only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes 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 |
| 7 | Keith Tkachuk | LW | 81 | 52 | 34 | 86 | −1 | 228 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| 97 | Jeremy Roenick | C | 72 | 29 | 40 | 69 | −7 | 115 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 22 | Mike Gartner | RW | 82 | 32 | 31 | 63 | −11 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 |
| 20 | Oleg Tverdovsky | D | 82 | 10 | 45 | 55 | −5 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Craig Janney | C | 77 | 15 | 38 | 53 | −1 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 77 | Cliff Ronning | C | 69 | 19 | 32 | 51 | −9 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
| 11 | Dallas Drake | RW | 63 | 17 | 19 | 36 | −11 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −2 | 2 |
| 27 | Teppo Numminen | D | 82 | 2 | 25 | 27 | −3 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 34 | Darrin Shannon | LW | 82 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 21 | Bob Corkum | C | 80 | 9 | 11 | 20 | −7 | 40 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| 4 | Dave Manson‡ | D | 66 | 3 | 17 | 20 | −25 | 164 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Mike Stapleton | C | 55 | 4 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 14 |
| 17 | Kris King | LW | 81 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −7 | 185 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 17 |
| 5 | Deron Quint | D | 27 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 44 | Norm Maciver | D | 32 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −11 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Shane Doan | RW | 63 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −3 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 26 | Jeff Finley | D | 65 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −8 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 8 | Jim Johnson | D | 55 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 74 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 23 | Igor Korolev | C | 41 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −5 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Jim McKenzie | LW | 65 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 200 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | Chad Kilger | LW | 24 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −5 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Jay More† | D | 23 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Brad McCrimmon | D | 37 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Mike Eastwood‡ | C | 33 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Gerald Diduck† | D | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 35 | Nikolai Khabibulin | G | 72 | 0 | 3 | 3 | | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 6 |
| 32 | Jocelyn Lemieux† | RW | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 43 | Darcy Wakaluk | G | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Murray Baron† | D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Kevin Dahl | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Parris Duffus | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Dallas Eakins‡ | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 47 | Tavis Hansen | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Mike Hudson† | C | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | Pat Jablonski† | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 38 | Jason Simon | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Brent Thompson | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Juha Ylonen | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
| No. | Player | 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 |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 35 | Nikolai Khabibulin | 72 | 30 | 33 | 6 | 2094 | 193 | 2.83 | .908 | 7 | 4091 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 222 | 15 | 2.11 | .932 | 1 | 426 |
| 43 | Darcy Wakaluk | 16 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 386 | 39 | 2.99 | .899 | 1 | 782 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Parris Duffus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 2.08 | .875 | 0 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | Pat Jablonski† | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 2 | 2.04 | .917 | 0 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Keith Tkachuk |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Oleg Tverdovsky |
| Team | Hardest Working Player Award | Dallas Drake |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Keith Tkachuk |
| Team | Man of the Year Award | Kris King |
| Team | Team MVP Award | Keith Tkachuk |
| Team | Three-Star Award | Keith Tkachuk |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date | Ref |
| First game | Juha Ylonen | February 12, 1997 | |
| First game | Parris Duffus | February 27, 1997 | |

## Transactions
### Trades

| June 22, 1996 | To Toronto Maple Leafs4th round pick in 1996 (Vladimir Antipov) | To Phoenix CoyotesMike Gartner |
| July 1, 1996 | To Calgary Flames3rd round pick in 1997 (Erik Andersson) | To Phoenix CoyotesCompensation for head coach Don Hay |
| August 16, 1996 | To Chicago BlackhawksAlexei Zhamnov Craig Mills 1st round pick in 1997 (Ty Jones) | To Phoenix CoyotesJeremy Roenick |
| February 6, 1997 | To New York RangersMike Eastwood Dallas Eakins | To Phoenix CoyotesJay More |
| March 18, 1997 | To Montreal CanadiensDave Manson Steve Cheredaryk | To Phoenix CoyotesMurray Baron Pat Jablonski Chris Murray |

### Waivers

| September 30, 1996 | From Philadelphia FlyersBob Corkum |

### Free agents

Joining the Coyotes:
| Player | Former Team |
| Cliff Ronning | Vancouver Canucks |
| Brad McCrimmon | Hartford Whalers |
| Jim Johnson | Dallas Stars |
| Darcy Wakaluk | Dallas Stars |
| Reggie Savage | Colorado Avalanche |
| Kevin Dahl | Calgary Flames |
| Scott Levins | Ottawa Senators |
| Mike Hudson | St. Louis Blues |
| Jocelyn Lemieux | Calgary Flames |
Leaving the Coyotes:
| Player | New Team |
| Dominic Roussel | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Ed Olczyk | Los Angeles Kings |
| Craig Martin | Florida Panthers |
| Iain Fraser | San Jose Sharks |
| Denis Chasse | Ottawa Senators |

## Draft picks

Phoenix's draft picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 11 | Dan Focht (D) | Canada | Tri-City Americans (WHL) |
| 1 | 24 | Daniel Briere (C) | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| 3 | 62 | Per-Anton Lundstrom (D) | Sweden | MODO (Sweden) |
| 5 | 119 | Richard Lintner (D) | Slovakia | Dukla Trencin Jr. (Slovakia) |
| 6 | 139 | Robert Esche (G) | United States | Detroit Whalers (OHL) |
| 7 | 174 | Trevor Letowski (RW) | Canada | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
| 8 | 200 | Nick Lent (RW) | United States | Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
| 9 | 226 | Marc-Etienne Hubert (C) | Canada | Laval Titan College Francais (QMJHL) |