1995-96 NHL SEASON

The '1995-96 NHL season' was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-six teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who swept the Florida Panthers in four games.
1995-96 was the first season of existence for the Avalanche, who were previously known as the Quebec Nordiques. It was also the last season of existence for the Winnipeg Jets, as they announced that they would be moving from Manitoba to Arizona and become the Phoenix Coyotes at season's end. The Detroit Red Wings had a spectacular season, finishing with the second-highest regular-season point total in NHL history (131 points), yet they fell to the Avalanche in the Western Conference final, the sixth game of which marked the beginning of the heated Detroit-Colorado rivalry.

Contents

Regular season

Final standings

Scoring leaders

Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

Conference quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Conference semifinals

Conference finals

Stanley Cup final

Scoring leaders

NHL Awards

All-Star teams

Debuts

Last games

See also

References

Regular season

Final standings

'''Note:' W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points''

'Eastern Conference'

'Northeast Division' Team W L T GF GA Pts Pittsburgh Penguins 49 29 4 362 284 102 Boston Bruins 40 31 11 282 269 91 Montreal Canadiens 40 32 10 265 248 90 Hartford Whalers 34 39 9 237 259 77 Buffalo Sabres 33 42 7 247 262 73 Ottawa Senators 18 59 5 191 291 41

'Atlantic Division' Team W L T GF GA Pts Philadelphia Flyers 45 24 13 282 208 103 New York Rangers 41 27 14 272 237 96 Florida Panthers 41 31 10 254 234 92 Washington Capitals 39 32 11 234 204 89 Tampa Bay Lightning 38 32 12 238 248 88 New Jersey Devils 37 33 12 215 202 86 New York Islanders 22 50 10 229 315 54

'Western Conference'

'Central Division' Team W L T GF GA Pts Detroit Red Wings 62 13 7 325 181 131 Chicago Blackhawks 40 28 14 273 220 94 Toronto Maple Leafs 34 36 12 247 252 80 St. Louis Blues 32 34 16 219 248 80 Winnipeg Jets 36 40 6 275 291 78 Dallas Stars 26 42 14 227 280 66

'Pacific Division' Team W L T GF GA Pts Colorado Avalanche 47 25 10 326 240 104 Calgary Flames 34 37 11 241 240 79 Vancouver Canucks 32 35 15 278 278 79 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 35 39 8 234 247 78 Edmonton Oilers 30 44 8 240 304 68 Los Angeles Kings 24 40 18 256 302 66 San Jose Sharks 20 55 7 252 357 47

Scoring leaders

'''Note:' GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points''

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 Selänne	Winnipeg/ Anaheim	79	40	68	108
Sergei Fedorov	Detroit	78	39	68	107
Alexander Mogilny	Vancouver	79	55	52	107

Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

Conference quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay Date Away Home April 16 Tampa Bay 3 '7 Philadelphia' April 18 'Tampa Bay 2' 1 Philadelphia OT April 21 Philadelphia 4 '5 Tampa Bay' OT April 23 'Philadelphia 4' 1 Tampa Bay April 25 Tampa Bay 1 '4 Philadelphia' April 27 'Philadelphia 6' 1 Tampa Bay '''Philadelphia wins series 4–2'''	Pittsburgh vs. Washington Date Away Home April 17 'Washington 6' 4 Pittsburgh April 19 'Washington 5' 3 Pittsburgh April 22 'Pittsburgh 4' 1 Washington April 24 'Pittsburgh 3' 2 Washington 4 OT April 26 Washington 1 '4 Pittsburgh' April 28 'Pittsburgh 3' 2 Washington '''Pittsburgh wins series 4–2'''
NY Rangers vs. Montreal Date Away Home April 16 'Montreal 3' 2 NY Rangers OT April 18 'Montreal 5' 3 NY Rangers April 21 'NY Rangers' 2 1 Montreal April 23 'NY Rangers 4' 3 Montreal April 26 Montreal 2 '3 NY Rangers' April 28 'NY Rangers 5' 3 Montreal '''NY Rangers wins series 4–2'''	Florida vs. Boston Date Away Home April 17 Boston 3 '6 Florida' April 22 Boston 2 '6 Florida' April 24 'Florida 4' 2 Boston April 25 Florida 2 '6 Boston' April 27 Boston 3 '4 Florida' '''Florida wins series 4–1'''

Western Conference

Detroit vs. Winnipeg Date Away Home April 17 Winnipeg 1 '4 Detroit' April 19 Winnipeg 0 '4 Detroit' April 21 Detroit 1 '4 Winnipeg' April 23 'Detroit 6' 1 Winnipeg April 26 'Winnipeg 3' 1 Detroit April 28 'Detroit 4' 1 Winnipeg '''Detroit wins series 4–2'''	Colorado vs. Vancouver Date Away Home April 16 Vancouver 2 '5 Colorado' April 18 'Vancouver 5' 4 Colorado April 20 'Colorado 4' 0 Vancouver April 22 Colorado 3 '4 Vancouver' April 25 Vancouver 4 '5 Colorado' OT April 27 'Colorado 3' 2 Vancouver '''Colorado wins series 4–2'''
Chicago vs. Calgary Date Away Home April 17 Calgary 1 '4 Chicago' April 19 Calgary 0 '3 Chicago' April 21 'Chicago 7' 5 Calgary April 23 'Chicago 2' 1 Calgary '''Chicago wins series 4–0'''	Toronto vs. St. Louis Date Away Home April 16 'St. Louis 3' 1 Toronto April 18 St. Louis 4 '5 Toronto' OT April 21 Toronto 2 '3 St. Louis' OT April 23 Toronto 1 '5 St. Louis' April 25 St. Louis 4 '5 Toronto' OT April 27 Toronto 1 '2 St. Louis' '''St. Louis wins series 4–2'''

Conference semifinals

'Eastern Conference'

Florida vs. Philadelphia Date Away Home May 2 'Florida 2' 0 Philadelphia May 4 Florida 2 '3 Philadelphia' May 7 'Philadelphia 3' 1 Florida May 9 Philadelphia 3 '4 Florida' OT May 12 'Florida 2' 1 Philadelphia 2OT May 14 Philadelphia 1 '4 Florida' '''Florida win series 4–2'''

NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Date Away Home May 3 NY Rangers 1 '4 Pittsburgh' May 5 'NY Rangers 6' 3 Pittsburgh May 7 'Pittsburgh 3' 2 NY Rangers May 9 'Pittsburgh 4' 1 NY Rangers May 11 NY Rangers 3 '7 Pittsburgh' '''Pittsburgh wins series 4–1'''

'Western Conference'

St. Louis vs. Detroit Date Away Home May 3 St. Louis 2 '3 Detroit' May 5 St. Louis 3 '8 Detroit' May 8 Detroit 4 '5 St. Louis' OT May 10 Detroit 0 '1 St. Louis' May 12 'St. Louis 3' 2 Detroit May 14 'Detroit 4' 2 St. Louis May 16 St. Louis 0 '1 Detroit' 2OT '''Detroit wins series 4–3'''

Chicago vs. Colorado Date Away Home May 2 'Chicago 3' 2 Colorado OT May 4 Chicago 1 '5 Colorado' May 6 Colorado 3 '4 Chicago' OT May 8 'Colorado 3' 2 Chicago 3OT May 11 Chicago 1 '4 Colorado' May 13 'Colorado 4' 3 Chicago 2OT '''Colorado wins series 4–2'''

Conference finals

Main articles: 1996 Eastern Conference Finals (NHL)

Main articles: 1996 Western Conference Finals (NHL)

'Eastern Conference' Florida vs. Pittsburgh Date Away Home May 18 'Florida 5' 1 Pittsburgh May 20 Florida 2 '3 Pittsburgh' May 24 Pittsburgh 2 '5 Florida' May 26 'Pittsburgh 2' 1 Florida May 28 Florida 0 '3 Pittsburgh' May 30 Pittsburgh 3 '4 Florida' June 1 'Florida 3' 1 Pittsburgh '''Florida wins series 4–3 and Prince of Wales Trophy'''

'Western Conference' Colorado vs. Detroit Date Away Home May 19 'Colorado 3' 2 Detroit OT May 21 'Colorado 3' 0 Detroit May 23 'Detroit 6' 4 Colorado May 25 Detroit 2 '4 Colorado' May 27 Colorado 2 '5 Detroit' May 29 Detroit 1 '4 Colorado' '''Colorado wins series 4–2 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl'''

Stanley Cup final

Main articles: 1996 Stanley Cup Finals

Colorado vs. Florida Date Away Home June 4 Florida 1 '3 Colorado' June 6 Florida 1 '8 Colorado' June 8 'Colorado 3' 2 Florida June 10 'Colorado 1' 0 Florida 3OT '''Colorado wins series 4–0 and Stanley Cup''' '''Joe Sakic (Colorado) wins Conn Smythe Trophy'''

Scoring leaders

'''Note:' GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points''

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

NHL Awards

Presidents' Trophy:	Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Florida Panthers
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Colorado Avalanche
Art Ross Memorial Trophy:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy:	Gary Roberts, Calgary Flames
Calder Memorial Trophy:	Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
Conn Smythe Trophy:	Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
Frank J. Selke Trophy:	Sergei Fedorov, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Memorial Trophy:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jack Adams Award:	Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings
James Norris Memorial Trophy:	Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks
King Clancy Memorial Trophy:	Kris King, Winnipeg Jets
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy:	Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Lester B. Pearson Award:	Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Plus/Minus Award:	Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
Vezina Trophy:	Jim Carey, Washington Capitals
William M. Jennings Trophy:	Chris Osgood/Mike Vernon, Detroit Red Wings
Lester Patrick Trophy:	George Gund, Ken Morrow, Milt Schmidt

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Jim Carey, Washington Capitals	G	Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks	D	Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins	C	Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins	RW	Alexander Mogilny, Vancouver Canucks
Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks	LW	John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers

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):

★ Kyle McLaren, Boston Bruins

★ Jay McKee, Buffalo Sabres

★ Martin Biron, Buffalo Sabres

★ Jarome Iginla
★ , Calgary Flames

★ Stephane Yelle, Colorado Avalanche

★ Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars

★ Miroslav Satan, Edmonton Oilers

★ Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers

★ Jeff O'Neill, Hartford Whalers

★ Sami Kapanen, Hartford Whalers

★ Darcy Tucker, Montreal Canadiens

★ 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

★ Brendan Witt, Washington Capitals

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1995-96 (listed with their last team):

★ Cam Neely, Boston Bruins

★ Alexei Kasatonov, Boston Bruins

★ Troy Murray, Colorado Avalanche

★ Paul Cavallini, Dallas Stars

★ Jimmy Carson, Hartford Whalers

★ Glenn Anderson, St. Louis Blues

★ Greg Gilbert, St. Louis Blues

See also

★ List of Stanley Cup champions

★ 1995 NHL Entry Draft

★ 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game

★ National Hockey League All-Star Game

★ NHL All-Rookie Team

★ 1995 in sports

★ 1996 in sports

References

★ Hockey Database

★ http://nhl.com/