1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division2nd Northeast
Conference6th Eastern
1996–97 record38–36–8
Home record25–11–5
Road record13–25–3
Goals for285
Goals against280
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachEddie Johnston (Oct.–Mar.)
Craig Patrick (Mar.–Apr.)
CaptainMario Lemieux
Alternate captainsRon Francis
Jaromir Jagr
ArenaCivic Arena
Average attendance16,691
Minor league affiliate(s)Cleveland Lumberjacks
Johnstown Chiefs
Team leaders
GoalsMario Lemieux (50)
AssistsMario Lemieux (72)
PointsMario Lemieux (122)
Penalty minutesDave Roche (155)
Plus/minusMario Lemieux (+27)
WinsPatrick Lalime (21)
Goals against averagePatrick Lalime (2.94)

The 1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 30th in the National Hockey League. This was the final season for Mario Lemieux before his first retirement.

Off-season

Regular season

The 1996–97 season featured Mario Lemieux in his final season before his first retirement. Lemieux won his sixth (and final) Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer, with 122 points. The Penguins had an up-and-down season en route to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. A 2–9–0 start was followed by a hot middle-of-the-season stretch, highlighted by the play of rookie phenom goaltender Patrick Lalime. A shoulder injury to Tom Barrasso ended his season after five unmemorable games and led to the promotion of Lalime from the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). Lalime debuted in relief of Ken Wregget in a loss to the New York Rangers on November 16. His first win came in relief of Wregget on December 6, and the next day, on December 7, he was given the start against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, beating the Mighty Ducks and setting him well on his way to setting the NHL record for consecutive games unbeaten to begin a career for an NHL goaltender, going 14–0–2 (16 games). However, the Penguins cooled down after that, as the team did not win a road game after February 5, which led to a coaching change on March 4. Eddie Johnston was relieved of his duties as head coach after losing eight of his last nine games and was replaced on an interim basis by General Manager Craig Patrick. Patrick went 7–10–3 down the stretch, enough to get the Penguins into the playoffs as the sixth seed at 38–36–8. The Penguins finished the season first in scoring, with 285 goals for.[1]

Final standings

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[2]
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


Playoffs

In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Penguins lost, in five games, to the third-seeded Philadelphia Flyers, who went on to win the Eastern Conference championship. The Penguins' only win in the series was in Game 4 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, in which Lemieux scored on a breakaway against Flyers goaltender Garth Snow in the closing minutes for his final goal before his first retirement.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season[3]
October: 2–8–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 0–7–0), 4 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
1 October 5 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1–0 0 Recap
2 October 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Hartford Whalers 0–2–0 0 Recap
3 October 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Ottawa Senators 0–3–0 0 Recap
4 October 12 Ottawa Senators 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3–0 2 Recap
5 October 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–8 New York Rangers 1–4–0 2 Recap
6 October 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Buffalo Sabres 1–5–0 2 Recap
7 October 19 Washington Capitals 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5–0 4 Recap
8 October 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 2–6–0 4 Recap
9 October 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–7 Calgary Flames 2–7–0 4 Recap
10 October 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Vancouver Canucks 2–8–0 4 Recap
November: 6–5–2 (home: 5–1–1; road: 1–4–1), 14 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
11 November 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Washington Capitals 2–9–0 4 Recap
12 November 2 Ottawa Senators 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–9–0 6 Recap
13 November 6 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–9–0 8 Recap
14 November 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–5 OT Tampa Bay Lightning 4–9–1 9 Recap
15 November 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Florida Panthers 4–10–1 9 Recap
16 November 12 Buffalo Sabres 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–10–1 11 Recap
17 November 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 OT Boston Bruins 5–11–1 11 Recap
18 November 16 New York Rangers 8–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–12–1 11 Recap
19 November 19 St. Louis Blues 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–12–1 13 Recap
20 November 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Philadelphia Flyers 6–13–1 13 Recap
21 November 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Hartford Whalers 7–13–1 15 Recap
22 November 27 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 7–13–2 16 Recap
23 November 30 Boston Bruins 2–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–13–2 18 Recap
December: 11–2–2 (home: 4–1–2; road: 7–1–0), 24 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
24 December 3 Hartford Whalers 4–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 8–13–3 19 Recap
25 December 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Ottawa Senators 9–13–3 21 Recap
26 December 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Washington Capitals 10–13–3 23 Recap
27 December 7 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–13–3 25 Recap
28 December 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Los Angeles Kings 12–13–3 27 Recap
29 December 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 13–13–3 29 Recap
30 December 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 San Jose Sharks 14–13–3 31 Recap
31 December 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Chicago Blackhawks 14–14–3 31 Recap
32 December 17 Boston Bruins 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 14–15–3 31 Recap
33 December 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 St. Louis Blues 15–15–3 33 Recap
34 December 21 San Jose Sharks 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 16–15–3 35 Recap
35 December 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 Toronto Maple Leafs 17–15–3 37 Recap
36 December 26 Montreal Canadiens 3–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 17–15–4 38 Recap
37 December 28 Buffalo Sabres 0–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–15–4 40 Recap
38 December 30 Washington Capitals 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 19–15–4 42 Recap
January: 8–3–1 (home: 4–2–0; road: 4–1–1), 17 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
39 January 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–1 New Jersey Devils 20–15–4 44 Recap
40 January 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–15–4 46 Recap
41 January 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 New York Islanders 22–15–4 48 Recap
42 January 10 New York Islanders 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–15–4 50 Recap
43 January 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT Ottawa Senators 23–15–5 51 Recap
44 January 14 Dallas Stars 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 24–15–5 53 Recap
45 January 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 Hartford Whalers 25–15–5 55 Recap
46 January 21 Calgary Flames 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–15–5 57 Recap
47 January 23 Colorado Avalanche 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 26–16–5 57 Recap
48 January 25 New York Rangers 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–17–5 57 Recap
49 January 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 Montreal Canadiens 27–17–5 59 Recap
50 January 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Buffalo Sabres 27–18–5 59 Recap
February: 4–7–0 (home: 3–4–0; road: 1–3–0), 8 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
51 February 1 Phoenix Coyotes 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 28–18–5 61 Recap
52 February 4 Vancouver Canucks 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–18–5 63 Recap
53 February 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 Montreal Canadiens 30–18–5 65 Recap
54 February 8 Detroit Red Wings 6–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 30–19–5 65 Recap
55 February 12 New York Islanders 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 30–20–5 65 Recap
56 February 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Philadelphia Flyers 30–21–5 65 Recap
57 February 16 Philadelphia Flyers 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 30–22–5 65 Recap
58 February 18 Florida Panthers 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–22–5 67 Recap
59 February 22 Chicago Blackhawks 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–23–5 67 Recap
60 February 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 New York Islanders 31–24–5 67 Recap
61 February 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Detroit Red Wings 31–25–5 67 Recap
March: 5–8–2 (home: 5–2–1; road: 0–6–1), 12 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
62 March 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 New Jersey Devils 31–26–5 67 Recap
63 March 4 New Jersey Devils 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–27–5 67 Recap
64 March 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Buffalo Sabres 31–28–5 67 Recap
65 March 8 Philadelphia Flyers 2–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 32–28–5 69 Recap
66 March 10 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 32–28–6 70 Recap
67 March 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–5 OT Phoenix Coyotes 32–28–7 71 Recap
68 March 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Colorado Avalanche 32–29–7 71 Recap
69 March 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Dallas Stars 32–30–7 71 Recap
70 March 18 Buffalo Sabres 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 33–30–7 73 Recap
71 March 20 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 34–30–7 75 Recap
72 March 22 New Jersey Devils 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 34–31–7 75 Recap
73 March 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 New York Rangers 34–32–7 75 Recap
74 March 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–8 Montreal Canadiens 34–33–7 75 Recap
75 March 29 Los Angeles Kings 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 35–33–7 77 Recap
76 March 31 Florida Panthers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–33–7 79 Recap
April: 2–3–1 (home: 2–0–1; road: 0–3–0), 5 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
77 April 3 Hartford Whalers 5–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 36–33–8 80 Recap
78 April 5 Ottawa Senators 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 37–33–8 82 Recap
79 April 8 Boston Bruins 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 38–33–8 84 Recap
80 April 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 38–34–8 84 Recap
81 April 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Florida Panthers 38–35–8 84 Recap
82 April 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Boston Bruins 38–36–8 84 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers win 4–1
Game Date Visitor Score Home Series Recap
1 April 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Philadelphia Flyers 0–1 Recap
2 April 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers 0–2 Recap
3 April 21 Philadelphia Flyers 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 Recap
4 April 23 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Recap
5 April 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss

Player statistics

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[6]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Patrick Lalime 39 2057:35 21 12 2 101 2.95 1166 0.913 3 0 0 0
Ken Wregget 46 2514:23 17 17 6 136 3.25 1383 0.902 2 0 1 6
Tom Barrasso 5 269:37 0 5 0 26 5.79 186 0.860 0 0 0 0
Philippe De Rouville 2 111:08 0 2 0 6 3.24 66 0.909 0 0 0 0
Total 4952:43 38 36 8 269 3.26 2801 0.904 5 0 1 6
Playoffs[7]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ken Wregget 5 297:28 1 4 0 18 3.63 211 0.915 0 0 0 2
Total 297:28 1 4 0 18 3.63 211 0.915 0 0 0 2

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 600 goals for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–4 win over Vancouver on February 4, 1997.
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1400 points for the Penguins. He did so with his first of 4 points in a 6–2 win over Boston on November 30, 1996.

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		Art Ross Trophy Mario Lemieux [8]
NHL All-Rookie Team Patrick Lalime (Goaltender) [9]
NHL First All-Star Team Mario Lemieux (Center) [9]
NHL Second All-Star Team Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) [9]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Kevin Hatcher [10]
Jaromir Jagr[a]
Mario Lemieux
NHL Rookie of the Month Patrick Lalime (December) [13]
Patrick Lalime (January) [14]
Team A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award Mario Lemieux [15]
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award Ken Wregget [16]
Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award Joe Mullen [16]
Leading Scorer Award Mario Lemieux
Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy Patrick Lalime [17]
Most Valuable Player Award Mario Lemieux [18]
Players' Player Award Joe Mullen [17]
The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Joe Dziedzic [15]
Chris Tamer

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Domenic Pittis October 26, 1996 [19]
Patrick Lalime November 16, 1996
400th goal Ron Francis March 29, 1997 [20]
500th game played Ken Wregget

Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season:[21]

Trades

October 25, 1996 To Los Angeles Kings

1997 conditional pick (not exercised)

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Petr Klima

November 17, 1996 To New York Islanders

Bryan Smolinski

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Andreas Johansson
Darius Kasparaitis

November 19, 1996 To Florida Panthers

Chris Wells

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Stu Barnes
Jason Woolley

November 19, 1996 To Anaheim Ducks

Shawn Antoski
Dmitri Mironov

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Hicks
Fredrik Olausson

January 27, 1997 To Detroit Red Wings

Tomas Sandstrom

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Greg Johnson

February 21, 1997 To Anaheim Ducks

Jean-Jacques Daigneault

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Garry Valk

March 18, 1997 To Anaheim Ducks

Richard Park

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Roman Oksiuta

March 18, 1997 To Los Angeles Kings

Glen Murray

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Ed Olczyk

March 18, 1997 To Vancouver Canucks

future considerations (1998 5th round pick)

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Josef Beranek

Free agents

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Kevin Todd Los Angeles Kings July 10, 1996
Kevin Miller Chicago Blackhawks July 18, 1996
Dave McLlwain New York Islanders July 29, 1996
Dan Quinn Philadelphia Flyers July 31, 1996
Shawn Antoski Philadelphia Flyers July 31, 1996
Joe Mullen Boston Bruins September 5, 1996
Greg Hawgood San Jose Sharks September 7, 1996
Craig Muni Winnipeg Jets October 2, 1996
Petr Klima Edmonton Oilers February 26, 1997

Waivers

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Chris Joseph Vancouver Canucks September 30, 1996
Corey Foster New York Islanders September 30, 1996
Kevin Todd Mighty Ducks of Anaheim October 4, 1996

Other

Name Details Date
Craig Patrick 5-year extension (VP & GM) June 27, 1996
Eddie Johnston Extension (Head Coach) June 27, 1996
Craig Patrick Hired as Head Coach (in addition to GM) March 3, 1997
Eddie Johnston Reassigned to Assistant GM March 3, 1997
Craig Patrick Replaced as Head Coach (remained as GM) April 26, 1997
Mario Lemieux Retired April 26, 1997
Kevin Constantine Hired as Head Coach June 12, 1997

Draft picks

See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft.[22]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 23 Craig Hillier Goaltender  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHL)
2 28[a] Pavel Skrbek Defense  Czech Republic HC Kladno (Czech)
3 72[b] Boyd Kane Left Wing  Canada Regina Pats (WHL)
3 77 Borys Protsenko Right Wing  Ukraine Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
4 105 Michal Rozsival Defense  Czech Republic Dukla Jihlava (Czech)
6 150[c] Peter Bergman Center  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
7 186 Eric Meloche Right Wing  Canada Cornwall Colts (COJHL)
9 238 Timo Seikkula Center  Finland Junkkarit (Finland)
Draft notes[23]
  • a The New Jersey Devils' second-round pick (from San Jose Sharks) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent two second-round picks to the Devils in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick (from Toronto Maple Leafs) went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick.
  • b The Boston Bruins' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an August 1, 1995, trade that sent Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern to the Bruins in exchange for Glen Murray, Bryan Smolinski and this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a March 20, 1996, trade that sent Kevin Miller to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • c Compensatory pick received from NHL as compensation for free agent Joe Mullen.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a March 20, 1996, trade that sent J. J. Daigneault to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' seventh-round pick (from NHL as compensation for free agent Kjell Samuelsson) went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent Tyler Wright to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' eighth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a March 1, 1996, trade that sent Dave McLlwain to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.

Farm teams

The Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League finished last in the North Division with a 24–39–7 record.

The IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks finished second in the Central Division with a record of 40–32–10. They defeated the Indianapolis Ice in the first round 3–1, then defeated the Orlando Solar Bears in the second round 4–1 before losing to the eventual Turner Cup champion Detroit Vipers, 4–1.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Jagr was voted to the starting lineup but did not play and was replaced by Adam Oates of the Boston Bruins.[11][12]

References

  • "Pittsburgh Penguins 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  • "1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  1. ^ "1996-97 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. ^ a b "1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  5. ^ "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. ^ "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. ^ "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "1997 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Injured Jagr to Miss The All-Star Game". The New York Times. January 17, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "LALIME GETS ROOKIE HONOR". Washington Post. January 9, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  14. ^ "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  15. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
  16. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
  17. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
  18. ^ 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
  19. ^ "1996-97 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  20. ^ "Penguins Aid Kings' Free-Fall". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023. Ron Francis, reunited with linemates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr for the first time in a month, scored his 400th and 401st goals to pace Pittsburgh.
  21. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  22. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  23. ^ "1996 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.