1996–97 Detroit Red Wings season

1996–97 Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup champions
Western Conference champions
Division2nd Central
Conference3rd Western
1996–97 record38–26–18
Home record20–12–9
Road record18–14–9
Goals for253
Goals against197
Team information
General managerScotty Bowman
Jim Devellano
CoachScotty Bowman
CaptainSteve Yzerman
Alternate captainsSergei Fedorov
Brendan Shanahan
ArenaJoe Louis Arena
Average attendance19,978 (99.9%)
Total: 819,107
Minor league affiliate(s)Adirondack Red Wings (AHL)
Toledo Storm (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsBrendan Shanahan (46)
AssistsSteve Yzerman (63)
PointsBrendan Shanahan (87)
Penalty minutesMartin Lapointe (167)
Plus/minusVladimir Konstantinov (38)
WinsChris Osgood (23)
Goals against averageKevin Hodson (1.63)

The 1996–97 Detroit Red Wings season was the 71st National Hockey League season in Detroit, Michigan. The highlight of the Red Wings season was winning the Stanley Cup, their first since 1955.

Off-season

On July 23, 1996, Detroit Red Wings President Bill Evo resigned his position after serving just ten months at the team's helm.[1] The Nickname "Hockeytown" was coined to launch the start of a five-year marketing campaign.

Regular season

The "HOCKEYTOWN" logo, a Red Wings logo overlapped with the term "HOCKEYTOWN," was shown over center ice starting this season and was still there as of 2022.

A season highlight was Sergei Fedorov's five-goal performance on December 26, 1996, in a game against the Washington Capitals. The Red Wings won 5–4 in overtime. Fedorov's fifth goal of the game came at 2:39 of the overtime period.

On February 8, 1997, coach Scotty Bowman achieved his 1000th victory as an NHL head coach against his previous team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On March 26, 1997, the Red Wings–Avalanche brawl continued to fuel the rivalry between the teams. Detroit won that game 6–5 in overtime.

Season 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[2]
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

Main article: 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Red Wings won the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, their first Stanley Cup since the 1954–55 NHL season.

Six days after winning the Stanley Cup, tragedy struck when defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov, defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov, and massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov were involved in a limousine accident. The driver, who later said he fell asleep, had a suspended license for previous drunk driving convictions.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season[3]
October: 7–4–1 (home: 5–1–1; road: 2–3–0)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
1 October 5 Detroit 1–3 New Jersey Osgood 18,622 0–1–0 0 Recap
2 October 9 Edmonton 0–2 Detroit Osgood 19,983 1–1–0 2 Recap
3 October 11 Calgary 2–1 Detroit Osgood 19,983 1–2–0 2 Recap
4 October 12 Detroit 6–1 Buffalo Vernon 18,595 2–2–0 4 Recap
5 October 15 Detroit 1–3 Dallas Vernon 15,983 2–3–0 4 Recap
6 October 17 Detroit 1–2 Chicago Osgood 18,261 2–4–0 4 Recap
7 October 19 NY Islanders 2–4 Detroit Vernon 19,983 3–4–0 6 Recap
8 October 21 Los Angeles 0–3 Detroit Osgood 19,849 4–4–0 8 Recap
9 October 23 Dallas 1–4 Detroit Osgood 19,983 5–4–0 10 Recap
10 October 25 Chicago 2–2 Detroit OT Hodson 19,983 5–4–1 11 Recap
11 October 26 Detroit 2–1 Boston Osgood 17,012 6–4–1 13 Recap
12 October 30 Montreal 3–5 Detroit Osgood 19,983 7–4–1 15 Recap
November: 7–4–2 (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–2–2)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
13 November 1 Detroit 2–2 Ottawa OT Osgood 14,158 7–4–2 16 Recap
14 November 2 Detroit 2–6 Toronto Vernon 15,726 7–5–2 16 Recap
15 November 4 Hartford 1–5 Detroit Osgood 19,983 8–5–2 18 Recap
16 November 6 New Jersey 2–0 Detroit Osgood 19,983 8–6–2 18 Recap
17 November 8 Detroit 4–1 Hartford Vernon 14,660 9–6–2 20 Recap
18 November 10 Tampa Bay 2–4 Detroit Osgood 19,983 10–6–2 22 Recap
19 November 13 Colorado 4–1 Detroit Osgood 19,983 10–7–2 22 Recap
20 November 15 San Jose 1–5 Detroit Vernon 19,983 11–7–2 24 Recap
21 November 18 Detroit 2–2 Phoenix OT Osgood 15,436 11–7–3 25 Recap
22 November 21 Detroit 6–1 San Jose Vernon 17,442 12–7–3 27 Recap
23 November 23 Detroit 6–0 Los Angeles Osgood 16,005 13–7–3 29 Recap
24 November 24 Detroit 1–3 Anaheim Vernon 17,174 13–8–3 29 Recap
25 November 27 Toronto 2–5 Detroit Osgood 19,983 14–8–3 31 Recap
December: 6–4–3 (home: 3–2–2; road: 3–2–1)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
26 December 1 Florida 4–2 Detroit Osgood 19,983 14–9–3 31 Recap
27 December 3 Vancouver 2–2 Detroit OT Osgood 19,921 14–9–4 32 Recap
28 December 4 Detroit 2–0 Washington Hodson 16,117 15–9–4 34 Recap
29 December 10 Edmonton 0–0 Detroit OT Osgood 19,983 15–9–5 35 Recap
30 December 12 Chicago 2–6 Detroit Osgood 19,983 16–9–5 37 Recap
31 December 15 Toronto 1–3 Detroit Osgood 19,983 17–9–5 39 Recap
32 December 17 Detroit 3–4 Colorado Vernon 16,061 17–10–5 39 Recap
33 December 18 Detroit 3–3 Calgary OT Osgood 16,237 17–10–6 40 Recap
34 December 20 Detroit 2–3 Vancouver Hodson 18,422 17–11–6 40 Recap
35 December 22 Detroit 6–2 Edmonton Osgood 16,724 18–11–6 42 Recap
36 December 26 Washington 4–5 Detroit OT Osgood 19,983 19–11–6 44 Recap
37 December 28 Detroit 7–1 NY Islanders Vernon 16,297 20–11–6 46 Recap
38 December 30 Phoenix 5–3 Detroit Osgood 19,983 20–12–6 46 Recap
January: 2–5–3 (home: 0–3–2; road: 2–2–1)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
39 January 3 Dallas 2–1 Detroit Vernon 19,983 20–13–6 46 Recap
40 January 5 Detroit 5–5 Chicago OT Vernon 21,914 20–13–7 47 Recap
41 January 8 Detroit 3–6 Dallas Osgood 15,326 20–14–7 47 Recap
42 January 9 Detroit 5–4 Phoenix OT Osgood 16,210 21–14–7 49 Recap
43 January 11 Chicago 3–1 Detroit Osgood 19,983 21–15–7 49 Recap
44 January 14 Los Angeles 3–3 Detroit OT Osgood 19,983 21–15–8 50 Recap
45 January 20 Detroit 1–4 Montreal Vernon 21,273 21–16–8 50 Recap
46 January 22 Philadelphia 2–2 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 21–16–9 51 Recap
47 January 25 Detroit 4–1 Philadelphia Vernon 19,711 22–16–9 53 Recap
48 January 29 Phoenix 3–0 Detroit Vernon 19,983 22–17–9 53 Recap
February: 8–2–3 (home: 4–1–1; road: 4–1–2)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
49 February 1 Detroit 4–1 St. Louis Vernon 20,330 23–17–9 55 Recap
50 February 2 Dallas 3–4 Detroit OT Osgood 19,983 24–17–9 57 Recap
51 February 4 St. Louis 1–1 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 24–17–10 58 Recap
52 February 6 Vancouver 7–4 Detroit Osgood 19,983 24–18–10 58 Recap
53 February 8 Detroit 6–5 Pittsburgh OT Vernon 17,355 25–18–10 60 Recap
54 February 12 San Jose 1–7 Detroit Osgood 19,983 26–18–10 62 Recap
55 February 14 Detroit 3–4 Dallas OT Vernon 16,924 26–19–10 62 Recap
56 February 16 Detroit 4–2 Florida Osgood 14,703 27–19–10 64 Recap
57 February 17 Detroit 3–3 Tampa Bay OT Vernon 19,579 27–19–11 65 Recap
58 February 19 Calgary 0–4 Detroit Osgood 19,983 28–19–11 67 Recap
59 February 22 Detroit 2–2 St. Louis OT Vernon 20,371 28–19–12 68 Recap
60 February 24 Detroit 5–3 Phoenix Osgood 16,210 29–19–12 70 Recap
61 February 27 Pittsburgh 1–4 Detroit Vernon 19,983 30–19–12 72 Recap
March: 6–5–3 (home: 4–1–1; road: 2–4–2)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
62 March 1 NY Rangers 0–3 Detroit Osgood 19,983 31–19–12 74 Recap
63 March 2 Anaheim 1–1 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 31–19–13 75 Recap
64 March 5 Detroit 4–4 Toronto OT Osgood 15,726 31–19–14 76 Recap
65 March 8 Detroit 5–3 Vancouver Vernon 18,422 32–19–14 78 Recap
66 March 10 Detroit 3–3 Los Angeles OT Osgood 10,663 32–19–15 79 Recap
67 March 12 Detroit 1–2 Anaheim Vernon 17,174 32–20–15 79 Recap
68 March 15 Detroit 7–4 San Jose Osgood 17,442 33–20–15 81 Recap
69 March 16 Detroit 2–4 Colorado Osgood 16,061 33–21–15 81 Recap
70 March 19 Boston 1–4 Detroit Hodson 19,983 34–21–15 83 Recap
71 March 21 Detroit 1–3 NY Rangers Osgood 18,200 34–22–15 83 Recap
72 March 23 Detroit 3–5 Chicago Hodson 22,422 34–23–15 83 Recap
73 March 26 Colorado 5–6 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 35–23–15 85 Recap
74 March 28 Buffalo 1–2 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 36–23–15 87 Recap
75 March 30 Anaheim 1–0 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 36–24–15 87 Recap
April: 2–2–3 (home: 0–2–2; road: 2–0–1)
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points Recap
76 April 1 St. Louis 1–1 Detroit OT Vernon 19,983 36–24–16 88 Recap
77 April 3 Toronto 2–2 Detroit OT Osgood 19,983 36–24–17 89 Recap
78 April 5 Detroit 4–2 Toronto Osgood 15,726 37–24–17 91 Recap
79 April 8 Detroit 3–2 Calgary OT Osgood 17,841 38–24–17 93 Recap
80 April 9 Detroit 3–3 Edmonton OT Vernon 17,099 38–24–18 94 Recap
81 April 11 Ottawa 3–2 Detroit Vernon 19,983 38–25–18 94 Recap
82 April 13 St. Louis 3–1 Detroit Osgood 19,983 38–26–18 94 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (6) St. Louis Blues: Detroit won 4–2
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series Recap
1 April 16 St. Louis 2–0 Detroit Vernon 0–1 Recap
2 April 18 St. Louis 1–2 Detroit Vernon 1–1 Recap
3 April 20 Detroit 3–2 St. Louis Vernon 2–1 Recap
4 April 22 Detroit 0–4 St. Louis Vernon 2–2 Recap
5 April 25 St. Louis 2–5 Detroit Vernon 3–2 Recap
6 April 27 Detroit 3–1 St. Louis Vernon 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (4) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Detroit won 4–0
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series Recap
1 May 2 Anaheim 1–2 Detroit OT Vernon 1–0 Recap
2 May 4 Anaheim 2–3 Detroit 3OT Vernon 2–0 Recap
3 May 6 Detroit 5–2 Anaheim Vernon 3–0 Recap
4 May 8 Detroit 3–2 Anaheim 2OT Vernon 4–0 Recap
Western Conference Finals vs. (1) Colorado Avalanche: Detroit won 4–2
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series Recap
1 May 15 Detroit 1–2 Colorado Vernon 0–1 Recap
2 May 17 Detroit 4–2 Colorado Vernon 1–1 Recap
3 May 19 Colorado 1–2 Detroit Vernon 2–1 Recap
4 May 22 Colorado 0–6 Detroit Vernon 3–1 Recap
5 May 24 Detroit 0–6 Colorado Vernon 3–2 Recap
6 May 26 Colorado 1–3 Detroit Vernon 4–2 Recap
Stanley Cup Finals vs. (E3) Philadelphia Flyers: Detroit won 4–0
Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series Recap
1 May 31 Detroit 4–2 Philadelphia Vernon 1–0 Recap
2 June 3 Detroit 4–2 Philadelphia Vernon 2–0 Recap
3 June 5 Philadelphia 1–6 Detroit Vernon 3–0 Recap
4 June 7 Philadelphia 1–2 Detroit Vernon 4–0 Recap
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 Red Wings only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
14 Brendan Shanahan† LW 79 46 41 87 31 131 20 9 8 17 8 43
19 Steve Yzerman LW 81 22 63 85 22 78 20 7 6 13 3 4
91 Sergei Fedorov C 74 30 33 63 29 30 20 8 12 20 5 12
5 Nicklas Lidstrom D 79 15 42 57 11 30 20 2 6 8 12 2
8 Igor Larionov C 64 12 42 54 31 26 20 4 8 12 8 8
25 Darren McCarty RW 68 19 30 49 14 126 20 3 4 7 1 34
13 Vyacheslav Kozlov C 75 23 22 45 21 46 20 8 5 13 3 14
16 Vladimir Konstantinov D 77 5 33 38 38 151 20 0 4 4 −1 29
20 Martin Lapointe RW 78 16 17 33 −14 167 20 4 8 12 8 60
2 Viacheslav Fetisov D 64 5 23 28 26 76 20 0 4 4 2 42
28 Tomas Sandstrom† RW 34 9 9 18 2 36 20 0 4 4 −3 24
23 Greg Johnson‡ RW 43 6 10 16 −5 12 — — — — — —
33 Kris Draper C 76 8 5 13 −11 73 20 2 4 6 5 12
17 Doug Brown LW 49 6 7 13 −3 8 14 3 3 6 4 2
3 Bob Rouse D 70 4 9 13 8 58 22 0 0 0 8 55
11 Mathieu Dandenault RW 65 3 9 12 −10 28 — — — — — —
4 Jamie Pushor D 75 4 7 11 1 129 5 0 1 1 −1 5
15 Tomas Holmstrom LW 47 6 3 9 −10 33 1 0 0 0 −1 0
18 Kirk Maltby LW 66 3 5 8 3 75 20 5 2 7 6 24
37 Tim Taylor C 44 3 4 7 −6 52 2 0 0 0 −1 0
27[a] Aaron Ward D 49 2 5 7 −9 52 19 0 0 0 1 17
55 Larry Murphy† D 12 2 4 6 2 0 20 2 9 11 16 8
34[b] Anders Eriksson D 23 0 6 6 5 10 — — — — — —
26 Joe Kocur† RW 34 2 1 3 −7 70 19 1 3 4 5 22
21 Bob Errey‡ LW 36 1 2 3 −3 27 — — — — — —
30 Chris Osgood G 47 0 2 2 6 2 0 0 0 2
22 Mike Knuble RW 9 1 0 1 −1 0 — — — — — —
31 Kevin Hodson G 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — — —
32 Stu Grimson‡ LW 1 0 0 0 −1 0 — — — — — —
40 Mark Major LW 2 0 0 0 0 5 — — — — — —
23 Mike Ramsey†‡ D 2 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
29 Mike Vernon G 33 0 0 0 35 20 0 1 1 12

Goaltending

No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP GS W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP GS W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
30 Chris Osgood 47 45 23 13 9 1,175 106 2.30 .910 6 2,768:48 2 0 0 0 21 2 2.54 .905 0 47:10
29 Mike Vernon 33 33 13 11 8 782 79 2.43 .899 0 1,952:03 20 20 16 4 494 36 1.76 .927 1 1,229:12
31 Kevin Hodson 6 4 2 2 1 114 8 1.63 .930 1 293:47 — — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

Awards

Vladimir Konstantinov was the runner-up for the James Norris Memorial Trophy.[4]

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		Conn Smythe Trophy Mike Vernon [5]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Viacheslav Fetisov[c] [7]
Chris Osgood[d]
Brendan Shanahan[e]
Steve Yzerman

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Tomas Holmstrom October 5, 1996 [10]
Mark Major November 1, 1996
Mike Knuble March 26, 1997
1,000th game played Steve Yzerman February 19, 1997 [11]

Transactions

Retirement

Date Player
March 18, 1997 (1997-03-18) Mike Ramsey

Draft picks

Detroit's picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft.[12]

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 26 Jesse Wallin D  Canada Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2 52 Aren Miller G  Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
4 108 Johan Forsander LW  Sweden HV71 (SEL)
5 135 Michal Podolka G  Czech Republic Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
61 144 Magnus Nilsson LW  Sweden Malmo IF (SEL)
6 162 Alexandre Jacques C  Canada Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
7 189 Colin Beardsmore C  Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
8 215 Craig Stahl RW  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
9 241 Yevgeni Afanasyev LW  Canada Flint Generals (CoHL)
Notes
  1. The Red Wings acquired this pick 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.
  • The Red Wings third-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a trade on August 17, 1995 that sent David Shaw to Tampa Bay in exchange for this pick (80th overall).
Tampa Bay previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on August 17, 1995 that sent Marc Bergevin and Ben Hankinson to Detroit in exchange for Shawn Burr and this pick.

Notes

  1. ^ Ward wore number 14 in the season opener.
  2. ^ Eriksson wore number 26 through November 13 and number 38 from January 8 through January 11.
  3. ^ Fetisov was selected by the commissioner.[6]
  4. ^ Osgood did not play and was replaced by Guy Hebert of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.[8]
  5. ^ Shanahan was an injury replacement for Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche.[9]

References

  • "Detroit Red Wings 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  • "1996-97 Detroit Red Wings Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  1. ^ "Evo Resigns as Red Wings President".
  2. ^ "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. ^ a b "1996-97 Detroit Red Wings Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  4. ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5
  5. ^ "Conn Smythe Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "All-Star Game Rosters | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. January 18, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "1997 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "SPORTS BRIEFS". Deseret News. January 16, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. ^ Norwood, Robyn (January 12, 1997). "Selanne's Star Shines Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "1996-97 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "On This Day in Red Wings History..." NHL.com. February 19, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2023. On February 19, 1997: In his 1,000th career regular-season game, Steve Yzerman collects three assists in the Wings' 4-0 win against Calgary.
  12. ^ 1996 NHL Entry Draft Results hockeydb.com