1996–97 NHL season
The 1996–97 NHL season was the 80th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Philadelphia Flyers in four games and won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years.
| 1996–97 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 4, 1996 – June 7, 1997 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 26 |
| TV partner(s) | CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada) ESPN, Fox (United States) |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Chris Phillips |
| Picked by | Ottawa Senators |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Colorado Avalanche |
| Season MVP | Dominik Hasek (Sabres) |
| Top scorer | Mario Lemieux (Penguins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Playoffs MVP | Mike Vernon (Red Wings) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Detroit Red Wings |
| Runners-up | Philadelphia Flyers |
The regular season saw a decline in scoring and rise in the number of shutouts to an all-time record of 127. This trend continued into the playoffs, during which an all-time record of 18 shutouts were recorded. Only two players, Mario Lemieux and Teemu Selanne, reached the 100-point plateau during the regular season (compared with 12 who reached the plateau in 1995–96). Many regulatory factors, including ruling changes that resulted in fewer power plays, more calls of the skate-in-the-crease rule, fewer shots on goal and more injuries to star players than the season before, contributed to the reduction in scoring and skyrocketing in shutouts.
This was the first time in 30 years—and in the entire expansion era—that the Boston Bruins had a losing record and missed the playoffs, ending a still-unsurpassed North American professional sports streak of 29-straight seasons in the playoffs.