1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season
1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
---|---|
Division | 2nd Northeast |
Conference | 6th Eastern |
1996–97 record | 38–36–8 |
Home record | 25–11–5 |
Road record | 13–25–3 |
Goals for | 285 |
Goals against | 280 |
Team information | |
General manager | Craig Patrick |
Coach | Eddie Johnston (Oct.–Mar.) Craig Patrick (Mar.–Apr.) |
Captain | Mario Lemieux |
Alternate captains | Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr |
Arena | Civic Arena |
Average attendance | 16,691 |
Minor league affiliate(s) | Cleveland Lumberjacks Johnstown Chiefs |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Mario Lemieux (50) |
Assists | Mario Lemieux (72) |
Points | Mario Lemieux (122) |
Penalty minutes | Dave Roche (155) |
Plus/minus | Mario Lemieux (+27) |
Wins | Patrick Lalime (21) |
Goals against average | Patrick 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
[edit]This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
Regular season
[edit]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
[edit]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 |
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
[edit]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
[edit]Regular season
[edit]1996–97 regular season[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 2–8–0 (home: 2–1–0 ; road: 0–7–0), 4 Points
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November: 6–5–2 (home: 5–1–1 ; road: 1–4–1), 14 Points
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December: 11–2–2 (home: 4–1–2 ; road: 7–1–0), 24 Points
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January: 8–3–1 (home: 4–2–0 ; road: 4–1–1), 17 Points
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February: 4–7–0 (home: 3–4–0 ; road: 1–3–0), 8 Points
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March: 5–8–2 (home: 5–2–1 ; road: 0–6–1), 12 Points
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April: 2–3–1 (home: 2–0–1 ; road: 0–3–0), 5 Points
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Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie |
Playoffs
[edit]1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers win 4–1
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Legend: = Win = Loss |
Player statistics
[edit]- Skaters
|
|
- Goaltenders
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 |
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
[edit]- 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season:[21]
Trades
[edit]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 |
November 19, 1996 | To Florida Panthers
Chris Wells |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Stu Barnes |
November 19, 1996 | To Anaheim Ducks
Shawn Antoski |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Alex Hicks |
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Jagr was voted to the starting lineup but did not play and was replaced by Adam Oates of the Boston Bruins.[11][12]
References
[edit]- "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.
- ^ "1996-97 NHL Summary".
- ^ "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
- ^ a b "1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "1997 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Injured Jagr to Miss The All-Star Game". The New York Times. January 17, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "LALIME GETS ROOKIE HONOR". Washington Post. January 9, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
- ^ 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
- ^ "1996-97 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- ^ "1996 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.