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1996–97 New York Rangers season

NHL hockey team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1996–97 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 71st season. The highlight of the season was that it was Wayne Gretzky's first season in New York.

Division4th Atlantic
Conference5th Eastern
1996–97 record38–34–10
Home record21–14–6
Quick facts New York Rangers, Division ...
1996–97 New York Rangers
Division4th Atlantic
Conference5th Eastern
1996–97 record38–34–10
Home record21–14–6
Road record17–20–4
Goals for258
Goals against231
Team information
General managerNeil Smith
CoachColin Campbell
CaptainMark Messier
Alternate captainsBrian Leetch
Adam Graves
ArenaMadison Square Garden
Average attendance18,200 (100%)
Minor league affiliatesBinghamton Rangers
Charlotte Checkers
Team leaders
GoalsMark Messier (36)
AssistsWayne Gretzky (72)
PointsWayne Gretzky (97)
Penalty minutesDarren Langdon (195)
Plus/minusBrian Leetch (+31)
WinsMike Richter (33)
Goals against averageGlenn Healy (2.61)
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The Rangers qualified for the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Flyers. This marked the last playoff appearance for the Rangers until the 2005–06 season.

Regular season

The Rangers had the fewest power-play opportunities during the regular season (287), but the best power-play percentage (21.95%).[1]

Final standings

More information No., CR ...
Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
11New Jersey Devils82452314231182104
23Philadelphia Flyers82452413274217103
34Florida Panthers8235281922120189
45New York Rangers8238341025823186
59Washington Capitals823340921423175
611Tampa Bay Lightning8232401021724774
712New York Islanders8229411224025070
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More information R, Div ...
Eastern Conference[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1New Jersey DevilsATL82452314231182104
2Buffalo SabresNE8240301223720892
3Philadelphia FlyersATL82452413274217103
4Florida PanthersATL8235281922120189
5New York RangersATL8238341025823186
6Pittsburgh PenguinsNE823836828528084
7Ottawa SenatorsNE8231361522623477
8Montreal CanadiensNE8231361524927677
9Washington CapitalsATL823340921423175
10Hartford WhalersNE8232391122625675
11Tampa Bay LightningATL8232401021724774
12New York IslandersATL8229411224025070
13Boston BruinsNE822647923430061
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Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

Main article: 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs

Schedule and results

Regular season

More information Game, Date ...
1996–97 regular season[3]
October: 5–6–3 (home: 4–3–1; road: 1–3–2)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
1October 5, 1996@ Boston Bruins4–4 OT0–0–1T
2October 6, 1996Florida Panthers5–20–1–1L
3October 8, 1996@ Florida Panthers1–1 OT0–1–2T
4October 10, 1996Dallas Stars2–10–2–2L
5October 12, 1996@ Montreal Canadiens5–20–3–2L
6October 14, 1996Calgary Flames5–41–3–2W
7October 16, 1996Pittsburgh Penguins8–12–3–2W
8October 18, 1996St. Louis Blues2–13–3–2W
9October 20, 1996@ Tampa Bay Lightning5–23–4–2L
10October 23, 1996Washington Capitals3–23–5–2L
11October 25, 1996@ Florida Panthers6–43–6–2L
12October 27, 1996Buffalo Sabres6–44–6–2W
13October 29, 1996Florida Panthers1–1 OT4–6–3T
14October 30, 1996@ New Jersey Devils6–15–6–3W
November: 4–7–1 (home: 0–3–0; road: 4–4–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
15November 2, 1996@ Boston Bruins5–26–6–3W
16November 4, 1996Tampa Bay Lightning5–36–7–3L
17November 6, 1996@ New York Islanders1–1 OT6–7–4T
18November 9, 1996@ Washington Capitals3–26–8–4L
19November 11, 1996Vancouver Canucks3–26–9–4L
20November 13, 1996Philadelphia Flyers2–16–10–4L
21November 16, 1996@ Pittsburgh Penguins8–37–10–4W
22November 18, 1996@ Calgary Flames5–37–11–4L
23November 21, 1996@ Edmonton Oilers3–27–12–4L
24November 23, 1996@ Vancouver Canucks5–37–13–4L
25November 26, 1996@ Phoenix Coyotes3–18–13–4W
26November 27, 1996@ Colorado Avalanche5–29–13–4W
December: 11–3–1 (home: 7–1–1; road: 4–2–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
27December 1, 1996Montreal Canadiens6–210–13–4W
28December 4, 1996Philadelphia Flyers1–1 OT10–13–5T
29December 6, 1996Toronto Maple Leafs6–511–13–5W
30December 7, 1996@ Toronto Maple Leafs4–012–13–5W
31December 9, 1996Phoenix Coyotes5–213–13–5W
32December 11, 1996New York Islanders5–313–14–5L
33December 13, 1996@ Buffalo Sabres3–014–14–5W
34December 16, 1996Hartford Whalers5–215–14–5W
35December 18, 1996Los Angeles Kings4–016–14–5W
36December 21, 1996@ Montreal Canadiens3–2 OT17–14–5W
37December 22, 1996Florida Panthers7–318–14–5W
38December 26, 1996@ Ottawa Senators5–218–15–5L
39December 27, 1996Mighty Ducks of Anaheim3–219–15–5W
40December 30, 1996@ Dallas Stars3–220–15–5W
41December 31, 1996@ Tampa Bay Lightning4–220–16–5L
January: 5–4–2 (home: 3–3–2; road: 2–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
42January 2, 1997New York Islanders4–321–16–5W
43January 4, 1997Ottawa Senators6–422–16–5W
44January 6, 1997Colorado Avalanche2–2 OT22–16–6T
45January 8, 1997Tampa Bay Lightning4–322–17–6L
46January 9, 1997@ Washington Capitals2–022–18–6L
47January 12, 1997New Jersey Devils3–023–18–6W
48January 13, 1997New York Islanders4–223–19–6L
49January 21, 1997Edmonton Oilers4–4 OT23–19–7T
50January 22, 1997@ Washington Capitals5–324–19–7W
51January 25, 1997@ Pittsburgh Penguins7–425–19–7W
52January 27, 1997Chicago Blackhawks2–125–20–7L
February: 3–6–2 (home: 1–1–1; road: 2–5–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
53February 1, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers4–226–20–7W
54February 2, 1997Boston Bruins3–226–21–7L
55February 5, 1997Hartford Whalers5–227–21–7W
56February 8, 1997@ New York Islanders5–228–21–7W
57February 9, 1997@ Florida Panthers4–328–22–7L
58February 13, 1997@ St. Louis Blues4–128–23–7L
59February 15, 1997@ Chicago Blackhawks2–028–24–7L
60February 17, 1997New Jersey Devils2–2 OT28–24–8T
61February 19, 1997@ New Jersey Devils1–1 OT28–24–9T
62February 21, 1997@ Hartford Whalers7–228–25–9L
63February 23, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers2–128–26–9L
March: 7–6–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–4–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
64March 1, 1997@ Detroit Red Wings3–028–27–9L
65March 3, 1997San Jose Sharks5–4 OT29–27–9W
66March 6, 1997@ Los Angeles Kings6–230–27–9W
67March 7, 1997@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim5–230–28–9L
68March 9, 1997@ San Jose Sharks2–131–28–9W
69March 12, 1997Washington Capitals3–232–28–9W
70March 14, 1997@ Ottawa Senators4–3 OT33–28–9W
71March 17, 1997Ottawa Senators4–333–29–9L
72March 19, 1997Montreal Canadiens5–433–30–9L
73March 21, 1997Detroit Red Wings3–134–30–9W
74March 24, 1997Pittsburgh Penguins3–035–30–9W
75March 27, 1997@ New Jersey Devils4–035–31–9L
76March 29, 1997@ Hartford Whalers2–135–32–9L
April: 3–2–1 (home: 2–1–1; road: 1–1–0)
GameDateOpponentScoreRecordRecap
77April 1, 1997Buffalo Sabres1–1 OT35–32–10T
78April 3, 1997Boston Bruins5–436–32–10W
79April 4, 1997@ Buffalo Sabres5–136–33–10L
80April 7, 1997Philadelphia Flyers3–237–33–10W
81April 10, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers6–338–33–10W
82April 11, 1997Tampa Bay Lightning4–238–34–10L

Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) T Tie (1 point)

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Playoffs

More information 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, Game ...
1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) Florida Panthers – Rangers win 4–1
GameDateOpponentScoreSeriesRecap
1April 17, 1997@ Florida Panthers3–0Panthers lead 1–0L
2April 20, 1997@ Florida Panthers3–0Series tied 1–1W
3April 22, 1997Florida Panthers4–3 OTRangers lead 2–1W
4April 23, 1997Florida Panthers3–2Rangers lead 3–1W
5April 25, 1997@ Florida Panthers3–2 OTRangers win 4–1W
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (1) New Jersey Devils – Rangers win 4–1
GameDateOpponentScoreSeriesRecap
1May 2, 1997@ New Jersey Devils2–0Devils lead 1–0L
2May 4, 1997@ New Jersey Devils2–0Series tied 1–1W
3May 6, 1997New Jersey Devils3–2Rangers lead 2–1W
4May 8, 1997New Jersey Devils3–0Rangers lead 3–1W
5May 11, 1997@ New Jersey Devils2–1 OTRangers win 4–1W
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers win 4–1
GameDateOpponentScoreSeriesRecap
1May 16, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers3–1Flyers lead 1–0L
2May 18, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers5–4Series tied 1–1W
3May 20, 1997Philadelphia Flyers6–3Flyers lead 2–1L
4May 23, 1997Philadelphia Flyers3–2Flyers lead 3–1L
5May 25, 1997@ Philadelphia Flyers4–2Flyers win 4–1L

Legend: W Win L Loss

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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 Rangers only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
99Wayne GretzkyC8225729712281510102052
11Mark MessierC71364884128815391226
2Brian LeetchD82205878314015281056
9Adam GravesLW82332861106615213112
24Niklas SundstromRW822428522320905532
20Luc RobitailleLW69242448164815471174
25Alexander KarpovtsevD779293815913134220
27Alexei KovalevRW451322351142——————
33Bruce DriverD795253084815011−32
8[a]Patrick FlatleyRW6810122262611000214
13Sergei Nemchinov‡C6361319512——————
5Ulf SamuelssonD7361117313815022130
28Brian Noonan†‡RW446915−728——————
18Bill BergLW6786142373000−12
16Daniel GoneauLW4110313−510——————
23Jeff BeukeboomD8039122216715011534
39Vladimir VorobievRW16551046——————
15Darren LangdonLW60369−119510000−12
32Mike Eastwood†C2717821015123022
6Doug LidsterD48347102415156−28
21Russ Courtnall†RW14257−321534710
26David Oliver†RW1421334300000
10Esa Tikkanen†C1412306159312226
19Christian DubeC27112−443000−20
14Chris FerraroRW1211216——————
37Ryan VandenBusscheRW11101−230——————
29Eric CairnsD40011−7147300000
22Shane ChurlaRW45011−1010615000−320
21Jayson More‡D14011025——————
38[b]Sylvain BlouinD6000−118——————
28Dallas Eakins†D3000−164000−14
17Peter FerraroC200000200000
30Glenn HealyG230004——————
32Sergio Momesso‡LW9000−211——————
36Jeff NielsenRW2000−12——————
35Mike RichterG610004150110
12Ken GernanderC——————900000
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Goaltending

More information No., Player ...
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
35Mike Richter613322619451612.69.917435981596488332.11.9323939
30Glenn Healy235124632592.61.90711357—————————
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Awards and records

Awards

More information Type, Award/honor ...
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)		 James Norris Memorial Trophy Brian Leetch [4]
NHL First All-Star Team Brian Leetch (Defense) [5]
NHL Second All-Star Team Wayne Gretzky (Center) [5]
League
(in-season)		 NHL All-Star Game selection Wayne Gretzky[c] [7]
Brian Leetch[c]
Mark Messier
Team Ceil Saidel Memorial Award Adam Graves [8]
"Crumb Bum" Award Mike Richter [8]
Frank Boucher Trophy Mark Messier [8]
Good Guy Award Wayne Gretzky [8]
Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award Eric Cairns [8]
Players' Player Award Darren Langdon [8]
Rangers MVP Brian Leetch [8]
Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Brian Leetch [8]
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Milestones

More information Milestone, Player ...
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Daniel Goneau October 5, 1996 [9]
Eric Cairns October 8, 1996
Christian Dube
Sylvain Blouin November 18, 1996
Ryan VandenBussche December 13, 1996
Vladimir Vorobiev January 12, 1997
Jeff Nielsen February 19, 1997
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Draft picks

New York's picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft in St. Louis, Missouri at the Kiel Center.[10]

More information Round, # ...
Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 22 Jeff Brown D Canada Sarnia Sting (OHL)
2 48 Daniel Goneau LW Canada Granby Predateurs (QMJHL)
3 76 Dmitri Subbotin LW Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
5 131 Colin Pepperall LW Canada Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL)
6 158 Ola Sandberg D Sweden Djurgårdens IF (SEL)
7 185 Jeff Dessner D United States Taft School (Connecticut)
8 211 Ryan McKie D Canada London Knights (OHL)
9 237 Ronnie Sundin D Sweden Frölunda HC (SEL)
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Notes

  1. [a]
    Flatley wore number 26 on February 5.
  2. [b]
    Blouin wore number 32 in his first five games.
  3. [c]
    Gretzky and Leetch were voted to the starting lineup.[6]

References

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