1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers season was the franchise's 30th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Detroit Red Wings in a four-game sweep.

Division2nd Atlantic

Conference3rd Eastern

1996–97 record45–24–13

Home record23–12–6

Quick facts Philadelphia Flyers, Division ...

1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference champions
Division	2nd Atlantic
Conference	3rd Eastern
1996–97 record	45–24–13
Home record	23–12–6
Road record	22–12–7
Goals for	274
Goals against	217
Team information
General manager	Bob Clarke
Coach	Terry Murray
Captain	Eric Lindros
Alternate captains	Rod Brind'Amour Eric Desjardins
Arena	CoreStates Center
Average attendance	19,311^[1]
Minor league affiliates	Philadelphia Phantoms Mobile Mysticks
Team leaders
Goals	John LeClair (50)
Assists	John LeClair (47) Eric Lindros (47)
Points	John LeClair (97)
Penalty minutes	Scott Daniels (237)
Plus/minus	John LeClair (+44)
Wins	Ron Hextall (31)
Goals against average	Garth Snow (2.52)
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

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Regular season

While Eric Lindros rehabbed from a bothersome groin injury, the Flyers treaded water through the early part of the schedule. They dropped the first-ever home game at the new CoreStates Center to the Florida Panthers, 3–1, on October 5, and lost again to their new rivals three weeks later. However, they rebounded to end the Panthers' season-opening 8–0–4 run with a 3–2 victory in Miami on November 2.

With John LeClair, Mikael Renberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Rod Brind'Amour expected to pick up the slack on offense, the club was inconsistent and went 12–10–1 prior to Lindros' return in a 2–0 loss in Boston on November 26. Another loss the next night to the Islanders dropped the team into fourth place, but the team soon caught fire, ripping off a 14–0–3 stretch from November 30 to January 7.

The run included an incredible stretch of four consecutive shutout wins in mid-December (Hartford, Boston, Islanders, St. Louis), a trade which netted high-scoring defenseman Paul Coffey and a thrilling come-from-behind 4–4 tie against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on January 4.

In a 9–5 win over Montreal on February 6, the Legion of Doom line set a franchise-record with 16 points and spoiled the NHL debut of Tomas Vokoun, and in a 5–5 tie on March 1 in Boston, third-line winger Trent Klatt recorded his first (and only) 20-goal season with a hat trick.

A 2–3–2 finish which saw Lindros sit out a one-game suspension and the Devils vault over the team for first place in the Atlantic was mitigated when LeClair scored his 50th goal of the season in a 5–4 win over New Jersey in the final regular-season game.

Season standings

More information No., CR ...

Atlantic Division
No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	New Jersey Devils	82	45	23	14	231	182	104
2	3	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	24	13	274	217	103
3	4	Florida Panthers	82	35	28	19	221	201	89
4	5	New York Rangers	82	38	34	10	258	231	86
5	9	Washington Capitals	82	33	40	9	214	231	75
6	11	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	32	40	10	217	247	74
7	12	New York Islanders	82	29	41	12	240	250	70

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More information R, Div ...

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

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Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

Backstopped by the goaltending tandem of Ron Hextall and Garth Snow, the Flyers dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres, and the New York Rangers all in five games apiece to win the Eastern Conference championship, and clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1987. However, their opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, swept the Flyers in four straight games. After Game 3, Terry Murray said that the team was in a "choking situation." It is said this remark cost Murray his job, as he was fired less than a week after the conclusion of the Cup Final series.^[3]

Schedule and results

Regular season

More information Game, Date ...

1996–97 regular season^[4]

October: 6–7–0, 12 points (home: 3–3–0; road: 3–4–0)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
1	October 5	1–3	Florida Panthers	Hextall	0–1–0	0	L
2	October 7	3–1	New Jersey Devils	Hextall	1–1–0	2	W
3	October 10	5–4 OT	Los Angeles Kings	Snow	2–1–0	4	W
4	October 12	1–5	@ New York Islanders	Snow	2–2–0	4	L
5	October 13	0–1	Calgary Flames	Hextall	2–3–0	4	L
6	October 15	2–3	@ Los Angeles Kings	Snow	2–4–0	4	L
7	October 16	4–3	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	Hextall	3–4–0	6	W
8	October 18	3–1	@ Phoenix Coyotes	Hextall	4–4–0	8	W
9	October 22	3–0	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	Hextall	5–4–0	10	W
10	October 26	5–6	@ Montreal Canadiens	Hextall	5–5–0	10	L
11	October 27	2–3	Florida Panthers	Hextall	5–6–0	10	L
12	October 30	2–4	@ Washington Capitals	Snow	5–7–0	10	L
13	October 31	4–3	@ Tampa Bay Lightning	Hextall	6–7–0	12	W

November: 7–5–1, 15 points (home: 2–3–1; road: 5–2–0)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
14	November 2	3–2	@ Florida Panthers	Hextall	7–7–0	14	W
15	November 4	3–4	New York Islanders	Hextall	7–8–0	14	L
16	November 7	5–2	@ Buffalo Sabres	Hextall	8–8–0	16	W
17	November 9	1–4	Chicago Blackhawks	Snow	8–9–0	16	L
18	November 10	3–1	Toronto Maple Leafs	Hextall	9–9–0	18	W
19	November 13	2–1	@ New York Rangers	Hextall	10–9–0	20	W
20	November 14	2–5	Washington Capitals	Hextall	10–10–0	20	L
21	November 16	2–2 OT	San Jose Sharks	Snow	10–10–1	21	T
22	November 21	7–3	Pittsburgh Penguins	Hextall	11–10–1	23	W
23	November 23	2–1	@ Tampa Bay Lightning	Hextall	12–10–1	25	W
24	November 26	0–2	@ Boston Bruins	Snow	12–11–1	25	L
25	November 27	1–4	@ New York Islanders	Hextall	12–12–1	25	L
26	November 30	4–3	@ Ottawa Senators	Snow	13–12–1	27	W

December: 11–0–2, 24 points (home: 6–0–0; road: 5–0–2)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
27	December 1	4–3	Vancouver Canucks	Hextall	14–12–1	29	W
28	December 4	1–1 OT	@ New York Rangers	Hextall	14–12–2	30	T
29	December 6	6–3	@ Dallas Stars	Hextall	15–12–2	32	W
30	December 10	5–4	Florida Panthers	Hextall	16–12–2	34	W
31	December 12	3–2	Hartford Whalers	Hextall	17–12–2	36	W
32	December 14	4–0	@ Hartford Whalers	Snow	18–12–2	38	W
33	December 15	6–0	Boston Bruins	Hextall	19–12–2	40	W
34	December 19	5–0	New York Islanders	Snow	20–12–2	42	W
35	December 21	4–0	St. Louis Blues	Hextall	21–12–2	44	W
36	December 22	2–2 OT	@ Chicago Blackhawks	Snow	21–12–3	45	T
37	December 27	6–4	@ Edmonton Oilers	Snow	22–12–3	47	W
38	December 29	4–2	@ Calgary Flames	Hextall	23–12–3	49	W
39	December 31	5–3	@ Vancouver Canucks	Hextall	24–12–3	51	W

January: 5–2–4, 14 points (home: 3–2–2; road: 2–0–2)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
40	January 2	4–1	@ San Jose Sharks	Hextall	25–12–3	53	W
41	January 4	4–4 OT	@ Colorado Avalanche	Snow	25–12–4	54	T
42	January 7	7–3	Boston Bruins	Hextall	26–12–4	56	W
43	January 9	1–3	Tampa Bay Lightning	Hextall	26–13–4	56	L
44	January 11	3–3 OT	Washington Capitals	Snow	26–13–5	57	T
45	January 14	3–2	Montreal Canadiens	Hextall	27–13–5	59	W
46	January 21	3–3 OT	Dallas Stars	Hextall	27–13–6	60	T
47	January 22	2–2 OT	@ Detroit Red Wings	Hextall	27–13–7	61	T
48	January 25	1–4	Detroit Red Wings	Hextall	27–14–7	61	L
49	January 28	4–1	Phoenix Coyotes	Snow	28–14–7	63	W
50	January 29	2–1	@ Washington Capitals	Hextall	29–14–7	65	W

February: 7–3–2, 16 points (home: 4–1–2; road: 3–2–0)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
51	February 1	2–4	New York Rangers	Hextall	29–15–7	65	L
52	February 4	1–1 OT	Buffalo Sabres	Snow	29–15–8	66	T
53	February 6	9–5	Montreal Canadiens	Hextall	30–15–8	68	W
54	February 8	2–4	@ New Jersey Devils	Hextall	30–16–8	68	L
55	February 13	4–2	Ottawa Senators	Snow	31–16–8	70	W
56	February 15	5–1	Pittsburgh Penguins	Hextall	32–16–8	72	W
57	February 16	6–2	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	33–16–8	74	W
58	February 19	2–2 OT	Hartford Whalers	Snow	33–16–9	75	T
59	February 20	2–5	@ Tampa Bay Lightning	Hextall	33–17–9	75	L
60	February 22	4–3 OT	@ Florida Panthers	Snow	34–17–9	77	W
61	February 23	2–1	New York Rangers	Snow	35–17–9	79	W
62	February 26	8–5	@ Ottawa Senators	Snow	36–17–9	81	W

March: 7–5–2, 16 points (home: 3–2–0; road: 4–3–2)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
63	March 1	5–5 OT	@ Boston Bruins	Hextall	36–17–10	82	T
64	March 2	5–2	@ Hartford Whalers	Snow	37–17–10	84	W
65	March 5	1–3	New Jersey Devils	Snow	37–18–10	84	L
66	March 8	2–3 OT	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	37–19–10	84	L
67	March 9	5–0	Washington Capitals	Hextall	38–19–10	86	W
68	March 11	2–3 OT	@ Buffalo Sabres	Hextall	38–20–10	86	L
69	March 13	5–4 OT	Edmonton Oilers	Snow	39–20–10	88	W
70	March 15	5–7	Buffalo Sabres	Snow	39–21–10	88	L
71	March 19	6–3	@ Toronto Maple Leafs	Hextall	40–21–10	90	W
72	March 22	3–3 OT	@ New York Islanders	Snow	40–21–11	91	T
73	March 23	2–0	Colorado Avalanche	Hextall	41–21–11	93	W
74	March 25	4–3	@ New Jersey Devils	Hextall	42–21–11	95	W
75	March 29	5–3	@ Washington Capitals	Hextall	43–21–11	97	W
76	March 30	2–3	@ St. Louis Blues	Hextall	43–22–11	97	L

April: 2–2–2, 6 points (home: 2–1–1; road: 0–1–1)

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Record	Points	Recap
77	April 1	1–1 OT	Tampa Bay Lightning	Hextall	43–22–12	98	T
78	April 6	2–1	Ottawa Senators	Hextall	44–22–12	100	W
79	April 7	2–3	@ New York Rangers	Hextall	44–23–12	100	L
80	April 10	3–6	New York Rangers	Hextall	44–24–12	100	L
81	April 12	3–3 OT	@ Montreal Canadiens	Snow	44–24–13	101	T
82	April 13	5–4	New Jersey Devils	Snow	45–24–13	103	W

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^[4]

Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins – Flyers win 4–1

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Series	Recap
1	April 17	5–1	Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	Flyers lead 1–0	W
2	April 19	3–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	Flyers lead 2–0	W
3	April 21	5–3	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	Flyers lead 3–0	W
4	April 23	1–4	@ Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	Flyers lead 3–1	L
5	April 26	6–3	Pittsburgh Penguins	Snow	Flyers win 4–1	W

Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Buffalo Sabres – Flyers win 4–1

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Series	Recap
1	May 3	5–3	@ Buffalo Sabres	Snow	Flyers lead 1–0	W
2	May 5	2–1	@ Buffalo Sabres	Snow	Flyers lead 2–0	W
3	May 7	4–1	Buffalo Sabres	Snow	Flyers lead 3–0	W
4	May 9	4–5 OT	Buffalo Sabres	Snow	Flyers lead 3–1	L
5	May 11	6–3	@ Buffalo Sabres	Hextall	Flyers win 4–1	W

Eastern Conference finals vs. New York Rangers – Flyers win 4–1

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Series	Recap
1	May 16	3–1	New York Rangers	Snow	Flyers lead 1–0	W
2	May 18	4–5	New York Rangers	Snow	Series tied 1–1	L
3	May 20	6–3	@ New York Rangers	Hextall	Flyers lead 2–1	W
4	May 23	3–2	@ New York Rangers	Hextall	Flyers lead 3–1	W
5	May 25	4–2	New York Rangers	Hextall	Flyers win 4–1	W

Stanley Cup Final vs. Detroit Red Wings – Red Wings win 4–0

Game	Date	Score	Opponent	Decision	Series	Recap
1	May 31	2–4	Detroit Red Wings	Hextall	Red Wings lead 1–0	L
2	June 3	2–4	Detroit Red Wings	Snow	Red Wings lead 2–0	L
3	June 5	1–6	@ Detroit Red Wings	Hextall	Red Wings lead 3–0	L
4	June 7	1–2	@ Detroit Red Wings	Hextall	Red Wings win 4–0	L

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 Flyers only.
‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.

More information No., Player ...

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
No.	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
10	John LeClair	LW	82	50	47	97	44	58	19	9	12	21	5	10
88	Eric Lindros	C	52	32	47	79	31	136	19	12	14	26	7	40
17	Rod Brind'Amour	C	82	27	32	59	2	41	19	13	8	21	9	10
19	Mikael Renberg	RW	77	22	37	59	36	65	18	5	6	11	1	4
37	Eric Desjardins	D	82	12	34	46	25	50	19	2	8	10	9	12
20	Trent Klatt	RW	76	24	21	45	9	20	19	4	3	7	1	12
44	Janne Niinimaa	D	77	4	40	44	12	58	19	1	12	13	3	16
18	Dale Hawerchuk	C	51	12	22	34	9	32	17	2	5	7	−2	0
25	Shjon Podein	LW	82	14	18	32	7	41	19	4	3	7	4	16
29	Joel Otto	C	78	13	19	32	12	99	18	1	5	6	3	8
77	Paul Coffey†	D	37	6	20	26	11	20	17	1	8	9	−3	6
6	Chris Therien	D	71	2	22	24	27	64	19	1	6	7	14	6
15	Pat Falloon	RW	52	11	12	23	−8	10	14	3	1	4	−1	2
9^[a]	Dainius Zubrus	LW	68	8	13	21	3	22	19	5	4	9	3	12
24	Karl Dykhuis	D	62	4	15	19	6	35	18	0	3	3	1	2
26	John Druce	RW	43	7	8	15	−5	12	13	1	0	1	2	2
45	Vaclav Prospal	C	18	5	10	15	3	4	5	1	3	4	0	4
23	Petr Svoboda	D	67	2	12	14	10	94	16	1	2	3	4	16
32	Daniel Lacroix	C	74	7	1	8	−1	163	12	0	1	1	0	22
22^[b]	Scott Daniels	RW	56	5	3	8	2	237	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Kjell Samuelsson	D	34	4	3	7	17	47	5	0	0	0	−3	2
11	Craig Darby	C	9	1	4	5	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Dan Kordic	LW	75	1	4	5	−1	210	12	1	0	1	1	22
5	Kevin Haller‡	D	27	0	5	5	−1	37	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Michel Petit†	D	20	0	3	3	2	51	3	0	0	0	−1	6
48	Colin Forbes	LW	3	1	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
34^[c]	Jason Bowen	D	4	0	1	1	1	8	—	—	—	—	—	—
3	Aris Brimanis	D	3	0	1	1	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Garth Snow	G	35	0	1	1		30	12	0	2	2		11
38	Paul Healey	RW	2	0	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Ron Hextall	G	55	0	0	0		43	8	0	0	0		0
2	Frantisek Kucera†	D	2	0	0	0	−2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	Darren Rumble	D	10	0	0	0	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—

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Goaltending

More information No., Player ...

No.	Player	Regular season											Playoffs
No.	Player	GP	GS	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	GS	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
27	Ron Hextall	55	54	31	16	5	1285	132	2.56	.897	5	3,094	8	7	4	3	203	22	2.97	.892	0	444
30	Garth Snow	35	28	14	8	8	816	79	2.52	.903	2	1,884	12	12	8	4	305	33	2.83	.892	0	699

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Awards and records

Awards

More information Type, Award/honor ...

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	Bud Ice Plus-Minus Award	John LeClair	^[5]
	NHL All-Rookie Team	Janne Niinimaa (Defense)	^[6]
	NHL second All-Star team	John LeClair (Left wing)	^[7]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Paul Coffey	^[8]
		Dale Hawerchuk^[d]
		John LeClair
		Eric Lindros
	NHL Player of the Week	John LeClair (November 11)	^[10]
	NHL Player of the Week	Eric Lindros (December 16)	^[11]
Team	Barry Ashbee Trophy	Eric Desjardins	^[12]
	Bobby Clarke Trophy	John LeClair	^[12]
	Class Guy Award	Shjon Podein	^[12]
	Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy	Trent Klatt	^[12]

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Records

Among the team records set during the 1996–97 season was goaltender Ron Hextall tying a team record with nine consecutive wins from December 6 to January 7.^[13] During Hextall’s streak the team set two shutout streaks, going a team record 265 minutes and eight seconds without allowing a goal from December 12 to December 22, and recording four consecutive shutouts from December 14 to December 21 (tied during the 1998–99 season).^[14]^[15] On January 29, Rod Brind'Amour tied Rick MacLeish's team record for consecutive games played at 287.^[16] Brind'Amour's streak continued another two seasons until a fractured left foot during training camp caused him to miss the first 34 games of the 1999–2000 season, ending the streak at 484 games.^[17]^[18]

The Legion of Doom line of Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and Mikael Renberg had two record setting games in February. On February 6 against the Montreal Canadiens, the line combined for a team record 16 points (LeClair 6 points, Lindros 5, and Renberg 5) with LeClair tying a team regular season record with four goals in the game.^[19]^[20] Three weeks later on February 26 against the Ottawa Senators, the line again recorded a combined 16 points (Lindros 7 points, Renberg 5, and LeClair 4) with Lindros setting the team records for assists in a single game (6) and a single period (4, later tied).^[19]^[21]^[22] Lindros also tied the team record for points in a single period (4).^[23] On March 19, Lindros tied the team regular season record for goals scored in a game (4) and tied the team record for goals in a period (3).^[20]^[24] Janne Niinimaa’s 40 assists on the season set a team record for rookie defensemen.^[25]

During game three of their conference quarterfinals series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers set a franchise single period playoff record for most shots on goal (28).^[26] During game three, Rod Brind’Amour tied the NHL records for most shorthanded goals scored in a playoff game and playoff period (2 for both).^[27]^[28] Likewise, the two total shorthanded goals scored by the Flyers is also tied for the franchise single playoff game and playoff period records.^[29]^[30] John LeClair’s three game-winning goals during the series is a franchise single series high.^[31] During game three of their conference semifinals series against the Buffalo Sabres, defenseman Paul Coffey recorded three assists during the first period, tying the franchise single playoff period mark.^[32] Brind’Amour repeated Coffey’s feat during the second period of game five.^[32] The Flyers five consecutive playoff wins on the road from May 3 to May 23 tied a team record.^[33]

Milestones

More information Milestone, Player ...

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Janne Niinimaa	October 5, 1996	^[34]
	Dainius Zubrus	October 5, 1996
	Paul Healey	October 13, 1996
	Vaclav Prospal	March 5, 1997
	Colin Forbes	March 9, 1997
500th game played	Ron Hextall	November 21, 1996	^[35]

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Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 12, 1996, the day after the deciding game of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, through June 7, 1997, the day of the deciding game of the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.^[36]

Trades

More information Date, Details ...

Date	Details		Ref
July 26, 1996 (1996-07-26)	To Philadelphia Flyers Frank Bialowas	To Washington Capitals Future considerations	^[37]
December 15, 1996 (1996-12-15)	To Philadelphia Flyers Paul Coffey 3rd-round pick in 1997	To Hartford Whalers Kevin Haller 1st-round pick in 1997 Hartford's 7th-round pick in 1997	^[38]
March 18, 1997 (1997-03-18)	To Philadelphia Flyers Frantisek Kucera	To Vancouver Canucks Conditional 7th-round pick in 1997^[e]	^[39]^[40]

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Players acquired

More information Date, Player ...

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
June 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)	Scott Daniels	Hartford Whalers	3-year	Free agency	^[41]^[42]
July 9, 1996 (1996-07-09)	Dominic Roussel	Winnipeg Jets	2-year	Free agency	^[42]
July 10, 1996 (1996-07-10)	John Stevens	Springfield Falcons (AHL)		Free agency	^[42]
July 15, 1996 (1996-07-15)	Daniel Lacroix	New York Rangers	2-year	Free agency	^[43]
July 17, 1996 (1996-07-17)	Peter White	Toronto Maple Leafs		Free agency	^[44]
July 23, 1996 (1996-07-23)	Steven King	Anaheim Mighty Ducks	1-year	Free agency	^[45]
October 1, 1996 (1996-10-01)	Brett Bruininks	University of Notre Dame (CCHA)	1-year	Free agency	^[46]
October 3, 1996 (1996-10-03)	Martin Boisvenue	Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)	multi-year	Free agency	^[47]
January 17, 1997 (1997-01-17)	Michel Petit	Edmonton Oilers		Waivers	^[48]
May 28, 1997 (1997-05-28)	Andy Delmore	Fredericton Canadiens (AHL)	multi-year	Free agency	^[49]

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Players lost

More information Date, Player ...

Date	Player	New team	Via^[f]	Ref
July 4, 1996 (1996-07-04)	Phil Crowe	Ottawa Senators	Free agency	^[51]
July 9, 1996 (1996-07-09)	Shawn Antoski	Pittsburgh Penguins^[g]	Release (UFA)	^[42]
July 9, 1996 (1996-07-09)	Dan Quinn	Pittsburgh Penguins^[g]	Release	^[42]
July 24, 1996 (1996-07-24)	Todd Nelson	Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL)	Free agency	^[53]
August 7, 1996 (1996-08-07)	Russ Romaniuk	Manitoba Moose (IHL)	Free agency	^[54]
August 21, 1996 (1996-08-21)	Tim Cheveldae	Boston Bruins	Free agency	^[55]
N/A	Jim Montgomery	Kolner Haie (DEL)	Free agency (UFA)	^[56]
September 30, 1996 (1996-09-30)	Bob Corkum	Phoenix Coyotes	Waiver draft	^[57]
September 30, 1996 (1996-09-30)	Rob DiMaio	San Jose Sharks	Waiver draft	^[57]
October 12, 1996 (1996-10-12)	Kerry Huffman	Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)	Free agency (UFA)	^[58]

Close

Signings

More information Date, Player ...

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
June 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)	Janne Niinimaa	2-year	Entry-level	^[41]^[42]
June 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)	Trent Klatt	2-year	Re-signing	^[59]
July 31, 1996 (1996-07-31)	Brian Wesenberg	1-year	Entry-level	^[52]
August 6, 1996 (1996-08-06)	Karl Dykhuis	3-year	Re-signing	^[60]^[61]
August 15, 1996 (1996-08-15)	Ron Hextall	3-year	Re-signing	^[62]
September 10, 1996 (1996-09-10)	Petr Svoboda	4-year	Re-signing	^[63]
October 3, 1996 (1996-10-03)	Dainius Zubrus	3-year	Entry-level	^[64]
October 10, 1996 (1996-10-10)	Brian Boucher	3-year	Entry-level	^[65]

Close

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft, which was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 22, 1996.^[66] The Flyers traded their first-round pick, 24th overall, their fourth-round pick, 106th overall, and Martin Spanhel to the San Jose Sharks for Pat Falloon on September 20, 1995.^[67] They also traded their third-round pick, 78th overall, and their sixth-round pick, 157th overall, to the Colorado Avalanche for Garth Snow on July 12, 1995, and their ninth-round pick, 239th overall, to the Ottawa Senators for Kerry Huffman on March 19, 1996.^[67]

More information Round, Pick ...

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	Notes
1	15	Dainius Zubrus	Right wing	Lithuania	Caledon Canadians (MJAHL)	^[h]
3	64	Chester Gallant	Right wing	Canada	Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL)	^[i]
5	124	Per-Ragnar Bergkvist	Goaltender	Sweden	Leksands IF (Elitserien)	^[j]
5	133	Jesse Boulerice	Right wing	United States	Detroit Whalers (OHL)
7	187	Roman Malov	Center	Russia	Avangard Omsk (RSL)
8	213	Jeff Milleker	Center	Canada	Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

Close

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL^[68]^[69] and the Mobile Mysticks of the ECHL.^[70]

Notes

[a]
Zubrus wore number 42 in his first game.
[b]
Daniels wore number 8 in his first two games.
[c]
Bowen wore number 8 in his first three games.
[d]
Selected by the Commissioner^[9]
[e]
Condition not met.
[f]
In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.^[50]
[g]
Antoski and Quinn signed with the Penguins on July 31, 1996.^[52]
[h]
The Flyers acquired the 15th overall pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with the Los Angeles Kings' 1996 fourth-round pick, 84th overall, and the Kings' 1997 second-round pick for Dmitri Yushkevich and the Flyers' second-round pick, 50th overall, on August 30, 1995.^[67] The Flyers traded the 1996 fourth-round pick back to the Kings for John Druce and the Kings' 1997 seventh-round pick on March 19, 1996.^[67]
[i]
The Flyers traded Dominic Roussel to the Winnipeg Jets for Tim Cheveldae and the Jets' third-round pick, 64th overall, on February 17, 1996.^[67]
[j]
The Flyers traded Rob Zettler to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Maple Leafs' fifth-round pick, 124th overall, on July 8, 1995.^[67]

1996–97 Philadelphia Flyers season

Regular season

Season standings

Playoffs

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Signings

Draft picks

Farm teams

Notes

References

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