1995–96 NHL season

The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. As part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed after the 1994–95 NHL lockout, each team began playing 82 games per season. The Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver, Colorado, becoming the Colorado Avalanche. The Stanley Cup winners were the Avalanche, who swept the Florida Panthers in the finals, in four games.

1995–96 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 6, 1995 – June 10, 1996
Number of games	82
Number of teams	26
TV partner(s)	CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada) ESPN, Fox (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Bryan Berard
Picked by	Ottawa Senators
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Detroit Red Wings
Season MVP	Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Top scorer	Mario Lemieux (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Joe Sakic (Avalanche)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Colorado Avalanche
Runners-up	Florida Panthers

League business

Franchise relocation

The 1995–96 season was the first season in Denver for the Avalanche, who had relocated from Quebec City where they were previously known as the Quebec Nordiques. Prior to the season, Colorado was assigned to the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They played at McNichols Arena, the building that the Colorado Rockies played in from 1976 to 1982 before they were purchased and moved to become the New Jersey Devils. The Avs would play in that building until they moved to the Pepsi Center in 1999.

It was also the final season for the original Winnipeg Jets, as they announced that they would be moving from Manitoba to Arizona and become the Phoenix Coyotes at season's end. The NHL would not return to Manitoba until the Atlanta Thrashers moved there to become the "new" Winnipeg Jets following the 2010–11 season.

Implementation of an 82-game schedule

During the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons, each team played 84 games (including two neutral site games). The 1994–95 NHL lockout had resulted in a shortened 48-game season and the cancellation of the planned neutral site games. Starting in the 1995–96 season, the neutral site games were eliminated, reducing the regular season to 82 games per team where it remains to date.

Implementation of the entry draft lottery

This was the first year that the entry drafting order was partially set by a draft lottery system, allowing teams who had missed the playoffs to have a chance to move up in the order. Teams would no longer be guaranteed the first overall pick if they finished with the worst record during the previous regular season, and therefore have less incentive to "tank".

The 1995 NHL entry draft was then held at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 8. Bryan Berard was selected first overall by the Ottawa Senators.

Uniform changes

Third jersey program

Improvements in dye-sublimation printing on modern uniform fabrics, having been featured in recent seasons on uniforms in the National Basketball Association and the Canadian Football League, had caught the interest of the NHL, which decided to allow alternate jerseys that could take advantage of this technology to produce new and unusual designs not possible under traditional jersey-making techniques. Six teams elected to participate in the process, but St. Louis Blues coach and general manager Mike Keenan vetoed the Blues' proposed third jersey, which would have featured blaring trumpets across the front. The five teams that did participate were the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Vancouver Canucks.

The Ducks' and Kings' third jerseys proved unpopular at the time and were retired by the end of the season, while the Canucks underwent a complete rebrand for the 1997–98 season. The Penguins' third jersey was promoted to their primary road jersey for the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs through the 2001–02 season, and the Bruins retained their third jersey the longest, through the 2005–06 season.

Additional uniform changes

In addition to the Avalanche, two other teams underwent rebrands prior to the season, albeit only changing their logos and colors. The New York Islanders used the dye-sublimation technique to create new jerseys with wavy stripes as well as a logo bearing a fisherman mascot, which ended up being heavily derided and phased out over the next few seasons. The Washington Capitals abandoned their patriotic red, white, and blue scheme and their 1970s uniform design for a more modern look featuring a less saturated blue, black, and bronze, with the new logo featuring an attacking eagle with stars in its wings. This look would last (with slight changes) through the 2006–07 season.

The arrival of the Avalanche would also see the first new provider of on-ice jerseys in the NHL since 1989, when Nike ended its relationship with the Edmonton Oilers. For the next six seasons, CCM had been the sole provider of NHL jerseys; however, Starter, which had begun providing select NFL teams with their on-field jerseys and had also been selling consumer replica NHL jerseys, were tapped to provide Colorado's initial jerseys. Following the season, Starter would expand its presence in the NHL to nine other teams, while Nike would re-enter the league through the use of its subsidiary, Bauer Hockey.

Arena changes

• The Boston Bruins moved from Boston Garden, where they spend the last 67 seasons, to the FleetCenter, with FleetBoston Financial acquiring the naming rights.
• The Calgary Flames' home arena, Olympic Saddledome, was renamed Canadian Airlines Saddledome as part of a new naming rights agreement with Canadian Airlines.
• The relocated Colorado Avalanche moved from Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec to McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.
• The Edmonton Oilers' home arena, Northlands Coliseum, was renamed Edmonton Coliseum as part of a new leasing agreement between the team and the building's operator, Northlands, to instead reference the city.
• The Montreal Canadiens moved from the Montreal Forum to Molson Centre on March 16, 1996, with Molson Brewery acquiring the naming rights. With the Montreal Forum closed, Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens became the last remaining arena from the Original Six era.
• The Ottawa Senators moved from Ottawa Civic Centre to the Palladium on January 17, 1996. It was then renamed the Corel Centre after Corel acquired the naming rights one month later.
• The Vancouver Canucks moved from Pacific Coliseum to General Motors Place, with General Motors Canada acquiring the naming rights.

Regular season

All-Star Game

The All-Star Game was held on January 20, 1996, at the FleetCenter in Boston, home of the Boston Bruins.

Highlights

The Detroit Red Wings enjoyed a spectacular season, having finished the year as the Western Conferences's top seed with 131 points, and at the time second only to the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens, and setting the NHL record for most wins ever in the regular season (62). Neither mark was eclipsed until 27 years later, when the Boston Bruins achieved a record-breaking 65 wins and 135 points in the 2022–23 season. However, the Wings fell to the future Stanley Cup champion Avalanche in the 1996 Western Conference Finals, the sixth game of which marked the beginning of the heated Detroit-Colorado rivalry, which would last for years to come. The New Jersey Devils became the first team since the 1969–70 Montreal Canadiens to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup during the previous season.

Four teams allowed 300 or more goals in 1995-96. A total of three would do so from 1996-97 through 2003-04.

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division No. GP W L T GF GA Pts 1 Philadelphia Flyers 82 45 24 13 282 208 103 2 New York Rangers 82 41 27 14 272 237 96 3 Florida Panthers 82 41 31 10 254 234 92 4 Washington Capitals 82 39 32 11 234 204 89 5 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 38 32 12 238 248 88 6 New Jersey Devils 82 37 33 12 215 202 86 7 New York Islanders 82 22 50 10 229 315 54 Northeast Division No. GP W L T GF GA PTS 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 49 29 4 362 284 102 2 Boston Bruins 82 40 31 11 282 269 91 3 Montreal Canadiens 82 40 32 10 265 248 90 4 Hartford Whalers 82 34 39 9 237 259 77 5 Buffalo Sabres 82 33 42 7 247 262 72 6 Ottawa Senators 82 18 59 5 191 291 41 Eastern Conference[1] R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts 1 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 45 24 13 282 208 103 2 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 49 29 4 362 284 102 3 New York Rangers ATL 82 41 27 14 272 237 96 4 Florida Panthers ATL 82 41 31 10 254 234 92 5 Boston Bruins NE 82 40 31 11 282 269 91 6 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 40 32 10 265 248 90 7 Washington Capitals ATL 82 39 32 11 234 204 89 8 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 38 32 12 238 248 88 9 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 37 33 12 215 202 86 10 Hartford Whalers NE 82 34 39 9 237 259 77 11 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 33 42 7 247 262 73 12 New York Islanders ATL 82 22 50 10 229 315 54 13 Ottawa Senators NE 82 18 59 5 191 291 41 Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast bold – Qualified for playoffs

Western Conference

Central Division No. GP W L T GF GA Pts 1 Detroit Red Wings 82 62 13 7 325 181 131 2 Chicago Blackhawks 82 40 28 14 273 220 94 3 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 34 36 12 247 252 80 4 St. Louis Blues 82 32 34 16 219 248 80 5 Winnipeg Jets 82 36 40 6 275 291 78 6 Dallas Stars 82 26 42 14 227 280 66 Pacific Division No. GP W L T GF GA Pts 1 Colorado Avalanche 82 47 25 10 326 240 104 2 Calgary Flames 82 34 37 11 241 240 79 3 Vancouver Canucks 82 32 35 15 278 278 79 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 35 39 8 234 247 78 5 Edmonton Oilers 82 30 44 8 240 304 68 6 Los Angeles Kings 82 24 40 18 256 302 66 7 San Jose Sharks 82 20 55 7 252 357 47 Western Conference[2] R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts 1 p – Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 62 13 7 325 181 131 2 Colorado Avalanche PAC 82 47 25 10 326 240 104 3 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 40 28 14 273 220 94 4 Toronto Maple Leafs CEN 82 34 36 12 247 252 80 5 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 32 34 16 219 248 80 6 Calgary Flames PAC 82 34 37 11 241 240 79 7 Vancouver Canucks PAC 82 32 35 15 278 278 79 8 Winnipeg Jets CEN 82 36 40 6 275 291 78 9 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 35 39 8 234 247 78 10 Edmonton Oilers PAC 82 30 44 8 240 304 68 11 Dallas Stars CEN 82 26 42 14 227 280 66 12 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 24 40 18 256 302 66 13 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 20 55 7 252 357 47 Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Playoffs

Main article: 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the two division winners seeded 1–2 based on regular season records, and the six remaining teams seeded 3–8. In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home-ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

	Conference quarterfinals					Conference semifinals					Conference finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Philadelphia	4
	8	Tampa Bay	2
						1	Philadelphia	2
						4	Florida	4
	2	Pittsburgh	4
	7	Washington	2
											4	Florida	4
	Eastern Conference
											2	Pittsburgh	3
	3	NY Rangers	4
	6	Montreal	2
						2	Pittsburgh	4
						3	NY Rangers	1
	4	Florida	4
	5	Boston	1
																E4	Florida	0
																W2	Colorado	4
	1	Detroit	4
	8	Winnipeg	2
						1	Detroit	4
						5	St. Louis	3
	2	Colorado	4
	7	Vancouver	2
											1	Detroit	2
	Western Conference
											2	Colorado	4
	3	Chicago	4
	6	Calgary	0
						2	Colorado	4
						3	Chicago	2
	4	Toronto	2
	5	St. Louis	4

Awards

1995–96 NHL awards

Award	Recipient(s)	Runner(s)-up/Finalists
Stanley Cup	Colorado Avalanche	Florida Panthers
Presidents' Trophy (Best regular-season record)	Detroit Red Wings	Colorado Avalanche
Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference playoff champion)	Florida Panthers	Pittsburgh Penguins
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Western Conference playoff champion)	Colorado Avalanche	Detroit Red Wings
Alka-Seltzer Plus-Minus Award (Best plus-minus statistic)	Vladimir Konstantinov (Detroit Red Wings)	Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings)
Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points)	Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)	Jaromír Jágr (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)	Gary Roberts (Calgary Flames)	N/A
Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player)	Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators)	Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa Senators) Éric Dazé (Chicago Blackhawks) Ed Jovanovski (Florida Panthers)
Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs)	Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche)	N/A
Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best defensive forward)	Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings)	Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings) Ron Francis (Pittsburgh Penguins) Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings)
Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season)	Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)	Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins) Eric Lindros (Philadelphia Flyers) Mark Messier (New York Rangers)
Jack Adams Award (Best coach)	Scotty Bowman (Detroit Red Wings)	Scotty Bowman (Detroit Red Wings) Terry Crisp (Tampa Bay Lightning) Doug MacLean (Florida Panthers)
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenceman)	Chris Chelios (Chicago Blackhawks)	Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) Chris Chelios (Chicago Blackhawks) Brian Leetch (New York Rangers)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution)	Kris King (Winnipeg Jets)	N/A
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence)	Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)	Paul Kariya (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) Adam Oates (Boston Bruins) Teemu Selänne (Winnipeg Jets/Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
Lester B. Pearson Award (Outstanding player)	Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)	N/A
Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender)	Jim Carey (Washington Capitals)	Jim Carey (Washington Capitals) Chris Osgood (Detroit Red Wings) Daren Puppa (Tampa Bay Lightning)
William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against)	Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon (Detroit Red Wings)	N/A

All-Star teams

First team	Position	Second team
Jim Carey, Washington Capitals	G	Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks	D	Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins	D	Brian Leetch, New York Rangers
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins	C	Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins	RW	Alexander Mogilny, Vancouver Canucks
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	LW	John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins broke the record for assists and points by a right winger in a single season . Mario Lemieux, a fellow teammate of Jagr's, achieved 161 points in 70 games, marking the NHL's final season in which a player would surpass the 150 point plateau during the 1990s. This record remained unbroken until Connor McDavid scored 153 points in the 2022–23 season, which would not occur until 27 years later.^[3] This also marked the final season of the 1990s where at least one NHL player would score at least 60 goals (Jagr and Lemieux), a feat not repeated until Alexander Ovechkin's groundbreaking record of 65 goals in the 2007–08 season, set 12 years later in the modern era following the 2004–05 NHL lockout.^[4] Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs would later go on to break Ovechkin's modern record by scoring his 66th goal on April 9, 2024, achieving the rare distinction of being the first NHL player in 28 years to score more than 65 goals in a single season since Lemieux last accomplished the feat nearly three decades earlier.^[5] Matthew's would later equal Lemieux's feat by scoring a grand total of 69 goals as the 2023-24 NHL season drew to a close.^[6]

Regular season

Playoffs

Player Team GP G A Pts Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 70 69 92 161 Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 82 62 87 149 Joe Sakic Colorado 82 51 69 120 Ron Francis Pittsburgh 77 27 92 119 Peter Forsberg Colorado 82 30 86 116 Eric Lindros Philadelphia 73 47 68 115 Paul Kariya Anaheim 82 50 58 108 Teemu Selanne Winnipeg/ Anaheim 79 40 68 108 Alexander Mogilny Vancouver 79 55 52 107 Sergei Fedorov Detroit 78 39 68 107 Source: NHL.[7]

Player Team GP G A Pts Joe Sakic Colorado 22 18 16 34 Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 18 11 16 27 Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 18 11 12 23 Valeri Kamensky Colorado 22 10 12 22 Peter Forsberg Colorado 22 10 11 21 Petr Nedved Pittsburgh 18 10 10 20 Steve Yzerman Detroit 18 8 12 20 Sergei Fedorov Detroit 19 2 18 20 Sandis Ozolinsh Colorado 22 5 14 19 Dave Lowry Florida 22 10 7 17 Mike Ricci Colorado 22 6 11 17 Adam Deadmarsh Colorado 22 5 12 17

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Leading goaltenders

Regular season

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
Ron Hextall	Philadelphia	53	3102	112	4	2.17	.913
Chris Osgood	Detroit	50	2933	106	5	2.17	.911
Jim Carey	Washington	71	4069	153	9	2.26	.906
Mike Vernon	Detroit	32	1855	70	3	2.26	.903
Martin Brodeur	New Jersey	77	4433	173	6	2.34	.911
Jeff Hackett	Chicago	35	2000	80	4	2.40	.916
Daren Puppa	Tampa Bay	57	3189	131	5	2.46	.918
Mike Richter	New York Rangers	41	2396	107	3	2.68	.912
John Vanbiesbrouck	Florida	57	3178	142	2	2.68	.904
Ed Belfour	Chicago	50	2956	135	1	2.74	.902

^[8]

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1995–96 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

• Martin Biron, Buffalo Sabres
• Jarome Iginla*, Calgary Flames
• Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
• Miroslav Satan, Edmonton Oilers
• Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers
• Jeff O'Neill, Hartford Whalers
• Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens
• Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens
• Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils
• Petr Sykora, New Jersey Devils
• Steve Sullivan, New Jersey Devils
• Bryan McCabe, New York Islanders
• Todd Bertuzzi, New York Islanders
• Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators
• Daymond Langkow, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Andrew Brunette, Washington Capitals
• Shane Doan, Winnipeg Jets

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1995–96 (listed with their last team):

• Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
• Troy Murray, Colorado Avalanche
• Bob Kudelski, Florida Panthers
• Jimmy Carson, Hartford Whalers
• Joe Cirella, Ottawa Senators (Last active player to have been a member of the Colorado Rockies)
• Glenn Anderson, St. Louis Blues

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Team	Coach	Comments
Boston Bruins	Steve Kasper
Buffalo Sabres	Ted Nolan
Florida Panthers	Doug MacLean
Hartford Whalers	Paul Holmgren	Replaced midseason by Paul Maurice
Montreal Canadiens	Jacques Demers	Replaced early in the season by Mario Tremblay
New Jersey Devils	Jacques Lemaire
New York Islanders	Mike Milbury
New York Rangers	Colin Campbell
Ottawa Senators	Rick Bowness	Replaced early in the season by Dave Allison, who would be replaced after 25 games by Jacques Martin
Philadelphia Flyers	Terry Murray
Pittsburgh Penguins	Eddie Johnston
Tampa Bay Lightning	Terry Crisp
Washington Capitals	Jim Schoenfeld

Western Conference

Team	Coach	Comments
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	Ron Wilson
Calgary Flames	Pierre Page
Chicago Blackhawks	Craig Hartsburg
Colorado Avalanche	Marc Crawford
Dallas Stars	Bob Gainey	Replaced midseason by Ken Hitchcock
Detroit Red Wings	Scotty Bowman
Edmonton Oilers	Ron Low
Los Angeles Kings	Larry Robinson
St. Louis Blues	Mike Keenan
San Jose Sharks	Kevin Constantine	Replaced early in the season by Jim Wiley
Toronto Maple Leafs	Pat Burns	Replaced late in the season by Nick Beverley
Vancouver Canucks	Rick Ley	Replaced late in the season by Pat Quinn
Winnipeg Jets	Terry Simpson

Broadcasting

Canada

This was the eighth season that the league's Canadian national broadcast rights were split between TSN and Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. During the regular season, Saturday night games aired on CBC, while TSN primarily had Monday and Thursday night games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs was primarily on CBC, with TSN airing first round all-U.S. series.

United States

This was the second season of the league's five-year U.S. national broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN. Both ESPN and ESPN2 aired weeknight games throughout the regular season, and Fox had the All-Star Game and weekly regional telecasts on six selected weekend afternoons between January and April. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while Fox had Sunday regional telecasts. Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster produced local coverage of first and second round games (except for those games on Fox). Fox's Sunday telecasts continued into the Conference Finals, while ESPN had the rest of the third round games. The Stanley Cup Finals were also split between Fox and ESPN.

See also

• 1995 in sports
• 1995 NHL entry draft
• 1995-96 NHL transactions
• 1996 in sports
• 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game