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1995–96 St. Louis Blues season

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National Hockey League team season

1995–96 St. Louis Blues
Division4th Central
Conference5th Western
1995–96 record32–34–16
Home record15–17–9
Road record17–17–7
Goals for219
Goals against248
Team information
General managerMike Keenan
CoachMike Keenan
CaptainBrett Hull (Oct.)
Shayne Corson (Oct.–Feb.)
Wayne Gretzky (Feb.–May)
Alternate captainsShayne Corson (Oct., Feb.–May)
Brett Hull (Dec.–Feb.)
Al MacInnis
Jay Wells (Oct.–Dec.)
ArenaKiel Center
Average attendance18,805
Minor league affiliate(s)Worcester IceCats
Birmingham Bulls
Team leaders
GoalsBrett Hull (43)
AssistsAl MacInnis (44)
PointsBrett Hull (83)
Penalty minutesShayne Corson (192)
Plus/minusMike Hudson (+7)
WinsGrant Fuhr (30)
Goals against averageGrant Fuhr (2.87)
← 1994–951996–97 →

The 1995–96 St. Louis Blues season was the 29th in franchise history. The Blues hired head coach Mike Keenan as general manager. One of Keenan's first moves was trading Brendan Shanahan to the Hartford Whalers for Chris Pronger. Late in the season, Keenan acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Los Angeles Kings, reuniting him with former Oilers such as Glenn Anderson, Charlie Huddy, Craig MacTavish, and Grant Fuhr. Fuhr was hurt in the final game of the regular season and only played 2 games in the playoffs.

The Blues defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Western Conference Quarter-finals in the last playoff series ever played at Maple Leaf Gardens. In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Blues lost to the President's Trophy winners, the Detroit Red Wings, in seven games. The Blues had seven eventual Hockey Hall of Fame members during the season (Gretzky, Hull, MacInnis, Anderson, Fuhr, Hawerchuk and Pronger).

Regular season

Wayne Gretzky trade

On February 27, the St. Louis Blues acquired Wayne Gretzky from the Los Angeles Kings for Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat and draft picks. In 18 regular season games with the Blues, Gretzky recorded 21 points as the Blues qualified for the playoffs for the 17th straight season with a record of 32–34–16. He scored 14 points in 13 playoff games for the team, and the Blues lost Game 7 of the conference semifinals in overtime. He also served as the team's captain (replacing Corson) during his short tenure with the Blues.

Final standings

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

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference
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


Playoffs

In the playoffs, Gretzky would provide a spark as the Blues overcame an injury to goalie Grant Fuhr in Game 1 to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in 6 games. Backup goalie Jon Casey continued to keep the Blues hopes alive as they jumped out to a 3–2 series lead against the Detroit Red Wings. However, the Wings would rally and win the series in double overtime in Game 7 on Steve Yzerman's goal.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1995–96 regular season
October: 5–5–1 (home: 3–3–1; road: 2–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 7, 1995 1–4 @ Washington Capitals (1995–96) 0–1–0 Recap
2 W October 10, 1995 5–3 Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 1–1–0 Recap
3 W October 12, 1995 3–1 @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) 2–1–0 Recap
4 W October 14, 1995 4–1 Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 3–1–0 Recap
5 L October 17, 1995 4–7 Boston Bruins (1995–96) 3–2–0 Recap
6 T October 19, 1995 1–1 OT Dallas Stars (1995–96) 3–2–1 Recap
7 L October 21, 1995 1–4 Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 3–3–1 Recap
8 L October 22, 1995 2–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 3–4–1 Recap
9 W October 25, 1995 4–2 @ Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 4–4–1 Recap
10 W October 27, 1995 4–2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 5–4–1 Recap
11 L October 29, 1995 1–3 Washington Capitals (1995–96) 5–5–1 Recap
November: 5–7–2 (home: 3–3–2; road: 2–4–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
12 L November 1, 1995 0–3 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 5–6–1 Recap
13 L November 4, 1995 3–7 @ San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 5–7–1 Recap
14 L November 7, 1995 0–1 Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 5–8–1 Recap
15 W November 10, 1995 3–2 Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 6–8–1 Recap
16 W November 11, 1995 4–1 @ New York Islanders (1995–96) 7–8–1 Recap
17 T November 14, 1995 1–1 OT New York Rangers (1995–96) 7–8–2 Recap
18 W November 16, 1995 3–1 San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 8–8–2 Recap
19 L November 18, 1995 2–5 @ Boston Bruins (1995–96) 8–9–2 Recap
20 L November 21, 1995 2–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 8–10–2 Recap
21 L November 23, 1995 2–3 Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 8–11–2 Recap
22 T November 25, 1995 2–2 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 8–11–3 Recap
23 L November 27, 1995 0–2 Buffalo Sabres (1995–96) 8–12–3 Recap
24 W November 29, 1995 5–4 Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 9–12–3 Recap
25 W November 30, 1995 4–1 @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 10–12–3 Recap
December: 6–5–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 3–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
26 W December 2, 1995 7–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 11–12–3 Recap
27 T December 5, 1995 1–1 OT @ Calgary Flames (1995–96) 11–12–4 Recap
28 W December 8, 1995 6–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 12–12–4 Recap
29 W December 9, 1995 2–1 @ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 13–12–4 Recap
30 L December 12, 1995 2–5 Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 13–13–4 Recap
31 T December 14, 1995 3–3 OT Calgary Flames (1995–96) 13–13–5 Recap
32 W December 16, 1995 3–2 San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 14–13–5 Recap
33 W December 19, 1995 4–1 New York Islanders (1995–96) 15–13–5 Recap
34 L December 22, 1995 1–2 @ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 15–14–5 Recap
35 L December 23, 1995 1–2 @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 15–15–5 Recap
36 L December 26, 1995 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 15–16–5 Recap
37 W December 28, 1995 4–1 Dallas Stars (1995–96) 16–16–5 Recap
38 L December 30, 1995 3–4 OT Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 16–17–5 Recap
January: 5–3–3 (home: 2–1–0; road: 3–2–3)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
39 W January 4, 1996 3–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 17–17–5 Recap
40 W January 6, 1996 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 18–17–5 Recap
41 L January 9, 1996 2–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 18–18–5 Recap
42 T January 11, 1996 4–4 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 18–18–6 Recap
43 T January 13, 1996 3–3 OT @ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96) 18–18–7 Recap
44 T January 14, 1996 3–3 OT @ New York Rangers (1995–96) 18–18–8 Recap
45 L January 16, 1996 1–5 Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 18–19–8 Recap
46 W January 24, 1996 6–5 @ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 19–19–8 Recap
47 W January 27, 1996 2–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 20–19–8 Recap
48 L January 29, 1996 2–4 @ Ottawa Senators (1995–96) 20–20–8 Recap
49 W January 31, 1996 4–0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 21–20–8 Recap
February: 5–4–4 (home: 2–4–2; road: 3–0–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
50 T February 1, 1996 2–2 OT Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 21–20–9 Recap
51 L February 3, 1996 3–7 Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96) 21–21–9 Recap
52 L February 6, 1996 2–5 Dallas Stars (1995–96) 21–22–9 Recap
53 L February 8, 1996 1–6 Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 21–23–9 Recap
54 W February 10, 1996 6–3 @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) 22–23–9 Recap
55 T February 11, 1996 2–2 OT @ Florida Panthers (1995–96) 22–23–10 Recap
56 W February 13, 1996 3–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96) 23–23–10 Recap
57 W February 16, 1996 4–3 Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 24–23–10 Recap
58 W February 18, 1996 3–0 Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 25–23–10 Recap
59 L February 20, 1996 1–7 Ottawa Senators (1995–96) 25–24–10 Recap
60 W February 22, 1996 4–3 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 26–24–10 Recap
61 T February 24, 1996 2–2 OT Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 26–24–11 Recap
62 T February 29, 1996 2–2 OT @ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96) 26–24–12 Recap
March: 5–7–2 (home: 2–2–2; road: 3–5–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
63 W March 3, 1996 4–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96) 27–24–12 Recap
64 W March 5, 1996 2–0 Florida Panthers (1995–96) 28–24–12 Recap
65 L March 7, 1996 2–4 Calgary Flames (1995–96) 28–25–12 Recap
66 W March 9, 1996 6–3 Hartford Whalers (1995–96) 29–25–12 Recap
67 L March 12, 1996 2–4 @ Calgary Flames (1995–96) 29–26–12 Recap
68 W March 15, 1996 4–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1995–96) 30–26–12 Recap
69 L March 17, 1996 1–5 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 30–27–12 Recap
70 W March 18, 1996 3–1 @ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96) 31–27–12 Recap
71 L March 20, 1996 1–2 @ Dallas Stars (1995–96) 31–28–12 Recap
72 L March 22, 1996 1–6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96) 31–29–12 Recap
73 T March 24, 1996 2–2 OT Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 31–29–13 Recap
74 L March 26, 1996 4–8 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96) 31–30–13 Recap
75 T March 28, 1996 4–4 OT New Jersey Devils (1995–96) 31–30–14 Recap
76 L March 31, 1996 1–8 @ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96) 31–31–14 Recap
April: 1–3–2 (home: 0–2–1; road: 1–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
77 W April 3, 1996 6–3 @ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 32–31–14 Recap
78 L April 4, 1996 1–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 32–32–14 Recap
79 L April 6, 1996 1–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96) 32–33–14 Recap
80 T April 8, 1996 2–2 OT Winnipeg Jets (1995–96) 32–33–15 Recap
81 L April 11, 1996 2–3 Colorado Avalanche (1995–96) 32–34–15 Recap
82 T April 14, 1996 2–2 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96) 32–34–16 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1996 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) Toronto Maple Leafs: Blues win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W April 16, 1996 3–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Blues lead 1–0 Recap
2 L April 18, 1996 4–5 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 W April 21, 1996 3–2 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Blues lead 2–1 Recap
4 W April 23, 1996 5–1 Toronto Maple Leafs Blues lead 3–1 Recap
5 L April 25, 1996 4–5 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs Blues lead 3–2 Recap
6 W April 27, 1996 2–1 Toronto Maple Leafs Blues win 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (1) Detroit Red Wings: Red Wings win 4–3
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 L May 3, 1996 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 1–0 Recap
2 L May 5, 1996 3–8 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–0 Recap
3 W May 8, 1996 5–4 OT Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–1 Recap
4 W May 10, 1996 1–0 Detroit Red Wings Series tied 2–2 Recap
5 W May 12, 1996 3–2 @ Detroit Red Wings Blues lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 14, 1996 2–4 Detroit Red Wings Series tied 3–3 Recap
7 L May 16, 1996 0–1 2OT @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings win 4–3 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

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 Blues only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Blues only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
16 Brett Hull RW 70 43 40 83 4 30 13 6 5 11 2 10
2 Al MacInnis D 82 17 44 61 5 88 13 3 4 7 2 20
9 Shayne Corson LW 77 18 28 46 3 192 13 8 6 14 −1 22
10 Dale Hawerchuk‡ C 66 13 28 41 5 22 — — — — — —
14 Geoff Courtnall LW 69 24 16 40 −9 101 13 0 3 3 2 14
28 Brian Noonan RW 81 13 22 35 2 84 13 4 1 5 −5 10
44 Chris Pronger D 78 7 18 25 −18 110 13 1 5 6 0 16
20 Adam Creighton C 61 11 10 21 0 78 13 1 1 2 −4 8
99 Wayne Gretzky† C 18 8 13 21 −6 2 13 2 14 16 2 0
25 Peter Zezel† C 57 8 13 21 −2 12 10 3 0 3 4 2
32 Stephane Matteau† LW 46 7 13 20 −4 65 11 0 2 2 −2 8
23 Craig Johnson‡ LW 49 8 7 15 −4 30 — — — — — —
15 Mike Hudson† RW 32 3 12 15 7 26 2 0 1 1 1 4
5 Igor Kravchuk† D 40 3 12 15 −6 24 10 1 5 6 0 4
5 Jeff Norton‡ D 36 4 7 11 4 26 — — — — — —
34 Murray Baron D 82 2 9 11 3 190 13 1 0 1 4 20
12 Rob Pearson† RW 27 6 4 10 4 54 2 0 0 0 1 14
35 Christer Olsson D 26 2 8 10 −6 14 3 0 0 0 −1 0
22 Ian Laperriere‡ RW 33 3 6 9 −4 87 — — — — — —
22 David Roberts‡ LW 28 1 6 7 −7 12 — — — — — —
27 Steve Leach† RW 14 2 4 6 −3 22 11 3 2 5 4 10
18 Tony Twist LW 51 3 2 5 −1 100 10 1 1 2 0 16
37 Roman Vopat‡ C 25 2 3 5 −8 48 — — — — — —
10 Esa Tikkanen‡ LW 11 1 4 5 1 18 — — — — — —
36 Glenn Anderson† RW 15 2 2 4 −11 6 11 1 4 5 5 6
36 J. J. Daigneault†‡ D 37 1 3 4 −6 24 — — — — — —
27 Denis Chasse‡ RW 42 3 0 3 −9 108 — — — — — —
37 Patrice Tardif‡ C 23 3 0 3 −2 12 — — — — — —
26 Jay Wells D 76 0 3 3 −8 67 12 0 1 1 0 2
17 Basil McRae LW 18 1 1 2 −5 40 2 0 0 0 0 0
21 Paul Broten RW 17 0 1 1 −1 4 — — — — — —
4 Dallas Eakins‡ D 16 0 1 1 −2 34 — — — — — —
31 Grant Fuhr G 79 0 1 1 8 2 0 0 0 0
7 Greg Gilbert LW 17 0 1 1 −1 8 — — — — — —
13 Yuri Khmylev† LW 7 0 1 1 −5 0 6 1 1 2 1 4
23 Craig MacTavish† C 13 0 1 1 −6 8 13 0 2 2 0 6
30 Jon Casey G 9 0 0 0 0 12 0 2 2 8
32 Donald Dufresne‡ D 3 0 0 0 −2 4 — — — — — —
22 Charlie Huddy† D 12 0 0 0 −7 6 13 1 0 1 1 8
1 Pat Jablonski‡ G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
33 Fred Knipscheer C 1 0 0 0 0 2 — — — — — —
29 Bruce Racine G 11 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
6 Jamie Rivers D 3 0 0 0 −1 2 — — — — — —
12 Kevin Sawyer‡ LW 6 0 0 0 −2 23 — — — — — —
33 Ken Sutton† D 6 0 0 0 −1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0
41 Alexander Vasilevski RW 1 0 0 0 −1 0 — — — — — —

Goaltending

  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Blues only.
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
31 Grant Fuhr 79 30 28 16 2157 209 2.87 .903 3 4365 2 1 0 45 1 0.87 .978 0 69
30 Jon Casey 9 2 3 0 180 25 3.80 .861 0 395 12 6 6 378 36 2.89 .905 1 747
1 Pat Jablonski‡ 1 0 0 0 5 1 7.83 .800 0 8 — — — — — — — — —
29 Bruce Racine 11 0 3 0 101 12 3.13 .881 0 230 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 1

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Brett Hull
Al MacInnis

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Jamie Rivers October 7, 1995
Roman Vopat
Kevin Sawyer October 25, 1995
Bruce Racine November 18, 1995
Christer Olsson January 4, 1996
Alexander Vasilevski January 16, 1996
600th assist Glenn Anderson April 8, 1996

Transactions

  • July 28, 1995 – Doug Lidster was traded by the St. Louis Blues to the New York Rangers in exchange for Jay Wells.

Draft picks

The 1995 NHL entry draft was held at Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada. The drafting order was now set partially by a lottery system whereby teams would not be guaranteed first pick if they finished last.

Round Pick Name Nationality College/junior/club team
2 49 Jochen Hecht (LW)  Germany Adler Mannheim (DEL)
3 75 Scott Roche (G)  Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
4 101 Michal Handzus (C)  Slovakia Iskra Banská Bystrica (Slovakia)
5 127 Jeffrey Ambrosio (LW)  Canada Belleville Bulls (OHL)
6 153 Denis Hamel (LW)  Canada Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
7 179 Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre (D)  Canada Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
8 205 Derek Bekar (C)  Canada Powell River Paper Kings (BCJHL)
9 209 Libor Zabransky (D)  Czech Republic HC České Budějovice (Czech Republic)

See also

Notes

  1. Hawerchuk wore number 12 in his first twelve games.
  2. Pearson wore number 27 through March 7.
  3. Roberts wore number 15 through December 23.
  4. Tardiff wore number 21 in his first five games.
  5. MacTavish wore number 22 in his first game.
  6. Sawyer wore number 36 in his first three games.
  7. Hull was voted to the starting lineup.

References

  1. Lapointe, Joe (February 28, 1996). "HOCKEY;Finally, Gretzky Is Traded to Blues". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  2. "GRETZKY SCORES 1ST GOAL AS A MEMBER OF BLUES". Deseret News. March 1, 1996. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  3. "1995-1996 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  4. ^ "1995-96 St. Louis Blues Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  5. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  6. "1996 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  7. "1995-96 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  8. "Flames Win, Jets Tie in Bids for Playoff Berths". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1996. Retrieved August 28, 2023. Glenn Anderson picked up his 600th career assist for the Blues.
  9. "1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
1995–96 NHL season
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