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1996–97 Colorado Avalanche season

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National Hockey League team season

1996–97 Colorado Avalanche
Presidents' Trophy winners
Pacific Division champions
Division1st Pacific
Conference1st Western
1996–97 record49–24–9
Home record26–10–5
Road record23–14–4
Goals for277
Goals against205
Team information
General managerPierre Lacroix
CoachMarc Crawford
CaptainJoe Sakic
ArenaMcNichols Arena
Average attendance16,061
Minor league affiliate(s)Hershey Bears
Team leaders
GoalsAdam Deadmarsh (33)
AssistsPeter Forsberg (58)
PointsPeter Forsberg (86)
Penalty minutesBrent Severyn (193)
Plus/minusPeter Forsberg (+31)
WinsPatrick Roy (38)
Goals against averagePatrick Roy (2.32)
← 1995–961997–98 →

The 1996–97 Colorado Avalanche season was the Avalanche's second season. The franchise's 18th season in the National Hockey League and 25th season overall.

Regular season

The Avalanche scored the most power-play goals during the regular season, with 83. And the most in the Western Conference with 277 goals.

Season standings

Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Colorado Avalanche 82 49 24 9 277 205 107
2 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 36 33 13 243 231 85
3 7 Edmonton Oilers 82 36 37 9 252 247 81
4 9 Vancouver Canucks 82 35 40 7 257 273 77
5 10 Calgary Flames 82 32 41 9 214 239 73
6 12 Los Angeles Kings 82 28 43 11 214 268 67
7 13 San Jose Sharks 82 27 47 8 211 278 62

Note: CR = Conference rank; 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 – Colorado Avalanche PAC 82 49 24 9 277 205 107
2 Dallas Stars CEN 82 48 26 8 252 198 104
3 Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 38 26 18 253 197 94
4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 36 33 13 245 233 85
5 Phoenix Coyotes CEN 82 38 37 7 240 243 83
6 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 36 35 11 236 239 83
7 Edmonton Oilers PAC 82 36 37 9 252 247 81
8 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 34 35 13 223 210 81
9 Vancouver Canucks PAC 82 35 40 7 257 273 77
10 Calgary Flames PAC 82 32 41 9 214 239 73
11 Toronto Maple Leafs CEN 82 30 44 8 230 273 68
12 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 28 43 11 214 268 67
13 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 27 47 8 211 278 62

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy


Playoffs

  • April 24, 1997: Patrick Roy shut out Chicago by a score of 7-0. He earned his 89th postseason victory and became the goalie with the most postseason wins, surpassing the old record set by New York Islanders goalie Billy Smith.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season
October: 8–4–1 (home: 5–1–1; road: 3–3–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 4, 1996 2–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 0–1–0 Recap
2 L October 5, 1996 1–4 @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) 0–2–0 Recap
3 W October 8, 1996 6–0 San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 1–2–0 Recap
4 T October 10, 1996 6–6 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 1–2–1 Recap
5 W October 11, 1996 2–0 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 2–2–1 Recap
6 W October 15, 1996 7–2 Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 3–2–1 Recap
7 L October 17, 1996 1–2 Florida Panthers (1996–97) 3–3–1 Recap
8 W October 19, 1996 9–2 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 4–3–1 Recap
9 L October 22, 1996 1–5 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 4–4–1 Recap
10 W October 23, 1996 4–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 5–4–1 Recap
11 W October 26, 1996 4–2 @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 6–4–1 Recap
12 W October 28, 1996 1–0 Washington Capitals (1996–97) 7–4–1 Recap
13 W October 30, 1996 6–3 St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 8–4–1 Recap
November: 8–2–3 (home: 4–1–2; road: 4–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
14 T November 2, 1996 0–0 OT Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 8–4–2 Recap
15 T November 3, 1996 1–1 OT @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 8–4–3 Recap
16 W November 6, 1996 4–1 @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 9–4–3 Recap
17 W November 8, 1996 4–1 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 10–4–3 Recap
18 W November 9, 1996 5–2 Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 11–4–3 Recap
19 W November 11, 1996 6–2 @ New York Islanders (1996–97) 12–4–3 Recap
20 W November 13, 1996 4–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 13–4–3 Recap
21 L November 14, 1996 4–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 13–5–3 Recap
22 T November 16, 1996 4–4 OT Hartford Whalers (1996–97) 13–5–4 Recap
23 W November 20, 1996 6–0 Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 14–5–4 Recap
24 W November 22, 1996 3–2 New York Islanders (1996–97) 15–5–4 Recap
25 L November 27, 1996 2–5 New York Rangers (1996–97) 15–6–4 Recap
26 W November 30, 1996 2–1 New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 16–6–4 Recap
December: 7–4–1 (home: 4–2–0; road: 3–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
27 W December 4, 1996 2–0 Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 17–6–4 Recap
28 L December 6, 1996 3–4 St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 17–7–4 Recap
29 L December 7, 1996 2–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 17–8–4 Recap
30 W December 11, 1996 6–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 18–8–4 Recap
31 L December 14, 1996 1–4 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 18–9–4 Recap
32 W December 17, 1996 4–3 Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 19–9–4 Recap
33 T December 18, 1996 4–4 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 19–9–5 Recap
34 L December 21, 1996 2–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 19–10–5 Recap
35 W December 23, 1996 4–3 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 20–10–5 Recap
36 W December 28, 1996 5–2 @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 21–10–5 Recap
37 W December 29, 1996 3–2 Dallas Stars (1996–97) 22–10–5 Recap
38 W December 31, 1996 4–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 23–10–5 Recap
January: 8–2–3 (home: 3–0–1; road: 5–2–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
39 W January 2, 1997 3–2 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 24–10–5 Recap
40 T January 4, 1997 4–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 24–10–6 Recap
41 T January 6, 1997 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers (1996–97) 24–10–7 Recap
42 T January 8, 1997 1–1 OT @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 24–10–8 Recap
43 W January 9, 1997 2–0 @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 25–10–8 Recap
44 W January 11, 1997 3–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 26–10–8 Recap
45 W January 15, 1997 4–2 Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 27–10–8 Recap
46 W January 20, 1997 4–2 @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) 28–10–8 Recap
47 L January 21, 1997 2–3 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 28–11–8 Recap
48 W January 23, 1997 4–3 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 29–11–8 Recap
49 L January 25, 1997 1–4 @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) 29–12–8 Recap
50 W January 27, 1997 5–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 30–12–8 Recap
51 W January 29, 1997 6–3 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 31–12–8 Recap
February: 7–4–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 4–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
52 L February 1, 1997 1–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 31–13–8 Recap
53 W February 2, 1997 5–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 32–13–8 Recap
54 L February 8, 1997 2–4 Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 32–14–8 Recap
55 W February 11, 1997 3–1 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 33–14–8 Recap
56 W February 13, 1997 3–2 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 34–14–8 Recap
57 W February 15, 1997 5–2 @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 35–14–8 Recap
58 W February 18, 1997 3–2 OT Boston Bruins (1996–97) 36–14–8 Recap
59 W February 21, 1997 4–3 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 37–14–8 Recap
60 W February 23, 1997 4–3 Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 38–14–8 Recap
61 L February 25, 1997 1–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 38–15–8 Recap
62 L February 27, 1997 2–6 Dallas Stars (1996–97) 38–16–8 Recap
March: 8–5–1 (home: 6–2–1; road: 2–3–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
63 W March 1, 1997 2–1 Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 39–16–8 Recap
64 W March 3, 1997 5–1 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 40–16–8 Recap
65 W March 5, 1997 7–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 41–16–8 Recap
66 L March 6, 1997 3–6 @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) 41–17–8 Recap
67 T March 9, 1997 2–2 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 41–17–9 Recap
68 L March 12, 1997 2–3 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 41–18–9 Recap
69 W March 14, 1997 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 42–18–9 Recap
70 W March 16, 1997 4–2 Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 43–18–9 Recap
71 W March 18, 1997 4–2 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 44–18–9 Recap
72 W March 21, 1997 4–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 45–18–9 Recap
73 L March 23, 1997 0–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 45–19–9 Recap
74 W March 25, 1997 4–0 @ Hartford Whalers (1996–97) 46–19–9 Recap
75 L March 26, 1997 5–6 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 46–20–9 Recap
76 L March 29, 1997 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 46–21–9 Recap
April: 3–3–0 (home: 1–2–0; road: 2–1–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
77 W April 2, 1997 5–1 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 47–21–9 Recap
78 L April 4, 1997 6–7 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 47–22–9 Recap
79 W April 6, 1997 2–1 Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 48–22–9 Recap
80 L April 9, 1997 1–4 San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 48–23–9 Recap
81 W April 11, 1997 2–1 @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) 49–23–9 Recap
82 L April 13, 1997 2–4 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 49–24–9 Recap
Legend:

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

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (8) Chicago Blackhawks – Avalanche win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W April 16, 1997 6–0 Chicago Blackhawks Avalanche lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 18, 1997 3–1 Chicago Blackhawks Avalanche lead 2–0 Recap
3 L April 20, 1997 3–4 2OT @ Chicago Blackhawks Avalanche lead 2–1 Recap
4 L April 22, 1997 3–6 @ Chicago Blackhawks Series tied 2–2 Recap
5 W April 24, 1997 7–0 Chicago Blackhawks Avalanche lead 3–2 Recap
6 W April 26, 1997 6–3 @ Chicago Blackhawks Avalanche win 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers – Avalanche win 4–1
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W May 2, 1997 5–1 Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 1–0 Recap
2 W May 4, 1997 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 2–0 Recap
3 L May 7, 1997 3–4 @ Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 2–1 Recap
4 W May 9, 1997 3–2 OT @ Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 3–1 Recap
5 W May 11, 1997 4–3 Edmonton Oilers Avalanche win 4–1 Recap
Western Conference Finals vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings – Red Wings win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W May 15, 1997 2–1 Detroit Red Wings Avalanche lead 1–0 Recap
2 L May 17, 1997 2–4 Detroit Red Wings Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 L May 19, 1997 1–2 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–1 Recap
4 L May 22, 1997 0–6 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 3–1 Recap
5 W May 24, 1997 6–0 Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 26, 1997 1–3 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings win 4–2 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 Avalanche only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
21 Peter Forsberg C 65 28 58 86 31 73 14 5 12 17 −6 10
19 Joe Sakic C 65 22 52 74 −10 34 17 8 17 25 5 14
8 Sandis Ozolinsh D 80 23 45 68 4 88 17 4 13 17 −1 24
13 Valeri Kamensky LW 68 28 38 66 5 38 17 8 14 22 −1 16
18 Adam Deadmarsh RW 78 33 27 60 8 136 17 3 6 9 −6 24
11 Keith Jones† RW 67 23 20 43 5 105 6 3 3 6 2 4
48 Scott Young RW 72 18 19 37 −5 14 17 4 2 6 −1 14
28 Eric Lacroix LW 81 18 18 36 16 26 17 1 4 5 2 19
9 Mike Ricci C 63 13 19 32 −3 59 17 2 4 6 1 17
22 Claude Lemieux RW 45 11 17 28 −4 43 17 13 10 23 7 32
20 Rene Corbet LW 76 12 15 27 14 67 17 2 2 4 0 27
25 Mike Keane RW 81 10 17 27 2 63 17 3 1 4 2 24
26 Stephane Yelle C 79 9 17 26 1 38 12 1 6 7 5 2
24 Jon Klemm D 80 9 15 24 12 37 17 1 1 2 −1 6
4 Uwe Krupp D 60 4 17 21 12 48 — — — — — —
52 Adam Foote D 78 2 19 21 16 135 17 0 4 4 3 62
3 Aaron Miller D 56 5 12 17 15 15 17 1 2 3 3 10
5 Alexei Gusarov D 58 2 12 14 4 28 17 0 3 3 3 14
2 Sylvain Lefebvre D 71 2 11 13 12 30 17 0 0 0 −1 25
23 Brent Severyn LW 66 1 4 5 −6 193 8 0 0 0 1 12
7 Curtis Leschyshyn‡ D 11 0 5 5 1 6 — — — — — —
15 Yves Sarault LW 28 2 1 3 0 6 5 0 0 0 0 2
17 Landon Wilson‡ RW 9 1 2 3 1 23 — — — — — —
27 Christian Matte RW 5 1 1 2 1 0 — — — — — —
1 Craig Billington G 23 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
10 Josef Marha C 6 0 1 1 0 0 — — — — — —
33 Patrick Roy G 62 0 1 1 15 17 0 0 0 12
6 Wade Belak D 5 0 0 0 −1 11 — — — — — —
32 Rich Brennan D 2 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
30 Marc Denis G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
29 Eric Messier LW 21 0 0 0 7 4 6 0 0 0 0 4

Goaltending

No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
33 Patrick Roy 62 38 15 7 1861 143 2.32 .923 7 3698 17 10 7 559 38 2.21 .932 3 1034
1 Craig Billington 23 11 8 2 584 53 2.65 .909 1 1200 1 0 0 13 1 3.00 .923 0 20
30 Marc Denis 1 0 1 0 26 3 3.02 .885 0 60 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		NHL First All-Star Team Sandis Ozolinsh (Defense)
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Peter Forsberg
Sandis Ozolinsh
Patrick Roy
Joe Sakic

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Eric Messier November 11, 1996
Marc Denis December 7, 1996
Christian Matte December 18, 1996
Wade Belak December 21, 1996
Rich Brennan January 6, 1997

Draft picks

Colorado's draft picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 25 Peter Ratchuk  United States Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN)
2 51 Yuri Babenko  Russia Krylya Sovetov (Russia)
3 79 Mark Parrish  United States St. Cloud State University (WCHA)
4 98 Ben Storey  Canada Harvard University (ECAC)
4 107 Randy Petruk  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
5 134 Luke Curtin  United States Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
6 146 Brian Willsie  Canada Guelph Storm (OHL)
6 160 Kai Fischer  Germany Dusseldorfer EG (Germany)
7 167 Dan Hinote  United States United States Military Academy (NCAA Independent)
7 176 Samuel Pahlsson  Sweden Modo Hockey (Sweden)
7 188 Roman Pylner  Czech Republic HC Litvinov Jr. (Czech Republic)
8 214 Matthew Scorsune  United States Hotchkiss School (USHS-CT)
9 240 Justin Clark  United States University of Michigan (CCHA)

Notes

  1. Forsberg did not play and was replaced by Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings.
  2. ^ Ozolinsh, Roy, and Sakic were voted to the starting lineup. Sakic did not play and was replaced by Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

References

  1. "1996-97 NHL Summary".
  2. "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.429 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  4. ^ "1996-97 Colorado Avalanche Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  6. ^ Norwood, Robyn (January 12, 1997). "Selanne's Star Shines Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  7. "1997 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  8. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  9. "1996-97 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  10. "1996 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
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