1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 30th in the National Hockey League. This was the final season for Mario Lemieux before his first retirement.

1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division2nd Northeast
Conference6th Eastern
1996–97 record38–36–8
Home record25–11–5
Road record13–25–3
Goals for285
Goals against280
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachEddie Johnston
Craig Patrick
CaptainMario Lemieux
Alternate captainsRon Francis
Jaromir Jagr
ArenaCivic Arena
Average attendance16,691
Minor league affiliate(s)Cleveland Lumberjacks
Johnstown Chiefs
Team leaders
GoalsMario Lemieux (50)
AssistsMario Lemieux (72)
PointsMario Lemieux (122)
Penalty minutesDave Roche (155)
Plus/minusMario Lemieux (+27)
WinsPatrick Lalime (21)
Goals against averagePatrick Lalime (2.94)

Off-season

Regular season

The 1996–97 season featured Mario Lemieux in his final season before his first retirement. Lemieux won his sixth (and final) Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer, with 122 points. The Penguins had an up-and-down season en route to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. A 2–9–0 start was followed by a hot middle-of-the-season stretch, highlighted by the play of rookie phenom goaltender Patrick Lalime. A shoulder injury to Tom Barrasso ended his season after five unmemorable games and led to the promotion of Lalime from the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). Lalime debuted in relief of Ken Wregget in a loss to the New York Rangers on November 16. His first win came in relief of Wregget on December 6, and the next day, on December 7, he was given the start against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, beating the Mighty Ducks and setting him well on his way to setting the NHL record for consecutive games unbeaten to begin a career for an NHL goaltender, going 14–0–2 (16 games). However, the Penguins cooled down after that, as the team did not win a road game after February 5, which led to a coaching change on March 4. Eddie Johnston was relieved of his duties as head coach after losing eight of his last nine games and was replaced on an interim basis by General Manager Craig Patrick. Patrick went 7–10–3 down the stretch, enough to get the Penguins into the playoffs as the sixth seed at 38–36–8. The Penguins finished the season first in scoring, with 285 goals for.[1]

Final standings
Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
12Buffalo Sabres8240301223720892
26Pittsburgh Penguins823836828528084
37Ottawa Senators8231361522623477
48Montreal Canadiens8231361524927677
510Hartford Whalers8232391122625675
613Boston Bruins822647923430061
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

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Penguins lost, in five games, to the third-seeded Philadelphia Flyers, who went on to win the Eastern Conference championship. The Penguins' only win in the series was in Game 4 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, in which Lemieux scored on a breakaway against Flyers goaltender Garth Snow in the closing minutes for his final goal before his first retirement.

Schedule and results

Regular season
1996–97 regular season[3]
October: 2–8–0 (home: 2–1–0 ; road: 0–7–0), 4 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
1October 5Tampa Bay Lightning4–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins0–1–00Recap
2October 8Pittsburgh Penguins3–7Hartford Whalers0–2–00Recap
3October 11Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Ottawa Senators0–3–00Recap
4October 12Ottawa Senators2–3Pittsburgh Penguins1–3–02Recap
5October 16Pittsburgh Penguins1–8New York Rangers1–4–02Recap
6October 17Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Buffalo Sabres1–5–02Recap
7October 19Washington Capitals1–2Pittsburgh Penguins2–5–04Recap
8October 22Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Edmonton Oilers2–6–04Recap
9October 24Pittsburgh Penguins5–7Calgary Flames2–7–04Recap
10October 26Pittsburgh Penguins1–2Vancouver Canucks2–8–04Recap
November: 6–5–2 (home: 5–1–1 ; road: 1–4–1), 14 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
11November 1Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Washington Capitals2–9–04Recap
12November 2Ottawa Senators3–7Pittsburgh Penguins3–9–06Recap
13November 6Edmonton Oilers2–5Pittsburgh Penguins4–9–08Recap
14November 8Pittsburgh Penguins5–5 OTTampa Bay Lightning4–9–19Recap
15November 9Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Florida Panthers4–10–19Recap
16November 12Buffalo Sabres0–3Pittsburgh Penguins5–10–111Recap
17November 14Pittsburgh Penguins1–2 OTBoston Bruins5–11–111Recap
18November 16New York Rangers8–3Pittsburgh Penguins5–12–111Recap
19November 19St. Louis Blues2–4Pittsburgh Penguins6–12–113Recap
20November 21Pittsburgh Penguins3–7Philadelphia Flyers6–13–113Recap
21November 22Pittsburgh Penguins7–1Hartford Whalers7–13–115Recap
22November 27Montreal Canadiens2–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins7–13–216Recap
23November 30Boston Bruins2–6Pittsburgh Penguins8–13–218Recap
December: 11–2–2 (home: 4–1–2 ; road: 7–1–0), 24 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
24December 3Hartford Whalers4–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins8–13–319Recap
25December 4Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Ottawa Senators9–13–321Recap
26December 6Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Washington Capitals10–13–323Recap
27December 7Mighty Ducks of Anaheim3–5Pittsburgh Penguins11–13–325Recap
28December 10Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Los Angeles Kings12–13–327Recap
29December 11Pittsburgh Penguins7–3Mighty Ducks of Anaheim13–13–329Recap
30December 13Pittsburgh Penguins4–0San Jose Sharks14–13–331Recap
31December 15Pittsburgh Penguins1–2Chicago Blackhawks14–14–331Recap
32December 17Boston Bruins6–4Pittsburgh Penguins14–15–331Recap
33December 19Pittsburgh Penguins4–0St. Louis Blues15–15–333Recap
34December 21San Jose Sharks1–3Pittsburgh Penguins16–15–335Recap
35December 23Pittsburgh Penguins6–5Toronto Maple Leafs17–15–337Recap
36December 26Montreal Canadiens3–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins17–15–438Recap
37December 28Buffalo Sabres0–2Pittsburgh Penguins18–15–440Recap
38December 30Washington Capitals3–5Pittsburgh Penguins19–15–442Recap
January: 8–3–1 (home: 4–2–0 ; road: 4–1–1), 17 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
39January 2Pittsburgh Penguins6–1New Jersey Devils20–15–444Recap
40January 4Tampa Bay Lightning3–7Pittsburgh Penguins21–15–446Recap
41January 7Pittsburgh Penguins5–3New York Islanders22–15–448Recap
42January 10New York Islanders2–5Pittsburgh Penguins23–15–450Recap
43January 11Pittsburgh Penguins3–3 OTOttawa Senators23–15–551Recap
44January 14Dallas Stars1–3Pittsburgh Penguins24–15–553Recap
45January 15Pittsburgh Penguins3–0Hartford Whalers25–15–555Recap
46January 21Calgary Flames2–4Pittsburgh Penguins26–15–557Recap
47January 23Colorado Avalanche4–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins26–16–557Recap
48January 25New York Rangers7–4Pittsburgh Penguins26–17–557Recap
49January 26Pittsburgh Penguins5–2Montreal Canadiens27–17–559Recap
50January 29Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Buffalo Sabres27–18–559Recap
February: 4–7–0 (home: 3–4–0 ; road: 1–3–0), 8 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
51February 1Phoenix Coyotes1–4Pittsburgh Penguins28–18–561Recap
52February 4Vancouver Canucks4–6Pittsburgh Penguins29–18–563Recap
53February 5Pittsburgh Penguins6–3Montreal Canadiens30–18–565Recap
54February 8Detroit Red Wings6–5 OTPittsburgh Penguins30–19–565Recap
55February 12New York Islanders5–1Pittsburgh Penguins30–20–565Recap
56February 15Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Philadelphia Flyers30–21–565Recap
57February 16Philadelphia Flyers6–2Pittsburgh Penguins30–22–565Recap
58February 18Florida Panthers2–4Pittsburgh Penguins31–22–567Recap
59February 22Chicago Blackhawks5–2Pittsburgh Penguins31–23–567Recap
60February 23Pittsburgh Penguins1–4New York Islanders31–24–567Recap
61February 27Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Detroit Red Wings31–25–567Recap
March: 5–8–2 (home: 5–2–1 ; road: 0–6–1), 12 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
62March 1Pittsburgh Penguins3–6New Jersey Devils31–26–567Recap
63March 4New Jersey Devils3–1Pittsburgh Penguins31–27–567Recap
64March 5Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Buffalo Sabres31–28–567Recap
65March 8Philadelphia Flyers2–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins32–28–569Recap
66March 10Montreal Canadiens2–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins32–28–670Recap
67March 12Pittsburgh Penguins5–5 OTPhoenix Coyotes32–28–771Recap
68March 14Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Colorado Avalanche32–29–771Recap
69March 16Pittsburgh Penguins2–6Dallas Stars32–30–771Recap
70March 18Buffalo Sabres3–5Pittsburgh Penguins33–30–773Recap
71March 20Toronto Maple Leafs3–6Pittsburgh Penguins34–30–775Recap
72March 22New Jersey Devils3–2Pittsburgh Penguins34–31–775Recap
73March 24Pittsburgh Penguins0–3New York Rangers34–32–775Recap
74March 26Pittsburgh Penguins5–8Montreal Canadiens34–33–775Recap
75March 29Los Angeles Kings1–4Pittsburgh Penguins35–33–777Recap
76March 31Florida Panthers3–4Pittsburgh Penguins36–33–779Recap
April: 2–3–1 (home: 2–0–1 ; road: 0–3–0), 5 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
77April 3Hartford Whalers5–5 OTPittsburgh Penguins36–33–880Recap
78April 5Ottawa Senators2–5Pittsburgh Penguins37–33–882Recap
79April 8Boston Bruins1–3Pittsburgh Penguins38–33–884Recap
80April 10Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Tampa Bay Lightning38–34–884Recap
81April 11Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Florida Panthers38–35–884Recap
82April 13Pittsburgh Penguins3–7Boston Bruins38–36–884Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs
1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeriesRecap
1April 17Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Philadelphia Flyers0–1Recap
2April 19Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Philadelphia Flyers0–2Recap
3April 21Philadelphia Flyers5–3Pittsburgh Penguins0–3Recap
4April 23Philadelphia Flyers1–4Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Recap
5April 26Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Philadelphia Flyers1–4Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss

Player statistics
Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[6]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Patrick Lalime392057:35211221012.9511660.9133000
Ken Wregget462514:23171761363.2513830.9022016
Tom Barrasso5269:37050265.791860.8600000
Philippe De Rouville2111:0802063.24660.9090000
Total4952:43383682693.2628010.9045016
Playoffs[7]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ken Wregget5297:28140183.632110.9150002
Total297:28140183.632110.9150002

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 600 goals for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–4 win over Vancouver on February 4, 1997.
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1400 points for the Penguins. He did so with his first of 4 points in a 6–2 win over Boston on November 30, 1996.

Awards
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)		 Art Ross Trophy Mario Lemieux [8]
NHL All-Rookie Team Patrick Lalime (Goaltender) [9]
NHL First All-Star Team Mario Lemieux (Center) [9]
NHL Second All-Star Team Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) [9]
League
(in-season)		 NHL All-Star Game selection Kevin Hatcher [10]
Jaromir Jagr[lower-alpha 1]
Mario Lemieux
NHL Rookie of the Month Patrick Lalime (December) [13]
Patrick Lalime (January) [14]
Team A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award Mario Lemieux [15]
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award Ken Wregget [16]
Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award Joe Mullen [16]
Leading Scorer Award Mario Lemieux
Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy Patrick Lalime [17]
Most Valuable Player Award Mario Lemieux [18]
Players' Player Award Joe Mullen [17]
The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Joe Dziedzic [15]
Chris Tamer

Milestones
Milestone Player Date Ref
400th goal Ron Francis March 29, 1997 [19]
500th game played Ken Wregget

Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season:[20]

Trades
October 25, 1996 To Los Angeles Kings

1997 conditional pick (not exercised)

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Petr Klima

November 17, 1996 To New York Islanders

Bryan Smolinski

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Andreas Johansson
Darius Kasparaitis

November 19, 1996 To Florida Panthers

Chris Wells

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Stu Barnes
Jason Woolley

November 19, 1996 To Anaheim Ducks

Shawn Antoski
Dmitri Mironov

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Hicks
Fredrik Olausson

January 27, 1997 To Detroit Red Wings

Tomas Sandstrom

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Greg Johnson

February 21, 1997 To Anaheim Ducks

Jean-Jacques Daigneault

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Garry Valk

March 18, 1997 To Anaheim Ducks

Richard Park

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Roman Oksiuta

March 18, 1997 To Los Angeles Kings

Glen Murray

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Ed Olczyk

March 18, 1997 To Vancouver Canucks

future considerations (1998 5th round pick)

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Josef Beranek

Free agents
Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Kevin ToddLos Angeles KingsJuly 10, 1996
Kevin MillerChicago BlackhawksJuly 18, 1996
Dave McLlwainNew York IslandersJuly 29, 1996
Dan QuinnPhiladelphia FlyersJuly 31, 1996
Shawn AntoskiPhiladelphia FlyersJuly 31, 1996
Joe MullenBoston BruinsSeptember 5, 1996
Greg HawgoodSan Jose SharksSeptember 7, 1996
Craig MuniWinnipeg JetsOctober 2, 1996
Petr KlimaEdmonton OilersFebruary 26, 1997

Waivers
Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Chris JosephVancouver CanucksSeptember 30, 1996
Corey FosterNew York IslandersSeptember 30, 1996
Kevin ToddMighty Ducks of AnaheimOctober 4, 1996

Other
Name Details Date
Craig Patrick5-year extension (VP & GM)June 27, 1996
Eddie JohnstonExtension (Head Coach)June 27, 1996
Craig PatrickHired as Head Coach (in addition to GM)March 3, 1997
Eddie JohnstonReassigned to Assistant GMMarch 3, 1997
Craig PatrickReplaced as Head Coach (remained as GM)April 26, 1997
Mario LemieuxRetiredApril 26, 1997
Kevin ConstantineHired as Head CoachJune 12, 1997

Draft picks
See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.[21]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
123Craig HillierGoaltender CanadaOttawa 67's (OHL)
228[a]Pavel SkrbekDefense Czech RepublicHC Kladno (Czech)
372[b]Boyd KaneLeft Wing CanadaRegina Pats (WHL)
377Borys ProtsenkoRight Wing UkraineCalgary Hitmen (WHL)
4105Michal RozsivalDefense Czech RepublicDukla Jihlava (Czech)
6150[c]Peter BergmanCenter CanadaKamloops Blazers (WHL)
7186Eric MelocheRight Wing CanadaCornwall Colts (COJHL)
9238Timo SeikkulaCenter FinlandJunkkarit (Finland)
Draft notes[22]
  • a The New Jersey Devils' second-round pick (from San Jose Sharks) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent two second-round picks to the Devils in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick (from Toronto Maple Leafs) went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick.
  • b The Boston Bruins' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an August 1, 1995, trade that sent Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern to the Bruins in exchange for Glen Murray, Bryan Smolinski and this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a March 20, 1996, trade that sent Kevin Miller to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • c Compensatory pick received from NHL as compensation for free agent Joe Mullen.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a March 20, 1996, trade that sent J. J. Daigneault to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' seventh-round pick (from NHL as compensation for free agent Kjell Samuelsson) went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a June 22, 1996, trade that sent Tyler Wright to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' eighth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a March 1, 1996, trade that sent Dave McLlwain to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.

Farm teams

The Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League finished last in the North Division with a 24–39–7 record.

The IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks finished second in the Central Division with a record of 40–32–10. They defeated the Indianapolis Ice in the first round 3–1, then defeated the Orlando Solar Bears in the second round 4–1 before losing to the eventual Turner Cup champion Detroit Vipers, 4–1.

See also

Notes
  1. Jagr was voted to the starting lineup but did not play and was replaced by Adam Oates of the Boston Bruins.[11][12]

References
  • "Pittsburgh Penguins 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  • "1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  1. "1996-97 NHL Summary".
  2. "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. "1996-97 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  4. "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  5. "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  9. "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  10. "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1997". www.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  11. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". www.nhl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  12. "Injured Jagr to Miss The All-Star Game". The New York Times. January 17, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  13. "LALIME GETS ROOKIE HONOR". Washington Post. January 9, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  14. "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  15. 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
  16. 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
  17. 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
  18. 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
  19. "Penguins Aid Kings' Free-Fall". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2023. Ron Francis, reunited with linemates Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr for the first time in a month, scored his 400th and 401st goals to pace Pittsburgh.
  20. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  21. "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  22. "1996 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
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