The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season for the National Hockey League (NHL). Twenty-six teams played 82 games each. The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup this year. They beat the Florida Panthers in four games. This was the first year the team was called the Avalanche.
Team Changes and Moves
The 1995–96 season was special for a few reasons. It was the first time the Colorado Avalanche played in Denver. Before this, they were known as the Quebec Nordiques and played in Quebec City.
It was also the last season for the Winnipeg Jets. The team announced they would move from Manitoba to Arizona. They would become the Phoenix Coyotes after this season.
Some famous hockey arenas also saw their last NHL games this season. The Buffalo Sabres played their last game in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. The Philadelphia Flyers left the Spectrum, and the Montreal Canadiens said goodbye to the Montreal Forum.
Regular Season Highlights
The Detroit Red Wings had an amazing regular season. They earned 131 points, which was the second-highest total in NHL history at that time. However, they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final. This series started a big rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avalanche.
Team Standings
Here's how the teams finished in the regular season. Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Top Scorers
These players scored the most points during the regular season. Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Stanley Cup Playoffs
The playoffs are where teams compete for the Stanley Cup.
Playoff Bracket
Playoff Rounds
Teams played best-of-seven series to advance.
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
| Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 16 |
Tampa Bay 3 |
7 Philadelphia |
| April 18 |
Tampa Bay 2 |
1 Philadelphia |
OT |
| April 21 |
Philadelphia 4 |
5 Tampa Bay |
OT |
| April 23 |
Philadelphia 4 |
1 Tampa Bay |
| April 25 |
Tampa Bay 1 |
4 Philadelphia |
| April 27 |
Philadelphia 6 |
1 Tampa Bay |
| Philadelphia wins series 4–2 |
|
| Pittsburgh vs. Washington |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 17 |
Washington 6 |
4 Pittsburgh |
| April 19 |
Washington 5 |
3 Pittsburgh |
| April 22 |
Pittsburgh 4 |
1 Washington |
| April 24 |
Pittsburgh 3 |
2 Washington |
4 OT |
| April 26 |
Washington 1 |
4 Pittsburgh |
| April 28 |
Pittsburgh 3 |
2 Washington |
| Pittsburgh wins series 4–2 |
|
| NY Rangers vs. Montreal |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 16 |
Montreal 3 |
2 NY Rangers |
OT |
| April 18 |
Montreal 5 |
3 NY Rangers |
| April 21 |
NY Rangers 2 |
1 Montreal |
| April 23 |
NY Rangers 4 |
3 Montreal |
| April 26 |
Montreal 2 |
3 NY Rangers |
| April 28 |
NY Rangers 5 |
3 Montreal |
| NY Rangers wins series 4–2 |
|
|
Western Conference Quarterfinals
|
|
| Colorado vs. Vancouver |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 16 |
Vancouver 2 |
5 Colorado |
| April 18 |
Vancouver 5 |
4 Colorado |
| April 20 |
Colorado 4 |
0 Vancouver |
| April 22 |
Colorado 3 |
4 Vancouver |
| April 25 |
Vancouver 4 |
5 Colorado |
OT |
| April 27 |
Colorado 3 |
2 Vancouver |
| Colorado wins series 4–2 |
|
| Chicago vs. Calgary |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 17 |
Calgary 1 |
4 Chicago |
| April 19 |
Calgary 0 |
3 Chicago |
| April 21 |
Chicago 7 |
5 Calgary |
| April 23 |
Chicago 2 |
1 Calgary |
| Chicago wins series 4–0 |
|
| Toronto vs. St. Louis |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| April 16 |
St. Louis 3 |
1 Toronto |
| April 18 |
St. Louis 4 |
5 Toronto |
OT |
| April 21 |
Toronto 2 |
3 St. Louis |
OT |
| April 23 |
Toronto 1 |
5 St. Louis |
| April 25 |
St. Louis 4 |
5 Toronto |
OT |
| April 27 |
Toronto 1 |
2 St. Louis |
| St. Louis wins series 4–2 |
|
Conference Semifinals
Eastern Conference
| Florida vs. Philadelphia |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| May 2 |
Florida 2 |
0 Philadelphia |
| May 4 |
Florida 2 |
3 Philadelphia |
| May 7 |
Philadelphia 3 |
1 Florida |
| May 9 |
Philadelphia 3 |
4 Florida |
OT |
| May 12 |
Florida 2 |
1 Philadelphia |
2OT |
| May 14 |
Philadelphia 1 |
4 Florida |
| Florida win series 4–2 |
|
| NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| May 3 |
NY Rangers 1 |
4 Pittsburgh |
| May 5 |
NY Rangers 6 |
3 Pittsburgh |
| May 7 |
Pittsburgh 3 |
2 NY Rangers |
| May 9 |
Pittsburgh 4 |
1 NY Rangers |
| May 11 |
NY Rangers 3 |
7 Pittsburgh |
| Pittsburgh wins series 4–1 |
|
Western Conference
| St. Louis vs. Detroit |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| May 3 |
St. Louis 2 |
3 Detroit |
| May 5 |
St. Louis 3 |
8 Detroit |
| May 8 |
Detroit 4 |
5 St. Louis |
OT |
| May 10 |
Detroit 0 |
1 St. Louis |
| May 12 |
St. Louis 3 |
2 Detroit |
| May 14 |
Detroit 4 |
2 St. Louis |
| May 16 |
St. Louis 0 |
1 Detroit |
2OT |
| Detroit wins series 4–3 |
|
| Chicago vs. Colorado |
| Date |
Away |
Home |
| May 2 |
Chicago 3 |
2 Colorado |
OT |
| May 4 |
Chicago 1 |
5 Colorado |
| May 6 |
Colorado 3 |
4 Chicago |
OT |
| May 8 |
Colorado 3 |
2 Chicago |
3OT |
| May 11 |
Chicago 1 |
4 Colorado |
| May 13 |
Colorado 4 |
3 Chicago |
2OT |
| Colorado wins series 4–2 |
|
Conference Finals
Stanley Cup Final
The final series was between the Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers.
Playoff Scoring Leaders
These players scored the most points during the playoffs. Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
NHL Awards
Many players and teams received special awards for their great performance this season.
| Presidents' Trophy: |
Detroit Red Wings |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: |
Florida Panthers |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: |
Colorado Avalanche |
| Art Ross Memorial Trophy: |
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: |
Gary Roberts, Calgary Flames |
| Calder Memorial Trophy: |
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators |
| Conn Smythe Trophy: |
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy: |
Sergei Fedorov, Detroit Red Wings |
| Hart Memorial Trophy: |
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Jack Adams Award: |
Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy: |
Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy: |
Kris King, Winnipeg Jets |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: |
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Lester B. Pearson Award: |
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins |
| NHL Plus/Minus Award: |
Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit Red Wings |
| Vezina Trophy: |
Jim Carey, Washington Capitals |
| William M. Jennings Trophy: |
Chris Osgood/Mike Vernon, Detroit Red Wings |
| Lester Patrick Trophy: |
George Gund, Ken Morrow, Milt Schmidt |
All-Star Teams
The best players of the season were chosen for the 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 |
New Players and Last Games
Many players started their NHL careers this season, and some played their final games.
First NHL Games
Here are some notable players who played their first NHL game in 1995–96. A star (*) means they started in the playoffs.
- Kyle McLaren, Boston Bruins
- Jay McKee, Buffalo Sabres
- Martin Biron, Buffalo Sabres
- Jarome Iginla*, Calgary Flames
- Stephane Yelle, Colorado Avalanche
- Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
- Miroslav Satan, Edmonton Oilers
- Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers
- Jeff O'Neill, Hartford Whalers
- Sami Kapanen, Hartford Whalers
- Darcy Tucker, Montreal Canadiens
- 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
- Brendan Witt, Washington Capitals
Last NHL Games
These are some notable players who played their last NHL game in 1995–96.
- Cam Neely, Boston Bruins
- Alexei Kasatonov, Boston Bruins
- Troy Murray, Colorado Avalanche
- Paul Cavallini, Dallas Stars
- Jimmy Carson, Hartford Whalers
- Glenn Anderson, St. Louis Blues
- Greg Gilbert, St. Louis Blues
- Jim Sandlak, Vancouver Canucks
