The 1996 Calder Cup playoffs of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

began on April 19, 1996.1996 AHL playoff results
''The Internet Hockey Database''. Retrieved on May 3, 2008. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-five series for division semifinals and

best-of-seven series There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

for division finals and conference finals. The conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

. The Calder Cup Final ended on June 13, 1996, with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

defeating the

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...

four games to three to win the sixth Calder Cup in team history. Rochester's

Dixon Ward Dixon McRae Ward (born September 23, 1968) is a Canadian former National Hockey League right wing. He was drafted in the seventh round, 128th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Career Ward is the only North Dakota Fig ...

won the

Jack A. Butterfield Trophy The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League (AHL). First awarded in the 1937–38 season, it is named after Frank Calder, first president of the National Hockey League. The Calder Cup is dis ...

as AHL playoff

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. The

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint J ...

set an AHL playoff record by winning six games in overtime. This record was equaled by the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Playoff seeds

After the 1995-96 AHL regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. However, due to the uneven number of teams in the each conference, it was possible for the fifth-placed team in the five team divisions to crossover to the playoffs for the four team divisions. This could only happen if the fifth-placed team in a five team division earned more points than the fourth-placed team in the four team division in the same conference. In this case, the fifth-placed team from the five team division would play in place of the fourth-placed team from the four team division in that part of the playoff bracket. The

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with a ...

were the Southern Conference regular season champions and also had the best overall record for the regular season. The

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

were the Northern Conference regular season champions.

Northern Conference

Atlantic Division

Prince Edward Island Senators The Prince Edward Island Senators were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1993 to 1996. Originally located in New Haven, Connecticut, for 21 seasons, including one as the affiliate of the National ...

- 85 points #

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was a ...

- 80 points #

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs' were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and w ...

- 79 points

Northern Division

- Northern Conference regular season champions, 100 points #

Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois. History The IceCats ...

- 88 points #

- 78 points #

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...

- 74 points

Southern Conference

Central Division

- Southern Conference regular season champions; Best regular season record, 115 points #

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Natio ...

- 86 points #

- 83 points #

Cornwall Aces The Cornwall Aces were the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Quebec Nordiques from 1993 to 1995 and the relocated Colorado Avalanche in 1995–96. They were based in the eastern Ontario city of Cornwall and pla ...

- 80 points #

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...

- 74 points ''(Played in the South Division bracket by virtue of earning more points than the fourth-placed team in that division)''

Southern Division

Binghamton Rangers The Binghamton Rangers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Binghamton, New York, USA at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. History The market was previously served by: : Broome Dusters of the NAHL (1973� ...

- 88 points #

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

- 86 points #

Baltimore Bandits The Baltimore Bandits were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena. The Bandits were an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Might ...

- 77 points

Bracket

In each round the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.Frequently asked questions
''theahl.com''. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.

Division Semifinals

:Note 1: ''All times are in

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...

( UTC-4).'' :Note 2: ''Game times in italics signify games to be played only if necessary.'' :Note 3: ''Home team is listed first.'' :Note 4: ''The number of overtime periods played (where applicable) is not specified''

Playoff seeds

Northern Conference

Atlantic Division

Northern Division

Southern Conference

Central Division

Southern Division

Bracket

Division Semifinals

Northern Conference

Atlantic Division

=(A1) Prince Edward Island Senators vs. (A4) Fredericton Canadiens

=(A2) Saint John Flames vs. (A3) St. John's Maple Leafs

Northern Division

=(N1) Springfield Falcons vs. (N4) Providence Bruins

=(N2) Worcester IceCats vs. (N3) Portland Pirates

Southern Conference

Central Division

=(C1) Albany River Rats vs. (C4) Cornwall Aces

=(C2) Adirondack Red Wings vs. (C3) Rochester Americans

Southern Division

=(S1) Binghamton Rangers vs. (C5) Syracuse Crunch

=(S2) Hershey Bears vs. (S3) Baltimore Bandits

Division Finals

Northern Conference

Atlantic Division

=(A2) Saint John Flames vs. (A4) Fredericton Canadiens

Northern Division

=(N1) Springfield Falcons vs. (N3) Portland Pirates

Southern Conference

Central Division

=(C3) Rochester Americans vs. (C4) Cornwall Aces

Southern Division

=(S3) Baltimore Bandits vs. (C5) Syracuse Crunch

Conference finals

Northern Conference

(A2) Saint John Flames vs. (N3) Portland Pirates

Southern Conference

(C3) Rochester Americans vs. (C5) Syracuse Crunch

Calder Cup Final

(C3) Rochester Americans vs. (N3) Portland Pirates

See also

References