The
1996–97 Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
season was the
71st National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. The highlight of the Red Wings season was winning the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
, their first since
1955
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
.
Off-season
On July 23, 1996, Detroit Red Wings President
Bill Evo
Bill Evo (born February 21, 1954) is an American lawyer and a former professional ice hockey player and executive.
Hockey career
Evo played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Peterborough Petes from 1971 to 1974. He was s ...
resigned his position after serving just ten months at the team's helm. The Nickname "Hockeytown" was coined to launch the start of a five-year marketing campaign.
Regular season
The "HOCKEYTOWN" logo, a Red Wings logo overlapped with the term "HOCKEYTOWN," was shown over center ice starting this season and was still there .
A season highlight was
Sergei Fedorov
Sergei Viktorovich Fyodorov (; born December 13, 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current head coach of CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During his playing career, for which he is best known fo ...
's five-goal performance on December 26, 1996, in a game against the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
. The Red Wings won 5–4 in overtime. Fedorov's fifth goal of the game came at 2:39 of the overtime period.
On February 8, 1997, coach
Scotty Bowman achieved his 1000th victory as an NHL head coach against his previous team, the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
.
On March 26, 1997, the
Red Wings–Avalanche brawl
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
continued to fuel the rivalry between the teams. Detroit won that game 6–5 in overtime.
Season standings
Schedule and results
Regular season
Playoffs
Playoffs
The Red Wings won the
1997 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1997 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1996–97 season, and the culmination of the 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hocke ...
, their first
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
since the
1954–55 NHL season
The 1954–55 NHL season was the 38th season of the National Hockey League. The Detroit Red Wings were the Stanley Cup champions as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to three in the best-of-seven final series. The Canadiens were w ...
.
Six days after winning the Stanley Cup, tragedy struck when defenseman
Vladimir Konstantinov
Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov (russian: Владимир Николаевич Константинов; born March 19, 1967) is a Russians, Russian-Americans, American former professional ice hockey player who played his entire National Hocke ...
, defenseman
Viacheslav Fetisov, and massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov were involved in a limousine accident. The driver, who later said he fell asleep, had a suspended license for previous drunk driving convictions.
Player statistics
All statistics were compiled while playing for the Red Wings.
Skaters
Goaltending
† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Red Wings. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only.
‡ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes;
GS = Games started; TOI = Time on ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage;
Awards and records
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Signings
Waivers
Retirement
Draft picks
Detroit's picks at the
1996 NHL Entry Draft
The 1996 NHL Entry Draft was the 34th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 22, 1996.
The last active player in the NHL from this draft class was Zdeno Chára, who retired after the 2021–22 season.
...
.
[1996 NHL Entry Draft Result]
hockeydb.com
/ref>
;Notes
# The Red Wings acquired this pick as the result of a trade on April 4, 1995 that sent Mike Sillinger
Michael John Sillinger (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 17 seasons. Sillinger played for twelve different teams and was traded nine times during his NHL c ...
and Jason York
Jason Andrew York (born May 20, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL) and current broadcaster. A defenceman, he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Ottawa Senators, N ...
to Anaheim in exchange for Stu Grimson
Stuart Grimson (born May 20, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Grimson played in the National Hockey League from 1989 to 2002. During this time, he played for the Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Mighty Ducks of Anahe ...
, Mark Ferner
Mark E. Ferner (born September 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman.
Ferner was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. Selected 194th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, Ferner also played for the Washin ...
and this pick.
* The Red Wings third-round pick went to the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
as the result of a trade on August 17, 1995 that sent David Shaw to Tampa Bay in exchange for this pick (80th overall).
::Tampa Bay previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on August 17, 1995 that sent Marc Bergevin
Marc Bergevin (born August 11, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He is currently senior advisor to the general manager of the Los Angeles Kings. Bergevin played as a defenceman in the NHL.
Playing career
As ...
and Ben Hankinson
Benjamin John Hankinson (born May 1, 1969) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger.
Playing career
Hankinson played 43 games in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning between 1993 and 199 ...
to Detroit in exchange for Shawn Burr
Shawn Christopher Burr (July 1, 1966 – August 5, 2013) was a professional ice hockey left winger. Burr played in the NHL for parts of 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000.
Playing career
Burr was drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the De ...
and this pick.
References
Red Wings on Hockey Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Detroit Red Wings Season
Stanley Cup championship seasons
D
D
Detroit Red Wings seasons
Western Conference (NHL) championship seasons
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
1997 Stanley Cup