The 1996–97 WHL season was the 31st season for the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
. Eighteen teams completed a 72-game season. The
Lethbridge Hurricanes
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the Eastern Conference (Central Division) of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Lethbridge, Alberta, and play their home games at the E ...
won the
President's Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...
.
League notes
*The
Edmonton Ice
The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1996 to 1998.
History
The WHL expanded to Edmonton in 1996, and the Ice began play at the Northlands Agri ...
joined the WHL as its 18th franchise, playing in the Central Division.
*The
Swift Current Broncos
The Swift Current Broncos are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. Founded during 1967 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, the Broncos played seven seasons before relocating to Lethbridge from 1974 to 1986 as the Lethbridge Broncos ...
moved to the East Division.
Regular season
Final standings
Scoring leaders
''Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes''
Goaltending leaders
''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties ; GA = Goals against; SO = Total shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average''
1997 WHL Playoffs
*Top eight teams in the Eastern Conference (East and Central divisions) qualified for playoffs
*Top six teams in the Western Conference (division) qualified for the playoffs
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Conference semifinals
Conference finals
WHL Championship
All-Star game
On January 22, the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 7–5 at
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
before a WHL record crowd of 10,455.
WHL awards
All-Star Teams
See also
*
1997 Memorial Cup
The 1997 Memorial Cup occurred May 10–18 at the Robert Guertin Centre in Hull, Quebec. It was the 79th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Participating t ...
*
1997 NHL Entry Draft
The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997.
As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton.
Selections ...
*
1996 in sports
1996 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* Alpine Skiing World Cup
** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway
** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany
American football
* Super Bowl ...
*
1997 in sports
1997 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
* Alpine Skiing World Cup
** Men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France
** Women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden
American football
* Super Bowl ...
References
whl.ca* 2005–06 WHL Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 WHL season
Western Hockey League seasons
WHL
WHL