1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season

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1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins
Northeast Division champions
Division1st Northeast
Conference2nd Eastern
1995–96 record49–29–4
Home record32–9–0
Road record17–20–4
Goals for362
Goals against284
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachEddie Johnston
CaptainMario Lemieux
Alternate captainsRon Francis
Jaromir Jagr
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Team leaders
GoalsMario Lemieux (69)
AssistsMario Lemieux (92)
PointsMario Lemieux (161)
Penalty minutesFrancois Leroux (161)
WinsTom Barrasso (29)
Goals against averageKen Wregget (3.24)

The 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season saw the return of Mario Lemieux after missing an entire season due to injuries. The Penguins improved to first in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference. In the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins progressed to the Conference Finals before losing to the Florida Panthers.

Off-season[]

Regular season[]

Mario Lemieux's return to the NHL after missing the entire 1994–95 season energized the Penguins and re-instituted the team's finesse game for the 1995–96 season. The Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference with 102 points, leading all League teams in goals (362), even-strength goals (235), power-play goals (109), power-play percentage (25.95%) and shooting percentage while scoring 362 goals on just 2,645 shots (13.7%).[1][2] Despite missing 12 regular-season games, Lemieux led the NHL in goals (69), assists (92), points (161) power-play goals (31) and shorthanded goals (8). Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr had a career year, scoring 62 goals (second in the League), 87 assists (third in the League) and 149 points (second in the League). The third 100-point scorer on the team was Ron Francis, who tallied 27 goals and 92 assists (tied for first in the NHL with Lemieux) for 119 points. Petr Nedved scored 45 goals and had 54 assists for 99 points in 80 games—he finished second in the NHL in shooting percentage, with 22.1%.[3] Despite missing over a quarter of the season, Tomas Sandstrom also had a strong year, scoring 35 goals and picking up 35 assists for 70 points in 58 games.

Lemieux scored three goals or more in a game six times, and four goals or more in a game twice. On March 26, 1996, he scored five goals in a home game against the St. Louis Blues. Lemieux tallied two even-strength goals, two power-play goals and one short-handed goal in the game, which the Penguins won 8–4.

Season standings[]

Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA PTS
1 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 49 29 4 362 284 102
2 Boston Bruins 82 40 31 11 282 269 91
3 Montreal Canadiens 82 40 32 10 265 248 90
4 Hartford Whalers 82 34 39 9 237 259 77
5 Buffalo Sabres 82 33 42 7 247 262 72
6 Ottawa Senators 82 18 59 5 191 291 41
Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 45 24 13 282 208 103
2 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 49 29 4 362 284 102
3 New York Rangers ATL 82 41 27 14 272 237 96
4 Florida Panthers ATL 82 41 31 10 254 234 92
5 Boston Bruins NE 82 40 31 11 282 269 91
6 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 40 32 10 265 248 90
7 Washington Capitals ATL 82 39 32 11 234 204 89
8 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 38 32 12 238 248 88
9 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 37 33 12 215 202 86
10 Hartford Whalers NE 82 34 39 9 237 259 77
11 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 33 42 7 247 262 73
12 New York Islanders ATL 82 22 50 10 229 315 54
13 Ottawa Senators NE 82 18 59 5 191 291 41

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Schedule and results[]

1995–96 Schedule
October: 4–2–2 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 2–1–2), 10 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
1 Oct 7 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–8 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0–0 2
2 Oct 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–6 OT Colorado Avalanche 1–0–1 3
3 Oct 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Chicago Blackhawks 1–1–1 3
4 Oct 14 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1–1 5
5 Oct 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 OT Hartford Whalers 2–1–2 6
6 Oct 21 Los Angeles Kings 3–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2–2 6
7 Oct 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–5 New York Islanders 3–2–2 8
8 Oct 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 New Jersey Devils 4–2–2 10
November: 10–3–1 (Home: 6–1–0 ; Road: 4–2–1), 21 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
9 Nov 1 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–10 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2–2 12
10 Nov 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT Buffalo Sabres 5–2–3 13
11 Nov 4 Philadelphia Flyers 4–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–2–3 15
12 Nov 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Ottawa Senators 7–2–3 17
13 Nov 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 9–1 San Jose Sharks 8–2–3 19
14 Nov 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Los Angeles Kings 8–3–3 19
15 Nov 14 Dallas Stars 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 9–3–3 21
16 Nov 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 OT Washington Capitals 10–3–3 23
17 Nov 18 Washington Capitals 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–3–3 25
18 Nov 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–9 New York Rangers 11–4–3 25
19 Nov 22 New York Rangers 4–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–5–3 25
20 Nov 25 Buffalo Sabres 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 12–5–3 27
21 Nov 28 Ottawa Senators 2–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 13–5–3 29
22 Nov 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 9–6 Boston Bruins 14–5–3 31
December: 10–4–0 (Home: 7–1–0 ; Road: 3–3–0), 20 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
23 Dec 1 Florida Panthers 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 15–5–3 33
24 Dec 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 16–5–3 35
25 Dec 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 New York Islanders 17–5–3 37
26 Dec 7 Montreal Canadiens 5–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–5–3 39
27 Dec 9 Hartford Whalers 0–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 19–5–3 41
28 Dec 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 19–6–3 41
29 Dec 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–1 Dallas Stars 20–6–3 43
30 Dec 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–6 Philadelphia Flyers 20–7–3 43
31 Dec 19 Calgary Flames 1–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–7–3 45
32 Dec 22 Montreal Canadiens 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–8–3 45
33 Dec 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1 Montreal Canadiens 21–9–3 45
34 Dec 26 Buffalo Sabres 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 22–9–3 47
35 Dec 28 Hartford Whalers 4–9 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–9–3 49
36 Dec 30 Florida Panthers 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 24–9–3 51
January: 7–7–0 (Home: 5–3–0 ; Road: 2–4–0), 14 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
37 Jan 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Washington Capitals 24–10–3 51
38 Jan 3 Ottawa Senators 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 25–10–3 53
39 Jan 5 Detroit Red Wings 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–10–3 55
40 Jan 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 St. Louis Blues 26–11–3 55
41 Jan 8 Vancouver Canucks 5–8 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–11–3 57
42 Jan 12 Montreal Canadiens 6–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–12–3 57
43 Jan 13 San Jose Sharks 10–8 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–13–3 57
44 Jan 16 Colorado Avalanche 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–14–3 57
45 Jan 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 Buffalo Sabres 28–14–3 59
46 Jan 22 Boston Bruins 6–7 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 29–14–3 61
47 Jan 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Ottawa Senators 30–14–3 63
48 Jan 27 Philadelphia Flyers 4–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–14–3 65
49 Jan 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Florida Panthers 31–15–3 65
50 Jan 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 31–16–3 65
February: 6–5–1 (Home: 4–0–0 ; Road: 2–5–1), 13 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
51 Feb 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 Detroit Red Wings 31–17–3 65
52 Feb 6 Boston Bruins 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 32–17–3 67
53 Feb 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 OT New Jersey Devils 32–17–4 68
54 Feb 10 Chicago Blackhawks 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 33–17–4 70
55 Feb 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Toronto Maple Leafs 33–18–4 70
56 Feb 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 Winnipeg Jets 34–18–4 72
57 Feb 18 New York Rangers 3–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 35–18–4 74
58 Feb 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Buffalo Sabres 35–19–4 74
59 Feb 23 Hartford Whalers 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–19–4 76
60 Feb 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Montreal Canadiens 36–20–4 76
61 Feb 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–4 Vancouver Canucks 37–20–4 78
62 Feb 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Calgary Flames 37–21–4 78
March: 9–5–0 (Home: 6–2–0 ; Road: 3–3–0), 18 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
63 Mar 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Edmonton Oilers 38–21–4 80
64 Mar 5 Winnipeg Jets 4–9 Pittsburgh Penguins 39–21–4 82
65 Mar 7 Ottawa Senators 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 40–21–4 84
66 Mar 9 New Jersey Devils 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 40–22–4 84
67 Mar 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Hartford Whalers 40–23–4 84
68 Mar 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Boston Bruins 40–24–4 84
69 Mar 16 New York Islanders 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 41–24–4 86
70 Mar 21 Edmonton Oilers 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 42–24–4 88
71 Mar 23 Buffalo Sabres 7–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 42–25–4 88
72 Mar 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–2 New York Rangers 43–25–4 90
73 Mar 26 St. Louis Blues 4–8 Pittsburgh Penguins 44–25–4 92
74 Mar 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Florida Panthers 45–25–4 94
75 Mar 30 New Jersey Devils 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 46–25–4 96
76 Mar 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Philadelphia Flyers 46–26–4 96
April: 3–3–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 1–2–0), 6 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points
77 Apr 4 Washington Capitals 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 47–26–4 98
78 Apr 6 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 48–26–4 100
79 Apr 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 Hartford Whalers 48–27–4 100
80 Apr 10 New York Islanders 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 48–28–4 100
81 Apr 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Ottawa Senators 49–28–4 102
82 Apr 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–6 Boston Bruins 49–29–4 102
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs[]

In the 1996 Playoffs, the Penguins advanced to the third round for the first time since 1992, defeating the Washington Capitals in six games and the New York Rangers in five games. In the Eastern Conference finals, the heavily favored Penguins were upset in seven games by the defense-oriented Florida Panthers.

1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: 4–2 (Home: 1–2 ; Road: 3–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home Attendance Record
1 Apr 17 Washington Capitals 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 16,238 0–1
2 Apr 19 Washington Capitals 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,181 0–2
3 Apr 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Washington Capitals 18,130 1–2
4 Apr 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 4OT Washington Capitals 18,130 2–2
5 Apr 26 Washington Capitals 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,215 3–2
6 Apr 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Washington Capitals 17,256 4–2
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (Home: 2–1 ; Road: 2–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home Attendance Record
1 May 3 New York Rangers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,181 1–0
2 May 5 New York Rangers 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,181 0–1
3 May 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 New York Rangers 18,200 2–1
4 May 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 New York Rangers 18,200 3–1
5 May 11 New York Rangers 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,355 4–1
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–3 (Home: 2–2 ; Road: 1–2)
# Date Visitor Score Home Attendance Record
1 May 18 Florida Panthers 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,355 0–1
2 May 20 Florida Panthers 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,181 1–1
3 May 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Florida Panthers 14,703 1–2
4 May 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 Florida Panthers 14,703 2–2
5 May 28 Florida Panthers 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,355 3–2
6 May 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Florida Panthers 14,703 3–3
7 Jun 1 Florida Panthers 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 17,355 3–4
Legend:        = Win        = Loss

Suspensions[]

Player Length Date Reason
Ron Francis 2 games February 27, 1996 Checking from behind

Injuries[]

Player Injury Date
Tom Barrasso Pulled Groin (DTD) December 7, 1995
Tom Barrasso Shoulder injury (Out Indefinitely) February 5, 1996
Stefan Bergkvist Appendectomy February 21, 1996

Player statistics[]

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[7]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Tom Barrasso 49 2799:01 29 16 2 160 3.43 1626 0.902 2 0 3 18
Ken Wregget 37 2132:15 20 13 2 115 3.24 1205 0.905 3 0 2 8
Total 4931:16 49 29 4 275 3.35 2831 0.903 5 0 5 26
Playoffs[8]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ken Wregget 9 598:47 7 2 0 23 2.30 328 0.93 0 0 1 0
Tom Barrasso 10 557:30 4 5 0 26 2.80 337 0.923 1 0 0 8
Total 1156:17 11 7 0 49 2.54 665 0.926 1 0 1 8

†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[]

Awards[]

Player Award
Ron Francis Player's Player Award
Pittsburgh Penguins Masterton Nominee
Jaromir Jagr Bob Johnson Memorial Award
NHL First All-Star Team
Mario Lemieux Most Valuable Player Award
Booster Club Award
Leading Point Scorer Award
Hart Memorial Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
Lester B. Pearson Award
NHL First All-Star Team
Petr Nedved Unsung Hero Award
Disaster Specialists "Baz" Bastien Memorial "Good Guy" Award
Dave Roche Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award

Transactions[]

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1995–96 season:[9]

Trades[]

July 8, 1995 To Toronto Maple Leafs

Larry Murphy

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Dmitri Mironov
1996 2nd round pick

August 1, 1995 To Boston Bruins

Kevin Stevens
Shawn McEachern

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Glen Murray
Bryan Smolinski
1996 3rd round pick

August 31, 1995 To New York Rangers

Luc Robitaille
Ulf Samuelsson

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Petr Nedved
Sergei Zubov

December 28, 1995 To Winnipeg Jets

Norm MacIver

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Neil Wilkinson

March 1, 1996 To Ottawa Senators

1996 8th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Dave McLlwain

March 20, 1996 To Vancouver Canucks

Markus Naslund

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Alek Stojanov

March 20, 1996 To St. Louis Blues

1996 6th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Jean-Jacques Daigneault

March 20, 1996 To San Jose Sharks

1996 5th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Kevin Miller

Free agents[]

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Troy Murray Colorado Avalanche August 7, 1995
Corey Foster Ottawa Senators August 7, 1995
Peter Taglianetti Boston Bruins August 9, 1995
Peter Allen Boston Bruins August 10, 1995
Mike Hudson Toronto Maple Leafs August 28, 1995
Joe Mullen Boston Bruins September 8, 1995
John Cullen Tampa Bay Lightning September 11, 1995
Ladislav Karabin Buffalo Sabres September 20, 1995

Signings[]

Player Date
Brad Lauer August 10, 1995
Evgeny Davydov August 10, 1995
Troy Crowder August 10, 1995
Glen Murray September 8, 1995

Other[]

Name Date Details
Evgeny Davydov September 25, 1995 Released
Perry Ganchar October 15, 1995 Retired

Roster[]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age NHL Draft Birthplace
38 Canada Peter Allen D R 26 1991 Calgary, Alberta
28 Canada Greg Andrusak D R 26 1988 Cranbrook, British Columbia
35 United States Tom Barrasso G R 31 1983 Boston, Massachusetts
9 Canada Len Barrie C L 27 1988 Kimberley, British Columbia
55 Canada Drake Berehowsky D R 24 1990 Toronto, Ontario
33 Sweden Stefan Bergqvist D L 21 1993 Leksand, Sweden
28 Canada Jeffrey Christian LW L 25 1988 Burlington, Ontario
36 Canada J. J. Daigneault D L 30 1984 Montreal, Quebec
16 United States Joe Dziedzic LW L 24 1990 Minneapolis, Minnesota
52 United States Rusty Fitzgerald C L 23 1991 Minneapolis, Minnesota
4 Canada Corey Foster D L 26 1988 Ottawa, Ontario
10 Canada Ron Francis (A) C L 33 1981 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
68 Czech Republic Jaromir Jagr (A) RW L 24 1990 Kladno, Czech Republic
23 Canada Chris Joseph D R 26 1987 Burnaby, British Columbia
14 Canada Brad Lauer RW L 29 1985 Humboldt, Saskatchewan
66 Canada Mario Lemieux (C) C R 30 1984 Montreal, Quebec
18 Canada Francois Leroux D L 26 1988 Ste-Adele, Quebec
26 Canada Dave McLlwain C L 29 1986 Seaforth, Ontario
8 United States Kevin Miller C R 30 1984 Lansing, Michigan
15 Russia Dmitri Mironov D R 30 1991 Moscow, Russia
24 United States Ian Moran D R 23 1990 Cleveland, Ohio
27 Canada Glen Murray RW R 23 1991 Halifax, Nova Scotia
93 Czech Republic Petr Nedved C L 24 1990 Liberec, Czech Republic
76 United States Richard Park RW R 20 1994 Seoul, South Korea
44 Canada Ed Patterson RW R 23 1991 Delta, British Columbia
51 Canada Dave Roche LW L 20 1993 Lindsay, Ontario
17 Sweden Tomas Sandstrom RW L 31 1982 Jakobstad, Finland
20 United States Bryan Smolinski C R 24 1990 Toledo, Ohio
11 Canada Alek Stojanov RW L 23 1991 Windsor, Ontario
2 United States Chris Tamer D L 25 1990 Dearborn, Michigan
12 Canada Chris Wells C L 20 1994 Calgary, Alberta
6 Canada Neil Wilkinson D R 28 1986 Selkirk, Manitoba
31 Canada Ken Wregget G L 32 1982 Brandon, Manitoba
56 Russia Sergei Zubov D R 25 1990 Moscow, Russia

Draft picks[]

See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.[10]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 24 Aleksey Morozov Right Wing  Russia Krylja Sovetov (Russia)
3 76 Jean-Sebastien Aubin Goaltender  Canada Sherbrooke Faucons (QMJHL)
4 102 Oleg Belov Center  Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
5 128 Jan Hrdina Center  Czech Republic Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
6 154 Alexei Kolkunov Center  Russia Krylja Sovetov (Russia)
7 180 Derrick Pyke Right Wing  Canada Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
8 206 Sergei Voronov Defense  Russia Moscow Dynamo (Russia)
9 232 Frank Ivankovic Goaltender  Canada Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Draft notes[11]

Farm teams[]

The Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League finished in fifth place in the East Division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Richmond Renegades.

The Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL) finished in third place in the Central Division, but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Michigan K-Wings.

References[]

  1. ^ "1995-96 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ "1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster and Statistics".
  3. ^ "1995-96 NHL Summary".
  4. ^ "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "1995–1996 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "1995–1996 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. ^ "1995–1996 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. ^ "1995–1996 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  9. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  10. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "1995 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
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