1996–97 Hartford Whalers season

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1996–97 Hartford Whalers
Division5th Northeast
Conference10th Eastern
1996–97 record32–39–11
Home record23–15–3
Road record9–24–8
Goals for226
Goals against256
Team information
General managerJim Rutherford
CoachPaul Maurice
CaptainBrendan Shanahan (Oct)
Kevin Dineen (Oct–Apr)
Alternate captainsGlen Wesley
Andrew Cassels
ArenaHartford Civic Center
Average attendance13,680 (87.5%) [1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Springfield Falcons (AHL)
Richmond Renegades (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsGeoff Sanderson (36)
AssistsAndrew Cassels (44)
PointsGeoff Sanderson (67)
Penalty minutesStu Grimson (218)
Plus/minusSami Kapanen (+6)
WinsSean Burke (22)
Goals against averageSean Burke (2.69)

The 1996–97 Hartford Whalers season was the 25th season of the franchise and the 18th and final season in Hartford. The Whalers would move to Greensboro, North Carolina, the next season to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

Key dates prior to the start of the season:

Off-season[]

On June 22, the Whalers participated in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Hartford did not have a selection in the first round, as the pick was traded to the Boston Bruins as part of the trade that brought Glen Wesley to the Whalers. In the second round, Hartford made their first selection of the draft, as they drafted from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League with the 34th overall pick in the draft. Wasyluk scored 25 goals and 46 points in 69 games during the 1995-96 season. Other notable selections by the Whalers included Craig MacDonald in the fourth round, and Craig Adams in the ninth round.

The Whalers acquired Kevin Brown in a trade with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange for Espen Knutsen on October 1. Brown played in seven games with the Los Angeles Kings during the 1995-96 season, scoring one goal. Brown spent the majority of the season with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL, scoring 10 goals and 26 points in 45 games. He also played in eight games with the Prince Edward Island Senators of the AHL, scoring three goals and nine points after he was traded from the Kings to the Ottawa Senators during the season.

On October 2, Hartford claimed Kent Manderville off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. In 37 games with the Oilers during the 1995-96 where he scored three goals and eight points.

Regular season[]

On April 13, 1997, the Whalers played their last game in Hartford, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1. Fittingly, team captain Kevin Dineen scored the final goal in Whaler history.

The final words from SportsChannel New England with Play by play voice John Forslund at the end of the game were as follows:

"It's over folks, it's been a great ride. The Whalers will go out, winners".

Final standings[]

Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 2 Buffalo Sabres 82 40 30 12 237 208 92
2 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 38 36 8 285 280 84
3 7 Ottawa Senators 82 31 36 15 226 234 77
4 8 Montreal Canadiens 82 31 36 15 249 276 77
5 10 Hartford Whalers 82 32 39 11 226 256 75
6 13 Boston Bruins 82 26 47 9 234 300 61
Eastern Conference[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 45 23 14 231 182 104
2 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 40 30 12 237 208 92
3 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 45 24 13 274 217 103
4 Florida Panthers ATL 82 35 28 19 221 201 89
5 New York Rangers ATL 82 38 34 10 258 231 86
6 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 38 36 8 285 280 84
7 Ottawa Senators NE 82 31 36 15 226 234 77
8 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 31 36 15 249 276 77
9 Washington Capitals ATL 82 33 40 9 214 231 75
10 Hartford Whalers NE 82 32 39 11 226 256 75
11 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 32 40 10 217 247 74
12 New York Islanders ATL 82 29 41 12 240 250 70
13 Boston Bruins NE 82 26 47 9 234 300 61

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Schedule and results[]

No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1 W October 5, 1996 1–0 Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 1–0–0 15,635
2 W October 8, 1996 7–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 2–0–0 11,240
3 L October 12, 1996 0–6 @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) 2–1–0 14,703
4 W October 17, 1996 3–1 @ New York Islanders (1996–97) 3–1–0 8,019
5 W October 19, 1996 6–2 New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 4–1–0 14,476
6 W October 24, 1996 4–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 5–1–0 12,328
7 L October 26, 1996 3–6 @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 5–2–0 16,193
8 T October 30, 1996 2–2 OT New York Islanders (1996–97) 5–2–1 11,936
9 T October 31, 1996 4–4 OT @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) 5–2–2 13,284
10 L November 2, 1996 2–3 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 5–3–2 13,425
11 L November 4, 1996 1–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 5–4–2 19,983
12 W November 6, 1996 5–1 Boston Bruins (1996–97) 6–4–2 13,026
13 L November 8, 1996 1–4 Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 6–5–2 14,460
14 W November 9, 1996 4–3 OT Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 7–5–2 13,352
15 W November 12, 1996 4–3 @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 8–5–2 17,742
16 W November 14, 1996 2–1 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 9–5–2 14,968
17 T November 16, 1996 4–4 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 9–5–3 16,061
18 W November 20, 1996 3–1 Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 10–5–3 13,033
19 L November 22, 1996 1–7 Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 10–6–3 14,572
20 T November 23, 1996 3–3 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 10–6–4 14,648
21 L November 27, 1996 2–6 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 10–7–4 14,289
22 T November 29, 1996 1–1 OT @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) 10–7–5 14,703
23 W November 30, 1996 6–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 11–7–5 16,375
24 T December 3, 1996 4–4 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 11–7–6 13,816
25 W December 5, 1996 4–2 @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) 12–7–6 14,955
26 W December 7, 1996 6–4 Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 13–7–6 13,464
27 W December 11, 1996 5–2 Florida Panthers (1996–97) 14–7–6 11,884
28 L December 12, 1996 2–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 14–8–6 19,124
29 L December 14, 1996 0–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 14–9–6 14,590
30 L December 16, 1996 2–5 @ New York Rangers (1996–97) 14–10–6 18,200
31 W December 17, 1996 5–3 St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 15–10–6 12,922
32 L December 20, 1996 1–4 Dallas Stars (1996–97) 15–11–6 12,945
33 W December 21, 1996 6–5 OT Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 16–11–6 12,082
34 L December 26, 1996 1–5 @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 16–12–6 18,595
35 W December 28, 1996 3–2 Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 17–12–6 14,092
36 L December 29, 1996 3–4 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 17–13–6 20,502
37 L January 1, 1997 2–3 OT @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) 17–14–6 12,608
38 L January 2, 1997 4–5 OT Boston Bruins (1996–97) 17–15–6 14,403
39 T January 4, 1997 1–1 OT Washington Capitals (1996–97) 17–15–7 14,613
40 L January 6, 1997 4–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 17–16–7 20,292
41 L January 9, 1997 2–3 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 17–17–7 17,121
42 L January 10, 1997 3–5 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 17–18–7 17,378
43 L January 12, 1997 1–2 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 17–19–7 14,301
44 L January 15, 1997 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 17–20–7 14,502
45 W January 20, 1997 3–1 Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 18–20–7 13,002
46 W January 22, 1997 2–1 OT Florida Panthers (1996–97) 19–20–7 12,627
47 L January 24, 1997 2–5 New York Islanders (1996–97) 19–21–7 14,619
48 W January 25, 1997 5–1 @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 20–21–7 18,595
49 L January 30, 1997 3–5 @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 20–22–7 11,036
50 L January 31, 1997 3–6 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) 20–23–7 17,174
51 L February 5, 1997 2–5 @ New York Rangers (1996–97) 20–24–7 18,200
52 W February 6, 1997 5–3 @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) 21–24–7 15,213
53 L February 8, 1997 2–3 OT @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 21–25–7 21,273
54 L February 12, 1997 2–3 New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 21–26–7 12,710
55 L February 13, 1997 0–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 21–27–7 14,138
56 W February 15, 1997 2–1 Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 22–27–7 13,767
57 L February 16, 1997 2–4 @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 22–28–7 18,338
58 T February 19, 1997 2–2 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 22–28–8 19,484
59 W February 21, 1997 7–2 New York Rangers (1996–97) 23–28–8 14,660
60 W February 22, 1997 2–0 Washington Capitals (1996–97) 24–28–8 14,311
61 T February 26, 1997 2–2 OT Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 24–28–9 13,121
62 L February 28, 1997 2–3 San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 24–29–9 13,547
63 L March 2, 1997 2–5 Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 24–30–9 14,660
64 W March 5, 1997 2–0 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 25–30–9 12,140
65 W March 7, 1997 2–0 Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 26–30–9 14,341
66 T March 8, 1997 1–1 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 26–30–10 15,726
67 W March 12, 1997 6–3 Boston Bruins (1996–97) 27–30–10 13,155
68 L March 13, 1997 0–6 @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 27–31–10 16,244
69 L March 15, 1997 2–4 Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 27–32–10 14,437
70 L March 16, 1997 3–5 @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) 27–33–10 18,130
71 L March 20, 1997 1–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 27–34–10 17,959
72 L March 21, 1997 0–2 @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) 27–35–10 16,522
73 L March 25, 1997 0–4 Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 27–36–10 14,191
74 W March 27, 1997 5–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 28–36–10 19,984
75 W March 29, 1997 2–1 New York Rangers (1996–97) 29–36–10 14,660
76 L April 2, 1997 1–4 Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 29–37–10 14,177
77 T April 3, 1997 5–5 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 29–37–11 17,284
78 W April 5, 1997 4–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 30–37–11 21,273
79 W April 7, 1997 4–2 Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 31–37–11 14,660
80 L April 9, 1997 4–5 @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 31–38–11 18,500
81 L April 11, 1997 4–6 @ New York Islanders (1996–97) 31–39–11 15,382
82 W April 13, 1997 2–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 32–39–11 14,660

[3]

Playoffs[]

Player statistics[]

Regular season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Geoff Sanderson LW 82 36 31 67 29 -9 12 1 4
Andrew Cassels C 81 22 44 66 46 -16 8 0 2
Keith Primeau C 75 26 25 51 161 -3 6 3 2
Kevin Dineen RW 78 19 29 48 141 -6 8 0 5
Nelson Emerson RW 66 9 29 38 34 -21 2 1 2
Steven Rice RW 78 21 14 35 59 -11 5 0 2
Glen Wesley D 68 6 26 32 40 0 3 1 0
Jeff O'Neill RW 72 14 16 30 40 -24 2 1 2
Sami Kapanen RW 45 13 12 25 2 6 3 0 2
Robert Kron LW 68 10 12 22 10 -18 2 0 4
Paul Ranheim LW 67 10 11 21 18 -13 0 3 1
Curtis Leschyshyn D 64 4 13 17 30 -19 1 1 1
Steve Chiasson D 18 3 11 14 7 -10 3 0 0
Adam Burt D 71 2 11 13 79 -13 0 0 0
Kent Manderville C 44 6 5 11 18 3 0 0 1
Gerald Diduck D 56 1 10 11 40 -9 0 0 1
Paul Coffey D 20 3 5 8 18 0 1 0 1
Kevin Haller D 35 2 6 8 48 -11 0 0 0
Glen Featherstone D 41 2 5 7 87 0 0 0 0
Andrei Nikolishin C 12 2 5 7 2 -2 0 0 0
Alexander Godynyuk D 55 1 6 7 41 -10 0 0 1
Derek King LW 12 3 3 6 2 0 1 0 0
Mark Janssens C 54 2 4 6 90 -10 0 0 0
Marek Malik D 47 1 5 6 50 5 0 0 1
Stu Grimson LW 75 2 2 4 218 -7 0 0 0
Kevin Brown RW 11 0 4 4 6 -6 0 0 0
Hnat Domenichelli LW 13 2 1 3 7 -4 1 0 0
Kelly Chase RW 28 1 2 3 122 2 0 0 0
Chris Murray RW 8 1 1 2 10 1 0 0 0
Sean Burke G 51 0 2 2 14 0 0 0 0
Jeff Daniels LW 10 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0
Nolan Pratt D 9 0 2 2 6 0 0 0 0
Brian Glynn D 1 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 0
Brendan Shanahan LW 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
Steve Martins C 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Jason Muzzatti G 31 0 1 1 18 0 0 0 0
Jeff Brown D 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jean-Sebastien Giguere G 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jason McBain D 6 0 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Sean Burke 2985 51 22 22 6 134 2.69 4 1560 1426 .914
Jason Muzzatti 1591 31 9 13 5 91 3.43 0 815 724 .888
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 394 8 1 4 0 24 3.65 0 201 177 .881
Team: 4970 82 32 39 11 249 3.01 4 2576 2327 .903

[4]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus-minus PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals;
      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA=Shots Against; SV=Shots saved; SV% = Save Percentage;

Awards and records[]

Records[]

Milestones[]

Transactions[]

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season.

Trades[]

October 1, 1996 To Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Espen Knutsen 		To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Brown
October 9, 1996 To Detroit Red Wings
Brendan Shanahan
Brian Glynn 		To Hartford Whalers
Paul Coffey
Keith Primeau
1st round pick in 1997 - Nikos Tselios
November 9, 1996 To Washington Capitals
Andrei Nikolishin 		To Hartford Whalers
Curtis Leschyshyn
December 15, 1996 To Philadelphia Flyers
Paul Coffey
3rd round pick in 1997 - 		To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Haller
1st round pick in 1997 - Scott Hannan
7th round pick in 1997 -
March 5, 1997 To Calgary Flames
Hnat Domenichelli
Glen Featherstone
2nd round pick in 1997 -
3rd round pick in 1998 - Paul Manning 		To Hartford Whalers
Steve Chiasson
3rd round pick in 1997 - Francis Lessard
March 18, 1997 To Toronto Maple Leafs
Kelly Chase 		To Hartford Whalers
8th round pick in 1998 - Jaroslav Svoboda
March 18, 1997 To Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Mark Janssens 		To Hartford Whalers
Bates Battaglia
4th round pick in 1998 - Josef Vasicek
March 18, 1997 To New York Islanders
5th round pick in 1997 - 		To Hartford Whalers
Derek King
March 18, 1997 To Phoenix Coyotes
Gerald Diduck 		To Hartford Whalers
Chris Murray

Waivers[]

October 2, 1996 From Edmonton Oilers
Kent Manderville
October 12, 1996 From Detroit Red Wings
Stu Grimson

Free agents[]

Player New Team
Scott Daniels Philadelphia Flyers
Brad McCrimmon Phoenix Coyotes
David Williams Boston Bruins
Kevin Smyth Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
John Stevens Philadelphia Flyers

Draft picks[]

Hartford's picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
2 34 Trevor Wasyluk Left wing  Canada Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
3 61 Right wing  Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
4 88 Craig MacDonald Center  Canada Harvard University (ECAC)
4 104 Steve Wasylko Center  Canada Detroit Whalers (OHL)
5 116 Mark McMahon Defense  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
6 143 Aaron Baker Goaltender  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
7 171 Greg Kuznik Defense  Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
8 197 Kevin Marsh Left wing  Canada Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
9 223 Craig Adams Right wing  Canada Harvard University (ECAC)
9 231 Left wing  Russia Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia)

Farm teams[]

American Hockey League[]

ECHL[]

Roster[]

1996-97 Hartford Whalers
Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centers

Departure from Hartford[]

In 1994, Compuware founder Peter Karmanos purchased the Whalers. Karmanos pledged to keep the Whalers in Hartford for four years. Frustrated with lackluster attendance and corporate support, he announced in 1996 that if the Whalers were unable to sell at least 11,000 season tickets for the 1996–97 season, he would likely move the team. Furthermore, ownership only made season tickets available in full-season (41-game) packages, eliminating the popular five- and ten-game "mini plans," in a strategy largely designed to spur purchases from wealthier corporations and individuals. Sales were underwhelming at the beginning of the campaign, and at the end of the 1995–96 season it was still unknown whether the Whalers would stay in Connecticut or move. However, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, and the creative efforts of many fans (who pooled together resources to purchase some of the full-season packages collectively) the Whalers announced that they would stay in Connecticut for the 1996–97 season.

In early 1996, negotiations between the Whalers and Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland to build a new $147.5 million arena seemed to be going well. However, negotiations fell apart when Rowland and the State refused Karmanos' demand to reimburse the Whalers for up to $45 million in losses during the three years the new arena was to be built. As a result, the team announced on March 26, 1997, that they would leave Hartford, one of the few times that a team announced it would leave its current city without having already selected a new city. Many suspected that Governor John G. Rowland did not want to keep the Whalers, as he harbored hopes of instead landing an NFL franchise. Ideally, Rowland wanted to use the state's resources to build a new stadium to lure the New England Patriots to Connecticut and did not have serious intentions of building an NHL arena for the Whalers.[5] [6] [7]

References[]

  1. ^ https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=6045
  2. ^ "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  3. ^ "1996–97 Hartford Whalers Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
  4. ^ "1996-97 Hartford Whalers Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  5. ^ How's It Goin', Pete? Part 4
  6. ^ "The Recorder". Archived from the original on May 15, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  7. ^ The Patriots Nix Hartford, Stay in Foxboro - Background Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine
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