1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season

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1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Division2nd Pacific
1996–97 record36–33–13
Goals for245
Goals against233
Team information
General managerJack Ferreira
CoachRon Wilson
CaptainPaul Kariya
ArenaArrowhead Pond of Anaheim
Minor league affiliate(s)Baltimore Bandits (AHL)
Team leaders
GoalsTeemu Selanne (51)
AssistsTeemu Selanne (58)
PointsTeemu Selanne (109)
Penalty minutesWarren Rychel (218)
Plus/minusPaul Kariya (+36)
WinsGuy Hebert (29)
Goals against averageGuy Hebert (2.67)

The 1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the fourth season in franchise history. The team qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Offseason[]

Forward Paul Kariya was named team captain, following the retirement of defenceman Randy Ladouceur.

The Ducks only made one trade in the summer as the team looked good enough for the future following last season's late run, trading Mike Maneluk to the Ottawa Senators for Kevin Brown on July 1st. Just before the season started Anaheim made another deal with Ottawa, trading Shaun Van Allen and Jason York in exchange for Ted Drury and Marc Moro.

Regular season[]

The previous season of 1995-96 the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim had just narrowly missed the playoffs after being in the chase for the first time. The team put together a run of 12-4-3 over the final two months of the season to finish even with the Winnipeg Jets at 78 points in the standings, but the Jets earned the final spot thanks to having one more win.

So the Mighty Ducks start to the 96–97 season with a month of October that saw the team go 1-9-2 including an eight-game losing streak was a huge disappointment to say the least. Anaheim was held to two or fewer goals eight times during the stretch, and the two times they exploded for six goals in a game they ended up having to settle for a tie.

With all of four points through the first month, Anaheim was bottom of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. The division-leading Colorado Avalanche were 11 points clear, and the Los Angeles Kings held the eighth and final playoff spot six point clear of the Mighty Ducks. Over the course of the rest of the season three teams, including Anaheim, would unseat the teams in playoff positioning in the West after the first month.

The combination of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya was synonymous with the Mighty Ducks of the mid-late 1990s, so lacking one half of that dynamic duo at the start of the season was a major issue. Kariya missed the first 11 games of the campaign with a pulled abdominal muscle, contributing greatly the Anaheim offensive woes.

Selanne lead the team in scoring through the first month with six goals and seven assists in the 12 games, with Kevin Todd in second with four goals and seven assists. Veteran Jari Kurri, signed in the offseason from the Rangers, contributed as well with three goals and four assists, while on the backend Roman Oksiuta chipped in three goals and five assists and Fredrik Olausson had two goals and three assists.

The lack of scoring punch affected the defense as well. For the full season Anaheim averaged 28.4 shots per game while allowing 32.7, yet during the opening month the Mighty Ducks put 26.8 shots on goal per game while allowing 32.5. Anaheim averaged 2.3 goals per game during October, well below their eventual season average of 3.0, while surrendering 4.2 against per game. Goalie Guy Hebert struggled as well, posting a .874 save percentage amidst the lack of support.

Anaheim didn't immediately vault up the standings with Kariya returning to the lineup in November, but the play stabilized and the team wouldn't lose more than three straight (which happened only twice) with Kariya and Selanne reunited. The offense kicked in to gear, with the Mighty Ducks averaging 3.3 goals per game in November and 3.7 goals per game in December.

By the time the All Star break rolled around Anaheim had pulled its season record up to 17-22-5, and Selanne, Kariya, and Hebert were all named to the Western Conference All Star team, giving the Mighty Ducks their first season with multiple All Star Game representatives. Selanne posted 25 goals and 31 assists in all 44 of the Mighty Ducks' games, while Kariya had 16 goals and 28 assists in 31 games. Hebert recovered as well, backstopping Anaheim to a 13-9-3 mark in his 26 starts following October with a .928 SV% and four shutouts during the span.

In the three months that followed the abysmal opening one, the Mighty Ducks didn't immediately vault upwards standings-wise, but they began winning more than they were losing. A 6-5-2 November was built upon with a 6-5-1 December. January saw Anaheim post a 7-5-1 mark before a 6-6-1 February. With two months left in the season the Mighty Ducks sat at 26-30-7, but were primed to make their big run.

After a 3–1 loss at the Great Western Forum to Los Angeles on February 20, Anaheim began its best run of form for the season. The Mighty Ducks picked up points in 12 consecutive games, going 7-0-5 from February 22 to March 19, winning five and tying three against eventual playoff qualifiers during the stretch. Selanne and Kariya again lead the way, Selanne with 11 goals and eight assists while Kariya posted seven goals and 10 assists.

Yet Anaheim also saw significant contributions from Steve Rucchin with two goals and nine assists, Joe Sacco's two goals and six assists, and Ted Drury potting four goals and dishing two assists. The defense chipped in with Dmitri Mironov scoring three goals and adding eight assists, while Darren Van Impe had two goals and five assists. Hebert was lights-out as well, appearing in every game during the streak with a .946 SV%, and had nine games with more than 30 saves and two with more than 40.

The Mighty Ducks closed the season out with another unbeaten streak, going 5-0-2 over the final seven games. From February 22 on Anaheim went a league-best 13-3-7 to help the team sew up its first winning record, first playoff berth, and home ice against the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round. Selanne finished second in the league with 51 goals and second with 109 points, while Kariya earned Lady Byng honors with 99 points in 69 games while taking just three minor penalties.


Final standings[]

Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Colorado Avalanche 82 49 24 9 277 205 107
2 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 36 33 13 243 231 85
3 7 Edmonton Oilers 82 36 37 9 252 247 81
4 9 Vancouver Canucks 82 35 40 7 257 273 77
5 10 Calgary Flames 82 32 41 9 214 239 73
6 12 Los Angeles Kings 82 28 43 11 214 268 67
7 13 San Jose Sharks 82 27 47 8 211 278 62

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference[1]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – Colorado Avalanche PAC 82 49 24 9 277 205 107
2 Dallas Stars CEN 82 48 26 8 252 198 104
3 Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 38 26 18 253 197 94
4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 36 33 13 245 233 85
5 Phoenix Coyotes CEN 82 38 37 7 240 243 83
6 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 36 35 11 236 239 83
7 Edmonton Oilers PAC 82 36 37 9 252 247 81
8 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 34 35 13 223 210 81
9 Vancouver Canucks PAC 82 35 40 7 257 273 77
10 Calgary Flames PAC 82 32 41 9 214 239 73
11 Toronto Maple Leafs CEN 82 30 44 8 230 273 68
12 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 28 43 11 214 268 67
13 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 27 47 8 211 278 62

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy


Schedule and results[]

Regular season schedule
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 5, 1996 1–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 0–1–0
2 T October 7, 1996 6–6 OT @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 0–1–1
3 W October 9, 1996 2–0 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 1–1–1
4 T October 10, 1996 6–6 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 1–1–2
5 L October 12, 1996 2–4 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 1–2–2
6 L October 16, 1996 3–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 1–3–2
7 L October 18, 1996 1–4 San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 1–4–2
8 L October 20, 1996 1–5 Boston Bruins (1996–97) 1–5–2
9 L October 22, 1996 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) 1–6–2
10 L October 24, 1996 1–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1996–97) 1–7–2
11 L October 27, 1996 1–4 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 1–8–2
12 L October 30, 1996 3–6 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 1–9–2
13 W November 1, 1996 4–3 San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 2–9–2
14 T November 3, 1996 1–1 OT Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 2–9–3
15 L November 6, 1996 5–6 Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) 2–10–3
16 W November 8, 1996 7–4 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 3–10–3
17 L November 11, 1996 2–3 Dallas Stars (1996–97) 3–11–3
18 W November 13, 1996 3–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 4–11–3
19 L November 15, 1996 3–4 @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) 4–12–3
20 L November 17, 1996 2–4 @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 4–13–3
21 T November 20, 1996 2–2 OT New York Islanders (1996–97) 4–13–4
22 W November 23, 1996 3–0 @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 5–13–4
23 W November 24, 1996 3–1 Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 6–13–4
24 L November 27, 1996 2–3 St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 6–14–4
25 W November 29, 1996 2–0 Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 7–14–4
26 W December 1, 1996 4–2 Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 8–14–4
27 W December 4, 1996 3–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 9–14–4
28 T December 6, 1996 1–1 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 9–14–5
29 L December 7, 1996 3–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 9–15–5
30 W December 9, 1996 5–2 @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) 10–15–5
31 L December 11, 1996 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) 10–16–5
32 W December 13, 1996 5–4 Washington Capitals (1996–97) 11–16–5
33 W December 20, 1996 7–0 Calgary Flames (1996–97) 12–16–5
34 L December 23, 1996 1–2 Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 12–17–5
35 L December 27, 1996 2–3 @ New York Rangers (1996–97) 12–18–5
36 L December 28, 1996 3–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 12–19–5
37 W December 30, 1996 4–3 OT @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 13–19–5
38 W January 1, 1997 3–0 @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) 14–19–5
39 L January 3, 1997 2–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) 14–20–5
40 L January 6, 1997 1–5 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 14–21–5
41 W January 8, 1997 3–2 Florida Panthers (1996–97) 15–21–5
42 W January 10, 1997 5–2 Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) 16–21–5
43 W January 12, 1997 3–2 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 17–21–5
44 L January 15, 1997 1–2 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 17–22–5
45 W January 22, 1997 3–1 New Jersey Devils (1996–97) 18–22–5
46 L January 23, 1997 3–6 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 18–23–5
47 T January 25, 1997 2–2 OT @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 18–23–6
48 W January 27, 1997 4–1 @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 19–23–6
49 L January 29, 1997 1–3 @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) 19–24–6
50 W January 31, 1997 6–3 Hartford Whalers (1996–97) 20–24–6
51 L February 2, 1997 2–5 Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 20–25–6
52 L February 4, 1997 3–4 @ New York Islanders (1996–97) 20–26–6
53 L February 5, 1997 2–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 20–27–6
54 W February 8, 1997 2–1 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 21–27–6
55 L February 9, 1997 1–6 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 21–28–6
56 W February 12, 1997 5–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) 22–28–6
57 L February 15, 1997 2–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 22–29–6
58 W February 17, 1997 5–1 Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 23–29–6
59 L February 20, 1997 1–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 23–30–6
60 W February 22, 1997 4–2 Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) 24–30–6
61 W February 23, 1997 5–2 Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 25–30–6
62 T February 26, 1997 3–3 OT Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 25–30–7
63 W February 28, 1997 4–1 @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) 26–30–7
64 T March 2, 1997 1–1 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 26–30–8
65 W March 5, 1997 4–1 Ottawa Senators (1996–97) 27–30–8
66 W March 7, 1997 5–2 New York Rangers (1996–97) 28–30–8
67 T March 9, 1997 2–2 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 28–30–9
68 W March 12, 1997 2–1 Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 29–30–9
69 T March 14, 1997 4–4 OT St. Louis Blues (1996–97) 29–30–10
70 T March 16, 1997 2–2 OT Calgary Flames (1996–97) 29–30–11
71 W March 19, 1997 6–2 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 30–30–11
72 L March 21, 1997 3–4 @ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) 30–31–11
73 W March 23, 1997 4–1 @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) 31–31–11
74 L March 25, 1997 2–3 @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) 31–32–11
75 L March 26, 1997 3–5 @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) 31–33–11
76 W March 28, 1997 4–3 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 32–33–11
77 W March 30, 1997 1–0 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) 33–33–11
78 T April 1, 1997 3–3 OT Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) 33–33–12
79 T April 2, 1997 5–5 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 33–33–13
80 W April 4, 1997 3–2 Dallas Stars (1996–97) 34–33–13
81 W April 9, 1997 4–1 Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) 35–33–13
82 W April 11, 1997 4–3 @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) 36–33–13

[2]

Playoffs[]

Main article: 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Mighty Ducks qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Anaheim beat Phoenix 4–3 in the 1st round but was swept in the 2nd round by Detroit 4–0.

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4, Phoenix Coyotes 3[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 16 Phoenix Coyotes 2-4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1-0
2 April 18 Phoenix Coyotes 2-4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2-0
3 April 20 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1-4 Phoenix Coyotes 2-1
4 April 22 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0-2 Phoenix Coyotes 2-2
5 April 24 Phoenix Coyotes 5-2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2-3
6 April 27 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3-2 OT Phoenix Coyotes 3-3
7 April 29 Phoenix Coyotes 0-3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4-3

Detroit Red Wings 4, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 May 2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1-2 OT Detroit Red Wings 4-4
2 May 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2-3 OT Detroit Red Wings 4-5
3 May 6 Detroit Red Wings 5-3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4-6
4 May 8 Detroit Red Wings 3-2 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4-7

Player statistics[]

Skaters[]

Goaltending[]

Regular Season
Player GP GS TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Guy Hebert 67 66 3,862:36 29 25 12 172 2.67 2,133 .919 4 0 1 4
Mikhail Shtalenkov 24 16 1,078:47 7 8 1 52 2.89 539 .904 2 0 0 4
Mike O'Neill 1 0 31:16 0 0 0 3 5.76 10 .700 0 0 0 0
Playoffs
Player GP GS TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Guy Hebert 9 9 533:31 4 4 18 2.02 255 .929 1 0 0 0
Mikhail Shtalenkov 4 2 211:27 0 3 10 2.84 162 .938 0 0 0 2

† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Mighty Ducks. Stats reflect time with the Mighty Ducks only.
‡ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Mighty Ducks only.

Awards and records[]

Awards[]

Records[]

  • Teemu Selanne – most points in a season (109)
  • Paul Kariya – most plus/minus in a season (+36)
  • Guy Hebert – most ties in a season (12)
  • Guy Hebert – most shots against in a season (2133)

Transactions[]

July 1, 1996 To Mighty Ducks
Kevin Brown 		To Ottawa Senators
Mike Maneluk
October 1, 1996 To Mighty Ducks
Espen Knutsen 		To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Brown
October 1, 1996 To Mighty Ducks
Ted Drury
Marc Moro 		To Ottawa Senators
Shaun Van Allen
Jason York
November 18, 1996 To Mighty Ducks
Brian Bellows 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
6th-round pick in 1997
November 19, 1996 To Mighty Ducks
Shawn Antoski
Dmitri Mironov 		To Pittsburgh Penguins
Alex Hicks
Fredrik Olausson
February 21, 1997 To Mighty Ducks
J. J. Daigneault 		To Pittsburgh Penguins
Garry Valk
March 18, 1997 To Mighty Ducks
Richard Park 		To Pittsburgh Penguins
Roman Oksiuta
March 18, 1997 To Mighty Ducks
Mark Janssens 		To Hartford Whalers
Bates Battaglia
4th-round pick in 1998

Draft picks[]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/junior/club team
1 9 Ruslan Salei D  Belarus Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)
2 35 Matt Cullen C  United States St. Cloud State University (NCAA)
5 117 Brendan Buckley D  United States Boston College (NCAA)
61 149 Blaine Russell G  Canada Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
7 172 Timo Ahmaoja D  Finland JYP (Finland)
8 198 Kevin Kellett D  Canada Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
9 224 Tobias Johansson LW  Sweden Malmo IF (Sweden)
Notes
  1. The Mighty Ducks acquired this pick as the result of a trade on July 8, 1995 that sent St. Louis' sixth-round pick in 1995 back to St. Louis in exchange for this pick.
  • The Mighty Ducks third-round pick went to the Phoenix Coyotes (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) as the result of a trade on February 27, 1996 that sent Teemu Selanne, Marc Chouinard and a fourth-round pick in 1996 (92nd overall) to Anaheim in exchange for Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky and this pick (62nd overall).
  • The Mighty Ducks fourth-round pick went to the Dallas Stars as the result of a trade on June 22, 1996 that sent a third-round pick in 1996 (58th overall) to Washington in exchange for a third-round pick in 1996 (70th overall) and this pick (90th overall).
Washington previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on February 2, 1995 that sent Todd Krygier to Anaheim in exchange for this pick.

See also[]

Other Anaheim–based teams in 1996–97[]

*Played Occasional Games in Anaheim

References[]

  1. ^ "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  2. ^ "1996–97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  3. ^ "1996-97 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
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