1996–97 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1996–97 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 88th season and the first full season at the Molson Centre. The Canadiens qualified for the playoffs despite a sub-.500 season. The Canadiens were eliminated in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals (the first round) by the New Jersey Devils 4 games to 1.

1996–97 Montreal Canadiens
Division	4th Northeast
Conference	8th Eastern
1996–97 record	31–36–15
Home record	17–17–7
Road record	14–19–8
Goals for	249
Goals against	276
Team information
General manager	Rejean Houle
Coach	Mario Tremblay
Captain	Pierre Turgeon (Oct.) Vincent Damphousse (Oct.–Apr.)
Arena	Molson Centre
Average attendance	21,001
Minor league affiliate(s)	Fredericton Canadiens Wheeling Nailers
Team leaders
Goals	Mark Recchi (34)
Assists	Vincent Damphousse (54)
Points	Vincent Damphousse (81)
Penalty minutes	Scott Thornton (128)
Plus/minus	Peter Popovic (+9)
Wins	Jocelyn Thibault (22)
Goals against average	Jocelyn Thibault (2.90)
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

Offseason

Regular season

On Wednesday, October 16, 1996, the Canadiens scored three short-handed goals in a 4–2 win over the Calgary Flames.^[1]

Pierre Turgeon was traded on October 29, 1996, to the St. Louis Blues. Veteran forward Vincent Damphousse was named the new captain.

The Canadiens finished the regular season 26th in both power-play goals allowed (71) and penalty-killing percentage (79.54%).^[2]

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^[3]

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

Playoffs

In the first game of the series against New Jersey, on April 17, 1997, with the Devils up by two goals late in the game, Martin Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens' empty net to ensure a 5-2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall.^[4]

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season[5]
October: 4–5–2 (home: 4–1–2; road: 0–4–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 T October 5, 1996 3–3 OT Ottawa Senators 0–0–1 Recap 2 T October 7, 1996 6–6 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0–0–2 Recap 3 W October 9, 1996 6–3 Los Angeles Kings 1–0–2 Recap 4 W October 12, 1996 5–2 New York Rangers 2–0–2 Recap 5 L October 15, 1996 2–3 @ New Jersey Devils 2–1–2 Recap 6 W October 16, 1996 4–2 Calgary Flames 3–1–2 Recap 7 L October 19, 1996 3–6 @ Ottawa Senators 3–2–2 Recap 8 L October 24, 1996 3–6 @ Buffalo Sabres 3–3–2 Recap 9 W October 26, 1996 6–5 Philadelphia Flyers 4–3–2 Recap 10 L October 28, 1996 4–5 OT Phoenix Coyotes 4–4–2 Recap 11 L October 30, 1996 3–5 @ Detroit Red Wings 4–5–2 Recap
November: 6–7–2 (home: 3–2–0; road: 3–5–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 12 L November 2, 1996 3–4 OT @ San Jose Sharks 4–6–2 Recap 13 T November 3, 1996 4–4 OT @ Phoenix Coyotes 4–6–3 Recap 14 W November 6, 1996 6–5 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 5–6–3 Recap 15 L November 7, 1996 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings 5–7–3 Recap 16 L November 9, 1996 2–5 @ Colorado Avalanche 5–8–3 Recap 17 W November 11, 1996 3–2 OT Edmonton Oilers 6–8–3 Recap 18 L November 13, 1996 3–5 Florida Panthers 6–9–3 Recap 19 L November 15, 1996 1–3 @ Washington Capitals 6–10–3 Recap 20 W November 16, 1996 6–1 Vancouver Canucks 7–10–3 Recap 21 L November 20, 1996 1–3 @ Hartford Whalers 7–11–3 Recap 22 W November 21, 1996 6–2 @ Boston Bruins 8–11–3 Recap 23 W November 23, 1996 4–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 9–11–3 Recap 24 W November 25, 1996 4–2 Tampa Bay Lightning 10–11–3 Recap 25 T November 27, 1996 2–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins 10–11–4 Recap 26 L November 30, 1996 0–2 Washington Capitals 10–12–4 Recap
December: 3–6–3 (home: 1–5–0; road: 2–1–3) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 27 L December 1, 1996 2–6 @ New York Rangers 10–13–4 Recap 28 L December 4, 1996 3–4 Boston Bruins 10–14–4 Recap 29 W December 6, 1996 3–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks 11–14–4 Recap 30 W December 7, 1996 3–2 Chicago Blackhawks 12–14–4 Recap 31 L December 11, 1996 2–3 OT Buffalo Sabres 12–15–4 Recap 32 T December 14, 1996 3–3 OT @ New Jersey Devils 12–15–5 Recap 33 L December 16, 1996 2–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 12–16–5 Recap 34 L December 21, 1996 2–3 OT New York Rangers 12–17–5 Recap 35 L December 23, 1996 0–6 Ottawa Senators 12–18–5 Recap 36 T December 26, 1996 3–3 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins 12–18–6 Recap 37 T December 28, 1996 4–4 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning 12–18–7 Recap 38 W December 29, 1996 2–1 @ Florida Panthers 13–18–7 Recap
January: 6–7–1 (home: 4–3–0; road: 2–4–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 39 W January 1, 1997 6–4 @ Dallas Stars 14–18–7 Recap 40 T January 2, 1997 2–2 OT @ St. Louis Blues 14–18–8 Recap 41 W January 4, 1997 3–1 New York Islanders 15–18–8 Recap 42 W January 6, 1997 5–4 Hartford Whalers 16–18–8 Recap 43 L January 9, 1997 4–5 @ Boston Bruins 16–19–8 Recap 44 W January 11, 1997 6–3 Boston Bruins 17–19–8 Recap 45 L January 13, 1997 1–2 Dallas Stars 17–20–8 Recap 46 L January 14, 1997 2–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 17–21–8 Recap 47 W January 20, 1997 4–1 Detroit Red Wings 18–21–8 Recap 48 L January 22, 1997 1–6 @ Buffalo Sabres 18–22–8 Recap 49 L January 25, 1997 1–8 St. Louis Blues 18–23–8 Recap 50 L January 26, 1997 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–24–8 Recap 51 L January 28, 1997 1–5 @ Florida Panthers 18–25–8 Recap 52 W January 30, 1997 4–1 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 19–25–8 Recap
February: 4–5–3 (home: 2–3–2; road: 2–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 53 T February 1, 1997 4–4 OT New Jersey Devils 19–25–9 Recap 54 T February 3, 1997 2–2 OT Florida Panthers 19–25–10 Recap 55 L February 5, 1997 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 19–26–10 Recap 56 L February 6, 1997 5–9 @ Philadelphia Flyers 19–27–10 Recap 57 W February 8, 1997 3–2 OT Hartford Whalers 20–27–10 Recap 58 W February 10, 1997 4–2 San Jose Sharks 21–27–10 Recap 59 T February 12, 1997 2–2 OT @ Buffalo Sabres 21–27–11 Recap 60 L February 15, 1997 1–4 New Jersey Devils 21–28–11 Recap 61 W February 17, 1997 4–1 @ New York Islanders 22–28–11 Recap 62 L February 22, 1997 1–5 Toronto Maple Leafs 22–29–11 Recap 63 W February 25, 1997 4–2 @ Vancouver Canucks 23–29–11 Recap 64 L February 28, 1997 2–3 @ Calgary Flames 23–30–11 Recap
March: 5–4–3 (home: 2–2–2; road: 3–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 65 W March 1, 1997 5–4 @ Edmonton Oilers 24–30–11 Recap 66 L March 5, 1997 3–7 Colorado Avalanche 24–31–11 Recap 67 L March 7, 1997 0–2 @ Hartford Whalers 24–32–11 Recap 68 T March 8, 1997 3–3 OT Buffalo Sabres 24–32–12 Recap 69 T March 10, 1997 2–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins 24–32–13 Recap 70 W March 13, 1997 3–0 @ Boston Bruins 25–32–13 Recap 71 T March 15, 1997 2–2 OT Ottawa Senators 25–32–14 Recap 72 W March 19, 1997 5–4 @ New York Rangers 26–32–14 Recap 73 L March 22, 1997 1–3 Washington Capitals 26–33–14 Recap 74 W March 24, 1997 3–1 Boston Bruins 27–33–14 Recap 75 W March 26, 1997 8–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 28–33–14 Recap 76 L March 29, 1997 2–5 @ Ottawa Senators 28–34–14 Recap
April: 3–2–1 (home: 1–1–1; road: 2–1–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 77 W April 2, 1997 4–1 @ Hartford Whalers 29–34–14 Recap 78 L April 5, 1997 1–4 Hartford Whalers 29–35–14 Recap 79 W April 7, 1997 2–1 New York Islanders 30–35–14 Recap 80 W April 9, 1997 3–1 @ New York Islanders 31–35–14 Recap 81 L April 10, 1997 2–3 @ Washington Capitals 31–36–14 Recap 82 T April 12, 1997 3–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers 31–36–15 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs[5]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) New Jersey Devils – Devils win 4–1 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 L April 17, 1997 2–5 @ New Jersey Devils Devils lead 1–0 Recap 2 L April 19, 1997 1–4 @ New Jersey Devils Devils lead 2–0 Recap 3 L April 22, 1997 4–6 New Jersey Devils Devils lead 3–0 Recap 4 W April 24, 1997 4–3 3OT New Jersey Devils Devils lead 3–1 Recap 5 L April 26, 1997 0–4 @ New Jersey Devils Devils win 4–1 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
25	Vincent Damphousse	C	82	27	54	81	−6	82	5	0	0	0	−5	2
8	Mark Recchi	RW	82	34	46	80	−1	58	5	4	2	6	2	2
49	Brian Savage	LW	81	23	37	60	−14	39	5	1	1	2	1	0
11	Saku Koivu	C	50	17	39	56	7	38	5	1	3	4	1	10
26	Martin Rucinsky	LW	70	28	27	55	1	62	5	0	0	0	−5	4
44	Stephane Richer	RW	63	22	24	46	0	32	5	0	0	0	−3	0
18	Valeri Bure	RW	64	14	21	35	4	6	5	0	1	1	−4	2
38	Vladimir Malakhov	D	65	10	20	30	3	43	5	0	0	0	−3	6
17	Benoit Brunet	LW	39	10	13	23	6	14	4	1	3	4	4	4
5	Stephane Quintal	D	71	7	15	22	1	100	5	0	1	1	−1	6
30	Turner Stevenson	RW	65	8	13	21	−14	97	5	1	1	2	1	2
27[a]	Shayne Corson†	LW	47	6	15	21	−5	80	5	1	0	1	−5	4
24	Scott Thornton	LW	73	10	10	20	−19	128	5	1	0	1	1	2
42	Darcy Tucker	RW	73	7	13	20	−5	110	4	0	0	0	0	0
28	Marc Bureau	C	43	6	9	15	4	16	—	—	—	—	—	—
3[b]	David Wilkie	D	61	6	9	15	−9	63	2	0	0	0	0	2
43	Patrice Brisebois	D	49	2	13	15	−7	24	3	1	1	2	3	24
34	Peter Popovic	D	78	1	13	14	9	32	3	0	0	0	−3	2
71	Sebastien Bordeleau	C	28	2	9	11	−3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
77	Pierre Turgeon‡	C	9	1	10	11	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Jassen Cullimore†	D	49	2	6	8	4	42	2	0	0	0	−1	2
22	Chris Murray‡	RW	56	4	2	6	−8	114	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Murray Baron†‡	D	60	1	5	6	−16	107	—	—	—	—	—	—
52	Craig Rivet	D	35	0	4	4	7	54	5	0	1	1	−2	14
37	Dave Manson†	D	9	1	1	2	−1	23	5	0	0	0	6	17
20	Eric Houde	C	13	0	2	2	1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
53	Rory Fitzpatrick‡	D	6	0	1	1	−2	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Donald Brashear‡	LW	10	0	0	0	−2	38	—	—	—	—	—	—
32	Brad Brown	D	8	0	0	0	−1	22	—	—	—	—	—	—
48	Francois Groleau	D	5	0	0	0	0	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
39	Pat Jablonski‡	G	17	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
51	David Ling†	RW	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
14	Terry Ryan	LW	3	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Pierre Sevigny	LW	13	0	0	0	0	5	—	—	—	—	—	—
60	Jose Theodore	G	16	0	0	0		0	2	0	0	0		0
41	Jocelyn Thibault	G	61	0	0	0		0	3	0	0	0		0
37	Tomas Vokoun	G	1	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
41	Jocelyn Thibault	61	22	24	11	1815	164	2.90	.910	1	3397	3	0	3	101	13	4.36	.871	0	179
60	Jose Theodore	16	5	6	2	508	53	3.87	.896	0	821	2	1	1	108	7	2.51	.935	0	168
39	Pat Jablonski‡	17	4	6	2	438	50	3.98	.886	0	754	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
37	Tomas Vokoun	1	0	0	0	14	4	12.00	.714	0	20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Mark Recchi	[6]
Team	Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy	Stephane Quintal	[7]
	Molson Cup	Mark Recchi	[8]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Terry Ryan	October 26, 1996	[9]
	Eric Houde	December 29, 1996
	Brad Brown	January 11, 1997
	David Ling
	Tomas Vokoun	February 6, 1997

Transactions

Draft picks

Montreal's picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.^[10]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team
1	18	Matt Higgins	Centre	Canada	Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
2	44	Mathieu Garon	Goalie	Canada	Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
3	71	Arron Asham	Right Wing	Canada	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
4	92	Kim Staal	Left Wing	Denmark	Malmö IF (Sweden)
4	99	Etienne Drapeau	Centre	Canada	Beauport Harfangs (QMJHL)
5	127	Daniel Archambault	Defence	Canada	Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
6	154	Brett Clark	Defence	Canada	University of Maine (NCAA)
7	181	Timo Vertala	Left Wing	Finland	JYP (Finland)
8	207	Mattia Baldi	Left Wing	Switzerland	Ambri-Piotta (Swiss)
9	233	Michel Tremblay	Left Wing	Canada	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)

See also

• 1996–97 NHL season

Notes

1. Corson wore number 29 in his first six games.
2. Wilkie wore number 27 through November 9.

References

• "Montreal Canadiens 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
• "1996-97 Montreal Canadiens Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.

1. "Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens Box Score — October 16, 1996".
2. "1996-97 NHL Summary".
3. "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
4. "Martin Brodeur - Facts". MartinBrodeur.net. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
5. "1996-97 Montreal Canadiens Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
6. "1997 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
7. Montreal Canadiens 2014–2015 Media Guide, p.553
8. Montreal Canadiens 2014–2015 Media Guide, p.552
9. "1996-97 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
10. "1996 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.