1995–96 Colorado Avalanche season
The 1995–96 Colorado Avalanche season was the first season of the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise after moving from Quebec City to Denver. As a result, the Avalanche were assigned to the Pacific Division of the NHL's Western Conference.
1995–96 Colorado Avalanche | |
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Stanley Cup champions | |
Western Conference champions | |
Pacific Division champions | |
Division | 1st Pacific |
Conference | 2nd Western |
1995–96 record | 47–25–10 |
Home record | 24–10–7 |
Road record | 23–15–3 |
Goals for | 326 (2nd) |
Goals against | 240 (T-8th) |
Team information | |
General manager | Pierre Lacroix |
Coach | Marc Crawford |
Captain | Joe Sakic |
Alternate captains | Mike Ricci Sylvain Lefebvre |
Arena | McNichols Sports Arena |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Joe Sakic (51) |
Assists | Peter Forsberg (86) |
Points | Joe Sakic (120) |
Penalty minutes | Chris Simon (250) |
Wins | Patrick Roy Stephane Fiset (22) |
Goals against average | Patrick Roy (2.68) |
Regular season
The Avalanche played their first game in the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver on October 6, 1995, winning 3–2 against the Detroit Red Wings.[1] Led by captain Joe Sakic, forward Peter Forsberg and defenceman Adam Foote on the ice, Pierre Lacroix as the general manager, and Marc Crawford as the head coach, the Avalanche got stronger when former Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy joined the team. Feeling humiliated for being left in the net after having conceded 9 goals on 26 shots during a Canadiens game against the Red Wings, Roy joined the Avalanche on December 6, 1995, together with ex-Montreal captain Mike Keane in a trade for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko.[2] Roy would prove a pivotal addition for Colorado in the years to come.
On January 3, 1996, the Avalanche lost at home, 1–0, to the New Jersey Devils. It was the first time in 123 consecutive regular-season games that the team was shut out; the last time the team had been shut out was while they were the Quebec Nordiques. That game took place on January 27, 1994, and the Nordiques lost on the road, 3–0, to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Avalanche finished the regular season with a 47–25–10 record for 104 points, won the Pacific Division and finished second in the Western Conference. They scored 326 goals: an average of nearly 4 per game. Despite allowing the most short-handed goals in the league, with 22, they also scored the most short-handed goals, with 21.[3] Four Avalanche players scored at least 30 goals.[4]
- December 11, 1995: Patrick Roy earned his first victory in net as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.[5] It was a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In November 1990, Brian Hayward was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for defenseman Jayson More.[6]
- February 5, 1996: Patrick Roy played the Canadiens for the first time since he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.[7] Roy stopped 37 of 39 shots in a 4-2 win. After the game, Roy took the game puck and flipped it to Canadiens head coach Mario Tremblay.[8]
Season standings
No. | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
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1 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 47 | 25 | 10 | 326 | 240 | 104 |
2 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 241 | 240 | 79 |
3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | 278 | 278 | 79 |
4 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 35 | 39 | 8 | 234 | 247 | 78 |
5 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | 240 | 304 | 68 |
6 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 256 | 302 | 66 |
7 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 20 | 55 | 7 | 252 | 357 | 47 |
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | p – Detroit Red Wings | CEN | 82 | 62 | 13 | 7 | 325 | 181 | 131 |
2 | Colorado Avalanche | PAC | 82 | 47 | 25 | 10 | 326 | 240 | 104 |
3 | Chicago Blackhawks | CEN | 82 | 40 | 28 | 14 | 273 | 220 | 94 |
4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | CEN | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 247 | 252 | 80 |
5 | St. Louis Blues | CEN | 82 | 32 | 34 | 16 | 219 | 248 | 80 |
6 | Calgary Flames | PAC | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 241 | 240 | 79 |
7 | Vancouver Canucks | PAC | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | 278 | 278 | 79 |
8 | Winnipeg Jets | CEN | 82 | 36 | 40 | 6 | 275 | 291 | 78 |
9 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PAC | 82 | 35 | 39 | 8 | 234 | 247 | 78 |
10 | Edmonton Oilers | PAC | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | 240 | 304 | 68 |
11 | Dallas Stars | CEN | 82 | 26 | 42 | 14 | 227 | 280 | 66 |
12 | Los Angeles Kings | PAC | 82 | 24 | 40 | 18 | 256 | 302 | 66 |
13 | San Jose Sharks | PAC | 82 | 20 | 55 | 7 | 252 | 357 | 47 |
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy
Schedule and results
1995–96 Game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 7–3–1 (home: 5–0–1; road: 2–3–0)
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November: 8–2–3 (home: 3–0–1; road: 5–2–2)
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December: 7–6–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 4–3–1)
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January: 4–4–4 (home: 1–1–4; road: 3–3–0)
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February: 9–3–1 (home: 7–1–1; road: 2–2–0)
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March: 8–5–0 (home: 3–3–0; road: 5–2–0)
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April: 4–2–0 (home: 2–2–0; road: 2–0–0)
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Playoffs
Colorado progressed to the playoffs and won the series against the Vancouver Canucks, the Chicago Blackhawks and Presidents' Trophy winners Detroit Red Wings. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Avalanche met the Florida Panthers, who were also in their first Stanley Cup final. The Avalanche swept the series 4–0. In Game Four, during the third overtime and after more than 100 minutes of play with no goals, defenceman Uwe Krupp scored to claim the franchise's first Cup.[10] Joe Sakic was the playoff's scoring leader with 34 points (18 goals and 16 assists) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player to his team during the playoffs. The 1996 Stanley Cup was the first major professional championship won by a Denver team.[11] With the Stanley Cup win, Russians Alexei Gusarov and Valeri Kamensky and Swede Peter Forsberg became members of the "Triple Gold Club", the exclusive group of ice hockey players who have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold and the Stanley Cup.[12]
1996 Stanley Cup playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western Conference Quarter-final vs. Vancouver - Colorado wins 4–2
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Western Conference Semi-final vs. Chicago - Colorado wins 4–2
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Western Conference Final vs. Detroit - Colorado wins 4–2
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Stanley Cup Final vs. Florida - Colorado wins 4–0
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Player statistics
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Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Scoring | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Goaltending | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note: Pos = Position; 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
Team trophies
Player awards and trophies
1996 NHL All-Star Game
Colorado Avalanche NHL All-Star representatives in the 1996 NHL All-Star Game at the FleetCenter in Boston.
- Joe Sakic, C, (Western Conference All-Stars)
- Peter Forsberg, C, (Western Conference All-Stars)
- Marc Crawford, Assistant Coach, (Western Conference All-Stars)
Transactions
Trades
July 7, 1995 | To Calgary Flames David Ling 9th round pick in 1995 |
To Colorado Avalanche 9th round pick in 1995 |
July 12, 1995 | To Washington Capitals 3rd round pick in 1996 |
To Colorado Avalanche John Slaney |
July 12, 1995 | To Philadelphia Flyers Garth Snow |
To Colorado Avalanche 3rd and 6th round picks in 1996 |
October 2, 1995 | To Washington Capitals Cash |
To Colorado Avalanche Warren Rychel |
October 3, 1995 | To New York Islanders Wendel Clark |
To Colorado Avalanche Claude Lemieux |
October 5, 1995 | To Tampa Bay Lightning Steven Finn |
To Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in 1997 |
October 26, 1995 | To San Jose Sharks Owen Nolan |
To Colorado Avalanche Sandis Ozolinsh |
November 1, 1995 | To Calgary Flames Claude Lapointe |
To Colorado Avalanche 7th round pick in 1996 |
December 6, 1995 | To Montreal Canadiens Andrei Kovalenko Jocelyn Thibault Martin Rucinsky |
To Colorado Avalanche Patrick Roy Mike Keane |
December 28, 1995 | To Los Angeles Kings John Slaney |
To Colorado Avalanche Conditional draft pick in 1996 |
January 26, 1996 | To Ottawa Senators Janne Laukkanen |
To Colorado Avalanche Brad Larsen |
March 19, 1996 | To Calgary Flames Paxton Schulte |
To Colorado Avalanche Vesa Viitakoski |
March 20, 1996 | To Buffalo Sabres 6th round pick in 1996 |
To Colorado Avalanche Dave Hannan |
April 3, 1996 | To Washington Capitals Anson Carter |
To Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in 1996 |
Other transactions
Date | Player | Transaction |
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August 8, 1995 | Troy Murray | Signed as a free agent |
September 8, 1995 | Andrei Kovalenko | Signed as a free agent |
September 8, 1995 | Curtis Leschyshyn | Signed as a free agent |
September 9, 1995 | Scott Young | Signed as a free agent |
October 2, 1995 | Ted Drury | Claimed by Ottawa in the waiver draft |
October 2, 1995 | Bill Huard | Claimed by Dallas in the waiver draft |
Roster
1995-96 Colorado Avalanche | ||||||
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Goaltenders
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Defensemen
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Wingers
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Centers
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Draft picks
Colorado's picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team (league) |
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1 | 25 | Marc Denis | Canada | Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) |
2 | 51 | Nic Beaudoin | Canada | Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL) |
3 | 77 | John Tripp | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
4 | 81 | Tomi Kallio | Finland | Kiekko-67 Turku (FinD1) |
5 | 129 | Brent Johnson | United States | Owen Sound Platers (OHL). |
6 | 155 | John Cirjak | Canada | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) |
7 | 181 | Dan Smith | Canada | University of British Columbia (CIAU) |
8 | 207 | Tomi Hirvonen | Finland | Ilves Jrs. (Finland) |
9 | 228 | Chris George | Canada | Sarnia Sting (OHL) |
See also
References
General
Footnotes
- "October 6, 1995 - Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche gamesheet". Colorado Avalanche Database. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- Sadowski, Rick (2006-06-29). "Roy gets call he's in Hall". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1996.html
- https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/COL/1996.html
- Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
- Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.278, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
- Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
- Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.383 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
- "1995-1996 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
- Ulman, Howard (1996-06-11). "No stopping the Avalanche - Colorado completes Cup sweep of Panthers with 3OT victory". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
- "Miscellaneous/Community/Altitude" (PDF). Colorado Avalanche. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- "Triple Gold Club" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- "1995-96 Colorado Avalanche Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-07-10.