1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes season

1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes
Division	3rd Central
Conference	5th Western
1996–97 record	38–37–7
Home record	15–19–7
Road record	23–18–0
Goals for	240
Goals against	243
Team information
General manager	John Paddock (Oct–Dec) Bobby Smith (Dec–Apr)
Coach	Don Hay
Captain	Keith Tkachuk
Arena	America West Arena
Average attendance	15,585
Minor league affiliate(s)	Springfield Falcons Mississippi Sea Wolves
Team leaders
Goals	Keith Tkachuk (52)
Assists	Oleg Tverdovsky (45)
Points	Keith Tkachuk (86)
Penalty minutes	Keith Tkachuk (228)
Plus/minus	Jayson More (+10)
Wins	Nikolai Khabibulin (30)
Goals against average	Nikolai Khabibulin (2.83)

The 1996–97 Phoenix Coyotes season was the team's first of 28 seasons in Arizona in the National Hockey League (NHL) since relocating from Winnipeg the season prior. The franchise's 25th season since its founding in 1972, and 18th season in the National Hockey League since 1979.

Off-season

The Winnipeg Jets team was sold to Phoenix businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke, and in 1996, the club moved to Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes.

In the summer that the move took place, the franchise saw the exit of Jets stars like Teemu Selanne and Alexei Zhamnov, while the team added established superstar Jeremy Roenick from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Regular season

Phoenix's first logo (1996–2003).

Roenick teamed up with power wingers Keith Tkachuk and Rick Tocchet to form a dynamic 1–2–3 offensive punch that led the Coyotes through their first years in Arizona. Also impressive were young players like Shane Doan (who became the last remaining active original Jet in the NHL), Oleg Tverdovsky and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, whom the fans nicknamed the "Bulin Wall."

Forward Keith Tkachuk was renamed captain, replacing Kris King.

Final standings

Central Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Dallas Stars	82	48	26	8	252	198	104
2	3	Detroit Red Wings	82	38	26	18	253	197	94
3	5	Phoenix Coyotes	82	38	37	7	240	243	83
4	6	St. Louis Blues	82	36	35	11	236	239	83
5	8	Chicago Blackhawks	82	34	35	13	223	210	81
6	11	Toronto Maple Leafs	82	30	44	8	230	273	68

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

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

Playoffs

In their first year, the Coyotes managed to make the playoffs. However, they lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4 games to 3 in round one.

Schedule and results

Regular season

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

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (4) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim – Mighty Ducks win 4–3 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 L April 16, 1997 2–4 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty Ducks lead 1–0 Recap 2 L April 18, 1997 2–4 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty Ducks lead 2–0 Recap 3 W April 20, 1997 4–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty Ducks lead 2–1 Recap 4 W April 22, 1997 2–0 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 W April 24, 1997 5–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Coyotes lead 3–2 Recap 6 L April 27, 1997 2–3 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Series tied 3–3 Recap 7 L April 29, 1997 0–3 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Mighty Ducks win 4–3 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; 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 Coyotes only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
7	Keith Tkachuk	LW	81	52	34	86	−1	228	7	6	0	6	2	7
97	Jeremy Roenick	C	72	29	40	69	−7	115	6	2	4	6	6	4
22	Mike Gartner	RW	82	32	31	63	−11	38	7	1	2	3	−1	4
20	Oleg Tverdovsky	D	82	10	45	55	−5	30	7	0	1	1	0	0
15	Craig Janney	C	77	15	38	53	−1	26	7	0	3	3	1	4
77	Cliff Ronning	C	69	19	32	51	−9	26	7	0	7	7	2	12
11	Dallas Drake	RW	63	17	19	36	−11	52	7	0	1	1	−2	2
27	Teppo Numminen	D	82	2	25	27	−3	28	7	3	3	6	3	0
34	Darrin Shannon	LW	82	11	13	24	4	41	7	3	1	4	2	4
21	Bob Corkum	C	80	9	11	20	−7	40	7	2	2	4	−1	4
4	Dave Manson‡	D	66	3	17	20	−25	164	—	—	—	—	—	—
14	Mike Stapleton	C	55	4	11	15	−4	36	7	0	0	0	−1	14
17	Kris King	LW	81	3	11	14	−7	185	7	0	0	0	−1	17
5	Deron Quint	D	27	3	11	14	−4	4	7	0	2	2	2	0
44	Norm Maciver	D	32	4	9	13	−11	24	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Shane Doan	RW	63	4	8	12	−3	49	4	0	0	0	−1	2
26	Jeff Finley	D	65	3	7	10	−8	40	1	0	0	0	−1	2
8	Jim Johnson	D	55	3	7	10	5	74	6	0	0	0	0	4
23	Igor Korolev	C	41	3	7	10	−5	28	1	0	0	0	0	0
33	Jim McKenzie	LW	65	5	3	8	−5	200	7	0	0	0	0	2
18	Chad Kilger	LW	24	4	3	7	−5	13	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	Jay More†	D	23	1	6	7	10	37	7	0	0	0	1	7
10	Brad McCrimmon	D	37	1	5	6	2	18	—	—	—	—	—	—
32	Mike Eastwood‡	C	33	1	3	4	−3	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
4	Gerald Diduck†	D	11	1	2	3	2	23	7	0	0	0	2	10
35	Nikolai Khabibulin	G	72	0	3	3		16	7	0	0	0		6
32	Jocelyn Lemieux†	RW	2	1	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4
43	Darcy Wakaluk	G	16	0	1	1		4	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Murray Baron†	D	8	0	0	0	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0
24	Kevin Dahl	D	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Parris Duffus	G	1	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	Dallas Eakins‡	D	4	0	0	0	−3	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
47	Tavis Hansen	RW	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Mike Hudson†	C	7	0	0	0	−4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
39	Pat Jablonski†	G	2	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
38	Jason Simon	LW	1	0	0	0	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
3	Brent Thompson	D	1	0	0	0	−1	7	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Juha Ylonen	C	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes 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
35	Nikolai Khabibulin	72	30	33	6	2094	193	2.83	.908	7	4091	7	3	4	222	15	2.11	.932	1	426
43	Darcy Wakaluk	16	8	3	1	386	39	2.99	.899	1	782	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Parris Duffus	1	0	0	0	8	1	2.08	.875	0	29	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
39	Pat Jablonski†	2	0	1	0	24	2	2.04	.917	0	59	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Keith Tkachuk
		Oleg Tverdovsky
Team	Hardest Working Player Award	Dallas Drake
	Leading Scorer Award	Keith Tkachuk
	Man of the Year Award	Kris King
	Team MVP Award	Keith Tkachuk
	Three-Star Award	Keith Tkachuk

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Juha Ylonen	February 12, 1997
	Parris Duffus	February 27, 1997

Transactions

Trades

June 22, 1996	To Toronto Maple Leafs 4th round pick in 1996 (Vladimir Antipov)	To Phoenix Coyotes Mike Gartner
July 1, 1996	To Calgary Flames 3rd round pick in 1997 (Erik Andersson)	To Phoenix Coyotes Compensation for head coach Don Hay
August 16, 1996	To Chicago Blackhawks Alexei Zhamnov Craig Mills 1st round pick in 1997 (Ty Jones)	To Phoenix Coyotes Jeremy Roenick
February 6, 1997	To New York Rangers Mike Eastwood Dallas Eakins	To Phoenix Coyotes Jay More
March 18, 1997	To Montreal Canadiens Dave Manson Steve Cheredaryk	To Phoenix Coyotes Murray Baron Pat Jablonski Chris Murray

Waivers

September 30, 1996

From Philadelphia Flyers Bob Corkum

Free agents

Joining the Coyotes:

Player	Former Team
Cliff Ronning	Vancouver Canucks
Brad McCrimmon	Hartford Whalers
Jim Johnson	Dallas Stars
Darcy Wakaluk	Dallas Stars
Reggie Savage	Colorado Avalanche
Kevin Dahl	Calgary Flames
Scott Levins	Ottawa Senators
Mike Hudson	St. Louis Blues
Jocelyn Lemieux	Calgary Flames

Leaving the Coyotes:

Player	New Team
Dominic Roussel	Philadelphia Flyers
Ed Olczyk	Los Angeles Kings
Craig Martin	Florida Panthers
Iain Fraser	San Jose Sharks
Denis Chasse	Ottawa Senators

Draft picks

Phoenix's draft picks at the 1996 NHL entry draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team
1	11	Dan Focht (D)	Canada	Tri-City Americans (WHL)
1	24	Daniel Briere (C)	Canada	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
3	62	Per-Anton Lundstrom (D)	Sweden	MODO (Sweden)
5	119	Richard Lintner (D)	Slovakia	Dukla Trencin Jr. (Slovakia)
6	139	Robert Esche (G)	United States	Detroit Whalers (OHL)
7	174	Trevor Letowski (RW)	Canada	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
8	200	Nick Lent (RW)	United States	Omaha Lancers (USHL)
9	226	Marc-Etienne Hubert (C)	Canada	Laval Titan College Francais (QMJHL)

References

• "Phoenix Coyotes 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
• "1996-97 Phoenix Coyotes Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.