1996–97 Hartford Whalers season

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.

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
CaptainKevin Dineen
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)

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 Trevor Wasyluk 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
12Buffalo Sabres8240301223720892
26Pittsburgh Penguins823836828528084
37Ottawa Senators8231361522623477
48Montreal Canadiens8231361524927677
510Hartford Whalers8232391122625675
613Boston Bruins822647923430061
Eastern Conference[2]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1New Jersey DevilsATL82452314231182104
2Buffalo SabresNE8240301223720892
3Philadelphia FlyersATL82452413274217103
4Florida PanthersATL8235281922120189
5New York RangersATL8238341025823186
6Pittsburgh PenguinsNE823836828528084
7Ottawa SenatorsNE8231361522623477
8Montreal CanadiensNE8231361524927677
9Washington CapitalsATL823340921423175
10Hartford WhalersNE8232391122625675
11Tampa Bay LightningATL8232401021724774
12New York IslandersATL8229411224025070
13Boston BruinsNE822647923430061

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1WOctober 5, 19961–0Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)1–0–015,635
2WOctober 8, 19967–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)2–0–011,240
3LOctober 12, 19960–6@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)2–1–014,703
4WOctober 17, 19963–1@ New York Islanders (1996–97)3–1–08,019
5WOctober 19, 19966–2New Jersey Devils (1996–97)4–1–014,476
6WOctober 24, 19964–1Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)5–1–012,328
7LOctober 26, 19963–6@ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)5–2–016,193
8TOctober 30, 19962–2 OTNew York Islanders (1996–97)5–2–111,936
9TOctober 31, 19964–4 OT@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)5–2–213,284
10LNovember 2, 19962–3Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)5–3–213,425
11LNovember 4, 19961–5@ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)5–4–219,983
12WNovember 6, 19965–1Boston Bruins (1996–97)6–4–213,026
13LNovember 8, 19961–4Detroit Red Wings (1996–97)6–5–214,460
14WNovember 9, 19964–3 OTBuffalo Sabres (1996–97)7–5–213,352
15WNovember 12, 19964–3@ San Jose Sharks (1996–97)8–5–217,742
16WNovember 14, 19962–1@ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97)9–5–214,968
17TNovember 16, 19964–4 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)9–5–316,061
18WNovember 20, 19963–1Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)10–5–313,033
19LNovember 22, 19961–7Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)10–6–314,572
20TNovember 23, 19963–3 OT@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)10–6–414,648
21LNovember 27, 19962–6Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)10–7–414,289
22TNovember 29, 19961–1 OT@ Florida Panthers (1996–97)10–7–514,703
23WNovember 30, 19966–3@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)11–7–516,375
24TDecember 3, 19964–4 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)11–7–613,816
25WDecember 5, 19964–2@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)12–7–614,955
26WDecember 7, 19966–4Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)13–7–613,464
27WDecember 11, 19965–2Florida Panthers (1996–97)14–7–611,884
28LDecember 12, 19962–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)14–8–619,124
29LDecember 14, 19960–4Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)14–9–614,590
30LDecember 16, 19962–5@ New York Rangers (1996–97)14–10–618,200
31WDecember 17, 19965–3St. Louis Blues (1996–97)15–10–612,922
32LDecember 20, 19961–4Dallas Stars (1996–97)15–11–612,945
33WDecember 21, 19966–5 OTTampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)16–11–612,082
34LDecember 26, 19961–5@ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)16–12–618,595
35WDecember 28, 19963–2Ottawa Senators (1996–97)17–12–614,092
36LDecember 29, 19963–4@ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97)17–13–620,502
37LJanuary 1, 19972–3 OT@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)17–14–612,608
38LJanuary 2, 19974–5 OTBoston Bruins (1996–97)17–15–614,403
39TJanuary 4, 19971–1 OTWashington Capitals (1996–97)17–15–714,613
40LJanuary 6, 19974–5@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)17–16–720,292
41LJanuary 9, 19972–3@ Calgary Flames (1996–97)17–17–717,121
42LJanuary 10, 19973–5@ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97)17–18–717,378
43LJanuary 12, 19971–2 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)17–19–714,301
44LJanuary 15, 19970–3Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)17–20–714,502
45WJanuary 20, 19973–1Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)18–20–713,002
46WJanuary 22, 19972–1 OTFlorida Panthers (1996–97)19–20–712,627
47LJanuary 24, 19972–5New York Islanders (1996–97)19–21–714,619
48WJanuary 25, 19975–1@ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)20–21–718,595
49LJanuary 30, 19973–5@ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97)20–22–711,036
50LJanuary 31, 19973–6@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97)20–23–717,174
51LFebruary 5, 19972–5@ New York Rangers (1996–97)20–24–718,200
52WFebruary 6, 19975–3@ Boston Bruins (1996–97)21–24–715,213
53LFebruary 8, 19972–3 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)21–25–721,273
54LFebruary 12, 19972–3New Jersey Devils (1996–97)21–26–712,710
55LFebruary 13, 19970–4@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)21–27–714,138
56WFebruary 15, 19972–1Ottawa Senators (1996–97)22–27–713,767
57LFebruary 16, 19972–4@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)22–28–718,338
58TFebruary 19, 19972–2 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)22–28–819,484
59WFebruary 21, 19977–2New York Rangers (1996–97)23–28–814,660
60WFebruary 22, 19972–0Washington Capitals (1996–97)24–28–814,311
61TFebruary 26, 19972–2 OTChicago Blackhawks (1996–97)24–28–913,121
62LFebruary 28, 19972–3San Jose Sharks (1996–97)24–29–913,547
63LMarch 2, 19972–5Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97)24–30–914,660
64WMarch 5, 19972–0Calgary Flames (1996–97)25–30–912,140
65WMarch 7, 19972–0Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)26–30–914,341
66TMarch 8, 19971–1 OT@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97)26–30–1015,726
67WMarch 12, 19976–3Boston Bruins (1996–97)27–30–1013,155
68LMarch 13, 19970–6@ New Jersey Devils (1996–97)27–31–1016,244
69LMarch 15, 19972–4Edmonton Oilers (1996–97)27–32–1014,437
70LMarch 16, 19973–5@ Washington Capitals (1996–97)27–33–1018,130
71LMarch 20, 19971–4@ St. Louis Blues (1996–97)27–34–1017,959
72LMarch 21, 19970–2@ Dallas Stars (1996–97)27–35–1016,522
73LMarch 25, 19970–4Colorado Avalanche (1996–97)27–36–1014,191
74WMarch 27, 19975–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)28–36–1019,984
75WMarch 29, 19972–1New York Rangers (1996–97)29–36–1014,660
76LApril 2, 19971–4Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)29–37–1014,177
77TApril 3, 19975–5 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97)29–37–1117,284
78WApril 5, 19974–1@ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97)30–37–1121,273
79WApril 7, 19974–2Buffalo Sabres (1996–97)31–37–1114,660
80LApril 9, 19974–5@ Ottawa Senators (1996–97)31–38–1118,500
81LApril 11, 19974–6@ New York Islanders (1996–97)31–39–1115,382
82WApril 13, 19972–1Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97)32–39–1114,660

[3]

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Geoff SandersonLW8236316729-91214
Andrew CasselsC8122446646-16802
Keith PrimeauC75262551161-3632
Kevin DineenRW78192948141-6805
Nelson EmersonRW669293834-21212
Steven RiceRW7821143559-11502
Glen WesleyD6862632400310
Jeff O'NeillRW7214163040-24212
Sami KapanenRW4513122526302
Robert KronLW6810122210-18204
Paul RanheimLW6710112118-13031
Curtis LeschyshynD644131730-19111
Steve ChiassonD18311147-10300
Adam BurtD712111379-13000
Kent MandervilleC446511183001
Gerald DiduckD561101140-9001
Paul CoffeyD20358180101
Kevin HallerD3526848-11000
Glen FeatherstoneD41257870000
Andrei NikolishinC122572-2000
Alexander GodynyukD5516741-10001
Derek KingLW1233620100
Mark JanssensC5424690-10000
Marek MalikD47156505001
Stu GrimsonLW75224218-7000
Kevin BrownRW110446-6000
Hnat DomenichelliLW132137-4100
Kelly ChaseRW281231222000
Chris MurrayRW8112101000
Sean BurkeG51022140000
Jeff DanielsLW1002202000
Nolan PrattD902260000
Brian GlynnD110122000
Brendan ShanahanLW210101010
Steve MartinsC201100000
Jason MuzzattiG31011180000
Jeff BrownD100000000
Jean-Sebastien GiguereG800000000
Jason McBainD60000-4000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Sean Burke298551222261342.69415601426.914
Jason Muzzatti1591319135913.430815724.888
Jean-Sebastien Giguere3948140243.650201177.881
Team:4970823239112493.01425762327.903

[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

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 - Kris Mallette
To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Haller
1st round pick in 1997 - Scott Hannan
7th round pick in 1997 - Andrew Merrick
March 5, 1997 To Calgary Flames
Hnat Domenichelli
Glen Featherstone
2nd round pick in 1997 - Dmitri Kokorev
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 - Adam Edinger
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

PlayerNew Team
Scott DanielsPhiladelphia Flyers
Brad McCrimmonPhoenix Coyotes
David WilliamsBoston Bruins
Kevin SmythOrlando Solar Bears (IHL)
John StevensPhiladelphia 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)
234Trevor WasylukLeft wing CanadaMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
361Andrei PetruninRight wing RussiaCSKA Moscow (Russia)
488Craig MacDonaldCenter CanadaHarvard University (ECAC)
4104Steve WasylkoCenter CanadaDetroit Whalers (OHL)
5116Mark McMahonDefense CanadaKitchener Rangers (OHL)
6143Aaron BakerGoaltender CanadaTri-City Americans (WHL)
7171Greg KuznikDefense CanadaSeattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
8197Kevin MarshLeft wing CanadaCalgary Hitmen (WHL)
9223Craig AdamsRight wing CanadaHarvard University (ECAC)
9231Askhat RakhmatullinLeft wing RussiaSalavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia)

Farm teams

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

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