1996–97_Los_Angeles_Kings_season
1996–97 Los Angeles Kings season
National Hockey League team season
The 1996–97 Los Angeles Kings season, was the Kings' 30th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kings missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
Quick Facts Los Angeles Kings, Division ...
| 1996–97 Los Angeles Kings | |
|---|---|
| Division | 6th Pacific |
| Conference | 12th Western |
| 1996–97 record | 28–43–11 |
| Home record | 18–16–7 |
| Road record | 10–27–4 |
| Goals for | 214 |
| Goals against | 268 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Sam McMaster |
| Coach | Larry Robinson |
| Captain | Rob Blake |
| Alternate captains | Kevin Stevens Ed Olczyk |
| Arena | Great Western Forum |
| Average attendance | 12,297 |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Phoenix Roadrunners Knoxville Cherokees Mississippi Sea Wolves |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Ray Ferraro (25) |
| Assists | Dmitri Khristich (37) |
| Points | Dmitri Khristich (56) |
| Penalty minutes | Matt Johnson (194) |
| Plus/minus | Dmitri Khristich (+8) Vladimir Tsyplakov (+8) |
| Wins | Byron Dafoe (13) Stephane Fiset (13) |
| Goals against average | Byron Dafoe (3.11) |
Close
Final standings
More information No., CR ...
| 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 |
Close
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.
More information R, Div ...
| 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 |
Close
Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy
More information Game, Result ...
| 1996–97 regular season[4] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
October: 5–6–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 2–4–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November: 5–6–1 (home: 2–2–0; road: 3–4–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December: 3–9–1 (home: 2–4–1; road: 1–5–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January: 5–6–2 (home: 4–2–1; road: 1–4–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February: 5–6–2 (home: 4–2–2; road: 1–4–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March: 3–8–2 (home: 2–3–1; road: 1–5–1)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April: 2–2–1 (home: 1–1–1; road: 1–1–0)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legend:
Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) |
Close
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 Kings only.
- ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Kings only.
More information Regular season, No. ...
| Regular season | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 8 | Dmitri Khristich | C | 75 | 19 | 37 | 56 | 8 | 38 |
| 20 | Ray Ferraro | C | 81 | 25 | 21 | 46 | −22 | 112 |
| 7 | Eddie Olczyk‡ | RW | 67 | 21 | 23 | 44 | −22 | 45 |
| 9 | Vladimir Tsyplakov | LW | 67 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 8 | 12 |
| 25 | Kevin Stevens | LW | 69 | 14 | 20 | 34 | −27 | 96 |
| 43 | Vitali Yachmenev | LW | 65 | 10 | 22 | 32 | −9 | 10 |
| 4 | Rob Blake | D | 62 | 8 | 23 | 31 | −28 | 82 |
| 21 | Kai Nurminen | RW | 67 | 16 | 11 | 27 | −3 | 22 |
| 44 | Yanic Perreault | C | 41 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 0 | 20 |
| 28 | Philippe Boucher | D | 60 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| 22 | Ian Laperriere | C | 62 | 8 | 15 | 23 | −25 | 102 |
| 14 | Mattias Norstrom | D | 80 | 1 | 21 | 22 | −4 | 84 |
| 6 | Sean O'Donnell | D | 55 | 5 | 12 | 17 | −13 | 144 |
| 11 | Brad Smyth† | RW | 44 | 8 | 8 | 16 | −7 | 74 |
| 27 | John Slaney | D | 32 | 3 | 11 | 14 | −10 | 4 |
| 19 | Jeff Shevalier | LW | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −6 | 6 |
| 33 | Jan Vopat | D | 33 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 22 |
| 12 | Roman Vopat | C | 29 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −7 | 60 |
| 42 | Dan Bylsma | RW | 79 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −15 | 32 |
| 27 | Glen Murray† | RW | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −2 | 8 |
| 5 | Aki Berg | D | 41 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −9 | 24 |
| 23 | Craig Johnson | LW | 31 | 4 | 3 | 7 | −7 | 26 |
| 41 | Brent Grieve | LW | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −2 | 15 |
| 15 | Jaroslav Modry | D | 30 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −13 | 25 |
| 40 | Barry Potomski | LW | 26 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −8 | 93 |
| 29 | Steven Finn | D | 54 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −8 | 84 |
| 17 | Matt Johnson | LW | 52 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −4 | 194 |
| 24 | Nathan LaFayette | C | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −8 | 8 |
| 10 | Neal Broten†‡ | C | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −9 | 0 |
| 85 | Petr Klima‡ | RW | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −7 | 2 |
| 37 | Paul DiPietro | C | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 6 |
| 2 | Doug Zmolek | D | 57 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −22 | 116 |
| 32 | Jean-Claude Bergeron | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe | G | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35 | Stephane Fiset | G | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 26 | Chris Marinucci† | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 7 | Steve McKenna | LW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 |
| 52 | Jason Morgan | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 0 |
| 1 | Jamie Storr | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Close
Goaltending
More information Regular season, No. ...
| Regular season | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe | 40 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 1178 | 112 | 3.11 | .905 | 0 | 2162 |
| 35 | Stephane Fiset | 44 | 13 | 24 | 5 | 1410 | 132 | 3.19 | .906 | 4 | 2482 |
| 1 | Jamie Storr | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 147 | 11 | 2.49 | .925 | 0 | 265 |
| 32 | Jean-Claude Bergeron | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 4 | 4.30 | .886 | 0 | 56 |
Close
Awards
More information Type, Award/honor ...
| Type | Award/honor | Recipient | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| League (in-season) |
NHL All-Star Game selection | Rob Blake[lower-alpha 1] | [6] |
| Dmitri Khristich | |||
| Team | Best Newcomer | Stephane Fiset | [7] |
| Bill Libby Memorial Award | Dmitri Khristich | [7] | |
| Defensive Player | Ian Laperriere | [7] | |
| Jim Fox Community Service | Dan Bylsma | [7] | |
| Byron Dafoe | |||
| Leading Scorer | Dmitri Khristich | [7] | |
| Most Inspirational | Ian Laperriere | [7] | |
| Most Popular Player | Dan Bylsma | [7] | |
| Ian Laperriere | |||
| Outstanding Defenseman | Mattias Norstrom | [7] | |
| Unsung Hero | Byron Dafoe | [7] |
Close
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season.[8]
Trades
| June 20, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Stephane Fiset 1st round pick in 1998 |
To Colorado Avalanche Eric Lacroix 1st round pick in 1998 |
| August 22, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Petr Klima |
To Tampa Bay Lightning 5th round pick in 1997 |
| October 25, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Future considerations |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Petr Klima |
| November 19, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Chris Marinucci |
To New York Islanders Nicholas Vachon |
| November 22, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Neal Broten |
To New Jersey Devils Future considerations |
| November 28, 1996 | To Los Angeles Kings Brad Smyth |
To Florida Panthers 3rd round pick in 1997 |
| March 18, 1997 | To Los Angeles Kings Glen Murray |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Eddie Olczyk |
Free agent signings
| May 23, 1996 | From Merrimack College (HE) Steve McKenna |
| July 8, 1996 | From Winnipeg Jets Eddie Olczyk (2 years, $2.15 million) |
| July 23, 1996 | From Toronto Maple Leafs Paul DiPietro (1 year, $325,000) |
| August 2, 1996 | From Chicago Blackhawks Brent Grieve (1 year, $325,000) |
| August 28, 1996 | From Tampa Bay Lightning Jean-Claude Bergeron (1 year, $300,000) |
| September 6, 1996 | From Buffalo Sabres Mark Astley (1 year, $350,000) |
| December 13, 1996 | From Boston Bruins Rick Zombo (1 year, $724,500) |
Free agents lost
| July 10, 1996 | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks Kevin Todd (2 years, $1.2 million) |
| July 24, 1996 | To Florida Panthers Craig Ferguson (1 year, $350,000) |
| August 15, 1996 | To San Jose Sharks Tony Granato (3 years, $4.5 million) |
| September 14, 1996 | To Houston Aeros (IHL) Gary Shuchuk |
| October 4, 1996 | To Vancouver Canucks Troy Crowder (1 year, $500,000) |
Waivers
| January 28, 1997 | To Dallas Stars Neal Broten |
Los Angeles's draft picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.[9]
More information Round, # ...
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 30 | Josh Green |  Canada | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) |
| 2 | 37 | Marian Cisar |  Czech Republic | Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) |
| 3 | 57 | Greg Phillips | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 4 | 84 | Mikael Simons |  Sweden | Mora IK (Sweden) |
| 4 | 96 | Eric Belanger | Canada | Beauport Harfangs (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 120 | Jesse Black | Canada | Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL) |
| 5 | 123 | Peter Hogan | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
| 8 | 190 | Steve Valiquette | Canada | Sudbury Wolves (OHL) |
| 8 | 193 | Kai Nurminen |  Finland | HV71 (Sweden) |
| 9 | 219 | Sebastien Simard | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
Close
- Blake did not play and was replaced by Khristich.[5]
- "Los Angeles Kings 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "1996-97 Los Angeles Kings Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- "Tardif Assigned to Phoenix". Los Angeles Times. October 2, 1996. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
Defenseman Rob Blake, who is battling an arm injury, was named team captain but remains questionable for the opener.
- "Rob Blake career timeline". NHL.com. June 18, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
Oct. 1, 1996 Named captain of Los Angeles
- "1996-97 Los Angeles Kings Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- White, Lonnie (January 15, 1997). "Khristich Is Blake's All-Star Replacement". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1997". www.nhl.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- Los Angeles Kings 2014–15 Media Guide, p. 201–03
- "1996 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.