| 1996–97Hartford Whalers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5thNortheast |
| Conference | 10thEastern |
| 1996–97 record | 32–39–11 |
| Home record | 23–15–3 |
| Road record | 9–24–8 |
| Goals for | 226 |
| Goals against | 256 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Jim Rutherford |
| Coach | Paul Maurice |
| Captain | Kevin Dineen |
| Alternate captains | Glen Wesley Andrew Cassels |
| Arena | Hartford Civic Center |
| Average attendance | 13,680 (87.5%)[1] |
| Minor league affiliates | Springfield Falcons (AHL) Richmond Renegades (ECHL) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Geoff Sanderson (36) |
| Assists | Andrew Cassels (44) |
| Points | Geoff Sanderson (67) |
| Penalty minutes | Stu Grimson (218) |
| Plus/minus | Sami Kapanen (+6) |
| Wins | Sean Burke (22) |
| Goals against average | Sean Burke (2.69) |
The1996–97Hartford Whalers season was the25thseason of the franchise and the 18th and final NHL season in Hartford. The Whalers would move toGreensboro,North Carolina, the next season to become theCarolina Hurricanes.
On June 22, the Whalers participated in the1996 NHL entry draft held at theKiel Center inSt. Louis,Missouri. Hartford did not have a selection in the first round, as the pick was traded to theBoston Bruins as part of the trade that broughtGlen Wesley to the Whalers. In the second round, Hartford made their first selection of the draft, as they drafted Trevor Wasyluk from theMedicine Hat Tigers of theWestern Hockey League with the 34th overall pick in the draft. Wasyluk scored 25 goals and 46 points in 69 games during the1995–96 season. Other notable selections by the Whalers includedCraig MacDonald in the fourth round, andCraig Adams in the ninth round.
The Whalers acquiredKevin Brown in a trade with theAnaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange forEspen Knutsen on October 1. Brown played in seven games with theLos Angeles Kings during the 1995–96 season, scoring one goal. Brown spent the majority of the season with thePhoenix Roadrunners of theIHL, scoring 10 goals and 26 points in 45 games. He also played in eight games with thePrince Edward Island Senators of theAHL, scoring three goals and nine points after he was traded from the Kings to theOttawa Senators during the season.
On October 2, Hartford claimedKent Manderville off of waivers from theEdmonton Oilers. In 37 games with the Oilers during the 1995–96 where he scored three goals and eight points.
On April 13, 1997, the Whalers played their last game in Hartford, defeating theTampa Bay Lightning 2–1. TeamcaptainKevin Dineen scored the final goal in Whaler history.
The final words fromSportsChannel New England with Play by play voiceJohn 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".
| 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 |
| 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
| 1996–97 regular season[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–2–2 (home: 4–0–1; road: 1–2–1)
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November: 6–5–3 (home: 3–4–0; road: 3–1–3)
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December: 6–6–1 (home: 5–2–0; road: 1–4–1)
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January: 3–10–1 (home: 2–3–1; road: 1–7–0)
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February: 4–6–2 (home: 3–2–1; road: 1–4–1)
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March: 5–7–1 (home: 4–3–0; road: 1–4–1)
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April: 3–3–1 (home: 2–1–0; road: 1–2–1)
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Legend:W Win (2 points)L Loss (0 points)T Tie (1 point) |
| No. | Player | Regular season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | ||
| 1 | Sean Burke | 51 | 22 | 22 | 6 | 1560 | 134 | 2.69 | .914 | 4 | 2985 |
| 29 | Jason Muzzatti | 31 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 815 | 91 | 3.43 | .888 | 0 | 1591 |
| 47 | Jean-Sebastien Giguere | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 201 | 24 | 3.65 | .881 | 0 | 394 |
| Type | Award/honor | Recipient | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Geoff Sanderson | [4] |
| Team | Award of Excellence | Kevin Dineen | [5] |
| Booster Club MVP Award | Sean Burke | [5] | |
| Frank Keys Memorial Award | Kent Manderville | [5] | |
| Mark Kravitz Award | Sean Burke | [5] | |
| Most Valuable Defenseman | Glen Wesley | [5] | |
| Three Star Award of Excellence | Sean Burke | [5] | |
| Top Gun Award | Geoff Sanderson | [5] | |
| True Grit Award | Kevin Dineen | [5] |
| Milestone | Player | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| First game | Hnat Domenichelli | October 5, 1996 | [6] |
| Nolan Pratt | |||
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere | December 12, 1996 |
The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the1996–97 season.
| October 2, 1996 | FromEdmonton Oilers Kent Manderville |
| October 12, 1996 | FromDetroit Red Wings Stu Grimson |
| Player | New Team |
| Scott Daniels | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Brad McCrimmon | Phoenix Coyotes |
| David Williams | Boston Bruins |
| Kevin Smyth | Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) |
| John Stevens | Philadelphia Flyers |
Hartford's picks at the1996 NHL entry draft held at theKiel Center inSt. Louis,Missouri.[7]
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 34 | Trevor Wasyluk | Left wing | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | |
| 3 | 61 | Andrei Petrunin | Right wing | CSKA Moscow (Russia) | |
| 4 | 88 | Craig MacDonald | Center | Harvard University (ECAC) | |
| 4 | 104 | Steve Wasylko | Center | Detroit Whalers (OHL) | |
| 5 | 116 | Mark McMahon | Defense | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) | |
| 6 | 143 | Aaron Baker | Goaltender | Tri-City Americans (WHL) | |
| 7 | 171 | Greg Kuznik | Defense | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) | |
| 8 | 197 | Kevin Marsh | Left wing | Calgary Hitmen (WHL) | |
| 9 | 223 | Craig Adams | Right wing | Harvard University (ECAC) | |
| 9 | 231 | Askhat Rakhmatullin | Left wing | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia) |
In 1994,Compuware founderPeter 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 the1996–97 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 the1995–96 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 the1996–97 season.
In early 1996, negotiations between the Whalers and Connecticut GovernorJohn 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 GovernorJohn 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 theNew England Patriots to Connecticut and did not have serious intentions of building an NHL arena for the Whalers.[8][9][10]