The1996 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament involved 12 schools playing insingle-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men'sNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division I collegeice hockey. It began on March 22, 1996, and ended with the championship game on March 30. A total of 11 games were played. The top two seeds in each region received a bye into the tournament quarterfinals.
The at-large bids and seeding for each team in the tournament were announced after the conference tournaments concluded. TheCentral Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) had four teams receive a berth in the tournament, theECAC andHockey East each had three teams receive a berth in the tournament, while theWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) had two berths.