1995-96 NHL season
| 1995–96 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 5, 1995 – June 10, 1996 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 26 |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Detroit Red Wings |
| Season MVP | Mario Lemieux (Penguins) |
| Top scorer | Mario Lemieux (Penguins) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Florida Panthers |
| Eastern runners-up | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Western champions | Colorado Avalanche |
| Western runners-up | Detroit Red Wings |
| Playoffs MVP | Joe Sakic (Avalanche) |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Champions | Colorado Avalanche |
| Runners-up | Florida Panthers |
The 1995–96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the Colorado Avalanche, who, in their first year as the Avalanche, swept the Florida Panthers in four games.
1995–96 was the first season in Denver for the Avalanche, who had relocated from Quebec City where they were previously known as the Quebec Nordiques. Prior to the season, Colorado was assigned to the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They played at McNichols Arena, the building that the New Jersey Devils played in from 1976 to 1982 when they were known as the Colorado Rockies. The Avs would play in that building until they moved to the Pepsi Center in 1999.
It was also the last season of existence for the original Winnipeg Jets, as they announced that they would be moving from Manitoba to Arizona and become the Phoenix Coyotes at the season's end. The NHL would not return to Manitoba until the Atlanta Thrashers moved there to become the "new" Winnipeg Jets following the 2010–11 season.
1995–96 would mark the last season the Buffalo Sabres would play in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, the Philadelphia Flyers at the CoreStates Spectrum, the Senators at the Ottawa Civic Centre, and the Canadiens at the Montreal Forum. The Sabres made their new home at the Marine Midland Arena, the Flyers at the CoreStates Center, the Senators at the Corel Centre, and the Canadiens at the Molson Centre. The two latter arenas opened before the end of this season. With the Montreal Forum closed, The Maple Leaf Gardens was the last remaining arena from the Original Six at the time. The Boston Bruins played their first season at Fleetcenter after spending the last 67 at the old Boston Garden, and the Vancouver Canucks played their first game at General Motors Place.
...
Wikipedia