1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division	2nd Northeast
Conference	6th Eastern
1996–97 record	38–36–8
Home record	25–11–5
Road record	13–25–3
Goals for	285
Goals against	280
Team information
General Manager	Craig Patrick
Coach	Eddie Johnston Craig Patrick
Captain	Mario Lemieux
Alternate captains	Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr
Arena	Civic Arena
Team leaders
Goals	Mario Lemieux (50)
Assists	Mario Lemieux (72)
Points	Mario Lemieux (122)
Penalties in minutes	Dave Roche (155)
Wins	Patrick Lalime (21)
Goals against average	Patrick Lalime (2.94)
<1995–96 1997–98>

The 1996–97 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 30th in the National Hockey League. This was the final season for Mario Lemieux before his first retirement.

Regular season

The 1996–97 season featured Mario Lemieux in his final season before his first retirement. Lemieux won his sixth (and final) Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer, with 122 points. The Penguins had an up-and-down season en route to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. A 2–9–0 start was followed by a hot middle-of-the-season stretch, highlighted by the play of rookie phenom goaltender Patrick Lalime. A shoulder injury to Tom Barrasso ended his season after five unmemorable games and led to the promotion of Lalime from the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). Lalime debuted in relief of Ken Wregget in a loss to the New York Rangers on November 16. His first win came in relief of Wregget on December 6, and the next day, on December 7, he was given the start against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, beating the Mighty Dcuks and setting him well on his way to setting the NHL record for consecutive games unbeaten to begin a career for an NHL goaltender, going 14–0–2 (16 games). However, the Penguins cooled down after that, as the team did not win a road game after February 5, which led to a coaching change on March 4. Eddie Johnston was relieved of his duties as head coach after losing eight of his last nine games and was replaced on an interim basis by General Manager Craig Patrick. Patrick went 7–10–3 down the stretch, enough to get the Penguins into the playoffs as the sixth seed at 38–36–8. The Penguins finished the season first in scoring, with 285 goals for.^[1]
In the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals, the Penguins took-on the third-seeded Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers dismantled the Penguins in five games en route to an Eastern Conference championship of their own. The Pens' lone win in the series was in Game 4 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, in which Lemieux scored on a breakaway against Flyers goaltender Garth Snow in the closing minutes for his final goal before his first retirement.

Final standings

Northeast Division

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

Eastern Conference^[2]

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

Schedule and results

1996–97 Schedule
October: 2–8–0 (Home: 2–1–0 ; Road: 0–7–0), 4 Points # Oct Visitor Score Home Record Points 1 5 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1–0 0 2 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Hartford Whalers 0–2–0 0 3 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Ottawa Senators 0–3–0 0 4 12 Ottawa Senators 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3–0 2 5 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–8 New York Rangers 1–4–0 2 6 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Buffalo Sabres 1–5–0 2 7 19 Washington Capitals 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5–0 4 8 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 2–6–0 4 9 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–7 Calgary Flames 2–7–0 4 10 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Vancouver Canucks 2–8–0 4
November: 6–5–2 (Home: 5–1–1 ; Road: 1–4–1), 14 Points # Nov Visitor Score Home Record Points 11 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Washington Capitals 2–9–0 4 12 2 Ottawa Senators 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–9–0 6 13 6 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–9–0 8 14 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–5 OT Tampa Bay Lightning 4–9–1 9 15 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Florida Panthers 4–10–1 9 16 12 Buffalo Sabres 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–10–1 11 17 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 OT Boston Bruins 5–11–1 11 18 16 New York Rangers 8–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–12–1 11 19 19 St. Louis Blues 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–12–1 13 20 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Philadelphia Flyers 6–13–1 13 21 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Hartford Whalers 7–13–1 15 22 27 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 7–13–2 16 23 30 Boston Bruins 2–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–13–2 18
December: 11–2–2 (Home: 4–1–2 ; Road: 7–1–0), 24 Points # Dec Visitor Score Home Record Points 24 3 Hartford Whalers 4–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 8–13–3 19 25 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Ottawa Senators 9–13–3 21 26 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Washington Capitals 10–13–3 23 27 7 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–13–3 25 28 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Los Angeles Kings 12–13–3 27 29 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 13–13–3 29 30 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 San Jose Sharks 14–13–3 31 31 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Chicago Blackhawks 14–14–3 31 32 17 Boston Bruins 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 14–15–3 31 33 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 St. Louis Blues 15–15–3 33 34 21 San Jose Sharks 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 16–15–3 35 35 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 Toronto Maple Leafs 17–15–3 37 36 26 Montreal Canadiens 3–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 17–15–4 38 37 28 Buffalo Sabres 0–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–15–4 40 38 30 Washington Capitals 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 19–15–4 42
January: 8–3–1 (Home: 4–2–0 ; Road: 4–1–1), 17 Points # Jan Visitor Score Home Record Points 39 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–1 New Jersey Devils 20–15–4 44 40 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–15–4 46 41 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 New York Islanders 22–15–4 48 42 10 New York Islanders 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–15–4 50 43 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT Ottawa Senators 23–15–5 51 44 14 Dallas Stars 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 24–15–5 53 45 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 Hartford Whalers 25–15–5 55 46 21 Calgary Flames 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–15–5 57 47 23 Colorado Avalanche 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 26–16–5 57 48 25 New York Rangers 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–17–5 57 49 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 Montreal Canadiens 27–17–5 59 50 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Buffalo Sabres 27–18–5 59
February: 4–7–0 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 1–3–0), 8 Points # Feb Visitor Score Home Record Points 51 1 Phoenix Coyotes 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 28–18–5 61 52 4 Vancouver Canucks 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–18–5 63 53 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 Montreal Canadiens 30–18–5 65 54 8 Detroit Red Wings 6–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 30–19–5 65 55 12 New York Islanders 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 30–20–5 65 56 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Philadelphia Flyers 30–21–5 65 57 16 Philadelphia Flyers 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 30–22–5 65 58 18 Florida Panthers 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–22–5 67 59 22 Chicago Blackhawks 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–23–5 67 60 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 New York Islanders 31–24–5 67 61 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Detroit Red Wings 31–25–5 67
March: 5–8–2 (Home: 5–2–1 ; Road: 0–6–1), 12 Points # Mar Visitor Score Home Record Points 62 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 New Jersey Devils 31–26–5 67 63 4 New Jersey Devils 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–27–5 67 64 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Buffalo Sabres 31–28–5 67 65 8 Philadelphia Flyers 2–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 32–28–5 69 66 10 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 32–28–6 70 67 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–5 OT Phoenix Coyotes 32–28–7 71 68 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Colorado Avalanche 32–29–7 71 69 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Dallas Stars 32–30–7 71 70 18 Buffalo Sabres 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 33–30–7 73 71 20 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 34–30–7 75 72 22 New Jersey Devils 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 34–31–7 75 73 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 New York Rangers 34–32–7 75 74 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–8 Montreal Canadiens 34–33–7 75 75 29 Los Angeles Kings 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 35–33–7 77 76 31 Florida Panthers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–33–7 79
April: 2–3–1 (Home: 2–0–1 ; Road: 0–3–0), 5 Points # Apr Visitor Score Home Record Points 77 3 Hartford Whalers 5–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 36–33–8 80 78 5 Ottawa Senators 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 37–33–8 82 79 8 Boston Bruins 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 38–33–8 84 80 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 38–34–8 84 81 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Florida Panthers 38–35–8 84 82 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Boston Bruins 38–36–8 84
Legend:           = Win           = Loss           = Tie

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Round 1: 1–4 (Home: 1–1 ; Road: 0–3) # April Visitor Score Home Record 1 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Philadelphia Flyers 0–1 2 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers 0–2 3 21 Philadelphia Flyers 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 4 23 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 5 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4
Legend:           = Win           = Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season[3] Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux 76 50 72 122 27 65 Jagr, JaromirJaromir Jagr 63 47 48 95 22 40 Francis, RonRon Francis 81 27 63 90 7 20 Nedved, PetrPetr Nedved 74 33 38 71 –2 66 Hatcher, KevinKevin Hatcher 80 15 39 54 11 103 Barnes, StuStu Barnes^† 62 17 22 39 –20 16 Woolley, JasonJason Woolley^† 57 6 30 36 3 28 Olausson, FredrikFredrik Olausson^† 51 7 20 27 21 24 Sandstrom, TomasTomas Sandstrom^‡ 40 9 15 24 4 33 Murray, GlenGlen Murray^‡ 66 11 11 22 –19 24 Mullen, JoeJoe Mullen 54 7 15 22 0 4 Hicks, AlexAlex Hicks^† 55 5 15 20 –6 76 Kasparaitis, DariusDarius Kasparaitis^† 57 2 16 18 24 84 Dziedzic, JoeJoe Dziedzic 59 9 9 18 –4 63 Daigneault, Jean-JacquesJean-Jacques Daigneault^‡ 53 3 14 17 –5 36 Johnson, GregGreg Johnson^† 32 7 9 16 –13 14 Olczyk, EddieEddie Olczyk^† 12 4 7 11 8 6 Roche, DaveDave Roche 61 5 5 10 –13 155 Moran, IanIan Moran 36 4 5 9 –11 22 Johansson, AndreasAndreas Johansson^† 27 2 7 9 –6 20 Valk, GarryGarry Valk^† 17 3 4 7 –6 25 Tamer, ChrisChris Tamer 45 2 4 6 –25 131 Mironov, DmitriDmitri Mironov^‡ 15 1 5 6 –4 24 Stojanov, AlekAlek Stojanov 35 1 4 5 3 79 Christian, JeffreyJeffrey Christian 11 2 2 4 –3 13 Klima, PetrPetr Klima^†‡ 9 1 3 4 –4 4 Beranek, JosefJosef Beranek 8 3 1 4 –1 4 Muni, CraigCraig Muni 64 0 4 4 –6 36 Wright, TylerTyler Wright 45 2 2 4 –7 70 Leroux, FrancoisFrancois Leroux 59 0 3 3 –3 81 Quinn, DanDan Quinn 16 0 3 3 –6 10 Oksiuta, RomanRoman Oksiuta^† 7 0 0 0 –4 4 Antoski, ShawnShawn Antoski^‡ 13 0 0 0 0 49 Wilkinson, NeilNeil Wilkinson 23 0 0 0 –12 36 Patterson, EdEd Patterson 6 0 0 0 0 8 Park, RichardRichard Park^‡ 1 0 0 0 –1 0 Pittis, DomenicDomenic Pittis 1 0 0 0 –1 0 Bergqvist, StefanStefan Bergqvist 5 0 0 0 –1 7 Total 285 495 780 — 1,480

Playoffs[4] Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Jagr, JaromirJaromir Jagr 5 4 4 8 –4 4 Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux 5 3 3 6 –4 4 Moran, IanIan Moran 5 1 2 3 1 4 Woolley, JasonJason Woolley 5 0 3 3 –1 0 Nedved, PetrPetr Nedved 5 1 2 3 –2 12 Francis, RonRon Francis 5 1 2 3 –7 2 Hatcher, KevinKevin Hatcher 5 1 1 2 –5 4 Hicks, AlexAlex Hicks 5 0 1 1 –1 2 Olczyk, EddieEddie Olczyk 5 1 0 1 –2 12 Barnes, StuStu Barnes 5 0 1 1 0 0 Johnson, GregGreg Johnson 5 1 0 1 –1 2 Dziedzic, JoeJoe Dziedzic 5 0 1 1 –1 4 Olausson, FredrikFredrik Olausson 4 0 1 1 –1 0 Wilkinson, NeilNeil Wilkinson 5 0 0 0 –2 4 Muni, CraigCraig Muni 3 0 0 0 0 0 Mullen, JoeJoe Mullen 1 0 0 0 0 0 Tamer, ChrisChris Tamer 4 0 0 0 –1 4 Kasparaitis, DariusDarius Kasparaitis 5 0 0 0 –4 6 Beranek, JosefJosef Beranek 5 0 0 0 –4 2 Leroux, FrancoisFrancois Leroux 3 0 0 0 0 0 Total 13 21 34 — 66

Goaltenders

Regular Season^[5]

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Lalime, PatrickPatrick Lalime	39	2057:35	21	12	2	101	2.95	1166	0.913	3	0	0	0
Wregget, KenKen Wregget	46	2514:23	17	17	6	136	3.25	1383	0.902	2	0	1	6
Barrasso, TomTom Barrasso	5	269:37	0	5	0	26	5.79	186	0.860	0	0	0	0
De Rouville, PhilippePhilippe De Rouville	2	111:08	0	2	0	6	3.24	66	0.909	0	0	0	0
Total		4952:43	38	36	8	269	3.26	2801	0.904	5	0	1	6

Playoffs^[6]

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO	G	A	PIM
Wregget, KenKen Wregget	5	297:28	1	4	0	18	3.63	211	0.915	0	0	0	2
Total		297:28	1	4	0	18	3.63	211	0.915	0	0	0	2

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

Awards

Player	Award
Stu Barnes	Unsung Hero Award
Joe Dziedzic	Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award
Jaromir Jagr	NHL Second All-Star Team
Patrick Lalime	Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Award NHL All-Rookie Team
Mario Lemieux	Leading Point Scorer Award Booster Club Award Most Valuable Player Award Art Ross Memorial Trophy NHL First All-Star Team
Joe Mullen	Pittsburgh Penguins Masterton Nominee Bob Johnson Memorial Award Player's Player Award
Chris Tamer	Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award
Ken Wregget	Disaster Specialists "Baz" Bastien Memorial "Good Guy" Award

Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season:^[7]

Trades

October 25, 1996	To Los Angeles Kings 1997 conditional pick (not exercised)	To Pittsburgh Penguins Petr Klima
November 17, 1996	To New York Islanders Bryan Smolinski	To Pittsburgh Penguins Andreas Johansson Darius Kasparaitis
November 19, 1996	To Florida Panthers Chris Wells	To Pittsburgh Penguins Stu Barnes Jason Woolley
November 19, 1996	To Anaheim Ducks Shawn Antoski Dmitri Mironov	To Pittsburgh Penguins Alex Hicks Fredrik Olausson
January 27, 1997	To Detroit Red Wings Tomas Sandstrom	To Pittsburgh Penguins Greg Johnson
February 21, 1997	To Anaheim Ducks Jean-Jacques Daigneault	To Pittsburgh Penguins Garry Valk
March 18, 1997	To Anaheim Ducks Richard Park	To Pittsburgh Penguins Roman Oksiuta
March 18, 1997	To Los Angeles Kings Glen Murray	To Pittsburgh Penguins Ed Olczyk
March 18, 1997	To Vancouver Canucks future considerations (1998 5th round pick)	To Pittsburgh Penguins Josef Beranek

Free agents acquired Player Former team Date Kevin Todd Los Angeles Kings July 10, 1996 Dan Quinn Philadelphia Flyers July 31, 1996 Shawn Antoski Philadelphia Flyers July 31, 1996 Joe Mullen Boston Bruins September 5, 1996 Craig Muni Winnipeg Jets October 2, 1996

Free agents lost Player New team Date Kevin Miller Chicago Blackhawks July 18, 1996 Dave McLlwain New York Islanders July 29, 1996 Greg Hawgood San Jose Sharks September 7, 1996 Petr Klima Edmonton Oilers February 26, 1997

Lost via waivers Date Player New team September 30, 1996 Chris Joseph Vancouver Canucks September 30, 1996 Corey Foster New York Islanders October 4, 1996 Kevin Todd Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Other Player Date Details Craig Patrick June 27, 1996 5-year extension (VP & GM) Eddie Johnston June 27, 1996 Extension (Head Coach) Craig Patrick March 3, 1997 Hired as Head Coach (in addition to GM) Eddie Johnston March 3, 1997 Reassigned to Assistant GM Craig Patrick April 26, 1997 Replaced as Head Coach (remained as GM) Mario Lemieux April 26, 1997 Retired Kevin Constantine June 12, 1997 Hired as Head Coach Personnel # Nat Player Pos S/G Age NHL Draft Birthplace 14 Barnes, StuStu Barnes C R 26 1989 Spruce Grove, Alberta 35 Barrasso, TomTom Barrasso G R 32 1983 Boston, Massachusetts 15 Beranek, JosefJosef Beranek LW L 27 1989 Litvinov, Czech Republic 3 Bergqvist, StefanStefan Bergqvist D L 22 1993 Leksand, Sweden 72 Christian, JeffreyJeffrey Christian LW L 26 1988 Burlington, Ontario 30 De Rouville, PhilippePhilippe De Rouville G L 22 1992 Victoriaville, Quebec 16 Dziedzic, JoeJoe Dziedzic LW L 25 1990 Minneapolis, Minnesota 10 Francis, RonRon Francis C L 34 1981 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 4 Hatcher, KevinKevin Hatcher D R 30 1984 Detroit, Michigan 33 Hicks, AlexAlex Hicks LW L 27 Undrafted Calgary, Alberta 68 Jagr, JaromirJaromir Jagr RW L 25 1990 Kladno, Czech Republic 38 Johansson, AndreasAndreas Johansson LW L 24 1991 Hofors, Sweden 9 Johnson, GregGreg Johnson C L 26 1989 Thunder Bay, Ontario 11 Kasparaitis, DariusDarius Kasparaitis D L 24 1992 Elektrenai, Lithuania 40 Lalime, PatrickPatrick Lalime G L 22 1993 St. Bonaventure, Quebec 66 Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux C R 31 1984 Montreal, Quebec 18 Leroux, FrancoisFrancois Leroux D L 27 1988 Ste-Adele, Quebec 24 Moran, IanIan Moran D R 24 1990 Cleveland, Ohio 7 Mullen, JoeJoe Mullen RW R 40 Undrafted New York City, New York 28 Muni, CraigCraig Muni D L 34 1980 Toronto, Ontario 93 Nedved, PetrPetr Nedved C L 25 1990 Liberec, Czech Republic 20 Oksiuta, RomanRoman Oksiuta RW L 26 1989 Murmansk, Russia 23 Olausson, FredrikFredrik Olausson D R 30 1985 Dadesjo, Sweden 27 Olczyk, EddieEddie Olczyk RW L 30 1984 Chicago, Illinois 44 Patterson, EdEd Patterson RW R 24 1991 Delta, British Columbia 23 Pittis, DomenicDomenic Pittis C L 22 1993 Calgary, Alberta 9 Quinn, DanDan Quinn C L 32 1983 Ottawa, Ontario 51 Roche, DaveDave Roche LW L 21 1993 Lindsay, Ontario 25 Stojanov, AlekAlek Stojanov RW L 24 1991 Windsor, Ontario 2 Tamer, ChrisChris Tamer D L 26 1990 Dearborn, Michigan 8 Valk, GarryGarry Valk LW L 29 1987 Edmonton, Alberta 6 Wilkinson, NeilNeil Wilkinson D R 29 1986 Selkirk, Manitoba 22 Woolley, JasonJason Woolley D L 27 1989 Toronto, Ontario 31 Wregget, KenKen Wregget G L 33 1982 Brandon, Manitoba 29 Wright, TylerTyler Wright C R 24 1991 Kamsac, Saskatchewan Draft picks Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.[8] Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League) 1 23 Craig Hillier Goaltender  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHL) 2 28^[a] Pavel Skrbek Defense  Czech Republic HC Kladno (Czech) 3 72^[b] Boyd Kane Left Wing  Canada Regina Pats (WHL) 3 77 Borys Protsenko Right Wing  Ukraine Calgary Hitmen (WHL) 4 105 Michal Rozsival Defense  Czech Republic Dukla Jihlava (Czech) 6 150^[c] Peter Bergman Center  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL) 7 186 Eric Meloche Right Wing  Canada Cornwall Colts (COJHL) 9 238 Timo Seikkula Center  Finland Junkkarit (Finland) Draft notes[9] ^a The New Jersey Devils' second-round pick (from San Jose Sharks) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 22, 1996 trade that sent two second-round picks to the Devils in exchange for this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick (from Toronto Maple Leafs) went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996 trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a June 22, 1996 trade that sent a second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for a second-round pick and this pick. ^b The Boston Bruins' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an August 1, 1995 trade that sent Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern to the Bruins in exchange for Glen Murray, Bryan Smolinski and this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a March 20, 1996 trade that sent Kevin Miller to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. ^c Compensatory pick received from NHL as compensation for free agent Joe Mullen. The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick went to the St Louis Blues as the result of a March 20, 1996 trade that sent J. J. Daigneault to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' seventh-round pick (from NHL as compensation for free agent Kjell Samuelsson) went to the Edmonton Oilers as the result of a June 22, 1996 trade that sent Tyler Wright to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. The Pittsburgh Penguins' eighth-round pick went to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a March 1, 1996 trade that sent Dave McLlwain to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. Farm teams The Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League finished last in the North Division with a 24–39–7 record. The IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks finished second in the Central Division with a record of 40–32–10. They defeated the Indianapolis Ice in the first round 3–1, then defeated the Orlando Solar Bears in the second round 4–1 before losing to the eventual Turner Cup champion Detroit Vipers, 4–1. See also 1996–97 NHL season 1997 Stanley Cup playoffs 1996 NHL Entry Draft References Penguins on Hockey Database http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1997.html "1996-1997 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL. "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL. "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL. "1996–1997 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL. "1996–1997 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012. "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012. "1996 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.