1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season
1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
---|---|
Northeast Division champions | |
Division | 1st Northeast |
Conference | 2nd Eastern |
1995–96 record | 49–29–4 |
Home record | 32–9–0 |
Road record | 17–20–4 |
Goals for | 362 |
Goals against | 284 |
Team information | |
General manager | Craig Patrick |
Coach | Eddie Johnston |
Captain | Mario Lemieux |
Alternate captains | Ron Francis Jaromir Jagr |
Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
Average attendance | 16,238 |
Minor league affiliate(s) | Cleveland Lumberjacks Hampton Roads Admirals |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Mario Lemieux (69) |
Assists | Mario Lemieux (92) |
Points | Mario Lemieux (161) |
Penalty minutes | Francois Leroux (161) |
Plus/minus | Petr Nedved (+37) |
Wins | Tom Barrasso (29) |
Goals against average | Ken Wregget (3.24) |
The 1995–96 Pittsburgh Penguins season saw the return of Mario Lemieux after missing an entire season due to injuries. The Penguins improved to first in the Northeast Division and second overall in the Eastern Conference. In the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins progressed to the Conference Finals before losing to the Florida Panthers.
Off-season
[edit]![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
Regular season
[edit]Mario Lemieux's return to the NHL after missing the entire 1994–95 season energized the Penguins and re-instituted the team's finesse game for the 1995–96 season. The Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference with 102 points, leading all League teams in goals (362), even-strength goals (235), power-play goals (109), power-play percentage (25.95%) and shooting percentage while scoring 362 goals on just 2,645 shots (13.7%).[1] Despite missing 12 regular-season games, Lemieux led the NHL in goals (69), assists (92), points (161) power-play goals (31) and shorthanded goals (8). Czech superstar Jaromir Jagr had a career year, scoring 62 goals (second in the League), 87 assists (third in the League) and 149 points (second in the League). The third 100-point scorer on the team was Ron Francis, who tallied 27 goals and 92 assists (tied for first in the NHL with Lemieux) for 119 points. Petr Nedved scored 45 goals and had 54 assists for 99 points in 80 games—he finished second in the NHL in shooting percentage, with 22.1%.[1] Despite missing over a quarter of the season, Tomas Sandstrom also had a strong year, scoring 35 goals and picking up 35 assists for 70 points in 58 games.
Lemieux scored three goals or more in a game six times, and four goals or more in a game twice. On March 26, 1996, he scored five goals in a home game against the St. Louis Blues. Lemieux tallied two even-strength goals, two power-play goals and one short-handed goal in the game, which the Penguins won 8–4.
Season standings
[edit]No. | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 362 | 284 | 102 |
2 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 282 | 269 | 91 |
3 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 265 | 248 | 90 |
4 | Hartford Whalers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 237 | 259 | 77 |
5 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 247 | 262 | 72 |
6 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 18 | 59 | 5 | 191 | 291 | 41 |
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 45 | 24 | 13 | 282 | 208 | 103 |
2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 82 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 362 | 284 | 102 |
3 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 272 | 237 | 96 |
4 | Florida Panthers | ATL | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 254 | 234 | 92 |
5 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 282 | 269 | 91 |
6 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 40 | 32 | 10 | 265 | 248 | 90 |
7 | Washington Capitals | ATL | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 234 | 204 | 89 |
8 | Tampa Bay Lightning | ATL | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 238 | 248 | 88 |
9 | New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 215 | 202 | 86 |
10 | Hartford Whalers | NE | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 237 | 259 | 77 |
11 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 247 | 262 | 73 |
12 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 22 | 50 | 10 | 229 | 315 | 54 |
13 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 18 | 59 | 5 | 191 | 291 | 41 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs
Playoffs
[edit]In the 1996 Playoffs, the Penguins advanced to the third round for the first time since 1992, defeating the Washington Capitals in six games and the New York Rangers in five games. In the Eastern Conference finals, the heavily favored Penguins were upset in seven games by the defense-oriented Florida Panthers.
Schedule and results
[edit]Regular season
[edit]1995–96 regular season[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 4–2–2 (home: 2–1–0 ; road: 2–1–2), 10 Points
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November: 10–3–1 (home: 6–1–0 ; road: 4–2–1), 21 Points
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December: 10–4–0 (home: 7–1–0 ; road: 3–3–0), 20 Points
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January: 7–7–0 (home: 5–3–0 ; road: 2–4–0), 14 Points
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February: 6–5–1 (home: 4–0–0 ; road: 2–5–1), 13 Points
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March: 9–5–0 (home: 6–2–0 ; road: 3–3–0), 18 Points
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April: 3–3–0 (home: 2–1–0 ; road: 1–2–0), 6 Points
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Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie |
Playoffs
[edit]1996 Stanley Cup playoffs[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Washington Capitals – Penguins win 4–2
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Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (3) New York Rangers – Penguins win 4–1
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Eastern Conference Finals vs. (4) Florida Panthers – Panthers win 4–3
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Legend: = Win = Loss |
Suspensions
[edit]Player | Length | Date | Reason |
---|---|---|---|
Ron Francis | 2 games | February 27, 1996 | Checking from behind |
Injuries
[edit]Player | Injury | Date |
---|---|---|
Tom Barrasso | Pulled Groin (DTD) | December 7, 1995 |
Tom Barrasso | Shoulder injury (Out Indefinitely) | February 5, 1996 |
Stefan Bergkvist | Appendectomy | February 21, 1996 |
Player statistics
[edit]- Skaters
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|
- Goaltenders
Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Barrasso | 49 | 2799:01 | 29 | 16 | 2 | 160 | 3.43 | 1626 | 0.902 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18 |
Ken Wregget | 37 | 2132:15 | 20 | 13 | 2 | 115 | 3.24 | 1205 | 0.905 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
Total | 4931:16 | 49 | 29 | 4 | 275 | 3.35 | 2831 | 0.903 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 26 |
Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ken Wregget | 9 | 598:47 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2.30 | 328 | 0.93 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Tom Barrasso | 10 | 557:30 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 2.80 | 337 | 0.923 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Total | 1156:17 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 49 | 2.54 | 665 | 0.926 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
†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
[edit]- Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 500 goals for the Penguins. He did so with a hat-trick in a 7–5 win over New York on October 3.
- Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 800 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 8–4 win over St. Louis on March 26.
- Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1300 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–2 win over Detroit on January 5.
- Jaromir Jagr set a new league record for most assists in a season by a winger (87). He broke the previous record of 83 set by Mike Bossy in 1982.
- Jaromir Jagr set a new league record for most points in a season by a winger (149). He broke the previous record of 147 set by Mike Bossy in 1982.
- Jaromir Jagr set a new league record for most points by a player born outside of North America (149). He broke the previous record of 139 set by Peter Stastny in 1982.
Awards
[edit]Type | Award/honor | Recipient | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
League (annual) |
Art Ross Trophy | Mario Lemieux | [8] |
Hart Memorial Trophy | Mario Lemieux | [9] | |
Lester B. Pearson Award | Mario Lemieux | [10] | |
NHL First All-Star team | Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) | [11] | |
Mario Lemieux (Center) | |||
League (in-season) |
NHL All-Star Game selection | Ron Francis | [12] |
Jaromir Jagr[a] | |||
Eddie Johnston (coach) | |||
Mario Lemieux[a] | |||
Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Mario Lemieux | [14] |
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Petr Nedved | [15] | |
Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award | Jaromir Jagr | [15] | |
Leading Scorer Award | Mario Lemieux | ||
Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | No winner | [16] | |
Most Valuable Player Award | Mario Lemieux | [17] | |
Players' Player Award | Ron Francis | [16] | |
The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Dave Roche | [14] |
Transactions
[edit]The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1995–96 season:[18]
Trades
[edit]July 8, 1995 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
Larry Murphy |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Dmitri Mironov |
August 1, 1995 | To Boston Bruins
Kevin Stevens |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Glen Murray |
August 31, 1995 | To New York Rangers
Luc Robitaille |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Petr Nedved |
December 28, 1995 | To Winnipeg Jets
Norm MacIver |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Neil Wilkinson |
March 1, 1996 | To Ottawa Senators
1996 8th round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Dave McLlwain |
March 20, 1996 | To Vancouver Canucks
Markus Naslund |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Alek Stojanov |
March 20, 1996 | To St. Louis Blues
1996 6th round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Jean-Jacques Daigneault |
March 20, 1996 | To San Jose Sharks
1996 5th round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Kevin Miller |
Free agents
[edit]Player | Acquired from | Lost to | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Troy Murray | Colorado Avalanche | August 7, 1995 | |
Corey Foster | Ottawa Senators | August 7, 1995 | |
Peter Taglianetti | Boston Bruins | August 9, 1995 | |
Peter Allen | Boston Bruins | August 10, 1995 | |
Mike Hudson | Toronto Maple Leafs | August 28, 1995 | |
Joe Mullen | Boston Bruins | September 8, 1995 | |
John Cullen | Tampa Bay Lightning | September 11, 1995 | |
Ladislav Karabin | Buffalo Sabres | September 20, 1995 |
Signings
[edit]Player | Date |
---|---|
Brad Lauer | August 10, 1995 |
Evgeny Davydov | August 10, 1995 |
Troy Crowder | August 10, 1995 |
Glen Murray | September 8, 1995 |
Other
[edit]Name | Date | Details |
---|---|---|
Evgeny Davydov | September 25, 1995 | Released |
Perry Ganchar | October 15, 1995 | Retired |
Draft picks
[edit]Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.[19]
Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | Aleksey Morozov | Right Wing | ![]() |
Krylja Sovetov (Russia) |
3 | 76 | Jean-Sebastien Aubin | Goaltender | ![]() |
Sherbrooke Faucons (QMJHL) |
4 | 102 | Oleg Belov | Center | ![]() |
CSKA Moscow (Russia) |
5 | 128 | Jan Hrdina | Center | ![]() |
Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
6 | 154 | Alexei Kolkunov | Center | ![]() |
Krylja Sovetov (Russia) |
7 | 180 | Derrick Pyke | Right Wing | ![]() |
Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
8 | 206 | Sergei Voronov | Defense | ![]() |
Moscow Dynamo (Russia) |
9 | 232 | Frank Ivankovic | Goaltender | ![]() |
Oshawa Generals (OHL) |
- Draft notes[20]
- The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the Los Angeles Kings as the result of a July 29, 1994, trade that sent Luc Robitaille to the Penguins in exchange for Rick Tocchet and this pick.
Farm teams
[edit]The Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League finished in fifth place in the East Division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Richmond Renegades.
The Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL) finished in third place in the Central Division, but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Michigan K-Wings.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- "Pittsburgh Penguins 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- "1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "1995-96 NHL Summary".
- ^ "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
- ^ a b "1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ "1995–1996 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1995–1996 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1995–1996 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "1995–1996 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
- ^ "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Hart Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Ted Lindsay Award". records.nhl.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1996". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
- ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
- ^ 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
- ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- ^ "1995 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.