Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

1995–96 Detroit Red Wings season

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Division
  
1st Central

1995–96 record
  
62–13–7

Road record
  
26–10–5

Conference
  
1st Western

Home record
  
36–3–2

Goals for
  
325

With their 62 wins, the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings eclipsed the all-time record of most regular-season wins, which had been set at 60 by the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens. Their 131 points during the regular season were the most since the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens accumulated 132 points (still an all-time record). They surpassed most of that year's NBA season records, including the Orlando Magic, who won 60 games that year (only NBA team records that the Red Wings did not surpass were the Seattle SuperSonics (64 wins) and the 72–10 Chicago Bulls). The Red Wings had two winning streaks of nine games, and had a 13–game unbeaten streak from Sunday, March 3, 1996, to Sunday, March 31, going 12–0–1 during that stretch. Having the best record in the league, the Red Wings were awarded the Presidents' Trophy. During the 1995–96 regular season, the Red Wings were the only team to score at least one goal in all 82 of its games. While the team is remembered for its record-breaking regular season, it performed poorly in the playoffs. Detroit lost five games to Winnipeg and St. Louis, both teams that failed to get above 80 points in the regular season, including having to go to a decisive game 7 against St. Louis. They were ultimately upset by Colorado, winning only two of the six games in the series, and failed to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Contents

Off-season

In September 1995, the former 1974 draft pick and attorney Bill Evo was appointed president the Detroit Red Wings.

Regular season

  • November 28, 1995: The Montreal Canadiens were playing the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The day before the game, Mario Tremblay spoke to Mario Leclerc of Le Journal de Montreal newspaper. Tremblay mentioned that he was resentful of current Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman. The first five years of Tremblay’s career were played under Bowman, and Tremblay told Leclerc that Bowman would always threaten to send him to the minors. When Leclerc approached Cournoyer, he stated that he did not want to speak about Bowman. The Canadiens lost the game by a score of 3–2. The next day, Le Journal de Montreal had a headline that stated, "Bowman has the last word."
  • December 2, 1995: The Red Wings played at the Montreal Forum and dealt Tremblay's Montreal Canadiens their worst home game in franchise history, with an 11–1 win. The Habs' star goaltender Patrick Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots (five in the first period, and then another four in the second period), and the crowd jeered him whenever he made an easy save during the second period after the game was already 7–1 in favor of the Red Wings. In response, Roy raised his arms in mock celebration. When Head Coach Mario Tremblay finally pulled Roy in the middle of the second period in favor of Pat Jablonski (who allowed two more goals), Roy stormed past him and told Canadiens President Ronald Corey, "It's my last game in Montreal." Tremblay would be roundly criticized for the goaltender decision, as it violated an unwritten rule where a star goaltender would have been taken out of the game on an off-night. Ironically, Roy would be traded to the Colorado Avalanche after that game, and he would play a key role in eliminating the Red Wings during the Western Conference Finals, precipitating the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry.
  • Against the Hartford Whalers on March 6, 1996, Chris Osgood became the third goaltender in NHL history to score a goal.
  • On March 22, 1996, the Red Wings scored three short-handed goals in a 7–0 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

    • The Red Wings finished first in wins (62), points (131), tied the Washington Capitals for most shutouts (9), allowed the fewest goals (181), the fewest even-strength goals (128), the fewest power-play goals (44) and had the best penalty-kill percentage (88.27%).

    Season standings

    Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
             Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

    Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

    bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

    Regular season

    Forwards

    Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

    Defencemen

    Note: GP = Games played; G= Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

    Goaltending

    Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

    Playoffs

    In the first round of the playoffs, the Red Wings defeated the eighth-place Winnipeg Jets marking the Jets' final games in Winnipeg as the franchise relocated to Phoenix following their playoff defeat. The Wings then defeated the fifth-place St. Louis Blues in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, the Red Wings were ousted in six games by the Colorado Avalanche, who were in the first year after moving from Quebec. These two teams would start the famed Red Wings-Avalanche Rivalry, which lasted nearly a decade.

    Western Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (8) Winnipeg Jets

    Detroit wins series 4–2

    Western Conference Semi-finals: vs. (5) St. Louis Blues

    Detroit wins series 4–3

    Western Conference Finals: vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche

    Colorado wins series 4–2

    Scoring
    Goaltending

    Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus-minus PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals;
          MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA=Shots Against; SV=Shots saved; SV% = Save Percentage;

    Awards and records

  • Most Wins in One Season
  • Presidents' Trophy
  • Frank J. Selke Trophy, Sergei Fedorov
  • Jack Adams Award, Scotty Bowman
  • NHL Plus/Minus Award, Vladimir Konstantinov
  • William M. Jennings Trophy, Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon
  • Chris Osgood, Goaltender, NHL Second Team All-Star
  • Vladimir Konstantinov, D, NHL Second Team All-Star

    • Transactions

    August 17, 1995 Acquired Marc Bergevin & Ben Hankinson from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Shawn Burr & round 3 pick in the 1996 draft.

    October 24, 1995 Acquired Igor Larionov and a conditional 1998 draft pick from the San Jose Sharks for Ray Sheppard.

    March 20, 1996 Acquired Kirk Maltby from the Edmonton Oilers for Dan McGillis.

    References

    1995–96 Detroit Red Wings season Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA