1995–96 Hartford Whalers
Division4th Northeast
Conference10th Eastern
1995–96 record34–39–9
Home record22–15–4
Road record12–24–5
Goals for237
Goals against259
Team information
General managerJim Rutherford
CoachPaul Holmgren (Oct-Nov)
Paul Maurice (Nov-Apr)
CaptainBrendan Shanahan
Alternate captainsGlen Wesley
Andrew Cassels
ArenaHartford Civic Center
Average attendance11,983 (76.6%) [1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Springfield Falcons (AHL)
Richmond Renegades (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsBrendan Shanahan (44)
AssistsAndrew Cassels (43)
PointsBrendan Shanahan (78)
Penalty minutesScott Daniels (254)
Plus/minusBrad McCrimmon (+15)
WinsSean Burke (28)
Goals against averageJason Muzzatti (2.90)

The 1995–96 Hartford Whalers season was the 24th season of the franchise, 17th season in the NHL. The Whalers missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

Off-season

On May 31, the Whalers acquired a fourth round draft pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jan Vopat.

The Whalers participated in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta on July 8. With their first round selection, 13th overall, Hartford selected Jean-Sébastien Giguère from the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Giguere had a record of 14-27-5 with a 3.94 GAA and a .889 save percentage with the Mooseheads during the 1994-95 season. In the fourth round, the club selected Sami Kapanen from HIFK of the SM-liiga. In 49 games, Kapanen scored 14 goals and 42 points. Other notable players the Whalers selected in the draft include Ian MacNeil, Byron Ritchie and Mike Rucinski.

Hartford signed free agent Jeff Daniels on July 18. Daniels played in three games with the Florida Panthers during the 1994-95, earning no points. He played a majority of the season with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL, scoring eight goals and 20 points in 25 games.

On July 27, the Whalers and St. Louis Blues were involved in a blockbuster trade. Hartford acquired Brendan Shanahan from the Blues in exchange for Chris Pronger. In 45 games during the 1994-95 season, Shanahan scored 20 goals and 41 points. Shanahan had back-to-back 50+ goal seasons in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Shanahan was named to the NHL First All-Star Team during the 1993-94 season, as he scored 52 goals and 102 points in 81 games, while accumulating 211 penalty minutes.

The Whalers signed free agent Gerald Diduck on August 24. Diduck split the 1994-95 season between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks. In 35 games, he scored two goals and five points.

On October 6, the Whalers acquired Nelson Emerson in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Darren Turcotte. In 1994-95, Emerson scored 14 goals and 37 points in 48 games with the Jets. During the 1993-94 season, Emerson scored a career high 33 goals and 74 points in 83 games with Winnipeg. Also, on October 6, at the NHL Waiver Draft, the Whalers selected Jason Muzzatti from the Calgary Flames. Muzzatti had a 10-14-4 record with the Saint John Flames during the 1994-95 season.

Regular season

Against the Hartford Whalers on March 6, 1996, Chris Osgood became the third goaltender in NHL history to score a goal.[2]

The Whalers were shutout a league-high 8 times during the regular season.[3]

Final standings

Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA PTS
1Pittsburgh Penguins8249294362284102
2Boston Bruins8240311128226991
3Montreal Canadiens8240321026524890
4Hartford Whalers823439923725977
5Buffalo Sabres823342724726272
6Ottawa Senators821859519129141
Eastern Conference[4]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1Philadelphia FlyersATL82452413282208103
2Pittsburgh PenguinsNE8249294362284102
3New York RangersATL8241271427223796
4Florida PanthersATL8241311025423492
5Boston BruinsNE8240311128226991
6Montreal CanadiensNE8240321026524890
7Washington CapitalsATL8239321123420489
8Tampa Bay LightningATL8238321223824888
9New Jersey DevilsATL8237331221520286
10Hartford WhalersNE823439923725977
11Buffalo SabresNE823342724726273
12New York IslandersATL8222501022931554
13Ottawa SenatorsNE821859519129141

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs

Schedule and results

1995–96 regular season[3]
October: 4–4–1 (home: 3–2–1; road: 1–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
1WOctober 7, 19952–0New York Rangers (1995–96)1–0–015,635Recap
2WOctober 11, 19953–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)2–0–08,635Recap
3WOctober 14, 19953–2Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)3–0–015,500Recap
4WOctober 16, 19957–5@ New York Rangers (1995–96)4–0–018,200Recap
5TOctober 20, 19952–2 OTPittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)4–0–115,635Recap
6LOctober 21, 19950–3@ Florida Panthers (1995–96)4–1–112,503Recap
7LOctober 25, 19952–4St. Louis Blues (1995–96)4–2–110,527Recap
8LOctober 27, 19951–4Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)4–3–111,157Recap
9LOctober 28, 19950–3@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)4–4–117,565Recap
November: 5–7–1 (home: 3–4–0; road: 2–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
10LNovember 2, 19950–5Ottawa Senators (1995–96)4–5–110,458Recap
11WNovember 4, 19955–4@ Ottawa Senators (1995–96)5–5–18,794Recap
12LNovember 5, 19951–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)5–6–117,218Recap
13WNovember 7, 19957–3San Jose Sharks (1995–96)6–6–18,628Recap
14LNovember 11, 19951–4New York Rangers (1995–96)6–7–115,635Recap
15LNovember 14, 19950–1@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)6–8–111,916Recap
16WNovember 15, 19953–2Ottawa Senators (1995–96)7–8–17,641Recap
17LNovember 18, 19952–4Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)7–9–113,910Recap
18LNovember 20, 19953–4 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)7–10–116,312Recap
19WNovember 22, 19954–2Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)8–10–111,642Recap
20WNovember 24, 19954–0@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)9–10–115,726Recap
21LNovember 25, 19952–4Washington Capitals (1995–96)9–11–113,108Recap
22TNovember 29, 19952–2 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)9–11–215,203Recap
December: 2–10–3 (home: 2–3–1; road: 0–7–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
23LDecember 1, 19951–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)9–12–212,036Recap
24LDecember 2, 19953–5Florida Panthers (1995–96)9–13–210,092Recap
25WDecember 6, 19957–4New York Islanders (1995–96)10–13–28,760Recap
26LDecember 9, 19950–6@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)10–14–216,114Recap
27LDecember 10, 19951–4@ Chicago Blackhawks (1995–96)10–15–217,955Recap
28LDecember 13, 19952–3Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)10–16–27,547Recap
29WDecember 15, 19954–2Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)11–16–29,826Recap
30TDecember 16, 19953–3 OT@ New York Islanders (1995–96)11–16–38,251Recap
31LDecember 18, 19952–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)11–17–316,237Recap
32LDecember 20, 19952–3Calgary Flames (1995–96)11–18–36,563Recap
33TDecember 22, 19953–3 OT@ New York Rangers (1995–96)11–18–418,200Recap
34TDecember 23, 19953–3 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (1995–96)11–18–512,262Recap
35LDecember 28, 19954–9@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)11–19–517,181Recap
36LDecember 30, 19950–3@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)11–20–518,130Recap
37LDecember 31, 19952–3@ Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)11–21–519,983Recap
January: 8–4–1 (home: 4–0–1; road: 4–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
38WJanuary 3, 19962–0Washington Capitals (1995–96)12–21–58,087Recap
39WJanuary 5, 19964–2Ottawa Senators (1995–96)13–21–512,239Recap
40LJanuary 6, 19962–5@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)13–22–517,565Recap
41WJanuary 9, 19965–1@ Edmonton Oilers (1995–96)14–22–59,702Recap
42LJanuary 10, 19962–3 OT@ Calgary Flames (1995–96)14–23–516,469Recap
43WJanuary 12, 19963–2@ Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)15–23–59,709Recap
44WJanuary 16, 19963–0Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)16–23–511,124Recap
45WJanuary 17, 19966–3@ New York Islanders (1995–96)17–23–58,544Recap
46LJanuary 24, 19962–4@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)17–24–512,808Recap
47WJanuary 25, 19968–2Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)18–24–513,757Recap
48TJanuary 27, 19964–4 OTNew Jersey Devils (1995–96)18–24–615,635Recap
49LJanuary 30, 19962–8@ San Jose Sharks (1995–96)18–25–617,190Recap
50WJanuary 31, 19966–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1995–96)19–25–611,775Recap
February: 6–3–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 4–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
51WFebruary 2, 19964–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1995–96)20–25–617,174Recap
52WFebruary 7, 19965–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1995–96)21–25–616,758Recap
53WFebruary 9, 19963–2 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (1995–96)22–25–616,061Recap
54WFebruary 11, 19965–3@ Dallas Stars (1995–96)23–25–615,397Recap
55LFebruary 14, 19960–3Boston Bruins (1995–96)23–26–615,635Recap
56WFebruary 17, 19962–1 OTBuffalo Sabres (1995–96)24–26–615,291Recap
57WFebruary 21, 19965–3Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)25–26–614,311Recap
58LFebruary 23, 19964–5@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)25–27–617,235Recap
59LFebruary 25, 19962–6Dallas Stars (1995–96)25–28–611,143Recap
60TFebruary 28, 19964–4 OTEdmonton Oilers (1995–96)25–28–79,360Recap
March: 6–6–2 (home: 6–3–0; road: 0–3–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
61LMarch 1, 19962–5Winnipeg Jets (1995–96)25–29–711,552Recap
62WMarch 2, 19967–1Florida Panthers (1995–96)26–29–711,935Recap
63LMarch 6, 19962–4Detroit Red Wings (1995–96)26–30–711,252Recap
64WMarch 8, 19967–4Toronto Maple Leafs (1995–96)27–30–710,979Recap
65LMarch 9, 19963–6@ St. Louis Blues (1995–96)27–31–720,803Recap
66WMarch 13, 19963–2Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)28–31–711,850Recap
67WMarch 16, 19962–1Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)29–31–713,213Recap
68WMarch 18, 19966–3Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)30–31–711,440Recap
69LMarch 20, 19962–3@ Montreal Canadiens (1995–96)30–32–721,255Recap
70TMarch 22, 19961–1 OT@ Ottawa Senators (1995–96)30–32–813,596Recap
71TMarch 23, 19962–2 OT@ Washington Capitals (1995–96)30–32–918,130Recap
72LMarch 25, 19960–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1995–96)30–33–917,380Recap
73LMarch 27, 19965–6 OTBoston Bruins (1995–96)30–34–913,884Recap
74WMarch 30, 19963–1New York Islanders (1995–96)31–34–913,628Recap
April: 3–5–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 1–4–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordAttendanceRecap
75LApril 1, 19962–3@ Florida Panthers (1995–96)31–35–913,159Recap
76LApril 3, 19962–4@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1995–96)31–36–922,576Recap
77WApril 4, 19961–0@ New Jersey Devils (1995–96)32–36–917,757Recap
78LApril 6, 19963–6New Jersey Devils (1995–96)32–37–913,521Recap
79WApril 8, 19965–4Pittsburgh Penguins (1995–96)33–37–912,683Recap
80LApril 11, 19962–3@ Boston Bruins (1995–96)33–38–917,565Recap
81WApril 13, 19962–0Boston Bruins (1995–96)34–38–915,635Recap
82LApril 14, 19961–4@ Buffalo Sabres (1995–96)34–39–916,230Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

Scoring

  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Whalers only.
  • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Whalers only.
Regular season
No. Player Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM
94Brendan ShanahanLW744434782125
8Geoff SandersonLW81343165040
21Andrew CasselsC81204363839
16Nelson EmersonRW81292958−778
13[lower-alpha 1]Andrei NikolishinC61143751−234
18Robert KronLW77222850−16
27Jeff BrownD4873138238
28Paul RanheimLW73102030−214
92Jeff O'NeillRW6581927−340
20Glen WesleyD6881624−988
12Steven RiceRW59101222−447
6Adam BurtD784913−4121
36Glen FeatherstoneD682101210138
4[lower-alpha 2]Gerald DiduckD791910788
24Sami KapanenRW3554906
10Brad McCrimmonD583691562
11Kevin DineenRW20279767
22Mark JanssensC81279−13155
4Frantisek KuceraD30268−310
15Scott DanielsLW53347−4254
39Kelly ChaseRW55246−4230
1Sean BurkeG6606616
32Steve MartinsC23134−38
7Brian GlynnD54044−1544
14Kevin SmythLW21213−58
26Jocelyn LemieuxRW29123−1131
33Jimmy CarsonC1110110
5Alexander GodynyukD3000−12
23Marek MalikD7000−34
25Jason McBainD3000−10
29Jason MuzzattiG2200033
35Jeff ReeseG70000

Goaltending

  • = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Whalers only.
Regular season
No. Player GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1Sean Burke662828620341903.11.90743669
29Jason Muzzatti22483551492.90.91111013
35Jeff Reese7230170143.06.9181275

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selection Brendan Shanahan[lower-alpha 3] [6]
Team Award of Excellence Brad McCrimmon [7]
Booster Club MVP Award Sean Burke [7]
Frank Keys Memorial Award Brad McCrimmon [7]
Mark Kravitz Award Sean Burke [7]
Most Valuable Defenseman Jeff Brown [7]
Three Star Award of Excellence Sean Burke [7]
Top Gun Award Brendan Shanahan [7]
True Grit Award Nelson Emerson [7]

Transactions

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1995–96 season.

Trades

May 31, 1995 To Los Angeles Kings
Jan Vopat
To Hartford Whalers
4th round pick in 1995 - Ian MacNeil
July 27, 1995 To St. Louis Blues
Chris Pronger
To Hartford Whalers
Brendan Shanahan
October 6, 1995 To Winnipeg Jets
Darren Turcotte
To Hartford Whalers
Nelson Emerson
November 29, 1995 To Dallas Stars
Robert Petrovicky
To Hartford Whalers
Dan Kesa
December 1, 1995 To Tampa Bay Lightning
Jeff Reese
To Hartford Whalers
9th round pick in 1996 - Askhat Rakhmatulin
December 19, 1995 To New Jersey Devils
Jocelyn Lemieux
2nd round pick in 1998 - John Erskine
To Hartford Whalers
Jim Dowd
2nd round pick in 1997 - Dmitri Kokorev
December 19, 1995 To Vancouver Canucks
Jim Dowd
Frantisek Kucera
2nd round pick in 1997 - Ryan Bonni
To Hartford Whalers
Jeff Brown
3rd round pick in 1998 - Paul Manning
December 28, 1995 To Philadelphia Flyers
3rd round pick in 1997 - Kris Mallette
7th round pick in 1997 - Andrew Merrick
To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Dineen

Waivers

October 6, 1995 From Calgary Flames
Jason Muzzatti

Free agents

PlayerFormer Team
Jeff DanielsDetroit Vipers (IHL)
Gerald DiduckChicago Blackhawks
David WilliamsAnaheim Mighty Ducks
PlayerNew Team
Jeff BloembergDetroit Red Wings
Jim SandlakVancouver Canucks

Draft picks

Hartford's picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta.[8]

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
113Jean-Sebastien GiguereGoaltender CanadaHalifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
235Sergei FedotovDefense RussiaDynamo Moscow (Russia)
485Ian MacNeilCenter CanadaOshawa Generals (OHL)
487Sami KapanenRight wing FinlandHIFK (Finland)
5113Hugh HamiltonDefense CanadaSpokane Chiefs (WHL)
7165Byron RitchieCenter CanadaLethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
8191Milan KostolnyRight wing SlovakiaDetroit Junior Red Wings (OHL)
9217Mike RucinskiDefense United StatesDetroit Junior Red Wings (OHL)

See also

Notes

  1. Nikolishin wore number 11 until Dineen was acquired.
  2. Diduck wore number 44 through December 18.
  3. Shanahan was voted to the starting lineup.[5]

References

  • "Hartford Whalers 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  • "1995-96 Hartford Whalers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  1. "Hartford Whalers Yearly Attendance Graph". hockeydb.com.
  2. "Red Wings 4, Whalers 2 - UPI Archives". UPI. March 6, 1996. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "1995-96 Hartford Whalers Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  4. "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  5. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  6. "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1996". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Whalers Team Awards". www.whalershockey.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  8. "1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
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