1996–97 Edmonton Oilers season

1996–97 Edmonton Oilers
Division	3rd Pacific
Conference	7th Western
1996–97 record	36–37–9
Home record	21–16–4
Road record	15–21–5
Goals for	252
Goals against	247
Team information
General manager	Glen Sather
Coach	Ron Low
Captain	Kelly Buchberger
Alternate captains	Luke Richardson Doug Weight
Arena	Edmonton Coliseum
Average attendance	16,043 (93.8%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Ryan Smyth (39)
Assists	Doug Weight (61)
Points	Doug Weight (82)
Penalty minutes	Kelly Buchberger (159)
Plus/minus	Bryan Marchment (+13)
Wins	Curtis Joseph (32)
Goals against average	Bob Essensa (2.83)

The 1996–97 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 18th season in the NHL. They were coming off a 30–44–8 record, earning 68 points in the 1995–96 season, which led them to failing to qualify for the post-season for the 4th time in a row.

The Oilers had their best season since 1991–92 as they won 36 games and earn 81 points, finishing third place in the Pacific Division and seventh in the Western Conference, earning their first playoff berth in five years. The main reason for the Oilers' turn-around was their solid goaltending and defensive hockey, only allowing 247 goals, 57 fewer than the previous season.

Regular season

On November 26, 1996, the Oilers defeated their provincial rival Calgary Flames on the road by a score of 10-1. Ten different Oilers scored in the game. It was the first time that the Oilers had scored 10 goals in a regular-season game since December 4, 1988, when they defeated the New York Rangers at home by a score of 10-6.

Offensively, Doug Weight led the club once again this season in points, earning 82, and achieved a club high 61 assists. Ryan Smyth had a breakout season, scoring a team high 39 goals and led the team in power play goals with 20. Andrei Kovalenko, acquired in the off-season, scored 32 goals and 59 points, while Jason Arnott earned 57 points in 67 games. Rookie Mike Grier had 32 points in 79 games, and Mariusz Czerkawski finished third on the team in goals with 26. Boris Mironov anchored the defense, earning 32 points in only 55 games. Todd Marchant led the team in short-handed goals with 4. Team captain Kelly Buchberger provided the team toughness, earning a club high 159 penalty minutes.

In goal, Curtis Joseph got the majority of playing time, winning 32 games while posting a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage. He set a team record with 6 shutouts. Bob Essensa, despite a strong GAA of 2.83, won only 4 games.

The Oilers had the most power-play opportunities during the regular season, with 406 opportunities in total.

Season standings

Pacific Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	1	Colorado Avalanche	82	49	24	9	277	205	107
2	4	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	82	36	33	13	243	231	85
3	7	Edmonton Oilers	82	36	37	9	252	247	81
4	9	Vancouver Canucks	82	35	40	7	257	273	77
5	10	Calgary Flames	82	32	41	9	214	239	73
6	12	Los Angeles Kings	82	28	43	11	214	268	67
7	13	San Jose Sharks	82	27	47	8	211	278	62

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

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – Colorado Avalanche	PAC	82	49	24	9	277	205	107
2	Dallas Stars	CEN	82	48	26	8	252	198	104
3	Detroit Red Wings	CEN	82	38	26	18	253	197	94
4	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PAC	82	36	33	13	245	233	85
5	Phoenix Coyotes	CEN	82	38	37	7	240	243	83
6	St. Louis Blues	CEN	82	36	35	11	236	239	83
7	Edmonton Oilers	PAC	82	36	37	9	252	247	81
8	Chicago Blackhawks	CEN	82	34	35	13	223	210	81
9	Vancouver Canucks	PAC	82	35	40	7	257	273	77
10	Calgary Flames	PAC	82	32	41	9	214	239	73
11	Toronto Maple Leafs	CEN	82	30	44	8	230	273	68
12	Los Angeles Kings	PAC	82	28	43	11	214	268	67
13	San Jose Sharks	PAC	82	27	47	8	211	278	62

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

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

Playoffs

The Oilers faced the Central Division winning Dallas Stars in the opening round of the playoffs. After splitting the first 2 games in Dallas, the Oilers returned home for game 3 for their first home playoff game since 1992 and found themselves losing 3–0 with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd period. Edmonton then struck for 3 goals to tie the game, and Kelly Buchberger provided the overtime heroics, as the Oilers won the game 4–3 and take a 2–1 series lead. Dallas tied the series up again in game 4, however, the Oilers shocked the Stars, winning 1–0 in double overtime in the 5th game in Dallas, and returning to Edmonton in a position to clinch the series. The Stars spoiled the Oilers' party, winning the 6th game 3–2, setting up a game 7 at Reunion Arena in Dallas. The game was a memorable one, as the score was tied up at 3 as the teams headed into overtime. Todd Marchant turned out to be the hero, scoring for the Oilers in the 1st overtime, as Edmonton completed the upset, defeating the Stars in 7 games.

In the 2nd round, Edmonton faced the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Pacific Division and had 26 more points than the Oilers during the season. The Avalanche won the opening 2 games easily in Denver, and while the Oilers rebounded to win the 3rd game, the Avs proved to be too much for Edmonton to handle, as they won the series in 5 games, ending the Oilers' season.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1996–97 regular season
October: 7–5–0 (home: 4–2–0 ; road: 3–3–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 4 Buffalo Sabres 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,236 1–0–0 2 Recap 2 October 6 Vancouver Canucks 0 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,144 2–0–0 4 Recap 3 October 8 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 2 Toronto Maple Leafs Joseph 15,424 3–0–0 6 Recap 4 October 9 Edmonton Oilers 0 – 2 Detroit Red Wings Essensa 19,983 3–1–0 6 Recap 5 October 11 St. Louis Blues 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,145 3–2–0 6 Recap 6 October 14 Edmonton Oilers 6 – 3 Phoenix Coyotes Joseph 13,916 4–2–0 8 Recap 7 October 15 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 7 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 4–3–0 8 Recap 8 October 20 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 6 Calgary Flames Joseph 16,295 4–4–0 8 Recap 9 October 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,536 5–4–0 10 Recap 10 October 24 Edmonton Oilers 8 – 2 Los Angeles Kings Essensa 10,195 6–4–0 12 Recap 11 October 26 Colorado Avalanche 4 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 6–5–0 12 Recap 12 October 30 Phoenix Coyotes 1 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,678 7–5–0 14 Recap
November: 6–7–1 (home: 2–3–1 ; road: 4–4–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 1 Vancouver Canucks 5 – 4 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 16,177 7–6–0 14 Recap 14 November 3 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Chicago Blackhawks Joseph 16,875 7–7–0 14 Recap 15 November 6 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 5 Pittsburgh Penguins Essensa 15,159 7–8–0 14 Recap 16 November 7 Edmonton Oilers 6 – 0 Boston Bruins Joseph 13,643 8–8–0 16 Recap 17 November 9 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 7 Toronto Maple Leafs Joseph 15,726 8–9–0 16 Recap 18 November 11 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 3 Montreal Canadiens OT Joseph 20,452 8–10–0 16 Recap 19 November 13 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 0 Ottawa Senators Joseph 15,312 9–10–0 18 Recap 20 November 17 Dallas Stars 7 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,574 9–11–0 18 Recap 21 November 19 Chicago Blackhawks 4 – 4 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 14,792 9–11–1 19 Recap 22 November 21 New York Rangers 2 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 10–11–1 21 Recap 23 November 23 Calgary Flames 2 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,829 11–11–1 23 Recap 24 November 26 Edmonton Oilers 10 – 1 Calgary Flames Joseph 17,146 12–11–1 25 Recap 25 November 27 Los Angeles Kings 5 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 14,039 12–12–1 25 Recap 26 November 29 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 2 San Jose Sharks Joseph 17,442 13–12–1 27 Recap
December: 4–7–3 (home: 3–4–1 ; road: 1–3–2) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 27 December 1 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Joseph 16,735 13–13–1 27 Recap 28 December 4 Edmonton Oilers 0 – 2 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 13–14–1 27 Recap 29 December 6 Ottawa Senators 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,060 14–14–1 29 Recap 30 December 8 St. Louis Blues 3 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,922 14–15–1 29 Recap 31 December 10 Edmonton Oilers 0 – 0 Detroit Red Wings OT Joseph 19,983 14–15–2 30 Recap 32 December 12 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 2 Tampa Bay Lightning OT Joseph 13,925 14–15–3 31 Recap 33 December 15 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 6 Florida Panthers Essensa 14,703 14–16–3 31 Recap 34 December 18 Colorado Avalanche 4 – 4 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 16,053 14–16–4 32 Recap 35 December 20 New Jersey Devils 3 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,692 14–17–4 32 Recap 36 December 22 Detroit Red Wings 6 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,724 14–18–4 32 Recap 37 December 23 Edmonton Oilers 7 – 0 Vancouver Canucks Essensa 17,854 15–18–4 34 Recap 38 December 27 Philadelphia Flyers 6 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 15–19–4 34 Recap 39 December 28 San Jose Sharks 3 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 16,670 16–19–4 36 Recap 40 December 30 Los Angeles Kings 1 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,954 17–19–4 38 Recap
January: 8–3–1 (home: 5–1–0 ; road: 3–2–1) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 41 January 3 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 18–19–4 40 Recap 42 January 7 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 2 St. Louis Blues Joseph 15,760 19–19–4 42 Recap 43 January 8 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 4 Chicago Blackhawks Essensa 17,500 19–20–4 42 Recap 44 January 11 San Jose Sharks 2 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,451 19–21–4 42 Recap 45 January 12 Hartford Whalers 1 – 2 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 14,301 20–21–4 44 Recap 46 January 15 Florida Panthers 0 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,673 21–21–4 46 Recap 47 January 21 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 4 New York Rangers OT Joseph 18,200 21–21–5 47 Recap 48 January 22 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 8 New York Islanders Joseph 10,438 21–22–5 47 Recap 49 January 24 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 1 Buffalo Sabres Joseph 16,775 22–22–5 49 Recap 50 January 26 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 1 Washington Capitals Joseph 14,623 23–22–5 51 Recap 51 January 29 San Jose Sharks 1 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,378 24–22–5 53 Recap 52 January 31 New York Islanders 0 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,211 25–22–5 55 Recap
February: 4–6–2 (home: 4–2–0 ; road: 0–4–2) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 February 5 Calgary Flames 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,770 26–22–5 57 Recap 54 February 8 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2 – 1 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 16,743 26–23–5 57 Recap 55 February 9 Washington Capitals 1 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 15,361 27–23–5 59 Recap 56 February 12 Boston Bruins 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,238 28–23–5 61 Recap 57 February 13 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 3 Calgary Flames OT Essensa 18,882 28–24–5 61 Recap 58 February 15 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 2 Los Angeles Kings OT Joseph 12,027 28–24–6 62 Recap 59 February 17 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Joseph 17,174 28–25–6 62 Recap 60 February 19 Toronto Maple Leafs 5 – 6 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,487 29–25–6 64 Recap 61 February 21 Colorado Avalanche 4 – 3 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 29–26–6 64 Recap 62 February 23 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 6 Dallas Stars Joseph 15,786 29–27–6 64 Recap 63 February 26 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim OT Joseph 17,174 29–27–7 65 Recap 64 February 27 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 6 Los Angeles Kings Essensa 12,115 29–28–7 65 Recap
March: 6–7–0 (home: 2–3–0 ; road: 4–4–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 65 March 1 Montreal Canadiens 5 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 29–29–7 65 Recap 66 March 4 Los Angeles Kings 1 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,671 30–29–7 67 Recap 67 March 7 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 2 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,723 30–30–7 67 Recap 68 March 9 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 1 St. Louis Blues Joseph 17,982 31–30–7 69 Recap 69 March 11 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 6 New Jersey Devils Joseph 14,671 31–31–7 69 Recap 70 March 13 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 5 Philadelphia Flyers OT Joseph 19,635 31–32–7 69 Recap 71 March 15 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 2 Hartford Whalers Joseph 14,437 32–32–7 71 Recap 72 March 19 Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,089 33–32–7 73 Recap 73 March 23 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 33–33–7 73 Recap 74 March 24 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 1 San Jose Sharks Joseph 17,159 34–33–7 75 Recap 75 March 28 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 4 San Jose Sharks Joseph 17,442 34–34–7 75 Recap 76 March 29 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 1 Phoenix Coyotes Joseph 16,210 35–34–7 77 Recap 77 March 31 Dallas Stars 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 35–35–7 77 Recap
April: 1–2–2 (home: 1–1–2 ; road: 0–1–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 78 April 3 Chicago Blackhawks 2 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 36–35–7 79 Recap 79 April 5 Vancouver Canucks 2 – 2 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 36–35–8 80 Recap 80 April 9 Detroit Red Wings 3 – 3 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 36–35–9 81 Recap 81 April 11 Phoenix Coyotes 6 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 36–36–9 81 Recap 82 April 12 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 5 Vancouver Canucks Essensa 18,422 36–37–9 81 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1997 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (2) Dallas Stars – Oilers win 4–3 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 16 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 5 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,418 0–1 Recap 2 April 18 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 0 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,924 1–1 Recap 3 April 20 Dallas Stars 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 2–1 Recap 4 April 22 Dallas Stars 4 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 2–2 Recap 5 April 25 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 0 Dallas Stars 2OT Joseph 16,924 3–2 Recap 6 April 27 Dallas Stars 3 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 3–3 Recap 7 April 29 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 3 Dallas Stars OT Joseph 16,924 4–3 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (1) Colorado Avalanche – Avalanche win 4–1 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 2 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 5 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 0–1 Recap 2 May 4 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 4 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 0–2 Recap 3 May 7 Colorado Avalanche 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 1–2 Recap 4 May 9 Colorado Avalanche 3 – 2 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 1–3 Recap 5 May 11 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 4 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 1–4 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; 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 Oilers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

			Regular season						Playoffs
No.	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
39	Doug Weight	C	80	21	61	82	1	80	12	3	8	11	0	8
94	Ryan Smyth	LW	82	39	22	61	−7	76	12	5	5	10	−4	12
51	Andrei Kovalenko	RW	74	32	27	59	−5	81	12	4	3	7	1	6
7	Jason Arnott	C	67	19	38	57	−21	92	12	3	6	9	−3	18
21	Mariusz Czerkawski	LW	76	26	21	47	0	16	12	2	1	3	−2	10
16	Kelly Buchberger	RW	81	8	30	38	4	159	12	5	2	7	−1	16
26	Todd Marchant	LW	79	14	19	33	11	44	12	4	2	6	2	12
25	Mike Grier	RW	79	15	17	32	7	45	12	3	1	4	−2	4
2	Boris Mironov	D	55	6	26	32	2	85	12	2	8	10	−6	16
17	Rem Murray	C	82	11	20	31	9	16	12	1	2	3	−1	4
37	Dean McAmmond	LW	57	12	17	29	−15	28	—	—	—	—	—	—
18	Miroslav Satan‡	LW	64	17	11	28	−4	22	—	—	—	—	—	—
14	Mats Lindgren	C	69	11	14	25	−7	12	12	0	4	4	−2	0
23	Dan McGillis	D	73	6	16	22	2	52	12	0	5	5	8	24
24	Bryan Marchment	D	71	3	13	16	13	132	3	0	0	0	−3	4
4	Kevin Lowe	D	64	1	13	14	−1	50	1	0	0	0	−1	0
6	Jeff Norton‡	D	62	2	11	13	−7	42	—	—	—	—	—	—
22	Luke Richardson	D	82	1	11	12	9	91	12	0	2	2	−4	14
8	Michel Petit†‡	D	18	2	4	6	−13	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
85	Petr Klima†	RW	16	1	5	6	−1	6	6	0	0	0	0	4
5	Greg de Vries	D	37	0	4	4	−2	52	12	0	1	1	4	8
20	David Oliver‡	RW	17	1	2	3	−8	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Louie DeBrusk	LW	32	2	0	2	−6	94	6	0	0	0	0	4
31	Curtis Joseph	G	72	0	2	2		20	12	0	0	0		2
9	Ralph Intranuovo†	C	5	1	0	1	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
10	Steve Kelly	C	8	1	0	1	−1	6	6	0	0	0	1	2
55	Drew Bannister†	D	1	0	1	1	−2	0	12	0	0	0	−4	30
34	Donald Dufresne	D	22	0	1	1	−1	15	3	0	0	0	0	0
12	Jesse Belanger	C	6	0	0	0	−3	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Sean Brown	D	5	0	0	0	−1	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Bob Essensa	G	19	0	0	0		4	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Joe Hulbig	LW	6	0	0	0	−1	0	6	0	1	1	2	2
35	Craig Millar†	D	1	0	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
18	Barrie Moore†	LW	4	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Bryan Muir	D	—	—	—	—	—	—	5	0	0	0	−2	4

Goaltending

		Regular season										Playoffs
No.	Player	GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
31	Curtis Joseph	72	32	29	9	2144	200	2.93	.907	6	4100	12	5	7	405	36	2.81	.911	2	767
30	Bob Essensa	19	4	8	0	406	41	2.83	.899	1	868	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Jason Arnott
Team	Community Service Award	Jason Arnott
	Defenceman of the Year	Bryan Marchment
	Molson Cup	Curtis Joseph
	Most Popular Player	Curtis Joseph
	Top Defensive Forward	Kelly Buchberger
	Top First Year Oiler	Mike Grier
	Unsung Hero	Doug Weight
	Zane Feldman Trophy	Curtis Joseph

Records

• 3: Tied NHL record for most short-handed goals in a playoffs by Todd Marchant on May 11, 1997.

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Mike Grier	1st NHL Game	October 4, 1996
Dan McGillis	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Rem Murray	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Kelly Buchberger	1,400th NHL PIM	October 8, 1996
Rem Murray	1st NHL Assist
Ryan Smyth	1st NHL Hat-trick
Luke Richardson	1,100th NHL PIM	October 11, 1996
Louie DeBrusk	200th NHL Game	October 20, 1996
Mike Grier	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Doug Weight	300th NHL Point
Rem Murray	1st NHL Hat-trick	October 24, 1996
Mike Grier	1st NHL Goal	October 26, 1996
Doug Weight	300th NHL PIM	November 1, 1996
Mats Lindgren	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	November 3, 1996
Andrei Kovalenko	100th NHL Assist	November 6, 1996
Mats Lindgren	1st NHL Assist
Jason Arnott	200th NHL Game	November 7, 1996
Mariusz Czerkawski	1st NHL Hat-trick 1st NHL Natural hat-trick
Jason Arnott	100th NHL Assist	November 9, 1996
Bryan Marchment	1,200th NHL PIM
Curtis Joseph	20th NHL Assist	November 13, 1996
Boris Mironov	200th NHL Game
Kelly Buchberger	600th NHL Game	November 17, 1996
Andrei Kovalenko	200th NHL Point	November 23, 1996
Dan McGillis	1st NHL Goal	November 26, 1996
Bob Essensa	300th NHL Game	November 27, 1996
Kevin Lowe	1,200th NHL Game	December 1, 1996
Michel Petit	1,700th NHL PIM	December 4, 1996
Andrei Kovalenko	200th NHL PIM	December 12, 1996
Andrei Kovalenko	100th NHL Goal	December 18, 1996
Boris Mironov	300th NHL PIM	December 23, 1996
Andrei Kovalenko	300th NHL Game	December 30, 1996
Miroslav Satan	100th NHL Game	January 7, 1997
Jason Arnott	200th NHL Point	January 15, 1997
Curtis Joseph	10th NHL Shutout
Ryan Smyth	100th NHL Game	January 24, 1997
Jeff Norton	500th NHL Game
Mariusz Czerkawski	100th NHL Point	February 9, 1997
Jeff Norton	400th NHL PIM
Doug Weight	400th NHL Game
Bryan Marchment	400th NHL Game	February 13, 1997
Mariusz Czerkawski	2nd NHL Hat-trick	February 19, 1997
Boris Mironov	100th NHL Point
Sean Brown	1st NHL Game	February 21, 1997
Kelly Buchberger	1,500th NHL PIM
Ryan Smyth	100th NHL PIM	March 1, 1997
Joe Hulbig	1st NHL Game	March 4, 1997
Luke Richardson	700th NHL Game	March 9, 1997
Jeff Norton	300th NHL Point	March 11, 1997
Kelly Buchberger	200th NHL Point	March 19, 1997
Craig Millar	1st NHL Game
Todd Marchant	200th NHL Game	March 23, 1997
Steve Kelly	1st NHL Game	March 24, 1997
Luke Richardson	100th NHL Point	March 28, 1997
Steve Kelly	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	March 29, 1997
Jason Arnott	400th NHL PIM	April 4, 1997
Doug Weight	100th NHL Goal	April 5, 1997

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
Jason Arnott	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	April 16, 1997
Mats Lindgren
Dan McGillis
Boris Mironov
Rem Murray
Drew Bannister	1st NHL Game
Greg de Vries
Louie DeBrusk
Mike Grier
Ryan Smyth
Todd Marchant	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Bryan Marchment	50th NHL PIM
Mike Grier	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	April 18, 1997
Boris Mironov	1st NHL Goal
Ryan Smyth	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Todd Marchant	1st NHL Assist	April 20, 1997
Jason Arnott	1st NHL Goal	April 22, 1997
Bryan Muir	1st NHL Game
Mike Grier	1st NHL Assist	April 29, 1997
Joe Hulbig	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Rem Murray	1st NHL Goal
Steve Kelly	1st NHL Game
Greg de Vries	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	May 7, 1997

Transactions

Trades

June 14, 1996	To Detroit Red Wings Future considerations	To Edmonton Oilers Bob Essensa
June 22, 1996	To Pittsburgh Penguins Tyler Wright	To Edmonton Oilers 7th round pick in 1996
September 6, 1996	To Montreal Canadiens Scott Thornton	To Edmonton Oilers Andrei Kovalenko
March 18, 1997	To Buffalo Sabres Miroslav Satan	To Edmonton Oilers Barrie Moore Craig Millar
March 18, 1997	To Tampa Bay Lightning Jeff Norton	To Edmonton Oilers Drew Bannister 6th round pick in 1997

Free agents

Player Former Team D Terran Sandwith Kansas City Blades (IHL) D Bryan Muir New Hampshire Wildcats (NCAA) F Jeff Daw UMass Lowell River Hawks (NCAA) F Jesse Belanger Vancouver Canucks D Kevin Lowe New York Rangers D Michel Petit Tampa Bay Lightning F Petr Klima Pittsburgh Penguins

Player New Team F David Roberts Vancouver Canucks F Kent Manderville Hartford Whalers

Waivers

Date	Player	Team
September 30, 1996 (1996-09-30)	Ralph Intranuovo	to Toronto Maple Leafs
October 25, 1996 (1996-10-25)	Ralph Intranuovo	from Toronto Maple Leafs
January 17, 1997 (1997-01-17)	Michel Petit	to Philadelphia Flyers
February 21, 1997 (1997-02-21)	David Oliver	to New York Rangers

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	6	Boyd Devereaux	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
1	19	Matthieu Descoteaux	Canada	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
2	32	Chris Hajt	Canada	Guelph Storm (OHL)
3	59	Tom Poti	United States	Cushing Academy (USHS)
5	114	Brian Urick	United States	Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA)
6	141	Bryan Randall	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
7	168	David Bernier	Canada	St-Hyacinthe Lasers (QMJHL)
7	170	Brandon Lafrance	Canada	Ohio State Buckeyes (NCAA)
8	195	Fernando Pisani	Canada	St. Albert Saints (AJHL)
9	221	John Hultberg	United States	Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)

References

• "Edmonton Oilers 1996-97 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
• "1996-97 Edmonton Oilers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007