1995–96 Montreal Canadiens season

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1995–96 Montreal Canadiens
Division3rd Northeast
Conference6th Eastern
1995–96 record40–32–10
Home record23–12–6
Road record17–20–4
Goals for265
Goals against248
Team information
General managerSerge Savard (Oct)
Rejean Houle
CoachJacques Demers (Oct)
Mario Tremblay
CaptainMike Keane (Oct–Dec)
Pierre Turgeon (Dec–Apr)
Alternate captainsVincent Damphousse
Lyle Odelein
ArenaMontreal Forum and Molson Centre
Average attendance18,233
Minor league affiliate(s)Fredericton Canadiens
Wheeling Thunderbirds
Team leaders
GoalsPierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse (38)
AssistsPierre Turgeon (58)
PointsPierre Turgeon (96)
Penalty minutesLyle Odelein (230)
Plus/minusPeter Popovic (+21)
WinsJocelyn Thibault (23)
Goals against averageJocelyn Thibault (2.83)

The 1995–96 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 87th season. This season was notable for the trade of star goaltender Patrick Roy, as well as being their final season in the Montreal Forum before moving to the new Molson Centre. The club qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the first round to the New York Rangers.

Offseason[edit]

Regular season[edit]

  • At the beginning of the season, captain Mike Keane was subject to media scrutiny after speaking with Mathias Brunet of La Presse (a French language newspaper). Keane said he didn't know how to speak French; but the journalist misunderstood him, and reported him as refusing to learn how to speak French.[1]
  • October 17, 1995: Canadiens president Ronald Corey fired general manager Serge Savard and his assistants Andre Boudrias and Carol Vadnais.[2] Head coach Jacques Demers was also relieved of his duties, while assistant coach Charles Thiffault was reassigned. This comes after the Habs surrendered 20 goals in the first 4 games of the season.
  • October 21, 1995: Corey hired Rejean Houle to become the Canadiens' new general manager. Mario Tremblay was hired as the new head coach, and Yvan Cournoyer was hired as an assistant coach.[3] Tremblay had been goaltender Patrick Roy's roommate during his rookie season.[4] On that same day, they beat their chief rival the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in their last appearance at the Forum.
  • In his first 15 starts with Tremblay as head coach, Roy had 12 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. The one tie came against the Colorado Avalanche.[5] Despite this hot start, Roy and Tremblay clashed multiple times. While in Edmonton, Tremblay spotted Roy in the hotel bar and told him that he wanted him to leave.[6] A conflict ensued in Montreal when Tremblay told Roy that he was not allowed to visit the trainer's room and speak to teammates unless he was injured.[5]
  • November 28, 1995: The day before the a game against the Detroit Red Wings, Mario Tremblay spoke to Mario Leclerc of Le Journal de Montreal. 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 always threatened to send him to the minors.[7] When Leclerc approached Cournoyer, he stated that he did not want to speak about Bowman.[8] The Canadiens lost the game by a score of 3–2. The next day, the Journal de Montreal had a headline that stated "Bowman has the last word".[8]
  • February 5, 1996: Patrick Roy played the Canadiens for the first time since he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.[9] Roy stopped 37 of 39 shots in a 4–2 win. After the game, Roy took the game puck and flipped it to Mario Tremblay.[10]

Patrick Roy's final game[edit]

  • On December 2, 1995, head coach Mario Tremblay kept goaltender Patrick Roy in goal as he conceded 9 goals on 26 shots during an 11–1 loss to Scotty Bowman's Detroit Red Wings.[11] This was the last straw for Roy in what was already a contentious relationship with the rookie head coach. Friction between the two dated back to Roy's rookie year, when Tremblay used to needle the young Quebecer on his broken English and was critical of Roy through much of his career. The two had almost come to blows in a Long Island coffee shop before Tremblay was announced as a coach, and Tremblay's first appearance in the dressing room was greeted with snickers from Roy. They almost fought a second time after Tremblay fired a shot at Roy's throat during practice.
  • After Roy was replaced midway through the second period, he went over to Canadiens president Ronald Corey[12] and stated that he had played his final game with the Canadiens. He later elaborated by saying that he would not play for Montreal as long as Tremblay was coach.

Le Trade[edit]

  • On December 6, four days after the incident, Roy was traded to Colorado (along with team captain Mike Keane) in exchange for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko, a deal known in Montreal as "Le Trade".[13] Roy's relationship with the Canadiens remained strained until 2008, when it was announced that his #33 jersey would be retired. The trade benefited Colorado, as Roy helped the Avalanche win the 1996 Stanley Cup.

Final game at the Forum[edit]

  • On March 11, 1996, the Canadiens played their last game at the Montreal Forum, defeating the Dallas Stars 4–1 on a Monday night. The game was televised on TSN and TQS in Canada, and on ESPN in the United States. After the game, many previous hockey greats were presented to the crowd. The largest ovation of the night was left at the end for legendary Canadiens star Maurice "Rocket" Richard, at over 16 minutes in length.

Season standings[edit]

Northeast Division
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
Eastern Conference[14]
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


Schedule and results[edit]

Regular season[edit]

1995–96 regular season[15]
October: 6–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 2–3–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 7, 1995 1–7 Philadelphia Flyers 0–1–0 Recap
2 L October 11, 1995 1–6 @ Florida Panthers 0–2–0 Recap
3 L October 12, 1995 1–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 0–3–0 Recap
4 L October 14, 1995 1–4 New Jersey Devils 0–4–0 Recap
5 L October 20, 1995 0–2 @ New York Islanders 0–5–0 Recap
6 W October 21, 1995 4–3 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–5–0 Recap
7 W October 23, 1995 6–3 Los Angeles Kings 2–5–0 Recap
8 W October 25, 1995 7–2 Florida Panthers 3–5–0 Recap
9 W October 27, 1995 4–1 @ Hartford Whalers 4–5–0 Recap
10 W October 28, 1995 5–3 Chicago Blackhawks 5–5–0 Recap
11 W October 31, 1995 3–1 @ Boston Bruins 6–5–0 Recap
November: 6–5–1 (home: 3–1–1; road: 3–4–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
12 L November 1, 1995 2–5 @ Washington Capitals 6–6–0 Recap
13 W November 4, 1995 4–1 Boston Bruins 7–6–0 Recap
14 L November 8, 1995 2–3 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 7–7–0 Recap
15 W November 11, 1995 4–0 @ Calgary Flames 8–7–0 Recap
16 W November 12, 1995 4–2 @ Vancouver Canucks 9–7–0 Recap
17 W November 15, 1995 4–1 @ Edmonton Oilers 10–7–0 Recap
18 W November 18, 1995 5–1 Ottawa Senators 11–7–0 Recap
19 W November 20, 1995 4–3 OT Hartford Whalers 12–7–0 Recap
20 L November 22, 1995 2–4 @ Hartford Whalers 12–8–0 Recap
21 T November 25, 1995 2–2 OT Colorado Avalanche 12–8–1 Recap
22 L November 28, 1995 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings 12–9–1 Recap
23 L November 29, 1995 4–5 @ St. Louis Blues 12–10–1 Recap
December: 7–6–1 (home: 3–2–1; road: 4–4–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
24 L December 2, 1995 1–11 Detroit Red Wings 12–11–1 Recap
25 W December 6, 1995 4–2 New Jersey Devils 13–11–1 Recap
26 L December 7, 1995 5–7 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 13–12–1 Recap
27 T December 9, 1995 2–2 OT New York Rangers 13–12–2 Recap
28 W December 12, 1995 6–5 @ Winnipeg Jets 14–12–2 Recap
29 W December 15, 1995 4–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks 15–12–2 Recap
30 L December 16, 1995 2–4 Philadelphia Flyers 15–13–2 Recap
31 W December 18, 1995 3–2 Hartford Whalers 16–13–2 Recap
32 L December 20, 1995 1–2 @ Buffalo Sabres 16–14–2 Recap
33 W December 22, 1995 4–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 17–14–2 Recap
34 W December 23, 1995 1–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–14–2 Recap
35 L December 26, 1995 0–4 @ Washington Capitals 18–15–2 Recap
36 L December 28, 1995 1–3 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 18–16–2 Recap
37 W December 30, 1995 4–1 @ Ottawa Senators 19–16–2 Recap
January: 6–3–4 (home: 3–2–3; road: 3–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
38 L January 3, 1996 4–7 @ New York Rangers 19–17–2 Recap
39 T January 4, 1996 2–2 OT @ New York Islanders 19–17–3 Recap
40 L January 6, 1996 6–7 Buffalo Sabres 19–18–3 Recap
41 T January 8, 1996 3–3 OT Tampa Bay Lightning 19–18–4 Recap
42 T January 10, 1996 2–2 OT Vancouver Canucks 19–18–5 Recap
43 W January 12, 1996 6–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 20–18–5 Recap
44 T January 13, 1996 3–3 OT St. Louis Blues 20–18–6 Recap
45 W January 17, 1996 3–0 @ Ottawa Senators 21–18–6 Recap
46 L January 22, 1996 1–4 Tampa Bay Lightning 21–19–6 Recap
47 W January 25, 1996 6–2 @ Florida Panthers 22–19–6 Recap
48 W January 27, 1996 4–1 Winnipeg Jets 23–19–6 Recap
49 W January 28, 1996 5–4 Boston Bruins 24–19–6 Recap
50 W January 31, 1996 5–3 Washington Capitals 25–19–6 Recap
February: 5–7–1 (home: 3–1–0; road: 2–6–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
51 L February 1, 1996 2–3 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers 25–20–6 Recap
52 W February 3, 1996 4–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 26–20–6 Recap
53 L February 5, 1996 2–4 @ Colorado Avalanche 26–21–6 Recap
54 W February 7, 1996 4–2 @ Dallas Stars 27–21–6 Recap
55 L February 10, 1996 3–5 Ottawa Senators 27–22–6 Recap
56 W February 12, 1996 3–0 San Jose Sharks 28–22–6 Recap
57 T February 15, 1996 2–2 OT @ New York Rangers 28–22–7 Recap
58 W February 17, 1996 5–1 Calgary Flames 29–22–7 Recap
59 L February 21, 1996 3–5 @ Hartford Whalers 29–23–7 Recap
60 L February 23, 1996 5–6 @ New Jersey Devils 29–24–7 Recap
61 W February 24, 1996 7–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 30–24–7 Recap
62 L February 26, 1996 4–7 @ San Jose Sharks 30–25–7 Recap
63 L February 28, 1996 2–5 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 30–26–7 Recap
March: 9–3–1 (home: 6–2–0; road: 3–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
64 L March 2, 1996 4–5 @ Los Angeles Kings 30–27–7 Recap
65 W March 9, 1996 3–2 Ottawa Senators 31–27–7 Recap
66 W March 11, 1996 4–1 Dallas Stars 32–27–7 Recap
67 T March 13, 1996 1–1 OT @ New Jersey Devils 32–27–8 Recap
68 W March 16, 1996 4–2 New York Rangers 33–27–8 Recap
69 W March 18, 1996 3–2 Buffalo Sabres 34–27–8 Recap
70 W March 20, 1996 3–2 Hartford Whalers 35–27–8 Recap
71 W March 22, 1996 4–1 @ Buffalo Sabres 36–27–8 Recap
72 L March 23, 1996 5–6 Edmonton Oilers 36–28–8 Recap
73 W March 25, 1996 4–1 New York Islanders 37–28–8 Recap
74 L March 27, 1996 0–1 OT Washington Capitals 37–29–8 Recap
75 W March 28, 1996 4–3 OT @ Boston Bruins 38–29–8 Recap
76 W March 30, 1996 3–1 @ Ottawa Senators 39–29–8 Recap
April: 1–3–2 (home: 1–2–1; road: 0–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
77 L April 1, 1996 4–6 Buffalo Sabres 39–30–8 Recap
78 L April 3, 1996 1–4 Boston Bruins 39–31–8 Recap
79 T April 4, 1996 3–3 OT @ Boston Bruins 39–31–9 Recap
80 W April 6, 1996 2–1 Florida Panthers 40–31–9 Recap
81 L April 11, 1996 2–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 40–32–9 Recap
82 T April 13, 1996 5–5 OT New York Islanders 40–32–10 Recap
Legend:

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

Playoffs[edit]

1996 Stanley Cup playoffs[15]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) New York Rangers – Rangers win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W April 16, 1996 3–2 OT @ New York Rangers Canadiens lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 18, 1996 5–3 @ New York Rangers Canadiens lead 2–0 Recap
3 L April 21, 1996 1–2 New York Rangers Canadiens lead 2–1 Recap
4 L April 23, 1996 3–4 New York Rangers Series tied 2–2 Recap
5 L April 26, 1996 2–3 @ New York Rangers Rangers lead 3–2 Recap
6 L April 28, 1996 3–5 New York Rangers Rangers win 4–2 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics[edit]

Scoring[edit]

  • 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 Canadiens only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
77 Pierre Turgeon C 80 38 58 96 19 44 6 2 4 6 1 2
25 Vincent Damphousse C 80 38 56 94 5 158 6 4 4 8 2 0
8 Mark Recchi RW 82 28 50 78 20 69 6 3 3 6 1 0
26 Martin Rucinsky LW 56 25 35 60 8 54
11 Saku Koivu C 82 20 25 45 −7 40 6 3 1 4 2 8
18 Valeri Bure RW 77 22 20 42 10 28 6 0 1 1 −1 6
43 Patrice Brisebois D 69 9 27 36 10 65 6 1 2 3 2 6
51 Andrei Kovalenko RW 51 17 17 34 9 33 6 0 0 0 −2 6
49 Brian Savage LW 75 25 8 33 −8 28 6 0 2 2 2 2
38 Vladimir Malakhov D 61 5 23 28 7 79
30 Turner Stevenson RW 80 9 16 25 −2 167 6 0 1 1 −1 2
24 Lyle Odelein D 79 3 14 17 8 230 6 1 1 2 1 6
5 Stephane Quintal D 68 2 14 16 −4 117 6 0 1 1 1 6
22 Benoit Brunet LW 26 7 8 15 −4 17 3 0 2 2 1 0
34 Peter Popovic D 76 2 12 14 21 69 6 0 2 2 3 4
6 Oleg Petrov RW 36 4 7 11 −9 23 5 0 1 1 −1 0
28 Marc Bureau C 65 3 7 10 −3 46 6 1 1 2 2 4
57 Chris Murray RW 48 3 4 7 5 163 4 0 0 0 0 4
12 Mike Keane RW 18 0 7 7 −6 6
27 David Wilkie D 24 1 5 6 −10 10 6 1 2 3 1 12
52 Craig Rivet D 19 1 4 5 4 54
35 Donald Brashear LW 67 0 4 4 −10 223 6 0 0 0 −1 2
23 Marko Kiprusoff D 24 0 4 4 −3 8
29 Yves Racine D 25 0 3 3 −7 26
56 Scott Fraser C 15 2 0 2 −1 4
53 Rory Fitzpatrick D 42 0 2 2 −7 18 6 1 1 2 −1 0
46 Craig Ferguson C 10 1 0 1 −5 2
48 J. J. Daigneault D 7 0 1 1 0 6
48 Francois Groleau D 2 0 1 1 2 2
39 Pat Jablonski G 23 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0
71 Sebastien Bordeleau C 4 0 0 0 −1 0
20 Craig Conroy C 7 0 0 0 −4 2
3 Robert Dirk D 3 0 0 0 0 6
31 Patrick Labrecque G 2 0 0 0 2
17 Mark Lamb C 1 0 0 0 0 0
33 Patrick Roy G 22 0 0 0 6
26 Yves Sarault LW 14 0 0 0 −7 4
37 Jose Theodore G 1 0 0 0 0
41 Jocelyn Thibault G 40 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 0
42 Darcy Tucker RW 3 0 0 0 −1 0

Goaltending[edit]

  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Canadiens only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
41 Jocelyn Thibault 40 23 13 3 1258 110 2.83 .913 3 2334 6 2 4 188 18 3.47 .904 0 311
33 Patrick Roy 22 12 9 1 667 62 2.95 .907 1 1260
39 Pat Jablonski 23 5 9 6 676 62 2.94 .908 0 1264 1 0 0 17 1 1.24 .941 0 49
31 Patrick Labrecque 2 0 1 0 47 7 4.29 .851 0 98
37 Jose Theodore 1 0 0 0 2 1 6.69 .500 0 9

Awards and records[edit]

Awards[edit]

Type Award/honour Recipient Ref
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selection Pierre Turgeon [16]
Team Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy Peter Popovic [17]
Molson Cup Pierre Turgeon [18]

Transactions[edit]

Draft picks[edit]

Montreal's draft picks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta.[19]

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team
1 8 Terry Ryan Left Wing  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
3 60 Miloslav Guren Defence  Czech Republic HC Zlín (Czech)
3 74 Martin Hohenberger Left Wing  Austria Prince George Cougars (WHL)
4 86 Jonathan Delisle Right Wing  Canada Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
5 112 Niklas Anger Right Wing  Sweden Djurgårdens IF (Sweden)
6 138 Boyd Olson Centre  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
7 164 Stephane Robidas Defence  Canada Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
8 190 Greg Hart Right Wing  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
9 216 Eric Houde Centre  Canada Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • "Montreal Canadiens 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  • "1995-96 Montreal Canadiens Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  1. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.341, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  2. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.342, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  3. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, pp.343-4 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  4. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.339 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  5. ^ a b Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.347, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  6. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.348, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  7. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.350 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  8. ^ a b Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.351 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  9. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.382 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  10. ^ Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.383 , by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
  11. ^ "1984 NHL Entry Draft - Patrick Roy". Hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "Dernier match de Roy avec Montréal". YouTube. February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  13. ^ "'I've never been back there'". Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  14. ^ "1995–1996 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  15. ^ a b "1995-96 Montreal Canadiens Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1996". NHL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  17. ^ Montreal Canadiens 2014–2015 Media Guide, p.553
  18. ^ Montreal Canadiens 2014–2015 Media Guide, p.552
  19. ^ "1995 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.