1996–97 Hartford Whalers season explained

League:NHL
Season:1996–97
Year:1996
Team:Hartford Whalers
Division:Northeast
Divisionrank:5th
Conference:Eastern
Conferencerank:10th
Record:32–39–11
Homerecord:23–15–3
Roadrecord:9–24–8
Goalsfor:226
Goalsagainst:256
Generalmanager:Jim Rutherford
Coach:Paul Maurice
Captain:Kevin Dineen
Altcaptain:Glen Wesley
Andrew Cassels
Arena:Hartford Civic Center
Attendance:13,680 (87.5%) [1]
Minorleague:Springfield Falcons (AHL)
Richmond Renegades (ECHL)
Goalsleader:Geoff Sanderson (36)
Assistsleader:Andrew Cassels (44)
Pointsleader:Geoff Sanderson (67)
Plusminusleader:Sami Kapanen (+6)
Pimleader:Stu Grimson (218)
Winsleader:Sean Burke (22)
Gaaleader:Sean Burke (2.69)
Next Season:1997–98 (Carolina)

The 1996–97 Hartford Whalers season was the 25th season of the franchise and the 18th and final season in Hartford. The Whalers would move to Greensboro, North Carolina, the next season to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

Off-season

On June 22, the Whalers participated in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Hartford did not have a selection in the first round, as the pick was traded to the Boston Bruins as part of the trade that brought Glen Wesley to the Whalers. In the second round, Hartford made their first selection of the draft, as they drafted Trevor Wasyluk from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League with the 34th overall pick in the draft. Wasyluk scored 25 goals and 46 points in 69 games during the 1995-96 season. Other notable selections by the Whalers included Craig MacDonald in the fourth round, and Craig Adams in the ninth round.

The Whalers acquired Kevin Brown in a trade with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in exchange for Espen Knutsen on October 1. Brown played in seven games with the Los Angeles Kings during the 1995-96 season, scoring one goal. Brown spent the majority of the season with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL, scoring 10 goals and 26 points in 45 games. He also played in eight games with the Prince Edward Island Senators of the AHL, scoring three goals and nine points after he was traded from the Kings to the Ottawa Senators during the season.

On October 2, Hartford claimed Kent Manderville off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. In 37 games with the Oilers during the 1995-96 where he scored three goals and eight points.

Regular season

On April 13, 1997, the Whalers played their last game in Hartford, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1. Fittingly, team captain Kevin Dineen scored the final goal in Whaler history.

The final words from SportsChannel New England with Play by play voice John Forslund at the end of the game were as follows:

"It's over folks, it's been a great ride. The Whalers will go out, winners".

Final standings

Schedule and results

|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|1||W||October 5, 1996||1–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) ||1–0–0 || 15,635 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|2||W||October 8, 1996||7–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) ||2–0–0 || 11,240 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|3||L||October 12, 1996||0–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) ||2–1–0 || 14,703 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|4||W||October 17, 1996||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Islanders (1996–97) ||3–1–0 || 8,019 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|5||W||October 19, 1996||6–2 || style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey Devils (1996–97) ||4–1–0 || 14,476 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|6||W||October 24, 1996||4–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) ||5–1–0 || 12,328 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|7||L||October 26, 1996||3–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||5–2–0 || 16,193 || |- style="text-align:center;"|8||T||October 30, 1996||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| New York Islanders (1996–97) ||5–2–1 || 11,936 || |- style="text-align:center;"|9||T||October 31, 1996||4–4 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||5–2–2 || 13,284 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|10||L||November 2, 1996||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) ||5–3–2 || 13,425 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|11||L||November 4, 1996||1–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) ||5–4–2 || 19,983 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|12||W||November 6, 1996||5–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||6–4–2 || 13,026 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|13||L||November 8, 1996||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Detroit Red Wings (1996–97) ||6–5–2 || 14,460 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|14||W||November 9, 1996||4–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||7–5–2 || 13,352 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|15||W||November 12, 1996||4–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ San Jose Sharks (1996–97) ||8–5–2 || 17,742 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|16||W||November 14, 1996||2–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Phoenix Coyotes (1996–97) ||9–5–2 || 14,968 || |- style="text-align:center;"|17||T||November 16, 1996||4–4 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) ||9–5–3 || 16,061 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|18||W||November 20, 1996||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||10–5–3 || 13,033 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|19||L||November 22, 1996||1–7 || style="text-align:left;"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) ||10–6–3 || 14,572 || |- style="text-align:center;"|20||T||November 23, 1996||3–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) ||10–6–4 || 14,648 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|21||L||November 27, 1996||2–6 || style="text-align:left;"| Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) ||10–7–4 || 14,289 || |- style="text-align:center;"|22||T||November 29, 1996||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Florida Panthers (1996–97) ||10–7–5 || 14,703 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|23||W||November 30, 1996||6–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) ||11–7–5 || 16,375 || |-|- style="text-align:center;"|24||T||December 3, 1996||4–4 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) ||11–7–6 || 13,816 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|25||W||December 5, 1996||4–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||12–7–6 || 14,955 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|26||W||December 7, 1996||6–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||13–7–6 || 13,464 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|27||W||December 11, 1996||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Florida Panthers (1996–97) ||14–7–6 || 11,884 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|28||L||December 12, 1996||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) ||14–8–6 || 19,124 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|29||L||December 14, 1996||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) ||14–9–6 || 14,590 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|30||L||December 16, 1996||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Rangers (1996–97) ||14–10–6 || 18,200 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|31||W||December 17, 1996||5–3 || style="text-align:left;"| St. Louis Blues (1996–97) ||15–10–6 || 12,922 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|32||L||December 20, 1996||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Dallas Stars (1996–97) ||15–11–6 || 12,945 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|33||W||December 21, 1996||6–5 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) ||16–11–6 || 12,082 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|34||L||December 26, 1996||1–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||16–12–6 || 18,595 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|35||W||December 28, 1996||3–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Ottawa Senators (1996–97) ||17–12–6 || 14,092 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|36||L||December 29, 1996||3–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) ||17–13–6 || 20,502 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|37||L||January 1, 1997||2–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) ||17–14–6 || 12,608 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|38||L||January 2, 1997||4–5 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||17–15–6 || 14,403 || |- style="text-align:center;"|39||T||January 4, 1997||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Washington Capitals (1996–97) ||17–15–7 || 14,613 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|40||L||January 6, 1997||4–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||17–16–7 || 20,292 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|41||L||January 9, 1997||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Calgary Flames (1996–97) ||17–17–7 || 17,121 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|42||L||January 10, 1997||3–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1996–97) ||17–18–7 || 17,378 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|43||L||January 12, 1997||1–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) ||17–19–7 || 14,301 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|44||L||January 15, 1997||0–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) ||17–20–7 || 14,502 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|45||W||January 20, 1997||3–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) ||18–20–7 || 13,002 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|46||W||January 22, 1997||2–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Florida Panthers (1996–97) ||19–20–7 || 12,627 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|47||L||January 24, 1997||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Islanders (1996–97) ||19–21–7 || 14,619 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|48||W||January 25, 1997||5–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||20–21–7 || 18,595 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|49||L||January 30, 1997||3–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1996–97) ||20–22–7 || 11,036 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|50||L||January 31, 1997||3–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1996–97) ||20–23–7 || 17,174 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|51||L||February 5, 1997||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Rangers (1996–97) ||20–24–7 || 18,200 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|52||W||February 6, 1997||5–3 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||21–24–7 || 15,213 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|53||L||February 8, 1997||2–3 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||21–25–7 || 21,273 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|54||L||February 12, 1997||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey Devils (1996–97) ||21–26–7 || 12,710 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|55||L||February 13, 1997||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) ||21–27–7 || 14,138 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|56||W||February 15, 1997||2–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Ottawa Senators (1996–97) ||22–27–7 || 13,767 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|57||L||February 16, 1997||2–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) ||22–28–7 || 18,338 || |- style="text-align:center;"|58||T||February 19, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) ||22–28–8 || 19,484 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|59||W||February 21, 1997||7–2 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Rangers (1996–97) ||23–28–8 || 14,660 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|60||W||February 22, 1997||2–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Washington Capitals (1996–97) ||24–28–8 || 14,311 || |- style="text-align:center;"|61||T||February 26, 1997||2–2 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| Chicago Blackhawks (1996–97) ||24–28–9 || 13,121 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|62||L||February 28, 1997||2–3 || style="text-align:left;"| San Jose Sharks (1996–97) ||24–29–9 || 13,547 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|63||L||March 2, 1997||2–5 || style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia Flyers (1996–97) ||24–30–9 || 14,660 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|64||W||March 5, 1997||2–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Calgary Flames (1996–97) ||25–30–9 || 12,140 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|65||W||March 7, 1997||2–0 || style="text-align:left;"| Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||26–30–9 || 14,341 || |- style="text-align:center;"|66||T||March 8, 1997||1–1 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1996–97) ||26–30–10 || 15,726 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|67||W||March 12, 1997||6–3 || style="text-align:left;"| Boston Bruins (1996–97) ||27–30–10 || 13,155 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|68||L||March 13, 1997||0–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New Jersey Devils (1996–97) ||27–31–10 || 16,244 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|69||L||March 15, 1997||2–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Edmonton Oilers (1996–97) ||27–32–10 || 14,437 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|70||L||March 16, 1997||3–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Washington Capitals (1996–97) ||27–33–10 || 18,130 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|71||L||March 20, 1997||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| @ St. Louis Blues (1996–97) ||27–34–10 || 17,959 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|72||L||March 21, 1997||0–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Dallas Stars (1996–97) ||27–35–10 || 16,522 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|73||L||March 25, 1997||0–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Colorado Avalanche (1996–97) ||27–36–10 || 14,191 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|74||W||March 27, 1997||5–2 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) ||28–36–10 || 19,984 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|75||W||March 29, 1997||2–1 || style="text-align:left;"| New York Rangers (1996–97) ||29–36–10 || 14,660 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|76||L||April 2, 1997||1–4 || style="text-align:left;"| Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||29–37–10 || 14,177 || |- style="text-align:center;"|77||T||April 3, 1997||5–5 OT|| style="text-align:left;"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1996–97) ||29–37–11 || 17,284 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|78||W||April 5, 1997||4–1 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1996–97) ||30–37–11 || 21,273 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|79||W||April 7, 1997||4–2 || style="text-align:left;"| Buffalo Sabres (1996–97) ||31–37–11 || 14,660 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|80||L||April 9, 1997||4–5 || style="text-align:left;"| @ Ottawa Senators (1996–97) ||31–38–11 || 18,500 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"|81||L||April 11, 1997||4–6 || style="text-align:left;"| @ New York Islanders (1996–97) ||31–39–11 || 15,382 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"|82||W||April 13, 1997||2–1 || style="text-align:left;"| Tampa Bay Lightning (1996–97) ||32–39–11 || 14,660 || |-|-| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

Regular season
Player
8 LW 82 36 31 67 −9 29
21 C 81 22 44 66 −16 46
55 C 75 26 25 51 −3 161
11 RW 78 19 29 48 −6 141
16 RW 66 9 29 38 −21 34
12 RW 78 21 14 35 −11 59
20 D 68 6 26 32 0 40
92 RW 72 14 16 30 −24 40
24 RW 45 13 12 25 6 2
18 LW 68 10 12 22 −18 10
28 LW 67 10 11 21 −13 18
7 D 64 4 13 17 −19 30
3 D 18 3 11 14 −10 7
6 D 71 2 11 13 −13 79
44 C 44 6 5 11 3 18
4 D 56 1 10 11 −9 40
77 D 20 3 5 8 0 18
14 D 35 2 6 8 −11 48
36 D 41 2 5 7 0 87
10 C 12 2 5 7 −2 2
5 D 55 1 6 7 −10 41
27 LW 12 3 3 6 0 2
22 C 54 2 4 6 −10 90
23 D 47 1 5 6 5 50
32 LW 75 2 2 4 −7 218
46 RW 11 0 4 4 −6 6
17 LW 13 2 1 3 −4 7
39 RW 28 1 2 3 2 122
17 RW 8 1 1 2 1 10
1 G 51 0 2 2 14
37 LW 10 0 2 2 2 0
41 D 9 0 2 2 0 6
7 D 1 1 0 1 2 2
94 LW 2 1 0 1 1 0
26 C 2 0 1 1 0 0
29 G 31 0 1 1 18
27 D 1 0 0 0 0 0
47 G 8 0 0 0 0
25 D 6 0 0 0 −4 0

Goaltending

Regular season
Player
1 51 22 22 6 1560 134 2.69 .914 4 2985
29 31 9 13 5 815 91 3.43 .888 0 1591
47 8 1 4 0 201 24 3.65 .881 0 394

Awards and records

Awards

TypeAward/honorRecipientRef
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selectionGeoff Sanderson[2]
TeamAward of ExcellenceKevin Dineen[3]
Booster Club MVP AwardSean Burke
Frank Keys Memorial AwardKent Manderville
Mark Kravitz AwardSean Burke
Most Valuable DefensemanGlen Wesley
Three Star Award of ExcellenceSean Burke
Top Gun AwardGeoff Sanderson
True Grit AwardKevin Dineen

Transactions

The Whalers were involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season.

Trades

October 1, 1996To Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Espen Knutsen
To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Brown
October 9, 1996To Detroit Red Wings
Brendan Shanahan
Brian Glynn
To Hartford Whalers
Paul Coffey
Keith Primeau
1st round pick in 1997 - Nikos Tselios
November 9, 1996To Washington Capitals
Andrei Nikolishin
To Hartford Whalers
Curtis Leschyshyn
December 15, 1996To Philadelphia Flyers
Paul Coffey
3rd round pick in 1997 - Kris Mallette
To Hartford Whalers
Kevin Haller
1st round pick in 1997 - Scott Hannan
7th round pick in 1997 - Andrew Merrick
March 5, 1997To Calgary Flames
Hnat Domenichelli
Glen Featherstone
2nd round pick in 1997 - Dmitri Kokorev
3rd round pick in 1998 - Paul Manning
To Hartford Whalers
Steve Chiasson
3rd round pick in 1997 - Francis Lessard
March 18, 1997To Toronto Maple Leafs
Kelly Chase
To Hartford Whalers
8th round pick in 1998 - Jaroslav Svoboda
March 18, 1997To Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Mark Janssens
To Hartford Whalers
Bates Battaglia
4th round pick in 1998 - Josef Vasicek
March 18, 1997To New York Islanders
5th round pick in 1997 - Adam Edinger
To Hartford Whalers
Derek King
March 18, 1997To Phoenix Coyotes
Gerald Diduck
To Hartford Whalers
Chris Murray

Waivers

October 2, 1996From Edmonton Oilers
Kent Manderville
October 12, 1996From Detroit Red Wings
Stu Grimson

Free agents

Player New Team
Philadelphia Flyers
Phoenix Coyotes
Boston Bruins
Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
Philadelphia Flyers

Draft picks

Hartford's picks at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.[4]

RoundPlayerPositionNationalityCollege/Junior/Club team (League)
234Trevor WasylukLeft wingMedicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
361Andrei PetruninRight wingCSKA Moscow (Russia)
488Craig MacDonaldCenterHarvard University (ECAC)
4104Steve WasylkoCenterDetroit Whalers (OHL)
5116Mark McMahonDefenseKitchener Rangers (OHL)
6143Aaron BakerGoaltenderTri-City Americans (WHL)
7171Greg KuznikDefenseSeattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
8197Kevin MarshLeft wingCalgary Hitmen (WHL)
9223Craig AdamsRight wingHarvard University (ECAC)
9231Askhat RakhmatullinLeft wingSalavat Yulaev Ufa (Russia)

Departure from Hartford

In 1994, Compuware founder Peter Karmanos purchased the Whalers. Karmanos pledged to keep the Whalers in Hartford for four years. Frustrated with lackluster attendance and corporate support, he announced in 1996 that if the Whalers were unable to sell at least 11,000 season tickets for the 1996–97 season, he would likely move the team. Furthermore, ownership only made season tickets available in full-season (41-game) packages, eliminating the popular five- and ten-game "mini plans," in a strategy largely designed to spur purchases from wealthier corporations and individuals. Sales were underwhelming at the beginning of the campaign, and at the end of the 1995–96 season it was still unknown whether the Whalers would stay in Connecticut or move. However, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, and the creative efforts of many fans (who pooled together resources to purchase some of the full-season packages collectively) the Whalers announced that they would stay in Connecticut for the 1996–97 season.

In early 1996, negotiations between the Whalers and Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland to build a new $147.5 million arena seemed to be going well. However, negotiations fell apart when Rowland and the State refused Karmanos' demand to reimburse the Whalers for up to $45 million in losses during the three years the new arena was to be built. As a result, the team announced on March 26, 1997, that they would leave Hartford, one of the few times that a team announced it would leave its current city without having already selected a new city. Many suspected that Governor John G. Rowland did not want to keep the Whalers, as he harbored hopes of instead landing an NFL franchise. Ideally, Rowland wanted to use the state's resources to build a new stadium to lure the New England Patriots to Connecticut and did not have serious intentions of building an NHL arena for the Whalers.[5] [6] [7]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hartford Whalers Yearly Attendance Graph . hockeydb.com.
  2. Web site: NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 1997 . www.nhl.com . July 26, 2023.
  3. Web site: Whalers Team Awards . www.whalershockey.com . September 11, 2023.
  4. Web site: 1996 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . July 27, 2023.
  5. http://sophia.smith.edu/~jeue/John/pete4.html How's It Goin', Pete? Part 4
  6. Web site: The Recorder . 2008-01-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070515165038/http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=15 . 2007-05-15 . dead .
  7. http://www.sportslawnews.com/archive/articles%201999/Patriots1.html The Patriots Nix Hartford, Stay in Foxboro - Background