The 1996-97 Season Set. The 80th season of the NHL saw a marked decline in scoring as defense became a key focus across the league as witness by 127 shutouts, an all-time high.  The Winnipeg Jets moved from Phoenix and became the Coyotes.  The Colorado Avalanche won the Presidents Trophy with 107 points.  The team of the year, however, was the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings bounced back from their heartbreaking and physical 1996 Western Conference Finals loss to the Avalanche and won the Stanley Cup.  The Red Wings and Avalanche played many memorable and fight filled games during the regular season and they would meet again in the Western Conference Finals but this time the Red Wings beat the Avs and went on to sweep the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final.  The Flyers beat the Rangers in the East.  Wayne Gretzky joined old pal Mark Messier in the Big Apple and guided the Rangers to one round short of the Finals.  Mario Lemieux led the NHL with 122 Points.  Keith Tkachuk led the league with 52 Goals and Gretzky and Lemieux led in Assists with 72.  Martin Brodeur led the league's goalies with a 1.88 Goals Against Average while Dominik Hasek led in Save% at .930 and Patrick Roy led the league with 38 wins.  Hasek won the Hart and the Vezina.  Relive all of the excitement of the 1996-97 NHL season with Rinkside Hockey and the 1996-97 Season Set.