1996 Stanley Cup playoffs: (1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche
Lemieux's hit on Draper, Roy's goaltending and the end of a 62-win season.
In the 1996 Western Conference Finals the Colorado Avalanche beat the Detroit Red Wings in six games, the first playoff meeting between the teams. Detroit had won an NHL-record 62 games and the Presidents' Trophy, but Colorado completed the upset with a 4–1 win in Game 6 and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Quick Facts
- Series
- 1996 Western Conference Finals
- Result
- Colorado Avalanche won 4–2
- Detroit's season
- NHL-record 62 wins, Presidents' Trophy
Facts from the source article.
Background
Mike Keane scored at 17:31 of overtime for a 3–2 Colorado win in Game 1, and Patrick Roy stopped all 35 shots in a 3–0 Game 2. Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov combined for three goals in Detroit's 6–4 Game 3 win, Roy's 29 saves won Game 4 4–2, and Konstantinov's hit on Claude Lemieux inspired a 5–2 Detroit win in Game 5. At 14:07 of the first period of Game 6, Lemieux checked Kris Draper from behind into the edge of the bench, breaking his jaw, cheek and orbital bone; the hit, with Vyacheslav Kozlov's on Adam Foote in Game 3, started a rivalry that endured for a decade.
More in Iconic Matches & Series
Elsewhere in Detroit Red Wings
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced