not slow down. Murdock became the second rookie in PHL history to win the scoring race with 131 points, including 62 goals as the Racers took second place in the Eastern Conference. Murdock’s incredible performance even prompted the Racers to trade aging star Magnus Swedberg in order to give him more ice time. “I can’t believe what this kid has accomplished this year” said head coach Bob Lacey. “He’s definitely a special player.” Murdock wasn’t the only Racer making headlines in 1996-97, veteran winger Stuart Burns’ first year in Toronto was a success, as the 36-year-old became one of the oldest players to score 100 points.
The New York Civics enjoyed their best season in years, finishing
first overall in the league for the first time since Skippy Cleveland led them
there in 1957. Aaron Duplacy enjoyed his best year since 1994, scoring 46 goals
to lead the team, Lamar Jackson was a runner up for defenseman-of-the-year,
while 19-year veteran Clark Pratt announced 1996-97 would be his final season.
The Civics headed into the post-season full of optimism. Montreal endured a
tough year, losing Vincent Ducharme to a torn ACL in November, but still
managed to finish fourth. Veteran Sylvain Landry picked up the slack for
Ducharme with 92 points to lead the team. One of the most pleasant surprises of
the year was in the PHL’s newest city, as the Carolina Raiders finished fifth
in the East to secure the franchise’s first playoff berth since 1985 when the
team played in Ottawa. Rookie center Shane Dutton played a big role with 78
points, while Gus Avery led the team in points with 84. “Obviously all the
distractions from the last couple of years are gone” said captain Kevin Drake. “We’ve
just been able to focus on hockey this year, and it’s been a fun year.”
Meanwhile, 1996-97 was a disappointing year for the
defending Eastern Conference champion Quebec Nationale, who struggled to keep
pace with the Cosmos and Bulldogs for the 8th and final playoff spot,
the Nats had an opportunity to catch Boston for the final playoff spot in their
final game of the year against Montreal. Quebec led the game after the first
period, but ultimately lost 3-1, eliminating them from playoff contention.
Out West, it was the league’s oldest rookie that was getting
all the attention in Dallas. Eight years after being drafted by the Milwaukee
Choppers, Syong Li finally made his PHL debut after signing a contract with the
injury-riddled Desperadoes. Li, whose parents had fled North Korea in the
1950s, played very well on a line with AJ Vernon and Jeff Jones, finishing
second on the team in scoring. Unfortunately, it would only be enough to barely
pull Dallas out of last place. “We’ve made some strides this year” said GM Ross
Becker. “We’re moving in the right direction.” Chicago was finally unseated as
the Western Conference champions in 1997, as the defending Lewis Cup champion
Minnesota Lumberjacks took the crown. Jason Crowley continued his strong play
from the previous season and from the World Hockey Challenge, while Christian
Grayson claimed the Whyte Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. Kansas City
also made a push for top spot in the conference, with help coming at the trade
deadline in the form of Toronto star Magnus Swedberg. Swedberg played very well
with Brett Delaney and Darian Ashmore as the Twisters earned a fourth place
finish and home-ice advantage.
The Calgary Wranglers had a season to forget in 1996-97.
First, captain Shannon Michaels was lost for the season after sustaining a
serious concussion in an October fight with St. Louis tough guy Ryan McCarthy.
Only a week later, Sergei Krayev suffered a potentially tragic eye injury.
After losing 90 percent of his vision in his right eye, Krayev was finished for
the year and his career was in doubt. The incident immediately sparked a debate
about the use of visors, with the league desiring to make them mandatory.
Krayev vowed to don a visor if he ever returned to the ice, while a few other
players around the league also put them on, including LA’s Shawn Kelly, the
player whose stick had injured Krayev. The Wranglers’ season was summed up
perfectly on March 1 against Seattle when both Zambonis broke down on the same
night, delaying the game by an hour. Ultimately, Calgary dropped to 9th
place, out of the playoff picture.
Calgary’s loss was Vancouver’s gain, as the Bighorns
returned to the playoffs. Off-season acquisition Tory Partridge flourished with
his new team, taking advantage of the increase in ice time to score 73 points. Enforcer
Cedric Thibault also enjoyed success of his own, setting a new league record
for penalty minutes in a single season with 411. Between Thibault, Partridge, tough
defensemen AJ Devries and Trevor Kerwick, and veteran Bruce Blackwell, the
Bighorns were one of the league’s toughest teams, setting a PHL record for
fighting majors by one team. The Bighorns weren’t the only team in the west to
return to the post-season. The Winnipeg Pioneers finally reached the playoffs
for the first time since 1990. Luke Morrison was spectacular in the net, while
Dan Crow led the team in scoring with 82 points. “It’s been a long wait,
especially for these fans” said head coach Craig Nelson. “We’ll be ready for
LA, we proved this year that we’re better than people think, I think we can
surprise some people.”
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