1996–97 DEL season
{{Infobox sports season
| title = 1996–97 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season
| league = Deutsche Eishockey Liga
| sport = Ice hockey
| logo = Deutsche Eishockey Liga Logo 1997.svg
| pixels = 120px
| caption =
| duration =
| no_of_teams = 16
| no_of_games =
| attendance =
| TV =
| season = 1996–97
| season_champs = Adler Mannheim
| MVP =
| MVP_link =
| top_scorer =
| top_scorer_link =
| playoffs =
| playoffs_link =
| conf1 =
| conf1_link =
| conf1_champ =
| conf1-runner-up =
| conf2 =
| conf2_link =
| conf2_champ =
| conf2-runner-up =
| finals =
| finals_link =
| finals_champ =
| finals-runner-up =
| finals_MVP =
| finals_MVP_link =
| seasonslist = Deutsche Eishockey Liga#DEL seasons
| seasonslistnames = DEL
| prevseason_link = 1995–96 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season
| prevseason_year = 1995–96
| nextseason_link = 1997–98 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season
| nextseason_year = 1997–98
}}
The 1996–97 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 3rd season of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga ({{langx|en|German Ice Hockey League}}).
Adler Mannheim became the DEL Champion, winning a German title for the second time in their history. Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions earned their keep in the league playing against 1st League EHC Neuwied and TSV Erding.
The Bosman ruling, a 1995 decision of the European Court of Justice regarding the movement of labor in soccer, had profound influence on the league. The old Bundesliga had national character: German clubs competing for the German title with mostly German players. After the ruling European Union players were excluded from the "foreign" player quota. Within a year, the DEL teams employed 97 EU players and lowered their costs significantly, enabling the smaller teams to compete more effectively. The frequent player moves were not viewed positively by the fans.
Another visible change for the fans was the change in corporate sponsorship. The Krombacher Brewery ended their agreement with the league, resulting in a change in the league logo design. The league would not have a corporate sponsor again until 2003, when the German Yellow Pages ({{langx|de|Gelbe Seiten}}) signed two consecutive 3-year agreements.
Regular season
The mode of play changed for this season. In the first round, all teams played one home and one away game with each other for a total of 30 rounds. The first 6 placed teams continued playing for the playoff placements {{lang|de|Meisterrunde}}), and the teams 7-16 played to against relegation/playdowns ({{lang|de|Relegationsrunde}}), with only the 2 best-placed teams in this group being eligible for playoffs.
=Phase I=
| class="wikitable"
! width="30" | ! width="200" | Team ! width="30" | GP ! width="30" | W ! width="30" | T ! width="30" | L ! width="30" | OTL ! width="70" | GF:GA ! width="70" | Points | ||||||||
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|1. | align="left"| Kölner Haie | 30 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 157:91 | 47 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|2. | align="left"| Adler Mannheim | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 130:74 | 44 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|3. | align="left"| Berlin Capitals | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 107:79 | 40 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|4. | align="left"| Kassel Huskies | 30 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 121:102 | 39 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|5. | align="left"| EHC Eisbären Berlin | 30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 118:91 | 39 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|6. | align="left"| Starbulls Rosenheim | 30 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 111:113 | 37 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|7. | align="left"| EV Landshut | 30 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 125:77 | 36 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|8. | align="left"| Krefeld Pinguine | 30 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 105:108 | 33 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|9. | align="left"| Düsseldorfer EG | 30 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 93:90 | 32 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|10. | align="left"| Frankfurt Lions | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 85:88 | 30 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|11. | align="left"| Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 114:128 | 30 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|12. | align="left"| Kaufbeurer Adler | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 112:157 | 29 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|13. | align="left"|Augsburger Panther | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 91:114 | 27 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|14. | align="left"|Wedemark Scorpions (N) | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 95:134 | 19 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|15. | align="left"|Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 30 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 90:148 | 13 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|16. | align="left"|Ratinger Löwen | 30 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 2 | 74:134 | 12 |
{{refbegin}}GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against
{{legend2|#BCD2EE}} = Continue play for playoff spots, {{legend2|#CAE1FF}} = Continue play against relegation{{refend}}
=Phase II - "Meisterrunde"=
| class="wikitable"
! width="30" | ! width="200" | Team ! width="30" | GP ! width="30" | W ! width="30" | T ! width="30" | L ! width="30" | OTL ! width="70" | GF:GA ! width="70" | Points | ||||||||
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|1. | align="left"| Adler Mannheim | 50 | 35 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 212:123 | 76 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|2. | align="left"| Kölner Haie | 50 | 36 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 235:142 | 76 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|3. | align="left"| Kassel Huskies | 50 | 27 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 190:167 | 59 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|4. | align="left"| EHC Eisbären Berlin | 50 | 26 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 177:163 | 57 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|5. | align="left"| Berlin Capitals | 50 | 23 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 162:149 | 55 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|6. | align="left"| Starbulls Rosenheim | 50 | 20 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 171:209 | 47 |
{{refbegin}}GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals For : Goals Against{{refend}}
=Phase II - "Relegationsrunde"=
The first two placed teams qualified for the playoff spots 7 and 8.
| class="wikitable"
! width="30" | ! width="200" | Team ! width="30" | GP ! width="30" | W ! width="30" | T ! width="30" | L ! width="30" | OTL ! width="70" | GF:GA ! width="70" | Points | ||||||||
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|1. | align="left"| EV Landshut | 48 | 29 | 3 | 16 | 3 | 202:122 | 64 |
| bgcolor=#BCD2EE align="center"
|2. | align="left"| Krefeld Pinguine | 48 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 198:166 | 61 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|3. | align="left"| Düsseldorfer EG | 48 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 164:138 | 58 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|4. | align="left"| Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings | 48 | 23 | 1 | 24 | 5 | 200:191 | 52 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|5. | align="left"| Augsburger Panther | 48 | 21 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 176:181 | 48 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|6. | align="left"| Frankfurt Lions | 48 | 21 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 136:142 | 47 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|7. | align="left"| Kaufbeurer Adler | 48 | 17 | 3 | 28 | 3 | 166:252 | 40 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|8. | align="left"| Wedemark Scorpions | 48 | 12 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 150:231 | 28 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|9. | align="left"| Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 48 | 9 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 149:229 | 25 |
| bgcolor=#CAE1FF align="center"
|10. | align="left"| Ratinger Löwen | 48 | 9 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 136:219 | 22 |
{{refbegin}}GP = Games, W = Win, T = Tie, L = Loss, OTL = Overtime loss, GF:GA = Goals for : GoalsaAgainst
Color code: {{legend inline|#BCD2EE}} = Playoff {{legend inline|#CAE1FF}} = Playdowns{{refend}}
Playdowns
= First round=
The first round was played in the best-of-seven mode.
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:20%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:20%;" | !! style="width:7.5%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 4 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 5 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 6 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 7 | ||||||||||
| align="center"
| Düsseldorfer EG | - | Ratinger Löwen | 4:0 | 5:1 | 5:3 | 2:0 | 6:2 | – | – | – |
| align="center"
| Schwenninger Wild Wings | - | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 4:1 | 4:1 | 2:3 | 6:1 | 5:3 | 11:3 | – | – |
| align="center"
| Augsburger Panther | - | Wedemark Scorpions | 4:0 | 7:1 | 2:1 | 5:4 | 5:3 | – | – | – |
| align="center"
| Frankfurt Lions | - | Kaufbeurer Adler | 2:4 | 3:2 | 3:6 | 4:3 | 3:6 | 2:5 | 1:4 | – |
=Second round=
The second round was played in a best-of-five mode.
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:10%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 4 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 5 | ||||||||
| align="center"
| Wedemark Scorpions | - | Nürnberg Ice Tigers | 1:3 | 4:6 | 4:6 | 5:2 | 2:5 | – |
| align="center"
| Frankfurt Lions | - | Ratinger Löwen | 3:0 | 6:1 | 5:4 | 5:3 | – | – |
Wedemark Scorpions (now known as Hannover Scorpions) and Ratinger Löwen ({{langx|en|Ratinger Lions}}) had to play against the first two placed teams of the second league.
=Relegation=
The relegation round was played in a best-of-three mode.
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:32.5%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:32.5%;" | !! style="width:10%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 | ||||||
| align="center"
| EHC Neuwied | - | Ratinger Löwen | 0:2 | 2:4 | 3:10 | – |
| align="center"
| Wedemark Scorpions | - | TSV Erding | 2:0 | 10:2 | 9:5 | – |
Both the Ratinger Löwen and Wedemark Scorpions earned their keep in the DEL.
Playoffs
All playoff rounds were played in as a best-of-five series, with the better placed team playing Home-Away-Home-Away-Home.
{{8TeamBracket
| RD1 = Quarterfinals
| RD2 = Semifinals
| RD3 = Finals
| RD1-seed1 = 2
| RD1-team1 = Adler Mannheim
| RD1-score1 = 3
| RD1-seed2 = 8
| RD1-team2 = Krefeld Pinguine
| RD1-score2 = 0
| RD1-seed3 = 1
| RD1-team3 = Kölner Haie
| RD1-score3 = 1
| RD1-seed4 = 7
| RD1-team4 = EV Landshut
| RD1-score4 = 3
| RD1-seed5 = 4
| RD1-team5 = Kassel Huskies
| RD1-score5 = 3
| RD1-seed6 = 6
| RD1-team6 = Starbulls Rosenheim
| RD1-score6 = 0
| RD1-seed7 = 5
| RD1-team7 = EHC Eisbären Berlin
| RD1-score7 = 3
| RD1-seed8 = 3
| RD1-team8 = Berlin Capitals
| RD1-score8 = 1
| RD2-seed1 = 2
| RD2-team1 = Adler Mannheim
| RD2-score1 = 3
| RD2-seed2 = 7
| RD2-team2 = EV Landshut
| RD2-score2 = 0
| RD2-seed3 = 4
| RD2-team3 = Kassel Huskies
| RD2-score3 = 3
| RD2-seed4 = 5
| RD2-team4 = EHC Eisbären Berlin
| RD2-score4 = 1
| RD3-seed1 = 2
| RD3-team1 = Adler Mannheim
| RD3-score1 = 3
| RD3-seed2 = 4
| RD3-team2 = Kassel Huskies
| RD3-score2 = 0
}}
=Quarterfinals=
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:10%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 4 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 5 | ||||||||
| align="center"
| Adler Mannheim | - | Krefeld Pinguine | 3:0 | 4:1 | 4:1 | 8:4 | – | – |
| align="center"
| Kölner Haie | - | EV Landshut | 1:3 | 6:3 | 3:4 | 2:4 | 1:3 | – |
| align="center"
| Kassel Huskies | - | Starbulls Rosenheim | 3:0 | 6:1 | 4:1 | 5:4 | – | – |
| align="center"
| EHC Eisbären Berlin | - | Berlin Capitals | 3:1 | 4:3 | 3:4 | 5:0 | 4:1 | – |
=Semifinals=
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:10%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 4 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 5 | ||||||||
| align="center"
| Adler Mannheim | - | EV Landshut | 3:0 | 7:5 | 2:4 | 4:3 | – | – |
| align="center"
| Kassel Huskies | - | EHC Eisbären Berlin | 3:1 | 4:2 | 4:5 | 6:3 | 3:1 | – |
=Finals=
| class="wikitable" width="80%" | ||||||||
| style="background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:2.5%;" | !! style="width:25%;" | !! style="width:10%;" | Game !! style="width:7.5%;" | 1 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 2 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 3 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 4 !! style="width:7.5%;" | 5 | ||||||||
| align="center"
| Adler Mannheim | - | Kassel Huskies | 3:0 | 5:4 | 5:2 | 4:2 | – | – |
With the last game, the Adler Mannheim became first time DEL Champion and won the German Champion title for the 2nd 8th time in the club history.
Player awards
| class="wikitable" style="border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse;" width="75%" | |||
| align="center" style="background:#e0e0e0; font-weight:bold;"
| width="20%" | Category | width="25%" | Name | width="25%" | Team | width="30%" | Record |
| Points | {{flagicon|Canada}} {{flagicon|Italy}} Bruno Zarrillo | Kölner Haie | 74 Points |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| Goals | {{flagicon|Canada}} Chris Lindberg | Krefeld Pinguine | 37 Goals |
| Goalie | {{flagicon|Canada}} {{flagicon|Italy}} Mike Rosati | Adler Mannheim | 2.35 Goals-against-average |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| Defense | {{flagicon|Canada}} Gordon Hynes | Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings | 56 Points |
References
{{Deutsche Eishockey Liga}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Deutsche Eishockey Liga Season}}