| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 16–June 10, 1996 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | New Jersey Devils (did not qualify) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Colorado Avalanche |
| Runner-up | Florida Panthers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Scoring leader(s) | Joe Sakic (Avalanche) (34 points) |
| MVP | Joe Sakic (Avalanche) |
The 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL), began on April 16, 1996. The playoffs ended on June 10, 1996, with the Colorado Avalanche sweeping the Florida Panthers to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in both teams' first Finals appearance. Colorado became the first relocated team to win the Stanley Cup in their inaugural season after relocating from Quebec City prior to the start of the regular season.
The New Jersey Devils became the first defending champion to fail to qualify for the playoffs since the Montreal Canadiens in 1970. Five Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs and all of them were eliminated during the opening round. This was the first time that both Florida teams (the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning) made it to the playoffs, each in their inaugural appearance. For the second time in three years and the last time until 2013, all of the Original Six teams reached the playoffs. This was also the last time all three California-based teams missed the playoffs in the same year until 2020.
