1996–97 Vysshaya Liga season
The season 1996 /97 Wysschaja League was the fifth season of the second highest Russian hockey league.
- 3.1 West Conference
- 3.2 Eastern Conference
- 3.3 cup competition
Mode
The 17 teams in the league Wysschaja were divided into two conferences before the season according to regional criteria. The Western Conference with nine participants included a team more than the Eastern Conference with eight participants. First, each team played four times gegenen each team within their own conference, so the number of matches per team in the West Koferenz 32 and in the Eastern Conference was 28. The top two teams from each conference qualified then the qualification round for the promotion to the Super League. Since, however, were allowed to attend any non-Russian teams in the Super League, Neftjanik Almetyevsk was awarded the relegation place of the Kazakh club Torpedo Ust- Kamenogorsk.
The teams ranked three to eight of the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference then played in a second round against each other, in which they denied four games against the other five participants in their group, the point supernatants were taken from the main round. Then Finally, the eight best remaining teams from the Russian Wysschaja League participated in a cup competition together with the four best third- division club.
For a win, each team was given two points, a draw there was a point and a defeat.
First round
Western Conference
Sp = Matches, W = Wins, D = drawn, L = Loss, OTS = Overtime wins, OTN = Overtime defeat, SOS = Penalty victories, SON = Penalty defeat
Eastern Conference
Sp = Matches, W = Wins, D = drawn, L = Loss, OTS = Overtime wins, OTN = Overtime defeat, SOS = Penalty victories, SON = Penalty defeat
Second Round
Western Conference
Sp = Matches, W = Wins, D = drawn, L = Loss, OTS = Overtime wins, OTN = Overtime defeat, SOS = Penalty victories, SON = Penalty defeat
Eastern Conference
Sp = Matches, W = Wins, D = Draws, L = Defeats
Cup competition
After the second round of the League Wysschaja whose participants played in the competition for the trophy 50 years of hockey in Russia. This won UralAZ Miass.