1997–98 NHL season

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1997–98 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 1, 1997 – June 16, 1998
Number of games82
Number of teams26
TV partner(s)CBC, TSN, SRC (Canada)
ESPN, Fox (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickJoe Thornton
Picked byBoston Bruins
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyDallas Stars
Season MVPDominik Hasek (Sabres)
Top scorerJaromir Jagr (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPSteve Yzerman (Red Wings)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsDetroit Red Wings
  Runners-upWashington Capitals
NHL seasons

The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Washington Capitals in four games.

League business[]

On June 25, 1997, the National Hockey League approved of four expansion franchises for Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus, and Saint Paul expanding the league to 30 teams by 2000. These franchises became the Nashville Predators in 1998, the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild in 2000.

This was the first season for the Carolina Hurricanes, who were previously known as the Hartford Whalers. The Hurricanes played their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, a temporary home while awaiting the construction of their permanent home arena in Raleigh. They would remain in the Northeast Division until realignment the following season. It would be another 14 years before another NHL team would relocate.

This was the first season for Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who until the 2012–13 season was the longest-tenured NHL coach.

The controversial "FoxTrax" puck system was last used this season as well. In August 1998, the NHL signed a five-year, $600 million rights agreement with ABC Sports/ESPN. FOX elected not to use the system in the subsequent "lame duck" season.

This was the last season the Toronto Maple Leafs were a member of the Western Conference.

This was the last season of the four-division quasi-geographic alignment inherited from the traditional Adams/Patrick/Norris/Smythe set. The league would change the following season to a six-division, more purely geographic alignment.

For the first time since 1968–69 season, the Chicago Blackhawks missed the playoffs.

Due to the retirement of Craig MacTavish after the 1996-97 season, this was the first season in the League's history in which there were no helmetless players.

Regular season[]

The all-time record for most shutouts in a season, set at 127 just a year earlier,[1] was broken again as 160 shutouts were recorded, 13 of which were earned by Dominik Hasek,[2] who set a League record with 11 teams shut-out. He zeroed the New York Rangers three times, and Los Angeles, Anaheim, Tampa Bay, Boston, Calgary, Washington, Montreal, Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Edmonton once each. Only two teams, the St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings, averaged more than three goals scored per game.[3] In addition, only one player, Jaromir Jagr, reached the 100-point plateau during the regular season.[4]

Highlights[]

Jari Kurri reached 600 goals in his career, finishing with 601.

The Vancouver Canucks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim opened the season with a two-game series in Tokyo, Japan, the first time the NHL played regular games outside of North America.

Final standings[]

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
No. GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 New Jersey Devils 82 48 23 11 225 166 107
2 Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 29 11 242 193 95
3 Washington Capitals 82 40 30 12 219 202 92
4 New York Islanders 82 30 41 11 212 225 71
5 New York Rangers 82 25 39 18 197 231 68
6 Florida Panthers 82 24 43 15 203 256 63
7 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 17 55 10 151 269 44
Northeast Division
No. GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 40 24 18 228 188 98
2 Boston Bruins 82 39 30 13 221 194 91
3 Buffalo Sabres 82 36 29 17 211 187 89
4 Montreal Canadiens 82 37 32 13 235 208 87
5 Ottawa Senators 82 34 33 15 193 200 83
6 Carolina Hurricanes 82 33 41 8 200 219 74
Eastern Conference[5]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 New Jersey Devils ATL 82 48 23 11 225 166 107
2 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 82 40 24 18 228 188 98
3 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 42 29 11 242 193 95
4 Washington Capitals ATL 82 40 30 12 219 202 92
5 Boston Bruins NE 82 39 30 13 221 194 91
6 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 36 29 17 211 187 89
7 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 37 32 13 235 208 87
8 Ottawa Senators NE 82 34 33 15 193 200 83
9 Carolina Hurricanes NE 82 33 41 8 200 219 74
10 New York Islanders ATL 82 30 41 11 212 225 71
11 New York Rangers ATL 82 25 39 18 197 231 68
12 Florida Panthers ATL 82 24 43 15 203 256 63
13 Tampa Bay Lightning ATL 82 17 55 10 151 269 44

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Western Conference
Central Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Dallas Stars 82 49 22 11 242 167 109
2 3 Detroit Red Wings 82 44 23 15 250 196 103
3 4 St. Louis Blues 82 45 29 8 256 204 98
4 7 Phoenix Coyotes 82 35 35 12 224 227 82
5 9 Chicago Blackhawks 82 30 39 13 192 199 73
6 12 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 30 43 9 194 237 69


Pacific Division
No. GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Colorado Avalanche 82 39 26 17 231 205 95
2 Los Angeles Kings 82 38 33 11 227 225 87
3 Edmonton Oilers 82 35 37 10 215 224 80
4 San Jose Sharks 82 34 38 10 210 216 78
5 Calgary Flames 82 26 41 15 217 252 67
6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 26 43 13 205 261 65
7 Vancouver Canucks 82 25 43 14 224 273 64


Western Conference[6]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – Dallas Stars CEN 82 49 22 11 242 167 109
2 x – Colorado Avalanche PAC 82 39 26 17 231 205 95
3 Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 44 23 15 250 196 103
4 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 45 29 8 256 204 98
5 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 38 33 11 227 225 87
6 Phoenix Coyotes CEN 82 35 35 12 224 227 82
7 Edmonton Oilers PAC 82 35 37 10 215 224 80
8 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 34 38 10 210 216 78
9 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 30 39 13 192 199 73
10 Toronto Maple Leafs CEN 82 30 43 9 194 237 69
11 Calgary Flames PAC 82 26 41 15 217 252 67
12 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 26 43 13 205 261 65
13 Vancouver Canucks PAC 82 25 43 14 224 273 64

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won Division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy


Playoffs[]

Main article: 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs

Stanley Cup Final[]

Main article: 1998 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1998 Stanley Cup Final was played in the 105th year of the Stanley Cup. The series was played between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. The Red Wings were led by captain Steve Yzerman, head coach Scotty Bowman and goaltender Chris Osgood. The Capitals were led by captain Dale Hunter, head coach Ron Wilson and goaltender Olaf Kolzig. Detroit swept the series in four games and Steve Yzerman won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Washington vs. Detroit
Date Away Score Home OT
June 9 Washington 1 – 2 Detroit
June 11 Washington 4 – 5 Detroit OT
June 13 Detroit 2 – 1 Washington
June 16 Detroit 4 – 1 Washington
Detroit wins series 4–0
and Stanley Cup

Playoff bracket[]

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
1 New Jersey 2     4 Washington 4  
8 Ottawa 4     8 Ottawa 1  


2 Pittsburgh 2 Eastern Conference
7 Montreal 4  
    4 Washington 4  
  6 Buffalo 2  
3 Philadelphia 1  
6 Buffalo 4  
4 Washington 4   6 Buffalo 4
5 Boston 2     7 Montreal 0  


  E4 Washington 0
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W3 Detroit 4
1 Dallas 4     1 Dallas 4
8 San Jose 2     7 Edmonton 1  
2 Colorado 3
7 Edmonton 4  
  1 Dallas 2
  3 Detroit 4  
3 Detroit 4  
6 Phoenix 2   Western Conference
4 St. Louis 4   3 Detroit 4
5 Los Angeles 0     4 St. Louis 2  
  • During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

Awards[]

The NHL Awards took place in Toronto, Ontario

Presidents' Trophy: Dallas Stars
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)		 Washington Capitals
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Western Conference playoff champion)		 Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Jamie McLennan, St. Louis Blues
Calder Memorial Trophy: Sergei Samsonov, Boston Bruins
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
Hart Memorial Trophy: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Conn Smythe Trophy: Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings
Jack Adams Award: Pat Burns, Boston Bruins
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Kelly Chase, St. Louis Blues
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins
Lester B. Pearson Award: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Lester Patrick Trophy: Peter Karmanos, Max McNab, Neal Broten, John Mayasich
NHL Plus/Minus Award: Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues
Vezina Trophy: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
William M. Jennings Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils

All-Star teams[]

First Team   Position   Second Team
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings D Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues
Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings D Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey Devils
Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche C Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins RW Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers LW Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes

Player statistics[]

Scoring leaders[]

Regular season Playoffs
Player Team GP G A PTS
Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh 77 35 67 102
Peter Forsberg Colorado 72 25 66 91
Pavel Bure Vancouver 82 51 39 90
Wayne Gretzky NY Rangers 82 23 67 90
John LeClair Philadelphia 82 51 36 87
Zigmund Palffy NY Islanders 82 45 42 87
Ron Francis Pittsburgh 81 25 62 87
Teemu Selanne Anaheim 73 52 34 86
Jason Allison Boston 81 33 50 83
Jozef Stumpel Los Angeles 77 21 58 79

Source: NHL.[7]

Player Team GP G A Pts
Steve Yzerman Detroit 22 6 18 24
Sergei Fedorov Detroit 22 10 10 20
Tomas Holmstrom Detroit 22 7 12 19
Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit 22 6 13 19
Joe Juneau Washington 21 7 10 17
Adam Oates Washington 21 6 11 17
Martin Lapointe Detroit 21 9 6 15
Larry Murphy Detroit 22 3 12 15
Vyacheslav Kozlov Detroit 22 6 8 14
Mike Modano Dallas 17 4 10 14

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Leading goaltenders[]

Regular season

Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA
Ed Belfour Dallas 65 3581 112 9 1.88
Martin Brodeur New Jersey 70 4128 130 10 1.89
Tom Barrasso Pittsburgh 63 3542 122 7 2.07
Dominik Hasek Buffalo 72 4220 147 13 2.09
Ron Hextall Philadelphia 46 2688 97 4 2.17
Trevor Kidd Carolina 47 2685 97 3 2.17
Jamie McLennan St. Louis 30 1658 60 2 2.17
Jeff Hackett Chicago 58 3441 126 8 2.20
Olaf Kolzig Washington 64 3788 139 5 2.20
Chris Osgood Detroit 64 3807 140 6 2.21

[4]

Coaches[]

Eastern Conference[]

  • Boston Bruins: Pat Burns
  • Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff
  • Carolina Hurricanes: Paul Maurice
  • Florida Panthers: Bryan Murray
  • Montreal Canadiens: Alain Vigneault
  • New Jersey Devils: Jacques Lemaire
  • New York Islanders: Rick Bowness
  • New York Rangers: Colin Campbell
  • Ottawa Senators: Jacques Martin
  • Philadelphia Flyers: Wayne Cashman and Roger Neilson
  • Pittsburgh Penguins: Kevin Constantine
  • Tampa Bay Lightning: Terry Crisp
  • Washington Capitals: Ron Wilson

Western Conference[]

  • Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Pierre Page
  • Calgary Flames: Brian Sutter
  • Chicago Blackhawks: Craig Hartsburg
  • Colorado Avalanche: Marc Crawford
  • Dallas Stars: Ken Hitchcock
  • Detroit Red Wings: Scotty Bowman
  • Edmonton Oilers: Ron Low
  • Los Angeles Kings: Larry Robinson
  • Phoenix Coyotes: Jim Schoenfeld
  • San Jose Sharks: Darryl Sutter
  • St. Louis Blues: Joel Quenneville
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: Mike Murphy
  • Vancouver Canucks: Mike Keenan

Milestones[]

Debuts[]

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1997–98 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games[]

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1997–98 (listed with their last team):

  • Brent Sutter, Chicago Blackhawks
  • Jari Kurri, Colorado Avalanche
  • Slava Fetisov, Detroit Red Wings
  • Kevin Lowe, Edmonton Oilers
  • Andy Moog, Montreal Canadiens
  • Pat LaFontaine, New York Rangers
  • Joel Otto, Philadelphia Flyers
  • Mike Gartner, Phoenix Coyotes
  • Al Iafrate, San Jose Sharks
  • Kelly Hrudey, San Jose Sharks
  • Jeff Brown, Washington Capitals
  • Brian Bradley, Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Norm Maciver, Phoenix Coyotes

Trading deadline[]

  • Trading Deadline: March 24, 1998 [8]
  • March 24, 1998: D Dave Babych traded from Vancouver to Philadelphia for Philadelphia's third round pick in 1998 Entry Draft. Vancouver also returns the conditional pick previously acquired from Philadelphia in the Mike Sillinger trade dated Feb. 5, 1998.
  • March 24, 1998: D Dmitri Mironov traded from Anaheim to Detroit for D Jamie Pushor and Detroit's fourth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft.
  • March 24, 1998: G Kirk McLean traded from Carolina to Florida for RW Ray Sheppard.
  • March 24, 1998: D Jeff Brown traded from Toronto to Washington for D Sylvain Cote.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Jason Dawe traded from Buffalo to NY Islanders for D Jason Holland and LW Paul Kruse.
  • March 24, 1998: D Dan McGillis and Edmonton's second round pick in 1998 Entry Draft traded from Edmonton to Philadelphia for D Janne Niinimaa.
  • March 24, 1998: C Mark Janssens traded from NY Islanders to Phoenix for Phoenix's ninth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft.
  • March 24, 1998: LW Warren Rychel and a conditional pick in 1999 Entry Draft traded from Anaheim to Colorado for C Josef Marha.
  • March 24, 1998: C Sean Pronger traded from Anaheim to Pittsburgh for the rights to G Patrick Lalime.
  • March 24, 1998: D Todd Gill traded from San Jose to St. Louis for RW Joe Murphy.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Andrei Nazarov and future considerations traded from San Jose to Tampa Bay for D Bryan Marchment, D David Shaw and a conditional exchange of first round picks in 1998 Entry Draft.
  • March 24, 1998: C Mike Eastwood traded from NY Rangers to St. Louis for C Harry York.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Mike Kennedy traded from Toronto to Dallas for Dallas' eighth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Sandy McCarthy, Calgary's third round pick in 1998 Entry Draft and a fifth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft traded from Calgary to Tampa Bay for LW Jason Wiemer.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Todd Harvey, LW Bob Errey and a fourth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft traded from Dallas to NY Rangers for C Brian Skrudland, RW Mike Keane and a conditional pick in either the 1998 or 1999 Entry Draft.
  • March 24, 1998: RW Tom Fitzgerald traded from Florida to Colorado for the rights to LW Mark Parrish and Anaheim's third round pick in 1998 Entry Draft (previously acquired).
  • March 24, 1998: D Rich Brennan traded from San Jose to NY Rangers for G Jason Muzzatti.
  • March 24, 1998: D Ryan Risidore traded from Chicago to NY Rangers for RW Ryan Vandenbussche.
  • March 24, 1998: D Jamie Macoun traded from Toronto to Detroit for Tampa Bay's fourth round pick in 1998 Entry Draft (previously acquired)

See also[]

References[]

  • Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  • Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
  • Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
Notes
  1. ^ "1996-97 NHL Goalie Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "1997-98 NHL Goalie Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "1997-98 NHL Summary". Hockey-Reference.com.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "1997-98 NHL Leaders". Hockey-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "1997–1998 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  6. ^ "1997-1998 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  7. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 154.
  8. ^ NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

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