1998–99 NHL season

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1998–99 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 9, 1998 – June 19, 1999
Number of games82
Number of teams27
TV partner(s)CBC, CTV Sportsnet, SRC (Canada)
ESPN, Fox (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickVincent Lecavalier
Picked byTampa Bay Lightning
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyDallas Stars
Season MVPJaromir Jagr (Penguins)
Top scorerJaromir Jagr (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPJoe Nieuwendyk (Stars)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsDallas Stars
  Runners-upBuffalo Sabres
NHL seasons

The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. The league expanded to 27 teams with the addition of the Nashville Predators. The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup championship over the Buffalo Sabres on a controversial triple overtime goal by Brett Hull.

League business[]

With the addition of the expansion Nashville Predators, the NHL realigned this year to a strictly geographic six-division structure (three per conference), erasing the last vestiges of the traditional Adams/Patrick/Norris/Smythe four-division structure abandoned in 1993–94. Other than the reassignment of Colorado to the Western Conference in 1995 due to its move from Quebec, the divisions' membership had remained static for five years although several franchises had relocated. As part of this realignment, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference. This put three of the Original Six teams in the Northeast Division (Boston, Montreal, and Toronto), and the three original cities of the NHL in the Northeast (Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto).

The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals by a player in a season made its debut this year. The first winner was Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Uniform changes[]

  • Anaheim: The third and fourth jerseys from 1997 got new socks.
  • Boston: The team wore a 75th-anniversary patch for their 75th season.
  • Calgary: New Black Alternates introduced. Crest has its alternate Flaming-Horse Logo.
  • Colorado: No updates in the regular season, but in the 1999 Playoffs, the Avalanche wore a CHS patch for the victims of the Columbine High School massacre on their left sleeve just above the number. The patch remained on the jerseys throughout the playoffs.
  • Florida: The names on the back become vertically arched, and a navy blue alternate jersey is introduced. On that jersey, the panther is breaking a stick in half.
  • Los Angeles: Jerseys Redesigned, Purple is Reintroduced.
  • Nashville: white jerseys include a Blue triangle for the Crest, and the blue ones do not. The team wore an Inaugural season patch that would later become the team's alternate logo.
  • New York Islanders: In part two of making things right with Islanders fans, the team returned to their original design in 1998, keeping navy blue as its primary color. The jerseys feature a patch on the right shoulder featuring four diagonal stripes, symbolizing the team's four Stanley Cup titles in the 1980s.
  • New York Rangers: White Lady Liberty Jerseys.
  • Phoenix: The Coyotes introduce a new green alternate jersey, complete with a desertscape at the bottom and the sleeve ends
  • St Louis: Alternates are retired and adopt a new color scheme
  • San Jose: Alternates are retired and become the basis of the team's new uniforms.
  • Tampa Bay: All-Star Game Patches for the 1999 NHL All-Star Game in Tampa.
  • Toronto: Team wore alternate throwbacks and a patch to commemorate their final season at Maple Leaf Gardens.
  • Washington: For the first few games, the Capitals wore a patch celebrating their 25th season in the NHL. The patch was worn on the upper right chest.

Regular season[]

The 1998–99 season marked the retirement of Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, who played his final three NHL seasons with the New York Rangers.[1]

This was the final season that Fox televised NHL games in the United States. It was also the final season for the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens, before moving to the Air Canada Centre in February and marked Toronto's first post-season appearance since the 1995–96 season. 1998–99 was also the final year that the Carolina Hurricanes played at Greensboro Coliseum; they moved to the brand-new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh for the next season. The Colorado Avalanche played their fourth and final season at McNichols Sports Arena and would move to Pepsi Center the following season. The Los Angeles Kings played their final season at the Great Western Forum after 32 seasons before moving to the Staples Center for the next season.

In an effort to reduce the number of disallowed goals due to the skate-in-the-crease violation, the goal crease shape and size was significantly reduced. In spite of this, goaltenders and defensive systems continued to dominate the league, as only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils,[2] averaged more than three goals scored per game. In addition, no player reached the 50-goal plateau.[3] A total of 160 shutouts were recorded for the second-straight regular season.[4]

Final standings[]

Eastern Conference[]

Atlantic Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 New Jersey Devils 82 47 24 11 248 196 105
2 5 Philadelphia Flyers 82 37 26 19 231 196 93
3 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 38 30 14 242 225 90
4 10 New York Rangers 82 33 38 11 217 227 77
5 13 New York Islanders 82 24 48 10 194 244 58

[5]

Northeast Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
1 2 Ottawa Senators 82 44 23 15 239 179 892 103
2 4 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 45 30 7 268 231 1095 97
3 6 Boston Bruins 82 39 30 13 214 181 1182 91
4 7 Buffalo Sabres 82 37 28 17 207 175 1561 91
5 11 Montreal Canadiens 82 32 39 11 184 209 1299 75

[5]


Southeast Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
1 3 Carolina Hurricanes 82 34 30 18 210 202 1158 86
2 9 Florida Panthers 82 30 34 18 210 228 1522 78
3 12 Washington Capitals 82 31 45 6 200 218 1381 68
4 14 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 19 54 9 179 292 1316 47

[5]

Eastern Conference[6]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 y – New Jersey Devils ATL 82 47 24 11 248 196 105
2 y – Ottawa Senators NE 82 44 23 15 239 179 103
3 y – Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 34 30 18 210 202 86
4 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 45 30 7 268 231 97
5 Philadelphia Flyers ATL 82 37 26 19 231 196 93
6 Boston Bruins NE 82 39 30 13 214 181 91
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 37 28 17 207 175 91
8 Pittsburgh Penguins ATL 82 38 30 14 242 225 90
9 Florida Panthers SE 82 30 34 18 210 228 78
10 New York Rangers ATL 82 33 38 11 217 227 77
11 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 32 39 11 184 209 75
12 Washington Capitals SE 82 31 45 6 200 218 68
13 New York Islanders ATL 82 24 48 10 194 244 58
14 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 19 54 9 179 292 47

Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division


Western Conference[]

Central Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
1 3 Detroit Red Wings 82 43 32 7 245 202 1202 93
2 5 St. Louis Blues 82 37 32 13 237 209 1308 87
3 10 Chicago Blackhawks 82 29 41 12 202 248 1807 70
4 12 Nashville Predators 82 28 47 7 190 261 1420 63

[5]

Northwest Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA PIM Pts
1 2 Colorado Avalanche 82 44 28 10 239 205 1619 98
2 8 Edmonton Oilers 82 33 37 12 230 226 1373 78
3 9 Calgary Flames 82 30 40 12 211 234 1389 72
4 13 Vancouver Canucks 82 23 47 12 192 258 1764 58

[5]

Pacific Division
R CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Dallas Stars 82 51 19 12 236 168 114
2 4 Phoenix Coyotes 82 39 31 12 205 197 90
3 6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 35 34 13 215 206 83
4 7 San Jose Sharks 82 31 33 18 196 191 80
5 11 Los Angeles Kings 82 32 45 5 189 222 69

[5]


Western Conference[7]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – Dallas Stars PAC 82 51 19 12 236 168 114
2 y – Colorado Avalanche NW 82 44 28 10 239 205 98
3 y – Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 43 32 7 245 202 93
4 Phoenix Coyotes PAC 82 39 31 12 205 197 90
5 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 37 32 13 237 209 87
6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 35 34 13 215 206 83
7 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 31 33 18 196 191 80
8 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 33 37 12 230 226 78
9 Calgary Flames NW 82 30 40 12 211 234 72
10 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 29 41 12 202 248 70
11 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 32 45 5 189 222 69
12 Nashville Predators CEN 82 28 47 7 190 261 63
13 Vancouver Canucks NW 82 23 47 12 192 258 58

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific, NW – Northwest

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy; y – Won division


Playoffs[]

Main article: 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs

Stanley Cup Finals[]

Main article: 1999 Stanley Cup Finals

The teams split the first two games, held in Dallas, then split the following two games in Buffalo. In the fifth game, Dallas shut out Buffalo to put the Sabres on the brink of elimination. Game six was held in Buffalo and it went to triple-overtime before being decided on a controversial goal scored by Brett Hull. Joe Nieuwendyk of Dallas was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.

Dallas Stars vs. Buffalo Sabres
Date Away Score Home OT
June 8 Buffalo 3 – 2 Dallas OT
June 10 Buffalo 2 – 4 Dallas
June 12 Dallas 2 – 1 Buffalo
June 15 Dallas 1 – 2 Buffalo
June 17 Buffalo 0 – 2 Dallas
June 19 Dallas 2 – 1 Buffalo 3OT

Playoff bracket[]

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Final
                                     
1 New Jersey 3     4 Toronto 4  
8 Pittsburgh 4     8 Pittsburgh 2  


2 Ottawa 0 Eastern Conference
7 Buffalo 4  
    4 Toronto 1  
  7 Buffalo 4  
3 Carolina 2  
6 Boston 4  
4 Toronto 4   6 Boston 2
5 Philadelphia 2     7 Buffalo 4  


  E7 Buffalo 2
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W1 Dallas 4
1 Dallas 4     1 Dallas 4
8 Edmonton 0     5 St. Louis 2  
2 Colorado 4
7 San Jose 2  
  1 Dallas 4
  2 Colorado 3  
3 Detroit 4  
6 Anaheim 0   Western Conference
4 Phoenix 3   2 Colorado 4
5 St. Louis 4     3 Detroit 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[]

Presidents' Trophy: Dallas Stars
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)		 Buffalo Sabres
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Western Conference playoff champion)		 Dallas Stars
Art Ross Trophy: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: John Cullen, Tampa Bay Lightning
Calder Memorial Trophy: Chris Drury, Colorado Avalanche
Conn Smythe Trophy: Joe Nieuwendyk, Dallas Stars
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
Hart Memorial Trophy: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jack Adams Award: Jacques Martin, Ottawa Senators
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Rob Ray, Buffalo Sabres
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
Lester B. Pearson Award: Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy: Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
NHL Plus/Minus Award: John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers
Vezina Trophy: Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
William M. Jennings Trophy: Ed Belfour and Roman Turek, Dallas Stars
Lester Patrick Trophy: Harry Sinden

All-Star teams[]

First team   Position   Second team
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres G Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins
Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues D Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings D Eric Desjardins, Philadelphia Flyers
Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche C Alexei Yashin, Ottawa Senators
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins RW Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim LW John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers

Player statistics[]

Scoring leaders[]

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Penguins 81 44 83 127 66
Teemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 75 47 60 107 30
Paul Kariya Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 39 62 101 40
Peter Forsberg Colorado Avalanche 78 30 67 97 108
Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche 73 41 55 96 29
Alexei Yashin Ottawa Senators 82 44 50 94 54
Eric Lindros Philadelphia Flyers 71 40 53 93 120
Theoren Fleury Calgary Flames /Colorado Avalanche 75 40 53 93 86
John LeClair Philadelphia Flyers 76 43 47 90 30
Pavol Demitra St. Louis Blues 82 37 52 89 16

Source: NHL.[5]

Leading goaltenders[]

Regular season

Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA
Ron Tugnutt Ottawa 43 2508 75 3 1.79
Dominik Hasek Buffalo 64 3817 119 9 1.87
Ed Belfour Dallas 61 3536 117 5 1.99
Byron Dafoe Boston 68 4001 133 10 1.99
Roman Turek Dallas 26 1382 48 1 2.08
Nikolai Khabibulin Phoenix 63 3657 130 8 2.13
John Vanbiesbrouck Philadelphia 62 3712 135 6 2.18
Steve Shields San Jose 37 2162 80 4 2.22
Arturs Irbe Carolina 62 3643 135 6 2.22
Mike Vernon San Jose 49 2831 107 4 2.27

[8]

Coaches[]

Eastern Conference[]

Western Conference[]

Milestones[]

Debuts[]

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1998–99 (listed with their first team, an asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

  • Martin St. Louis, Calgary Flames
  • Chris Drury, Colorado Avalanche
  • Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
  • Dan Boyle, Florida Panthers
  • Jason Blake, Los Angeles Kings
  • David Legwand, Nashville Predators
  • Karlis Skrastins, Nashville Predators
  • Kimmo Timonen, Nashville Predators
  • Eric Brewer, New York Islanders
  • Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs

Last games[]

The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1998–99 (listed with their last team):

  • Dave Babych, Los Angeles Kings
  • Brian Bellows, Washington Capitals
  • Jim Carey, St. Louis Blues
  • Bobby Carpenter, New Jersey Devils
  • Dino Ciccarelli, Florida Panthers
  • Russ Courtnall, Los Angeles Kings
  • John Cullen, Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
  • Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers
  • Dale Hunter, Colorado Avalanche
  • Craig Ludwig, Dallas Stars
  • Jamie Macoun, Detroit Red Wings
  • Bernie Nicholls, San Jose Sharks
  • Kjell Samuelsson, Tampa Bay Lightning (Last player born in the 1950’s)
  • Tomas Sandstrom, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Trading deadline[]

  • Trading Deadline: March 23, 1999[9]
  • March 23, 1999: Nashville traded RW Blair Atcheynum to St. Louis for a sixth-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Calgary traded D Chris O'Sullivan to NY Rangers for D Lee Sorochan.
  • March 23, 1999: Detroit traded G Kevin Hodson and San Jose's second-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft (previously acquired) to Tampa Bay for LW Wendel Clark and Detroit's sixth-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft (previously acquired).
  • March 23, 1999: Washington traded C Dale Hunter and a third-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft to Colorado for a second-round pick in the 1999 or 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Florida traded D Rhett Warrener and a fifth-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft to Buffalo for D Mike Wilson.
  • March 23, 1999: Calgary traded RW Greg Pankewicz to San Jose for future considerations.
  • March 23, 1999: Los Angeles traded C Yanic Perreault to Toronto for C Jason Podollan and a third-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Edmonton traded RW Kevin Brown to NY Rangers for LW Vladimir Vorobiev.
  • March 23, 1999: Tampa Bay traded G Bill Ranford to Detroit for a conditional draft pick.
  • March 23, 1999: Chicago traded D Chris Chelios to Detroit for 1999 and 2001 first-round draft picks (D Steve McCarthy and G Adam Munro)
  • March 23, 1999: Montreal traded C Vincent Damphousse to San Jose for a fifth-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft and a conditional draft pick or picks in the 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Vancouver traded C Peter Zezel to Anaheim for future considerations.
  • March 23, 1999: Los Angeles traded D Steve Duchesne to Philadelphia for D Dave Babych and a fifth-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: NY Rangers trade D Stan Neckar to Phoenix for D Jason Doig and a sixth-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: NY Rangers trade D Ulf Samuelsson to Detroit for a second-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft and a third-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Toronto traded D Jason Smith to Edmonton for a fourth-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft and a second-round pick in the 2000 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Buffalo traded C Derek Plante to Dallas for a second-round pick in the 1999 Entry Draft.
  • March 23, 1999: Washington traded LW Craig Berube to Philadelphia for future considerations.
  • March 23, 1999: Tampa Bay traded D Sami Helenius to Colorado for a conditional draft pick.
  • March 23, 1999: Phoenix traded C Jean-Francois Jomphe to Montreal for future considerations.
  • March 23, 1999: Chicago traded RW Nelson Emerson to Ottawa for RW Chris Murray.

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. ^ Dryden 2000, p. 101.
  2. ^ "1998-99 NHL Summary - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  3. ^ "1998-99 NHL Leaders - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  4. ^ "1998-99 NHL Goalie Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Dinger 2011, p. 155.
  6. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  7. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  8. ^ "1998-99 NHL Leaders - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  9. ^ NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

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