1998–99 St. Louis Blues season

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1998–99 St. Louis Blues
Division2nd Central
Conference5th Western
1998–99 record37–32–13
Home record18–17–6
Road record19–15–7
Goals for237
Goals against209
Team information
General managerLarry Pleau
CoachJoel Quenneville
CaptainChris Pronger
ArenaKiel Center
Team leaders
GoalsPavol Demitra
AssistsPavol Demitra
PointsPavol Demitra

The 1998–99 St. Louis Blues season was the team's 32nd season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite the loss of Brett Hull during the preceding off-season, the Blues made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 20th-straight season after finishing in second place with a record of 37–32–13.

Off-season[]

Realignment came, as the NHL went from four to six divisions. Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Washington were grouped in the Eastern Conference's new Southeast Division and Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton and Vancouver moved into the new Northwest Division in the Western Conference.

Blues captain Chris Pronger was in mid-season form during one of the team's voluntary scrimmages in late August. After 90 minutes of exhausting four-on-four hockey with only eight players per team, Pronger was campaigning to prolong the game.

The sentiment was nothing new for a man who logged more ice time per game (30:37) than any other player in the league last season. And when Pronger wasn't on the ice, it seemed that Norris Trophy winner Al MacInnis was. At 35, MacInnis had the finest season of his outstanding 16-year career. He led NHL defensemen in scoring with 62 points, averaged more than 29 minutes per game (fourth in the league) and was +33 on a team whose next-highest mark in that category was center Craig Conroy's +14. The problem for the Blues was finding four other defensemen they wanted to put on the ice.

In training camp the Blues were getting ready for the regular-season wars. During intrasquad games MacInnis and Pronger exchanged slashes—MacInnis called them "love taps"—and Pronger fought rookie forward Brandon Sugden and had a nasty mid-ice collision with defenceman Jamie Rivers, who was subsequently lost in the waiver draft. That ill-tempered defense will help goalie Roman Turek, who had sparkling numbers (16–3–3, 2.08 goals-against average) as Ed Belfour's backup in Dallas last season. Turek, 29, will get his first crack at being a No. 1 goalie now that Grant Fuhr has been shipped to Calgary. Netminding was a problem for the Blues in 1998–99: St. Louis allowed the fewest shots of any team in the league, but its goals-against average ranked only 14th.

The scoring load will fall to 24-year-old forward Pavol Demitra, who broke out last season and led the team with 37 goals and 89 points. His 10 game-winning goals were one behind league-leader Brett Hull of the Stars. Crafty center Pierre Turgeon had a strong postseason (13 points in 13 games) and a solid training camp. The rookie to watch is 22-year-old forward Jochen Hecht, a German who had two goals in five playoff games after a late-season call-up. He has outstanding size (6 ft 3 in, 200 pounds) and skill and is versatile enough to play any position up front.

The Blues are a team with a scrappy attitude, a handful of stars—count 41-year-old coach Joel Quenneville among them—and a future among the Western Conference's elite teams.[1]

Regular season[]

Despite the loss of Brett Hull the Blues made the playoffs for the 20th straight season by finishing in 2nd place with a record of 37–32–13. Helping to keep the Blues playoff streak alive was Al MacInnis who won the Norris trophy as the best defenceman in the NHL, while Pavol Demitra provided the scoring touch with 37 goals. In the playoffs the Blues would find themselves in a quick hole as they trailed the Phoenix Coyotes 3 games to 1. However the Blues would rally and take the series in 7 games. However, in the 2nd round the Blues would be knocked off again as they are beaten by the Dallas Stars led by Brett Hull in 6 games. Hull would go on to score the Stanley Cup Clinching goal for the Stars.

The Blues tied the Washington Capitals for the fewest power-play opportunities during the regular season, with just 301. They also tied the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks for the fewest short-handed goals allowed, with 4.[2]

  • Bright spots
  1. Chris Pronger is poised to become THE defenceman in the NHL, if he's not already.
  2. Everybody wondered who would step up to replace Brett Hull's goals and, poof, here comes Pavol Demitra with 37.
  3. LW Jochen Hecht is turning heads and should make the team.
  • Gray areas
  1. Geoff Courtnall missed 58 games with a concussion, but has looked good as new in camp. Still, those head injuries are tricky.
  2. Everybody likes Roman Turek's potential.
  3. Jury still out on young guns like Michal Handzus, Jamal Mayers, Tyson Nash and Lubos Bartecko.

Season standings[]

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

[3]

Western Conference[4]
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


Schedule and results[]

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 T October 10, 1998 3–3 OT @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 0–0–1
2 W October 12, 1998 4–2 @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 1–0–1
3 L October 16, 1998 1–4 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 1–1–1
4 L October 17, 1998 0–1 New York Islanders (1998–99) 1–2–1
5 W October 22, 1998 5–3 @ Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 2–2–1
6 W October 24, 1998 4–3 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 3–2–1
7 L October 27, 1998 1–2 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 3–3–1
8 W October 29, 1998 3–1 Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 4–3–1
9 T October 31, 1998 2–2 OT Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 4–3–2
10 W November 4, 1998 3–1 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 5–3–2
11 T November 5, 1998 2–2 OT @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 5–3–3
12 T November 7, 1998 2–2 OT @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 5–3–4
13 W November 10, 1998 5–2 Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 6–3–4
14 L November 11, 1998 2–6 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 6–4–4
15 W November 14, 1998 5–1 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 7–4–4
16 L November 19, 1998 2–3 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 7–5–4
17 T November 21, 1998 3–3 OT Dallas Stars (1998–99) 7–5–5
18 W November 24, 1998 4–0 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 8–5–5
19 L November 27, 1998 2–4 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 8–6–5
20 W November 28, 1998 4–2 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 9–6–5
21 L December 4, 1998 0–2 @ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 9–7–5
22 L December 5, 1998 1–3 Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 9–8–5
23 T December 8, 1998 2–2 OT Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 9–8–6
24 L December 12, 1998 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 9–9–6
25 T December 14, 1998 0–0 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 9–9–7
26 L December 15, 1998 3–7 @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 9–10–7
27 W December 17, 1998 3–2 Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 10–10–7
28 W December 19, 1998 5–2 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 11–10–7
29 T December 22, 1998 3–3 OT @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 11–10–8
30 L December 23, 1998 2–4 @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 11–11–8
31 W December 26, 1998 4–3 Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 12–11–8
32 T December 28, 1998 4–4 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 12–11–9
33 W January 1, 1999 6–5 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 13–11–9
34 L January 2, 1999 0–1 New York Rangers (1998–99) 13–12–9
35 W January 4, 1999 4–0 Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 14–12–9
36 W January 7, 1999 4–2 Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 15–12–9
37 L January 9, 1999 1–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 15–13–9
38 L January 11, 1999 1–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 15–14–9
39 W January 13, 1999 4–2 @ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 16–14–9
40 L January 16, 1999 0–2 @ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 16–15–9
41 L January 19, 1999 2–4 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 16–16–9
42 L January 21, 1999 2–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 16–17–9
43 W January 26, 1999 3–0 @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 17–17–9
44 W January 28, 1999 4–2 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 18–17–9
45 L January 30, 1999 3–4 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 18–18–9
46 W February 1, 1999 4–3 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 19–18–9
47 L February 4, 1999 0–2 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 19–19–9
48 L February 6, 1999 3–4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 19–20–9
49 W February 8, 1999 5–4 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 20–20–9
50 W February 10, 1999 5–4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 21–20–9
51 L February 11, 1999 1–5 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 21–21–9
52 L February 13, 1999 2–3 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 21–22–9
53 W February 15, 1999 8–1 Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 22–22–9
54 T February 18, 1999 0–0 OT Florida Panthers (1998–99) 22–22–10
55 L February 20, 1999 3–4 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 22–23–10
56 W February 22, 1999 5–1 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 23–23–10
57 L February 24, 1999 1–3 Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 23–24–10
58 W February 26, 1999 4–2 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 24–24–10
59 W February 28, 1999 3–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 25–24–10
60 W March 2, 1999 5–1 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 26–24–10
61 L March 4, 1999 0–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 26–25–10
62 L March 7, 1999 3–4 @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 26–26–10
63 L March 9, 1999 4–7 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 26–27–10
64 L March 11, 1999 0–3 Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 26–28–10
65 W March 13, 1999 6–4 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 27–28–10
66 W March 14, 1999 5–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 28–28–10
67 W March 16, 1999 5–2 Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 29–28–10
68 T March 18, 1999 2–2 OT Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 29–28–11
69 L March 20, 1999 2–3 Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 29–29–11
70 W March 22, 1999 5–2 Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 30–29–11
71 W March 25, 1999 4–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 31–29–11
72 L March 26, 1999 1–2 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 31–30–11
73 L March 28, 1999 1–3 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 31–31–11
74 W April 1, 1999 3–0 Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 32–31–11
75 W April 3, 1999 5–2 Dallas Stars (1998–99) 33–31–11
76 T April 5, 1999 2–2 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 33–31–12
77 W April 7, 1999 4–2 @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 34–31–12
78 T April 9, 1999 1–1 OT Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 34–31–13
79 L April 11, 1999 2–4 Colorado Avalanche (1998–99) 34–32–13
80 W April 14, 1999 3–1 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 35–32–13
81 W April 15, 1999 6–4 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 36–32–13
82 W April 18, 1999 3–2 @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 37–32–13

Playoffs[]

  Conference Quarter-finals Conference Semi-finals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
1 Devils 3     E4 Maple Leafs 4  
8 Penguins 4     E8 Penguins 2  


2 Senators 0 Eastern Conference
7 Sabres 4  
    E4 Maple Leafs 1  
  E7 Sabres 4  
3 Hurricanes 2  
6 Bruins 4  
4 Maple Leafs 4   E6 Bruins 2
5 Flyers 2     E7 Sabres 4  


  E7 Sabres 2
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W1 Stars 4
1 Stars 4     W1 Stars 4
8 Oilers 0     W5 Blues 2  
2 Avalanche 4
7 Sharks 2  
  W1 Stars 4
  W2 Avalanche 3  
3 Red Wings 4  
6 Mighty Ducks 0   Western Conference
4 Coyotes 3   W2 Avalanche 4
5 Blues 4     W3 Red Wings 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.
The Stanley Cup

Player statistics[]

Regular season[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Pavol Demitra LW 82 37 52 89 16 13 14 0 10
Pierre Turgeon C 67 31 34 65 36 4 10 0 5
Al MacInnis D 82 20 42 62 70 33 11 1 2
Scott Young RW 75 24 28 52 27 8 8 0 4
Chris Pronger D 67 13 33 46 113 3 8 0 0
Scott Pellerin LW 80 20 21 41 42 1 0 5 4
Craig Conroy C 69 14 25 39 38 14 0 1 1
Mike Eastwood C 82 9 21 30 36 6 0 0 0
Pascal Rheaume C 60 9 18 27 24 10 2 0 0
Terry Yake C 60 9 18 27 34 -9 3 0 4
Jim Campbell RW 55 4 21 25 41 -8 1 0 0
Michel Picard LW 45 11 11 22 16 5 0 0 2
Lubos Bartecko LW 32 5 11 16 6 4 0 0 1
Michal Handzus C 66 4 12 16 30 -9 0 0 0
Ricard Persson D 54 1 12 13 94 4 0 0 0
Geoff Courtnall LW 24 5 7 12 28 2 1 0 2
Kelly Chase RW 45 3 7 10 143 2 0 0 1
Marty Reasoner C 22 3 7 10 8 2 1 0 0
Jamal Mayers RW 34 4 5 9 40 -3 0 0 0
Tony Twist LW 63 2 6 8 149 0 0 0 0
Jamie Rivers D 76 2 5 7 47 -3 1 0 0
Todd Gill D 28 2 3 5 16 -6 1 0 0
Blair Atcheynum RW 12 2 2 4 2 2 0 0 1
Bryan Helmer D 29 0 4 4 19 3 0 0 0
Jeff Finley D 30 1 2 3 20 12 0 0 0
Marc Bergevin D 52 1 1 2 99 -14 0 0 0
Chris McAlpine D 51 1 1 2 50 -10 0 0 0
Jim Carey G 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rory Fitzpatrick D 1 0 0 0 2 -3 0 0 0
Grant Fuhr G 39 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0
Jochen Hecht LW 3 0 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0
Brent Johnson G 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jamie McLennan G 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tyson Nash LW 2 0 0 0 5 -1 0 0 0
Rich Parent G 10 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Rudy Poeschek RW/D 16 0 0 0 33 0 0 0 0
Brad Shaw D 12 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Grant Fuhr 2193 39 16 11 8 89 2.44 2 827 738 .892
Jamie McLennan 1763 33 13 14 4 70 2.38 3 640 570 .891
Rich Parent 519 10 4 3 1 22 2.54 1 193 171 .886
Brent Johnson 286 6 3 2 0 10 2.10 0 127 117 .921
Jim Carey 202 4 1 2 0 13 3.86 0 76 63 .829
Team: 4963 82 37 32 13 204 2.47 6 1863 1659 .890

Playoffs[]

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Pierre Turgeon C 13 4 9 13 6 3 0 0 2
Al MacInnis D 13 4 8 12 20 -2 2 0 0
Scott Young RW 13 4 7 11 10 2 1 0 1
Pavol Demitra LW 13 5 4 9 4 -5 3 0 1
Geoff Courtnall LW 13 2 4 6 10 -4 2 0 0
Chris Pronger D 13 1 4 5 28 -2 1 0 0
Blair Atcheynum RW 13 1 3 4 6 2 0 0 0
Craig Conroy C 13 2 1 3 6 -3 0 0 0
Jeff Finley D 13 1 2 3 8 -4 0 0 1
Terry Yake C 13 1 2 3 14 -3 1 0 0
Ricard Persson D 13 0 3 3 17 -1 0 0 0
Jochen Hecht LW 5 2 0 2 0 4 0 0 0
Mike Eastwood C 13 1 1 2 6 2 0 0 0
Jamie Rivers D 9 1 1 2 2 -2 1 0 1
Michal Handzus C 11 0 2 2 8 0 0 0 0
Scott Pellerin LW 8 1 0 1 4 -2 0 0 0
Pascal Rheaume C 5 1 0 1 4 1 0 0 0
Grant Fuhr G 13 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0
Jamal Mayers RW 11 0 1 1 8 -2 0 0 0
Lubos Bartecko LW 5 0 0 0 2 -3 0 0 0
Chris McAlpine D 13 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
Jamie McLennan G 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0
Tyson Nash LW 1 0 0 0 2 -3 0 0 0
Michel Picard LW 5 0 0 0 2 -3 0 0 0
Brad Shaw D 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Tony Twist LW 1 0 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Grant Fuhr 790 13 6 6 31 2.35 1 305 274 .898
Jamie McLennan 37 1 0 1 0 0.00 0 7 7 1.000
Team: 827 13 6 7 31 2.25 1 312 281 .901

[5]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records[]

All-Star teams[]

Transactions[]

Draft picks[]

St. Louis's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 24 Christian Backman  Sweden Västra Frölunda HC (Sweden)
2 41 Maxym Linnik  Ukraine St. Thomas Stars (GOJHL)
3 83 Matt Walker  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
6 157 Brad Voth  Canada Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
6 170 Andrei Troschinsky  Kazakhstan Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan)
7 197 Brad Twordik  Canada Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
8 225 Yevgeni Pastukh  Ukraine Khimik Voskresensk (Russia)
9 255 John Pohl  United States University of Minnesota (CCHA)

Farm teams[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ CNN/SI
  2. ^ "1998-99 NHL Summary".
  3. ^ Dinger 2011, p. 155.
  4. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  5. ^ "1998-99 St. Louis Blues Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
Bibliography
  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.

External links[]

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