1998–99 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Duration | October 9, 1998 – June 19, 1999 |
Number of games | 82 |
Number of teams | 27 |
Draft | |
Top draft pick | Vincent Lecavalier |
Picked by | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Regular season | |
Presidents' Trophy | Dallas Stars |
Season MVP | Jaromir Jagr (Penguins) |
Top scorer | Jaromir Jagr (Penguins) |
Playoffs | |
Eastern champions | Buffalo Sabres |
Eastern runners-up | Toronto Maple Leafs |
Western champions | Dallas Stars |
Western runners-up | Colorado Avalanche |
Playoffs MVP | Joe Nieuwendyk (Stars) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Dallas Stars |
Runners-up | Buffalo Sabres |
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.
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.
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 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.
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]
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 |
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 |
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 |
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
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 |
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 |
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 |
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
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 while he was in the goal crease.[1] 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 |
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 |
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]
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 |
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):
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1998–99 (listed with their last team):
Player | Team | Notability |
---|---|---|
Dave Babych[9] | Los Angeles Kings | 2-time NHL All-Star, over 1100 games played. |
Brian Bellows[10] | Washington Capitals | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens, 3-time NHL All-Star, over 1100 games played. |
Jeff Beukeboom[11] | New York Rangers | 2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers and the Rangers. |
Jim Carey[12] | St. Louis Blues | Vezina Trophy winner. |
Bobby Carpenter[13] | New Jersey Devils | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils, 1-time NHL All-Star, over 1100 games played. |
Dino Ciccarelli[14] | Florida Panthers | 4-time NHL All-Star, over 1200 games played. |
Russ Courtnall[15] | Los Angeles Kings | Over 1000 games played. |
John Cullen[16] | Tampa Bay Lightning | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner. |
Wayne Gretzky[17] | New York Rangers | 4-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers, 18-time NHL All-Star, 10-time Art Ross Trophy winner, 9-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, 5-time Lady Byng Trophy winner, 5-time Lester B. Pearson Award winner, 2-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, over 1400 games played. |
Ron Hextall[18] | Philadelphia Flyers | Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Vezina Trophy winner, 1-time NHL All-Star. |
Dale Hunter[19] | Colorado Avalanche | 1-time NHL All-Star, over 1400 games played. |
Petr Klima[20] | Detroit Red Wings | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers. |
Joe Kocur[21] | Detroit Red Wings | 3-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Rangers and Red Wings. |
Doug Lidster[22] | Dallas Stars | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Rangers. |
Craig Ludwig[23] | Dallas Stars | Over 1200 games played. |
Jamie Macoun[24] | Detroit Red Wings | 2-time Stanley Cup champion with the Calgary Flames and Red Wings, over 1100 games played. |
Dana Murzyn[25] | Vancouver Canucks | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Calgary Flames. |
Bernie Nicholls[26] | San Jose Sharks | Over 1100 games played. |
Warren Rychel[27] | Colorado Avalanche | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche. |
Kjell Samuelsson[28] | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, last active NHL player to have been born in the 1950s. |
Tomas Sandstrom[29] | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 1-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings, Olympic bronze medalist. |