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1998–99 NHL season

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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 NHL also realigned to a strictly geographic six-division structure, with three per conference. 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] 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.

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

League business

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Expansion and realignment

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The Nashville Predators joined the NHL, increasing the league to 27 teams. The 1998 NHL expansion draft was held on June 26 to fill the Predators' roster.

With the debut of the Predators, and the planned expansion of three more teams within the next two seasons (Atlanta, Columbus, and Minnesota), the NHL realigned to a strictly geographic six-division structure (three per conference). This erased 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 playoff format was subsequently modified so the three division winners in each conference were seeded one through three by order of point finish, then the top five remaining teams in the conference were seeded four through eight.[2][3][4][5][6]

Entry draft

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The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. Vincent Lecavalier was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Rule changes

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  • In an effort to reduce the number of disallowed goals due to the skate-in-the-crease violation, regulatory reforms were implemented resulting the goal crease shape and size being significantly reduced.[7] In spite of this regulatory change, goaltenders and defensive systems continued to dominate the league, as only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils,[8] averaged more than three goals scored per game. In addition, no player reached the 50-goal plateau.[9] A total of 160 shutouts were recorded for the second-straight regular season.[10][11]
  • The league began to phase in a two-referee system. Each team played 20 selected regular games with two referees and two linesmen, instead of just one referee and two linesmen. The two-referee system was also used in all playoff games.

Preseason games in Austria

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Three preseason games were held in Austria. The Tampa Bay Lightning played against Austrian team VEU Feldkirch at Vorarlberghalle in Klagenfurt on September 15. One day later at the same arena, the Buffalo Sabres faced of against KAC Klagenfurt. The Sabres and the Lightning then met at Olympiahalle in Innsbruck on September 18.

Uniform changes

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  • 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: The jerseys reverted to its 1978–1995 design, retaining navy blue as its main color with 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.

Arena changes

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Regular season

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International games

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The Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks played a two-game series on October 9 and 10, 1999 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

All-Star Game

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The All-Star Game was held on January 24, 1999, at Ice Palace in Tampa, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Final standings

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Eastern Conference

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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

[12]

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

[12]


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

[12]

Eastern Conference[13]
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

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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

[12]

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

[12]

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

[12]


Western Conference[14]
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

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Main article: 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs

Bracket

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In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8.

The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 New Jersey 3
8 Pittsburgh 4
4 Toronto 4
8 Pittsburgh 2
2 Ottawa 0
7 Buffalo 4
4 Toronto 1
Eastern Conference
7 Buffalo 4
3 Carolina 2
6 Boston 4
6 Boston 2
7 Buffalo 4
4 Toronto 4
5 Philadelphia 2
E7 Buffalo 2
W1 Dallas 4
1 Dallas 4
8 Edmonton 0
1 Dallas 4
5 St. Louis 2
2 Colorado 4
7 San Jose 2
1 Dallas 4
Western Conference
2 Colorado 3
3 Detroit 4
6 Anaheim 0
2 Colorado 4
3 Detroit 2
4 Phoenix 3
5 St. Louis 4

Awards

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The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals by a player in a season made its debut this year.

1998–99 NHL awards
Award Recipient(s)
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 Foundation Player Award: Rob Ray, Buffalo Sabres
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

All-Star teams

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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

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Scoring leaders

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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.[12]

Leading goaltenders

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Regular season

Player Team GP MIN GA SO GAA SV%
Ron Tugnutt Ottawa 43 2508 75 3 1.79 .925
Dominik Hasek Buffalo 64 3817 119 9 1.87 .937
Ed Belfour Dallas 61 3536 117 5 1.99 .915
Byron Dafoe Boston 68 4001 133 10 1.99 .926
Roman Turek Dallas 26 1382 48 1 2.08 .915
Nikolai Khabibulin Phoenix 63 3657 130 8 2.13 .920
John Vanbiesbrouck Philadelphia 62 3712 135 6 2.18 .902
Steve Shields San Jose 37 2162 80 4 2.22 .921
Arturs Irbe Carolina 62 3643 135 6 2.22 .923
Mike Vernon San Jose 49 2831 107 4 2.27 .911

[15]

Coaches

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Eastern Conference

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Western Conference

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Milestones

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Debuts

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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):

Last games

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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):

Broadcasting

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Canada

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This was the first season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and CTV Sportsnet. CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada regular season games. The fledgling CTV Sportsnet replaced TSN as the league's cable broadcaster. Tuesday Night Hockey became CTV Sportsnet's signature weekly regular season telecasts. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs continued to primarily be on CBC, while CTV Sportsnet aired first round all-U.S. series.

United States

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This was the fifth and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN. Both ESPN and ESPN2 aired weeknight games throughout the regular season, and Fox had the All-Star Game and weekly regional telecasts on 11 weekend afternoons between February and April. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while Fox had Sunday regional telecasts. Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster produced local coverage of first and second round games (except for those games on Fox). Fox's Sunday telecasts continued into the Conference Finals, while ESPN had the rest of the third round games. The Stanley Cup Finals were also split between Fox and ESPN.

The league then signed a new five-year deal with ESPN that also called for sister network ABC to become the new broadcast network partner.

See also

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References

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  • 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. ^ "NHL will skate into 4 new cities for 1997-98 season". Deseret News. Associated Press. June 26, 1997. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "N.H.L. Names 4 Cities For Its New Franchises". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 18, 1997. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ^ El-Bashir, Tarik (July 9, 1998). "HOCKEY; Ice in July: Schedule Is Released". The New York Times. pp. C4. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Alex, Rachel (June 18, 1997). "NHL proposes expansion and realignment". Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Thompson, Jack (June 26, 1997). "IT'S OFFICIAL: NHL APPROVES EXPANSION, REALIGNMENT". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  7. ^ Alexander, Rachel; Barr, John (January 9, 2024). "GMS RECOMMEND RULES CHANGES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "1998-99 NHL Summary - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  9. ^ "1998-99 NHL Leaders - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  10. ^ "1998-99 NHL Goalie Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Bailey, Budd (July 7, 1999). "LOW GOALS DESPITE RULES CHANGES MEANT TO INCREASE SCORING, THE NHL HAS ONLY BEEN ABLE TO SLOW THE SLIDE". Buffalo News. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Dinger 2011, p. 155.
  13. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  14. ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  15. ^ "1998-99 NHL Leaders - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
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