1997-98 NHL season

The 1997-98 NHL season was the 81st regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-six teams each played 82 games. The Stanley Cup winners were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Washington Capitals in four games.

League Business

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.

This was the first season for Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who as of the 2006-07 season is 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 in the Western Conference.

Regular season

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; this was the 1st time the NHL played games outside of North America.

Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

Eastern Conference

Northeast Division Team W L T GF GA Pts Pittsburgh Penguins 40 24 18 228 188 98 Boston Bruins 39 30 13 221 194 91 Buffalo Sabres 36 29 17 211 187 89 Montreal Canadiens 37 32 13 235 208 87 Ottawa Senators 34 33 15 193 200 83 Carolina Hurricanes 33 41 8 200 219 74

Atlantic Division Team W L T GF GA Pts New Jersey Devils 48 23 11 225 166 107 Philadelphia Flyers 42 29 11 242 193 95 Washington Capitals 40 30 12 219 202 92 New York Islanders 30 41 11 212 225 71 New York Rangers 25 39 18 197 231 68 Florida Panthers 24 43 15 203 256 63 Tampa Bay Lightning 17 55 10 151 269 44

Western Conference

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

Pacific Division Team W L T GF GA Pts Colorado Avalanche 39 26 17 231 205 95 Los Angeles Kings 38 33 11 227 225 87 Edmonton Oilers 35 37 10 215 224 80 San Jose Sharks 34 38 10 210 216 78 Calgary Flames 26 41 15 217 252 67 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 26 43 13 205 261 65 Vancouver Canucks 25 43 14 224 273 64

Scoring leaders

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

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

Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket

	Conference Quarterfinals					Conference Semifinals					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	New Jersey	2
	8	Ottawa	4
						4	Washington	4
						8	Ottawa	1
	4	Washington	4
	5	Boston	2
											4	Washington	4
	Eastern Conference
										6	Buffalo	2
	2	Pittsburgh	2
	7	Montreal	4
						6	Buffalo	4
						7	Montreal	0
	3	Philadelphia	1
	6	Buffalo	4
																E4	Washington	0
																W3	Detroit	4
	4	St. Louis	4
	5	Los Angeles	0
						3	Detroit	4
						4	St. Louis	2
	3	Detroit	4
	6	Phoenix	2
											1	Dallas	2
	Western Conference
										3	Detroit	4
	1	Dallas	4
	8	San Jose	2
						1	Dallas	4
						7	Edmonton	1
	2	Colorado	3
	7	Edmonton	4

Conference quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

Ottawa vs. New Jersey Date Away Home April 22 Ottawa 2 1 New Jersey OT April 24 Ottawa 1 3 New Jersey April 26 New Jersey 1 2 Ottawa OT April 28 New Jersey 3 4 Ottawa April 30 Ottawa 1 3 New Jersey May 2 New Jersey 1 3 Ottawa Ottawa wins series 4–2	Montreal vs. Pittsburgh Date Away Home April 23 Montreal 3 2 Pittsburgh OT April 25 Montreal 1 4 Pittsburgh April 27 Pittsburgh 1 3 Montreal April 29 Pittsburgh 6 3 Montreal May 1 Montreal 5 2 Pittsburgh May 3 Pittsburgh 0 3 Montreal Montreal wins series 4–2
Buffalo vs. Philadelphia Date Away Home April 22 Buffalo 3 2 Philadelphia April 24 Buffalo 2 3 Philadelphia April 27 Philadelphia 1 6 Buffalo April 29 Philadelphia 1 4 Buffalo May 1 Buffalo 3 2 Philadelphia OT Buffalo wins series 4–1	Boston vs. Washington Date Away Home April 22 Boston 1 3 Washington April 24 Boston 4 3 Washington 2OT April 26 Washington 3 2 Boston 2OT April 28 Washington 3 0 Boston May 1 Boston 4 0 Washington May 3 Washington 3 2 Boston OT Washington wins series 4–2

Western Conference

San Jose vs. Dallas Date Away Home April 23 San Jose 1 4 Dallas April 24 San Jose 2 5 Dallas April 26 Dallas 1 4 San Jose April 28 Dallas 0 1 San Jose OT April 30 San Jose 2 3 Dallas May 2 Dallas 3 2 San Jose OT Dallas wins series 4–2	Edmonton vs. Colorado Date Away Home April 22 Edmonton 3 2 Colorado April 24 Edmonton 2 5 Colorado April 26 Colorado 5 4 Edmonton OT April 28 Colorado 3 1 Edmonton April 30 Edmonton 3 1 Colorado May 2 Colorado 0 2 Edmonton May 4 Edmonton 4 0 Colorado Edmonton wins series 4–3
Phoenix vs. Detroit Date Away Home April 22 Phoenix 3 6 Detroit April 24 Phoenix 7 4 Detroit April 26 Detroit 2 3 Phoenix April 28 Detroit 4 2 Phoenix April 30 Phoenix 1 3 Detroit May 3 Detroit 5 2 Phoenix Detroit wins series 4–2	Los Angeles vs. St. Louis Date Away Home April 23 Los Angeles 3 8 St. Louis April 25 Los Angeles 1 3 St. Louis April 27 St. Louis 4 3 Los Angeles April 29 St. Louis 2 1 Los Angeles St. Louis wins series 4–0

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference

Ottawa vs. Washington Date Away Home May 7 Ottawa 2 4 Washington May 9 Ottawa 1 6 Washington May 11 Washington 3 4 Ottawa May 13 Washington 2 0 Ottawa May 15 Ottawa 0 3 Washington Washington win series 4–1

Montreal vs. Buffalo Date Away Home May 8 Montreal 2 3 Buffalo OT May 10 Montreal 3 6 Buffalo May 12 Buffalo 5 4 Montreal 2OT May 14 Buffalo 3 1 Montreal Buffalo wins series 4–0

Western Conference

Edmonton vs. Dallas Date Away Home May 7 Edmonton 1 3 Dallas May 9 Edmonton 2 0 Dallas May 11 Dallas 1 0 Edmonton OT May 13 Dallas 3 1 Edmonton May 16 Edmonton 1 2 Dallas Dallas wins series 4–1

St. Louis vs. Detroit Date Away Home May 8 St. Louis 4 2 Detroit May 10 St. Louis 1 6 Detroit May 12 Detroit 3 2 St. Louis 2OT May 14 Detroit 5 2 St. Louis May 17 St. Louis 3 1 Detroit May 19 Detroit 6 1 St. Louis Detroit wins series 4–2

Conference finals

Eastern Conference Buffalo vs. Washington Date Away Home May 23 Buffalo 2 0 Washington May 25 Buffalo 2 3 Washington OT May 28 Washington 4 3 Buffalo OT May 30 Washington 2 0 Buffalo June 2 Buffalo 2 1 Washington June 4 Washington 3 2 Buffalo OT Washington wins series 4–2 and Prince of Wales Trophy

Western Conference Detroit vs. Dallas Date Away Home May 24 Detroit 2 0 Dallas May 26 Detroit 1 3 Dallas May 29 Dallas 3 5 Detroit May 31 Dallas 2 3 Detroit June 3 Detroit 2 3 Dallas OT June 5 Dallas 0 2 Detroit Detroit wins series 4–2 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

Stanley Cup final

The 1998 Stanley Cup Finals were 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, Coach Scotty Bowman, and Goalie Chris Osgood. The Capitals were led by Captain Dale Hunter, Coach Ron Wilson, and Goalie Olaf Kolzig.

Washington vs. Detroit Date Away Home 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 Steve Yzerman (Detroit) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

Scoring leaders

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

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

NHL Awards

The NHL Awards took place in Toronto, Ontario

Presidents' Trophy:	Dallas Stars
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Washington Capitals
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Memorial 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, Anaheim Mighty Ducks
John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers	LW	Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes

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):

• Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins
• Sergei Samsonov, Boston Bruins
• Derek Morris, Calgary Flames
• Olli Jokinen, Los Angeles Kings
• Brendan Morrison, New Jersey Devils
• Sheldon Souray, New Jersey Devils
• Zdeno Chara, New York Islanders
• Marc Savard, New York Rangers
• Chris Phillips, Ottawa Senators
• Marian Hossa, Ottawa Senators
• Daniel Briere, Phoenix Coyotes
• Marco Sturm, San Jose Sharks
• Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
• Pavel Kubina, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Danny Markov, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Mattias Ohlund, Vancouver Canucks

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that 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
• Bruce Driver, New York Rangers
• Pat LaFontaine, New York Rangers
• Joel Otto, Philadelphia Flyers
• Michel Petit, Phoenix Coyotes
• Mike Gartner, Phoenix Coyotes
• Al Iafrate, San Jose Sharks
• Kelly Hrudey, San Jose Sharks
• Jeff Brown, Washington Capitals

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1997 NHL Entry Draft
• 48th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team

References

• Hockey Database
• http://nhl.com/