1998–99 NHL season

      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
      Regular season
      Presidents' Trophy Dallas Stars
      Season MVP Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh)
      Top scorer Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh)
      Playoffs
      Eastern champions Buffalo Sabres
        Eastern runners-up Toronto Maple Leafs
      Western champions Dallas Stars
        Western runners-up Colorado Avalanche
      Playoffs MVP Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas)
      Stanley Cup
      Stanley Cup champions Dallas Stars
        Runners-up Buffalo Sabres
      NHL seasons

      The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup championship over the Buffalo Sabres on an 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 four-division structure (Adams/Patrick/Norris/Smythe) abandoned in 1993–94. Other than the necessary reassignment of Colorado to the Western Conference in 1995 due to its two-thousand mile (over 3,200 km) move west 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, Toronto), and the three original cities of the NHL in the Northeast (Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit).

      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.

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      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] The Rangers had been battling for a playoff spot up until the end of the regular season when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were able to clinch a post-season berth when Jaromir Jagr scored the winning goal.

      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. Toronto also made its first post-season appearance since 1995–96 this 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. Due to the fact that the Great Western Bank ceased to exist two seasons prior, the arena name was replaced by the team name on center ice, in anticipation of the move.

      In an effort to reduce the number of disallowed goals due to the skate-in-the-crease violation, the goal crease 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 2 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 1 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]

      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]

      Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
               Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

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      Playoffs

      Main article: 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs
      1999 Stanley Cup patch.png

      Stanley Cup Final

      Main article: 1999 Stanley Cup Final

      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

      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.
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      Awards

      Presidents' Trophy: Dallas Stars
      Prince of Wales Trophy: Buffalo Sabres
      Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: 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 & 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
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      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

      [6]

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      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, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

      Last games

      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):

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      Trading deadline

      • Trading Deadline: March 23, 1999 [7]
      • 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 David 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 J.F. Jomphe to Montreal for future considerations.
      • March 23, 1999: Chicago traded RW Nelson Emerson to Ottawa for RW Chris Murray.
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      Hat Tricks

      Main article: 1998-99 NHL Hat Tricks
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      See also

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      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. ^ a b Dryden 2000, p. 101.
      2. ^ 1998-99 NHL Season Summary | Hockey-Reference.com
      3. ^ 1998-99 NHL Season Leaders | Hockey-Reference.com
      4. ^ 1998-99 NHL Season Goalie Statistics | Hockey-Reference.com
      5. ^ a b c d e f g Dinger 2011, p. 155.
      6. ^ http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1999_leaders.html
      7. ^ NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out
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      External links

       
      1998–99 NHL season by team
      Atlantic
      Northeast
      Southeast
      Central
      Northwest
      Pacific
      See also
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      Last modified on 25 May 2013, at 06:57