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1997–98 NHL season facts for kids

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1997–98 NHL season
League National Hockey League
Sport Ice hockey
Duration October 1, 1997 – June 16, 1998
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy Dallas Stars
Season MVP Dominik Hasek (Buffalo)
Top scorer Jaromir Jagr (Pittsburgh)
Playoffs
Eastern champions Washington Capitals
  Eastern runners-up Buffalo Sabres
Western champions Detroit Red Wings
  Western runners-up Dallas Stars
Playoffs MVP Steve Yzerman (Detroit)
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings
  Runners-up Washington Capitals
NHL seasons

← 1996–97

1998–99 →

The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st regular season for the National Hockey League (NHL). It was an exciting year for hockey fans! The Detroit Red Wings were the big winners, taking home the famous Stanley Cup. They beat the Washington Capitals in the finals, winning all four games.

Regular Season Fun Facts

Cool Moments from the Season

The 1997–98 season had some memorable moments:

  • Hockey legend Jari Kurri reached a huge milestone. He scored his 600th career goal! He ended up with 601 goals in total.
  • For the very first time, the NHL played games outside of North America. The Vancouver Canucks and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim started their season with two games in Tokyo, Japan. How cool is that?

Top Teams and Standings

The NHL had 26 teams playing 82 games each this season. Teams earned points for wins and ties.

  • In the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils were the top team. They had an amazing 107 points! The Pittsburgh Penguins led the Northeast Division, while the Devils topped the Atlantic Division.
  • Over in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars were the best team overall with 109 points. The Stars led the Central Division, and the Colorado Avalanche were first in the Pacific Division.

Many teams worked hard to earn a spot in the playoffs!

Who Scored the Most Points?

Here are the top players who scored the most points (goals plus assists) during the regular season: 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: The Road to the Cup

The Stanley Cup playoffs are a thrilling tournament where the best teams battle it out! Teams play a series of games, and the first team to win four games moves on.

Playoff Journey

Here's a quick look at how the teams battled through the playoffs:

  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

16=4

   

The Stanley Cup Final

The final series was between the Washington Capitals from the Eastern Conference and the Detroit Red Wings from the Western Conference. The Red Wings were on fire! They won all four games against the Capitals to claim the Stanley Cup. It was a sweep!

Playoff Scoring Stars

Here are the top players who scored the most points during the intense playoff games: 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 and Honors

At the end of the season, special awards were given out to the best players and teams. The NHL Awards ceremony took place in Toronto, Ontario.

Team Trophies

Player Awards

All-Star Teams

The NHL also picks the best players for "All-Star Teams" at the end of the season. These are like dream 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

New Faces and Farewells

Players Who Started Their NHL Journey

Here are some notable players who played their very first NHL game during the 1997–98 season:

  • 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

Players Who Played Their Last NHL Game

Some famous players also played their final NHL game in 1997–98:

  • 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
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1997–98 NHL season Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.