1998–99 NHL season facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 1998–99 NHL season |
|
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 9, 1998 – June 19, 1999 |
| 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 | |
|
← 1997–98 |
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The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd time the National Hockey League played its full season. Twenty-seven teams competed, each playing 82 games.
The Dallas Stars had an amazing regular season, finishing in first place. They went on to win the Stanley Cup Championship! They beat the Buffalo Sabres in the finals with a goal by Brett Hull that caused some debate.
During this season, goalies were really strong. Only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils, scored more than three goals per game on average. Also, no player managed to score 50 goals, which is a big achievement. Goalies recorded a total of 160 shutouts, meaning they stopped every shot, for the second year in a row!
Contents
The Regular Season: Who Was on Top?
The regular season saw teams battle it out to make it to the playoffs. The Dallas Stars were the best team overall, finishing with the most points. They were the top team in the Western Conference. In the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils led the way.
Top Scorers: Points Leaders
Want to know who scored the most points? Here are the top players from the 1998–99 season. Points are scored when a player gets a goal or an assist.
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 |
The Playoffs: Road to the Stanley Cup
The playoffs are an exciting time where teams compete in a knockout tournament. Only the best teams from the regular season get to play for the Stanley Cup.
Playoff Bracket: Who Played Who?
This bracket shows how the teams matched up in the playoffs, leading all the way to the Stanley Cup Final!
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||
| St. Louis | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
The Stanley Cup Final: Dallas vs. Buffalo
The final series was a thrilling matchup between the Dallas Stars and the Buffalo Sabres. The Stars won the series 4 games to 2, taking home the Stanley Cup! Joe Nieuwendyk from the Dallas Stars was named the most valuable player of the playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.
NHL Awards: Celebrating the Best Players
At the end of the season, many players and teams received special awards for their amazing performance.
All-Star Teams: The Dream Teams
The NHL also picks "All-Star" teams, which are like dream teams made up of the best players at each position.
| 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 |
New Faces and Farewell Skates
Every season, new players join the league, and some long-time players play their final games.
First Games: Rookie Players
Here are some notable players who played their very first NHL game during the 1998–99 season:
- Martin St. Louis, Calgary Flames
- Jean-Pierre Dumont, Chicago Blackhawks
- Chris Drury, Colorado Avalanche
- Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
- Tom Poti, Edmonton Oilers
- Dan Boyle, Florida Panthers
- Jason Blake, Los Angeles Kings
- David Legwand, Nashville Predators
- Karlis Skrastins, Nashville Predators
- Kimmo Timonen, Nashville Predators
- John Madden, New Jersey Devils
- Eric Brewer, New York Islanders
- Sami Salo, Ottawa Senators
- Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Tomas Kaberle, Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Games: Saying Goodbye
These are some famous players who played their final NHL game in the 1998–99 season:
- Dale Hunter, Colorado Avalanche
- Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
- Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers
