1998–99 Colorado Avalanche season

The 1998–99 Colorado Avalanche season was the Avalanche's fourth season and last season at McNichols Sports Arena. They would move to the Pepsi Center during the off-season.

1998–99 Colorado Avalanche
Northwest Division champions
Division	1st Northwest
Conference	2nd Western
1998–99 record	44–28–10
Home record	21–14–6
Road record	23–14–4
Goals for	239
Goals against	205
Team information
General manager	Pierre Lacroix
Coach	Bob Hartley
Captain	Joe Sakic
Arena	McNichols Sports Arena
Average attendance	16,059
Minor league affiliate(s)	Hershey Bears
Team leaders
Goals	Joe Sakic (41)
Assists	Peter Forsberg (67)
Points	Peter Forsberg (97)
Penalty minutes	Jeff Odgers (259)
Plus/minus	Peter Forsberg (+27)
Wins	Patrick Roy (32)
Goals against average	Patrick Roy (2.29)
← 1997–98 1999–2000 →

Regular season

• April 3, 1999: In a victory over the Edmonton Oilers, Patrick Roy passed Glenn Hall with his 408th victory.^[1]

Season standings

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

^[2]

Western Conference^[3]

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

Schedule and results

Regular season

1998–99 regular season[4]
October: 2–6–1 (home: 2–4–0; road: 0–2–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 1 L October 10, 1998 3–4 Ottawa Senators (1998–99) 0–1–0 Recap 2 L October 12, 1998 0–3 Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 0–2–0 Recap 3 L October 14, 1998 0–3 Boston Bruins (1998–99) 0–3–0 Recap 4 L October 15, 1998 2–5 @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 0–4–0 Recap 5 T October 18, 1998 5–5 OT @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 0–4–1 Recap 6 W October 24, 1998 6–4 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 1–4–1 Recap 7 L October 26, 1998 1–5 Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 1–5–1 Recap 8 W October 29, 1998 4–2 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 2–5–1 Recap 9 L October 31, 1998 2–3 @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 2–6–1 Recap
November: 6–5–1 (home: 2–2–0; road: 4–3–1) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 10 W November 2, 1998 3–2 @ Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 3–6–1 Recap 11 L November 4, 1998 0–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99) 3–7–1 Recap 12 W November 6, 1998 5–2 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 4–7–1 Recap 13 L November 8, 1998 1–3 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 4–8–1 Recap 14 T November 10, 1998 1–1 OT @ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 4–8–2 Recap 15 W November 13, 1998 8–1 Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 5–8–2 Recap 16 W November 15, 1998 2–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 6–8–2 Recap 17 W November 17, 1998 5–2 New York Islanders (1998–99) 7–8–2 Recap 18 L November 19, 1998 0–5 Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 7–9–2 Recap 19 W November 21, 1998 3–2 @ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 8–9–2 Recap 20 L November 25, 1998 0–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 8–10–2 Recap 21 L November 28, 1998 2–3 New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 8–11–2 Recap
December: 8–6–1 (home: 2–3–1; road: 6–3–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 22 W December 2, 1998 4–2 Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 9–11–2 Recap 23 W December 4, 1998 2–0 St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 10–11–2 Recap 24 W December 5, 1998 3–1 @ St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 11–11–2 Recap 25 W December 8, 1998 2–1 @ New York Islanders (1998–99) 12–11–2 Recap 26 W December 9, 1998 2–1 @ New York Rangers (1998–99) 13–11–2 Recap 27 L December 12, 1998 3–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1998–99) 13–12–2 Recap 28 T December 14, 1998 0–0 OT St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 13–12–3 Recap 29 L December 17, 1998 1–2 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 13–13–3 Recap 30 L December 19, 1998 1–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 13–14–3 Recap 31 W December 21, 1998 4–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 14–14–3 Recap 32 L December 22, 1998 0–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 14–15–3 Recap 33 L December 26, 1998 2–4 Dallas Stars (1998–99) 14–16–3 Recap 34 W December 27, 1998 2–1 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 15–16–3 Recap 35 W December 29, 1998 4–2 @ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 16–16–3 Recap 36 L December 31, 1998 3–6 New York Rangers (1998–99) 16–17–3 Recap
January: 9–2–1 (home: 6–0–1; road: 3–2–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 37 L January 2, 1999 2–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 16–18–3 Recap 38 W January 4, 1999 4–3 Montreal Canadiens (1998–99) 17–18–3 Recap 39 T January 6, 1999 2–2 OT Florida Panthers (1998–99) 17–18–4 Recap 40 L January 9, 1999 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 17–19–4 Recap 41 W January 10, 1999 3–2 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 18–19–4 Recap 42 W January 12, 1999 4–1 Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 19–19–4 Recap 43 W January 16, 1999 2–0 St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 20–19–4 Recap 44 W January 19, 1999 5–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 21–19–4 Recap 45 W January 21, 1999 4–2 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 22–19–4 Recap 46 W January 27, 1999 4–3 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 23–19–4 Recap 47 W January 28, 1999 6–2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99) 24–19–4 Recap 48 W January 30, 1999 5–0 San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 25–19–4 Recap
February: 5–3–4 (home: 1–3–2; road: 4–0–2) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 49 W February 2, 1999 3–2 @ Boston Bruins (1998–99) 26–19–4 Recap 50 W February 3, 1999 5–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99) 27–19–4 Recap 51 W February 5, 1999 3–1 @ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 28–19–4 Recap 52 W February 7, 1999 3–0 @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 29–19–4 Recap 53 L February 9, 1999 1–2 Calgary Flames (1998–99) 29–20–4 Recap 54 L February 13, 1999 1–4 Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99) 29–21–4 Recap 55 T February 14, 1999 4–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 29–21–5 Recap 56 T February 19, 1999 4–4 OT @ Nashville Predators (1998–99) 29–21–6 Recap 57 T February 21, 1999 1–1 OT @ Dallas Stars (1998–99) 29–21–7 Recap 58 T February 23, 1999 4–4 OT Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 29–21–8 Recap 59 L February 25, 1999 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 29–22–8 Recap 60 W February 27, 1999 3–1 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 30–22–8 Recap
March: 9–4–2 (home: 4–2–2; road: 5–2–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 61 L March 1, 1999 3–4 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 30–23–8 Recap 62 W March 3, 1999 7–5 @ Florida Panthers (1998–99) 31–23–8 Recap 63 L March 4, 1999 1–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99) 31–24–8 Recap 64 W March 7, 1999 3–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99) 32–24–8 Recap 65 W March 9, 1999 3–2 OT @ Washington Capitals (1998–99) 33–24–8 Recap 66 W March 11, 1999 5–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99) 34–24–8 Recap 67 L March 14, 1999 1–3 Detroit Red Wings (1998–99) 34–25–8 Recap 68 W March 18, 1999 3–2 Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99) 35–25–8 Recap 69 T March 20, 1999 5–5 OT Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 35–25–9 Recap 70 L March 21, 1999 3–4 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99) 35–26–9 Recap 71 W March 24, 1999 5–2 Vancouver Canucks (1998–99) 36–26–9 Recap 72 W March 26, 1999 3–1 Washington Capitals (1998–99) 37–26–9 Recap 73 W March 28, 1999 7–2 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 38–26–9 Recap 74 T March 30, 1999 3–3 OT Calgary Flames (1998–99) 38–26–10 Recap 75 W March 31, 1999 3–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1998–99) 39–26–10 Recap
April: 5–2–0 (home: 4–0–0; road: 1–2–0) Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap 76 W April 3, 1999 5–2 Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 40–26–10 Recap 77 W April 5, 1999 4–1 Los Angeles Kings (1998–99) 41–26–10 Recap 78 W April 7, 1999 4–1 Nashville Predators (1998–99) 42–26–10 Recap 79 W April 11, 1999 4–2 @ St. Louis Blues (1998–99) 43–26–10 Recap 80 L April 15, 1999 1–5 @ Calgary Flames (1998–99) 43–27–10 Recap 81 L April 16, 1999 1–5 @ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99) 43–28–10 Recap 82 W April 18, 1999 2–1 Dallas Stars (1998–99) 44–28–10 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) San Jose Sharks – Avalanche win 4–2 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W April 24, 1999 3–1 San Jose Sharks Avalanche lead 1–0 Recap 2 W April 26, 1999 2–1 OT San Jose Sharks Avalanche lead 2–0 Recap 3 L April 28, 1999 2–4 @ San Jose Sharks Avalanche lead 2–1 Recap 4 L April 30, 1999 3–7 @ San Jose Sharks Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 W May 1, 1999 6–2 San Jose Sharks Avalanche lead 3–2 Recap 6 W May 3, 1999 3–2 OT @ San Jose Sharks Avalanche win 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings – Avalanche win 4–2 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 L May 7, 1999 2–3 OT Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 1–0 Recap 2 L May 9, 1999 0–4 Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–0 Recap 3 W May 11, 1999 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–1 Recap 4 W May 13, 1999 6–2 @ Detroit Red Wings Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 W May 16, 1999 3–0 Detroit Red Wings Avalanche lead 3–2 Recap 6 W May 18, 1999 5–2 @ Detroit Red Wings Avalanche win 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Finals vs. (1) Dallas Stars – Stars win 4–3 Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap 1 W May 22, 1999 2–1 @ Dallas Stars Avalanche lead 1–0 Recap 2 L May 24, 1999 2–4 @ Dallas Stars Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 L May 26, 1999 0–3 Dallas Stars Stars lead 2–1 Recap 4 W May 28, 1999 3–2 OT Dallas Stars Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 W May 30, 1999 7–5 @ Dallas Stars Avalanche lead 3–2 Recap 6 L June 1, 1999 1–4 Dallas Stars Series tied 3–3 Recap 7 L June 4, 1999 1–4 @ Dallas Stars Stars win 4–3 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
21	Peter Forsberg	C	78	30	67	97	27	108	19	8	16	24	7	31
19	Joe Sakic	C	73	41	55	96	23	29	19	6	13	19	−2	8
22	Claude Lemieux	RW	82	27	24	51	0	102	19	3	11	14	5	26
18	Adam Deadmarsh	RW	66	22	27	49	−2	99	19	8	4	12	2	20
23	Milan Hejduk	RW	82	14	34	48	8	26	16	6	6	12	3	4
37	Chris Drury	C	79	20	24	44	9	62	19	6	2	8	2	4
13	Valeri Kamensky	LW	65	14	30	44	1	28	10	4	5	9	5	4
8	Sandis Ozolinsh	D	39	7	25	32	10	22	19	4	8	12	−5	22
14	Theoren Fleury†	RW	15	10	14	24	8	18	18	5	12	17	−2	20
20	Rene Corbet‡	LW	53	8	14	22	3	58	—	—	—	—	—	—
52	Adam Foote	D	64	5	16	21	20	92	19	2	3	5	3	24
2	Sylvain Lefebvre	D	76	2	18	20	18	48	19	0	1	1	6	12
12	Shean Donovan	RW	68	7	12	19	4	37	5	0	0	0	0	2
3	Aaron Miller	D	76	5	13	18	3	42	19	1	5	6	8	10
26	Stephane Yelle	C	72	8	7	15	−8	40	10	0	1	1	−1	6
5	Alexei Gusarov	D	54	3	10	13	12	24	5	0	0	0	1	2
25	Shjon Podein†	LW	41	2	6	8	−3	24	19	1	1	2	−1	12
29	Eric Messier	LW	31	4	2	6	0	14	3	0	0	0	−1	0
32	Dale Hunter†	C	12	2	4	6	0	17	19	1	3	4	0	38
36	Jeff Odgers	RW	75	2	3	5	−3	259	15	1	0	1	0	14
11	Keith Jones‡	RW	12	2	2	4	−6	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
7	Greg de Vries†	D	67	1	3	4	−3	60	19	0	2	2	3	22
24	Jon Klemm	D	39	1	2	3	4	31	19	0	1	1	1	10
4	Cam Russell†	D	35	1	2	3	−5	84	—	—	—	—	—	—
17[a]	Christian Matte	RW	7	1	1	2	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
33	Patrick Roy	G	61	0	2	2		28	19	0	2	2		4
16	Warren Rychel	LW	28	0	2	2	3	63	12	0	1	1	−1	14
15	Ted Crowley‡	D	7	0	1	1	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
44	Serge Aubin†	LW	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	Wade Belak‡	D	22	0	0	0	−2	71	—	—	—	—	—	—
1	Craig Billington	G	21	0	0	0		2	1	0	0	0		0
32	Jeff Buchanan	D	6	0	0	0	1	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Marc Denis	G	4	0	0	0		0	—	—	—	—	—	—
6	Chris Dingman†	LW	1	0	0	0	0	7	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Mike Gaul†	D	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Eric Lacroix‡	LW	7	0	0	0	−2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Scott Parker	RW	27	0	0	0	−3	71	—	—	—	—	—	—
43	Dan Smith	D	12	0	0	0	5	9	—	—	—	—	—	—
59	Brian White	D	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
33	Patrick Roy	61	32	19	8	1673	139	2.29	.917	5	3648	19	11	8	650	52	2.66	.920	1	1173
1	Craig Billington	21	11	8	1	492	52	2.87	.894	0	1086	1	0	0	6	1	6.67	.833	0	9
30	Marc Denis	4	1	1	1	110	9	2.49	.918	0	217	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	Calder Memorial Trophy	Chris Drury	[5]
	NHL All-Rookie Team	Chris Drury (Forward)	[6]
		Milan Hejduk (Forward)
	NHL First All-Star Team	Peter Forsberg (Center)	[6]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Peter Forsberg[b]	[8]
	NHL Player of the Month	Patrick Roy (January)	[9]
	NHL Player of the Week	Joe Sakic (January 26)	[10]
		Peter Forsberg (March 8)	[11]
		Patrick Roy (March 29)	[12]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Chris Drury	October 10, 1998	[13]
	Milan Hejduk
	Dan Smith	October 12, 1998
	Jeff Buchanan	November 6, 1998
	Brian White	November 21, 1998
	Scott Parker	November 28, 1998
	Michael Gaul	December 19, 1998
	Serge Aubin	December 31, 1998
600th assist	Joe Sakic	April 3, 1999	[14]

Transactions

Draft picks

Colorado's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.^[15]

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	12	Alex Tanguay	Canada	Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
1	17	Martin Skoula	Czech Republic	Barrie Colts (OHL)
1	19	Robyn Regehr	Canada	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
1	20	Scott Parker	United States	Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
2	28	Ramzi Abid	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)
2	38	Philippe Sauve	United States	Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
2	53	Steve Moore	Canada	Harvard University (ECAC)
3	79	Yevgeni Lazarev	Russia	Kitchener Dutchmen (MWJHL)
5	141	K. C. Timmons	Canada	Tri-City Americans (WHL)
6	167	Alex Riazantsev	Russia	Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

See also

• 1998–99 NHL season

Notes

1. Matte wore number 14 in his first five games.
2. Forsberg was voted to the starting lineup.^[7]

Players wore a patch that read "CHS" to honor those lost during the Columbine High School shooting on 20 April, 1999.

References

• "Colorado Avalanche 1998-99 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
• "1998-99 Colorado Avalanche Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
• 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.

1. Patrick Roy, winning, nothing else, p.436, by Michel Roy, translated by Charles Phillips, 2008, John Wiley & Sons, Mississauga, ON, ISBN 978-0-470-15616-2
2. Dinger 2011, p. 155.
3. "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
4. "1998-99 Colorado Avalanche Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
5. "Calder Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
6. "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
7. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
8. "1999 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
9. "Colorado's Roy is January's Best". NHL.com. February 1, 1999. Archived from the original on November 18, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
10. "Colorado's Sakic is Player of the Week". NHL.com. January 26, 1999. Archived from the original on October 18, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
11. "COYOTES". Tampa Bay Times. March 9, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024. FORSBERG HONORED: Avalanche center Peter Forsberg was named Player of the Week after leading all scorers with four goals and four assists in three games.
12. "Colorado's Roy Named Player of the Week". NHL.com. March 29, 1999. Archived from the original on October 3, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
13. "1998-99 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
14. "Avalanche Storm By Oilers - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. April 4, 1999. Retrieved June 27, 2023. In a game of milestones, Sakic reached 600 assists with a pair.
15. "1998 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.