1998 Stanley Cup Finals
1998 ice hockey championship series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1998 ice hockey championship series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1998 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1997–98 season, and the culmination of the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Western Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. It was the 105th year of the Stanley Cup being contested. The series was the Capitals' first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history. The Red Wings swept the Capitals to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, capturing their ninth Stanley Cup in team history. This also marked the fourth consecutive Stanley Cup Finals to end in a sweep, and as of 2024 is the last Cup Final to end in a sweep.
Detroit coach Scotty Bowman won his eighth Stanley Cup in that capacity (having previously done so with the Montreal Canadiens in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979, the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992, and the Wings the previous year), tying him with former Canadiens coach Toe Blake for the record of most Cups won by a coach (which he would break when he helped the Red Wings win the 2002 Cup).
Just six days after sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 Finals, Red Wings defenceman Vladimir Konstantinov and masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov sustained serious brain injuries when the limousine in which they were riding crashed. Viacheslav Fetisov was also in the limousine but was not seriously injured. The Red Wings subsequently dedicated their 1997–98 season to the two injured members and wore a patch on their jerseys bearing the players' initials. When the Red Wings were presented with the Stanley Cup, they wheeled Konstantinov onto the ice and placed the Cup in his lap. They also took him for a victory lap around the rink.
Detroit advanced to the Finals by defeating the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars in six games each.
Washington defeated the Boston Bruins 4–2, the Ottawa Senators 4–1, and the Buffalo Sabres 4–2.
In this series, Capitals head coach Ron Wilson became the first person to head coach in both an Olympics and a Stanley Cup Finals in the same year, having coached team USA at the Nagano Olympics. Peter Laviolette would join him in this feat in 2006 while with the Carolina Hurricanes during their championship season, having coached the American ice hockey team during the Torino Olympics.
| June 9 | Washington Capitals | 1–2 | Detroit Red Wings | Joe Louis Arena | ||||
At home, Detroit took an early lead in the first period and scored two goals within two minutes and 14 seconds of each other. The Red Wings were able to hold off a Washington assault and take the first game of the series with a score of 2–1.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Joe Kocur (4) | Doug Brown (1), Tomas Holmstrom (9) | 14:04 | 1–0 DET |
| DET | Nicklas Lidstrom (6) | Steve Yzerman (17), Tomas Holmstrom (10) | 16:18 | 2–0 DET | |
| 2nd | WSH | Richard Zednik (7) | Andrei Nikolishin (12), Peter Bondra (5) | 15:57 | 2–1 DET |
| 3rd | None | ||||
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | DET | Martin Lapointe | Tripping | 04:21 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Mark Tinordi | Interference | 17:22 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | DET | Bench (served by Vyacheslav Kozlov) | Too many men on the ice | 05:48 | 2:00 |
| DET | Steve Yzerman | Slashing | 08:51 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Chris Simon | Roughing | 18:06 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | WSH | Andrei Nikolishin | Interference | 00:38 | 2:00 |
| DET | Joe Kocur | Roughing | 04:19 | 2:00 | |
| June 11 | Washington Capitals | 4–5 | OT | Detroit Red Wings | Joe Louis Arena | |||
It looked as if the Capitals were to tie the series with a 4–2 lead in the third period, but after a Detroit goal to make it 4–3, Capitals forward Esa Tikkanen had a scoring opportunity midway through the third period that would have likely put Detroit away before the venue changed back to Washington's MCI Center, and also would have changed the entire dynamic of the series, but he missed the open net shot. Detroit then rallied late in the third period to tie the game and send it into overtime. Kris Draper scored with four minutes left in the first overtime to give the Red Wings a 5–4 victory and a 2–0 lead in the series.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Steve Yzerman (5) | Tomas Holmstrom (11), Nicklas Lidstrom (13) | 07:49 | 1–0 DET |
| 2nd | WSH | Peter Bondra (7) | Andrei Nikolishin (13), Jeff Brown (1) | 01:51 | 1–1 |
| WSH | Chris Simon (1) | Jeff Brown (2), Dale Hunter (4) | 06:11 | 2–1 WSH | |
| WSH | Adam Oates (6) | Joe Juneau (8), Calle Johansson (8) | 11:03 | 3–1 WSH | |
| 3rd | DET | Steve Yzerman (6) – sh | Viacheslav Fetisov (1), Darren McCarty (7) | 06:37 | 3–2 WSH |
| WSH | Joe Juneau (7) – pp | Sergei Gonchar (4), Brian Bellows (7) | 07:05 | 4–2 WSH | |
| DET | Martin Lapointe (8) | Igor Larionov (9), Viacheslav Fetisov (2) | 08:08 | 4–3 WSH | |
| DET | Doug Brown (2) | Unassisted | 15:46 | 4–4 | |
| OT | DET | Kris Draper (1) | Martin Lapointe (6), Brendan Shanahan (4) | 15:24 | 5–4 DET |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | WSH | Joe Reekie | Holding – Obstruction | 13:05 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Peter Bondra | Hooking – Obstruction | 15:22 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | DET | Kirk Maltby | High-sticking | 03:09 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Richard Zednik | Hooking – Obstruction | 07:12 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Chris Osgood | Unsportsmanlike conduct | 14:11 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Chris Simon | Roughing | 14:11 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Kirk Maltby | Slashing | 16:20 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | DET | Nicklas Lidstrom | Interference | 06:23 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Richard Zednik | Cross checking | 10:18 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Martin Lapointe | Interference | 11:40 | 2:00 | |
| OT | DET | Joe Kocur | Roughing | 05:24 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Esa Tikkanen | Roughing | 05:24 | 2:00 | |
| June 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 2–1 | Washington Capitals | MCI Center | ||||
Detroit scored in the first 35 seconds to take an early lead which held up until the third period. The Capitals tied the game midway through the third period, but Sergei Fedorov scored to give the Wings a three games to none lead in the series.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Tomas Holmstrom (7) | Steve Yzerman (18), Darren McCarty (8) | 00:35 | 1–0 DET |
| 2nd | None | ||||
| 3rd | WSH | Brian Bellows (5) – pp | Adam Oates (10), Joe Juneau (9) | 10:35 | 1–1 |
| DET | Sergei Fedorov (10) | Doug Brown (2), Viacheslav Fetisov (3) | 15:09 | 2–1 DET | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | WSH | Chris Simon | Slashing | 02:48 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Dale Hunter | Charging | 08:10 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Phil Housley | Elbowing | 12:29 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Tomas Holmstrom | Goaltender interference | 13:11 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Martin Lapointe | Interference | 17:01 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | WSH | Todd Krygier | Roughing | 02:05 | 2:00 |
| DET | Anders Eriksson | Holding – Obstruction | 07:29 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Igor Larionov | Tripping – Obstruction | 10:17 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Kris Draper | Roughing | 15:23 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Sergei Gonchar | Roughing | 15:23 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | WSH | Sergei Gonchar | Roughing | 05:50 | 2:00 |
| DET | Darren McCarty | Tripping | 09:22 | 2:00 | |
| June 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 4–1 | Washington Capitals | MCI Center | ||||
In game four, Detroit was dominant throughout to win the game by a score of 4–1 and sweep the series. Steve Yzerman was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. When the Cup was awarded, Vladimir Konstantinov was brought onto the ice in his wheelchair and joined the celebration with his team.
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | DET | Doug Brown (3) – pp | Sergei Fedorov (9), Larry Murphy (12) | 10:30 | 1–0 DET |
| 2nd | DET | Martin Lapointe (9) | Igor Larionov (10), Bob Rouse (3) | 02:26 | 2–0 DET |
| WSH | Brian Bellows (6) | Adam Oates (11), Joe Juneau (10) | 07:49 | 2–1 DET | |
| DET | Larry Murphy (3) – pp | Tomas Holmstrom (12), Sergei Fedorov (10) | 11:46 | 3–1 DET | |
| 3rd | DET | Doug Brown (4) – pp | Vyacheslav Kozlov (8), Anders Eriksson (5) | 01:32 | 4–1 DET |
| Penalty summary | |||||
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 1st | DET | Anders Eriksson | Interference | 07:17 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Peter Bondra | Interference | 09:12 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Calle Johansson | Roughing | 11:01 | 2:00 | |
| 2nd | DET | Kris Draper | Roughing | 09:13 | 2:00 |
| WSH | Mark Tinordi | Roughing | 09:13 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Esa Tikkanen | Goaltender interference | 11:02 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Igor Larionov | Hooking | 12:41 | 2:00 | |
| DET | Bob Rouse | High-sticking | 16:07 | 2:00 | |
| WSH | Mark Tinordi | Slashing | 19:53 | 2:00 | |
| 3rd | DET | Viacheslav Fetisov | Roughing | 13:08 | 2:00 |
Bolded years under Finals appearance indicates year won Stanley Cup.
| # | Nat | Player | Position | Hand | Acquired | Place of birth | Finals appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 |  |
Chris Osgood | G | L | 1991 | Peace River, Alberta | third (1995, 1997) |
| 31 | |
Kevin Hodson | G | L | 1993–94 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | second (1997) (did not play) |
| 2 |  |
Viacheslav Fetisov | D | L | 1994–95 | Moscow, Soviet Union | third (1995, 1997) |
| 3 | |
Bob Rouse | D | R | 1994–95 | Surrey, British Columbia | third (1995, 1997) |
| 5 |  |
Nicklas Lidstrom – A | D | L | 1989 | Krylbo, Sweden | third (1995, 1997) |
| 15 | |
Dmitri Mironov | D | R | 1997–98 | Moscow, Soviet Union | first (did not play) |
| 16 | |
Vladimir Konstantinov | D | R | 1989 | Murmansk, Soviet Union | third (1995, 1997) (did not play) |
| 27 | |
Aaron Ward | D | R | 1993–94 | Windsor, Ontario | second (1997) (did not play) |
| 34 | |
Jamie Macoun | D | L | 1997–98 | Newmarket, Ontario | third (1986, 1989) |
| 44 | |
Anders Eriksson | D | L | 1993 | Bollnäs, Sweden | first |
| 55 | |
Larry Murphy | D | R | 1996–97 | Scarborough, Ontario | fourth (1991, 1992, 1997) |
| 8 | |
Igor Larionov | C | L | 1995–96 | Voskresensk, Soviet Union | second (1997) |
| 11 | |
Mathieu Dandenault | LW | R | 1994 | Sherbrooke, Quebec | second (1997) (did not play) |
| 13 | |
Vyacheslav Kozlov | LW | L | 1990 | Voskresensk, Soviet Union | third (1995, 1997) |
| 14 | |
Brendan Shanahan – A | LW | R | 1996–97 | Etobicoke, Ontario | second (1997) |
| 17 |  |
Doug Brown | RW | R | 1994–95 | Southborough, Massachusetts | third (1995, 1997) |
| 18 | |
Kirk Maltby | RW | R | 1995–96 | Guelph, Ontario | second (1997) |
| 19 | |
Steve Yzerman – C | C | R | 1983 | Burnaby, British Columbia | third (1995, 1997) |
| 20 | |
Martin Lapointe | RW | R | 1991 | Ville St. Pierre, Quebec | third (1995, 1997) |
| 22 | |
Mike Knuble | RW | R | 1991 | Toronto, Ontario | first (did not play) |
| 25 | |
Darren McCarty | RW | R | 1992 | Burnaby, British Columbia | third (1995, 1997) |
| 26 | |
Joe Kocur | RW | R | 1996–97 | Kelvington, Saskatchewan | third (1994, 1997) |
| 33 | |
Kris Draper | C | L | 1993–94 | Toronto, Ontario | third (1995, 1997) |
| 41 | |
Brent Gilchrist | C | L | 1997–98 | Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan | second (1989) (did not play) |
| 91 | |
Sergei Fedorov | C | L | 1989 | Pskov, Soviet Union | third (1995, 1997) |
| 96 | |
Tomas Holmstrom | LW | L | 1994 | Piteå, Sweden | second (1997) |
| # | Nat | Player | Position | Hand | Acquired | Place of birth | Finals appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | |
Bill Ranford | G | L | 1996–97 | Brandon, Manitoba | third (1988, 1990) (did not play) |
| 37 |  |
Olaf Kolzig | G | L | 1989 | Johannesburg, South Africa | first |
| 2 | |
Ken Klee | D | R | 1990 | Indianapolis, Indiana | first |
| 6 | |
Calle Johansson – A | D | L | 1988–89 | Gothenburg, Sweden | first |
| 19 | |
Brendan Witt | D | L | 1993 | Humboldt, Saskatchewan | first (did not play) |
| 24 | |
Mark Tinordi | D | L | 1994–95 | Red Deer, Alberta | second (1991) |
| 28 | |
Jeff Brown | D | R | 1997–98 | Ottawa, Ontario | second (1994) |
| 29 | |
Joe Reekie | D | L | 1993–94 | Victoria, British Columbia | first |
| 55 | |
Sergei Gonchar | D | L | 1992 | Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union | first |
| 96 | |
Phil Housley | D | L | 1996–97 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | first |
| 9 | |
Todd Krygier | LW | L | 1995–96 | Chicago Heights, Illinois | first |
| 10 | |
Kelly Miller | LW | L | 1986–87 | Lansing, Michigan | first |
| 11 |  |
Esa Tikkanen | LW | L | 1997–98 | Helsinki, Finland | sixth (1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994) |
| 12 |  |
Peter Bondra | RW | L | 1990 | Bakovtsi, Soviet Union | first |
| 13 | |
Andrei Nikolishin | C | L | 1996–97 | Vorkuta, Soviet Union | first |
| 17 | |
Chris Simon | LW | L | 1996–97 | Wawa, Ontario | second (1996) |
| 20 |  |
Michal Pivonka | C | L | 1984 | Kladno, Czechoslovakia | first (did not play) |
| 21 | |
Jeff Toms | C | L | 1997–98 | Swift Current, Saskatchewan | first |
| 22 | |
Steve Konowalchuk | LW | L | 1991 | Salt Lake City, Utah | first (did not play) |
| 23 | |
Brian Bellows | RW | R | 1997–98 | St. Catharines, Ontario | third (1991, 1993) |
| 27 | |
Craig Berube | LW | L | 1993–94 | Calahoo, Alberta | first |
| 32 | |
Dale Hunter – C | C | L | 1987–88 | Petrolia, Ontario | first |
| 36 | |
Mike Eagles | C/RW | L | 1993–94 | Sussex, New Brunswick | first |
| 44 | |
Richard Zednik | RW | L | 1994 | Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia | first |
| 77 | |
Adam Oates – A | C | R | 1996–97 | Weston, Ontario | first |
| 90 | |
Joe Juneau | C | L | 1993–94 | Pont-Rouge, Quebec | first |
The 1998 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Red Wings 4–1 win over the Capitals in game four
The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
1997–98 Detroit Red Wings
Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup
In Canada, the series was televised on CBC. In the United States, Fox broadcast game one while ESPN televised games two through four. Had the series extended, games five and seven would have been broadcast on Fox, and ESPN would have aired game six.
The following season, the Red Wings would reach the Western Conference Semifinals, only to be ousted by the Colorado Avalanche in six games. The Red Wings would make their next Stanley Cup Finals appearance four years later, where they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. They would also win the Stanley Cup in 2008 over the Sidney Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
The Capitals missed the playoffs the following year. They would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until 20 years later, when they would win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history over the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 1998 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4 - Detroit vs. Washington on YouTube |
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