1998–99 NHL season

The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 82 games each.

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
TV partner(s)	CBC, CTV Sportsnet, SRC (Canada) ESPN, Fox (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Vincent Lecavalier
Picked by	Tampa Bay Lightning
Regular season
Presidents' Trophy	Dallas Stars
Season MVP	Jaromir Jagr (Penguins)
Top scorer	Jaromir Jagr (Penguins)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Joe Nieuwendyk (Stars)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Dallas Stars
Runners-up	Buffalo Sabres

The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play. They won the Stanley Cup Championship over the Buffalo Sabres with a disputed overtime goal by Brett Hull.

Goaltenders continued to rule the league; only two teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils, averaged more than three goals scored per game. In addition, no player reached the 50-goal plateau. A total of 160 shutouts were recorded for the second-straight regular season.

Regular season

Final standings

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
New Jersey Devils	82	47	24	11	105	248	196	1355
Philadelphia Flyers	82	37	26	19	93	231	196	1075
Pittsburgh Penguins	82	38	30	14	90	242	225	977
New York Rangers	82	33	38	11	77	217	227	1087
New York Islanders	82	24	48	10	58	194	244	1111

Northeast Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Ottawa Senators	82	44	23	15	103	239	179	892
Toronto Maple Leafs	82	45	30	7	97	268	231	1095
Boston Bruins	82	39	30	13	91	214	181	1182
Buffalo Sabres	82	37	28	17	91	207	175	1561
Montreal Canadiens	82	32	39	11	75	184	209	1299

Southeast Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Carolina Hurricanes	82	34	30	18	86	210	202	1158
Florida Panthers	82	30	34	18	78	210	228	1522
Washington Capitals	82	31	45	6	68	200	218	1381
Tampa Bay Lightning	82	19	54	9	47	179	292	1316

Western Conference

Central Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Detroit Red Wings	82	43	32	7	93	245	202	1202
St. Louis Blues	82	37	32	13	87	237	209	1308
Chicago Blackhawks	82	29	41	12	70	202	248	1807
Nashville Predators	82	28	47	7	63	190	261	1420

Northwest Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Colorado Avalanche	82	44	28	10	98	239	205	1619
Edmonton Oilers	82	33	37	12	78	230	226	1373
Calgary Flames	82	30	40	12	72	211	234	1389
Vancouver Canucks	82	23	47	12	58	192	258	1764

Pacific Division	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM
Dallas Stars	82	51	19	12	114	236	168	1108
Phoenix Coyotes	82	39	31	12	90	205	197	1412
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	82	35	34	13	83	215	206	1323
San Jose Sharks	82	31	33	18	80	196	191	1423
Los Angeles Kings	82	32	45	5	69	189	222	1383

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

Postseason

Playoff bracket

	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
	5	St. Louis	4

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

New Jersey (1) vs. Pittsburgh (8) Date Away Home OT Score April 22 Pittsburgh New Jersey 3 – 1 April 24 Pittsburgh New Jersey 4 – 1 April 25 New Jersey Pittsburgh 4 – 2 April 27 New Jersey Pittsburgh 4 – 2 April 30 Pittsburgh New Jersey 4 – 3 May 2 New Jersey Pittsburgh OT 3 – 2 May 4 Pittsburgh New Jersey 4 – 2 Pittsburgh wins series 4–3	Ottawa (2) vs. Buffalo (7) Date Away Home OT Score April 21 Buffalo Ottawa 2 – 1 April 23 Buffalo Ottawa 2OT 3 – 2 April 25 Ottawa Buffalo 3 – 0 April 27 Ottawa Buffalo 4 – 3 Buffalo wins series 4–0
Carolina (3) vs. Boston (6) Date Away Home OT Score April 22 Boston Carolina 2 – 0 April 24 Boston Carolina OT 3 – 2 April 26 Carolina Boston 3 – 2 April 28 Carolina Boston 4 – 1 April 30 Boston Carolina 2OT 4 – 3 May 2 Carolina Boston 2 – 0 Boston wins series 4–2	Toronto (4) vs. Philadelphia (5) Date Away Home OT Score April 22 Philadelphia Toronto 3 – 0 April 24 Philadelphia Toronto 2 – 1 April 26 Toronto Philadelphia 2 – 1 April 28 Toronto Philadelphia 5 – 2 April 30 Philadelphia Toronto OT 2 – 1 May 2 Toronto Philadelphia 1 – 0 Toronto wins series 4–2

Western Conference Quarterfinals

Dallas (1) vs. Edmonton (8) Date Away Home OT Score April 21 Edmonton Dallas 2 – 1 April 23 Edmonton Dallas 3 – 2 April 25 Dallas Edmonton 3 – 2 April 28 Dallas Edmonton 3OT 3 – 2 Dallas wins series 4–0	Colorado (2) vs. San Jose (7) Date Away Home OT Score April 24 San Jose Colorado 3 – 1 April 26 San Jose Colorado OT 2 – 1 April 28 Colorado San Jose 4 – 2 April 30 Colorado San Jose 7 – 3 May 1 San Jose Colorado 6 – 2 May 3 Colorado San Jose OT 3 – 2 Colorado wins series 4–2
Detroit (3) vs. Anaheim (6) Date Away Home Score April 21 Anaheim Detroit 5 – 3 April 23 Anaheim Detroit 5 – 1 April 25 Detroit Anaheim 4 – 2 April 27 Detroit Anaheim 3 – 0 Detroit wins series 4–0	Phoenix (4) vs. St. Louis (5) Date Away Home OT Score April 22 St. Louis Phoenix 3 – 1 April 24 St. Louis Phoenix OT 4 – 3 April 25 Phoenix St. Louis 5 – 4 April 27 Phoenix St. Louis 2 – 1 April 30 St. Louis Phoenix OT 2 – 1 May 2 Phoenix St. Louis 5 – 3 May 4 St. Louis Phoenix OT 1 – 0 St. Louis wins series 4–3

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Toronto (4) vs. Pittsburgh (8) Date Away Home OT Score May 7 Pittsburgh Toronto 2 – 0 May 9 Pittsburgh Toronto 4 – 2 May 11 Toronto Pittsburgh 4 – 3 May 13 Toronto Pittsburgh OT 3 – 2 May 15 Pittsburgh Toronto 4 – 1 May 17 Toronto Pittsburgh OT 4 – 3 Toronto wins series 4–2

Boston (6) vs. Buffalo (7) Date Away Home Score May 6 Buffalo Boston 4 – 2 May 9 Buffalo Boston 3 – 1 May 12 Boston Buffalo 3 – 2 May 14 Boston Buffalo 3 – 0 May 16 Buffalo Boston 5 – 3 May 18 Boston Buffalo 3 – 2 Buffalo wins series 4–2

Western Conference Semifinals

Dallas (1) vs. St. Louis (5) Date Away Home OT Score May 6 St. Louis Dallas 3 – 0 May 8 St. Louis Dallas OT 5 – 4 May 10 Dallas St. Louis OT 3 – 2 May 12 Dallas St. Louis OT 3 – 2 May 15 St. Louis Dallas 3 – 1 May 17 Dallas St. Louis OT 2 – 1 Dallas wins series 4–2

Colorado (2) vs. Detroit (3) Date Away Home OT Score May 7 Detroit Colorado OT 3 – 2 May 9 Detroit Colorado 4 – 0 May 11 Colorado Detroit 5 – 3 May 13 Colorado Detroit 6 – 2 May 16 Detroit Colorado 3 – 0 May 18 Colorado Detroit 5 – 2 Colorado wins series 4–2

Eastern Conference Final

Toronto (4) vs. Buffalo (7) Date Away Home Score May 23 Buffalo Toronto 5 – 4 May 25 Buffalo Toronto 6 – 3 May 27 Toronto Buffalo 4 – 2 May 29 Toronto Buffalo 5 – 2 May 31 Buffalo Toronto 4 – 2 Buffalo wins series 4–1 and Prince of Wales Trophy

Western Conference Final

Dallas (1) vs. Colorado (2) Date Away Home OT Score May 22 Colorado Dallas 2 – 1 May 24 Colorado Dallas 4 – 2 May 26 Dallas Colorado 3 – 0 May 28 Dallas Colorado OT 3 – 2 May 30 Colorado Dallas 7 – 5 June 1 Dallas Colorado 4 – 1 June 4 Colorado Dallas 4 – 1 Dallas wins series 4–3 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

Finals

Dallas (1) vs. Buffalo (7) Date Away Home OT Score June 8 Buffalo Dallas OT 3 – 2 June 10 Buffalo Dallas 4 – 2 June 12 Dallas Buffalo 2 – 1 June 15 Dallas Buffalo 2 – 1 June 17 Buffalo Dallas 2 – 0 June 19 Dallas Buffalo 3OT 2 – 1 Dallas wins series 4—2 and the Stanley Cup Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas) wins Conn Smythe Trophy

NHL awards

Presidents' Trophy:	Dallas Stars
Prince of Wales Trophy:	Buffalo Sabres
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:	Dallas Stars
Art Ross Memorial 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 Selänne, 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

First games

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1998–99 (listed with their first team, stars(*) mark start in playoffs):

• 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

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):

• Dale Hunter, Colorado Avalanche
• Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
• Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers