1998–99 Edmonton Oilers season

1998–99 Edmonton Oilers
Division 2nd Northwest
Conference 8th Western
1998–99 record 33–37–12
Home record 17–19–5
Road record 16–18–7
Goals for 230
Goals against 226
Team information
General Manager Glen Sather
Coach Ron Low
Captain Kelly Buchberger
Alternate captains Bill Guerin
Boris Mironov (Oct-Mar)
Doug Weight
Arena Skyreach Centre
Average attendance 16,244 (95.0%)
Minor league affiliations Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)
New Orleans Brass (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals Bill Guerin (30)
Assists Bill Guerin (34)
Points Bill Guerin (64)
Penalties in minutes Sean Brown (188)
Plus/minus Tom Poti (+10)
Wins Bob Essensa (12)
Mikhail Shtalenkov (12)
Goals against average Mikhail Shtalenkov (2.67)
<1997–98 1999–00>

The 1998–99 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 20th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 35–37–10 record in 1997–98, earning their 2nd straight playoff appearance.

During the off-season, the Oilers franchise remaining in Edmonton looked very unlikely, as Oilers owner Peter Pocklington would be talking to a group from Houston which, if successful in the purchase, would relocate the club to Houston. At the last minute, the Edmonton Investors Group, a consortium of 37 Edmonton-based owners, raised the funds to purchase the team from Pocklington, vowing to keep the Oilers in Edmonton. The Oilers received support throughout the NHL, and the club would remain.

Also during the off-season, the Oilers would lose goaltender Curtis Joseph, as he would leave the team as a free agent and join the Toronto Maple Leafs, leaving the goaltending duties to Bob Essensa and former Mighty Ducks of Anaheim backup Mikhail Shtalenkov, and Edmonton would join the newly-created Northwest Division, along with their Western Canada rivals the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, as well as the Colorado Avalanche.

Edmonton would start the season with a 7–4–0 record in their opening 11 games, and would remain close to the .500 mark until early February, despite losing Doug Weight to injuries. Edmonton would then go into a slump, and would drop out of a playoff spot, and on March 17, the Oilers would be 25–33–10, sitting in ninth place. Three days later, the Oilers would send Mats Lindgren and an eighth-round draft pick to the New York Islanders in exchange for goaltender Tommy Salo. Edmonton would also deal Boris Mironov and Dean McAmmond to the Chicago Blackhawks for youngsters Ethan Moreau, Christian Laflamme and Chad Kilger, and acquire Jason Smith from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round draft pick on March 23.

The moves paid off for the Oilers, as they would post a 8–4–2 record after the Salo deal and sneak into the final playoff position, finishing the season with a 33–37–12 record. On April 3, 1999, Patrick Roy defeated the Edmonton Oiilers and passed Glenn Hall with his 408th victory.[1]

Offensively, Bill Guerin would be Edmonton's leader, scoring a team high 30 goals and 34 assists for 64 points. Josef Beranek would earn 49 points, while Mike Grier would have a breakout season, scoring 20 goals and earning 44 points. Doug Weight would register 37 points in only 43 games. Defensively, Boris Mironov would lead blueline with 40 points, but was dealt to Chicago at the trade deadline. Roman Hamrlik chipped in with 32 points, while Janne Niinimaa would earn 28. Sean Brown would have a team high 188 penalty minutes in only 51 games.

In goal, Bob Essensa and Mikhail Shtalenkov would split time for a majority of the season, each earning 12 victories. Shtalenkov would then be traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, and the Oilers would acquire Tommy Salo to become the new starter, and in 13 games, Salo would go 8–2–2 with a 2.31 goals against average (GAA).

The Oilers lead the NHL in power-play opportunities, with 438.[2]

The Oilers opened the playoffs against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Dallas Stars, who had finished the year with 114 points, 36 higher than the Oilers. Edmonton found themselves down in the series 2–0 after dropping two close games in Dallas. The Stars quickly eliminated the Oilers, winning the next two games in Edmonton by 3–2 scores to sweep the series. The Stars continued on to win the Stanley Cup.

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

[3]

Western Conference[4]
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

1998–99 Game Log

Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Season stats

Scoring leaders

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Bill Guerin 80 30 34 64 133
Josef Beranek 66 19 30 49 23
Mike Grier 82 20 24 44 54
Pat Falloon 82 17 23 40 20
Boris Mironov 63 11 29 40 104

Goaltending

Player GP Min W L T GA SO Save % GAA
Tommy Salo 13 700 8 2 2 27 0 .903 2.31
Mikhail Shtalenkov 34 1819 12 17 3 81 3 .896 2.67
Bob Essensa 39 2091 12 14 6 96 0 .901 2.75
Steve Passmore 6 362 1 4 1 17 0 .907 2.82

Playoff stats

Scoring leaders

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Ryan Smyth 3 3 0 3 0
Ethan Moreau 4 0 3 3 6
Doug Weight 4 1 1 2 15
Todd Marchant 4 1 1 2 12
Mike Grier 4 1 1 2 6

Goaltending

Player GP Min W L GA SO Save % GAA
Tommy Salo 4 296 0 4 11 0 .926 2.23

Awards and records

Milestones

Regular Season
Player Milestone Reached
Fredrik Bremberg 1st NHL Game October 10, 1998
Tom Poti
Ryan Smyth 200th NHL Game October 17, 1998
Andrei Kovalenko 400th NHL Game October 21, 1998
Mike Grier 1st NHL Gordie Howe hat trick October 24, 1998
Sean Brown 100th NHL PIM October 31, 1998
Craig Millar 1st NHL Assist
Andrei Kovalenko 300th NHL PIM November 8, 1998
Todd Marchant 300th NHL Game November 12, 1998
Tom Poti 1st NHL Goal
1st NHL Point
November 18, 1998
Kelly Buchberger 1,700th NHL PIM November 25, 1998
Tom Poti 1st NHL Assist November 29, 1998
Josef Beranek 100th NHL Assist December 6, 1998
Bill Guerin 600th NHL PIM December 23, 1998
Marty McSorley 900th NHL Game
Boris Mironov 500th NHL PIM January 3, 1999
Georges Laraque 1st NHL Goal
1st NHL Point
January 7, 1999
Todd Reirden 1st NHL Game
Todd Reirden 1st NHL Goal
1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point
January 19, 1999
Janne Niinimaa 100th NHL Point January 14, 1999
Georges Laraque 1st NHL Assist January 17, 1999
Janne Niinimaa 200th NHL Game February 1, 1999
Josef Beranek 200th NHL Point February 3, 1999
Mike Grier 200th NHL Game February 17, 1999
Alexander Selivanov 1st NHL Hat-trick
Dean McAmmond 100th NHL Assist February 21, 1999
Dan LaCouture 1st NHL Game February 24, 1999
Georges Laraque 100th NHL PIM
Steve Passmore 1st NHL Game
Sean Brown 200th NHL PIM February 26, 1999
Dean McAmmond 300th NHL Game February 27, 1999
Ryan Smyth 200th NHL PIM
Rem Murray 200th NHL Game March 1, 1999
Steve Passmore 1st NHL Win March 3, 1999
Steve Passmore 1st NHL Assist March 17, 1999
Mike Grier 1st NHL Hat-trick March 20, 1999
Marty McSorley 3,300th NHL PIM
Janne Niinimaa 200th NHL PIM
Pat Falloon 500th NHL Game March 22, 1999
Bill Guerin 300th NHL Point
Janne Niinimaa 100th NHL Assist March 28, 1999
Chad Kilger 200th NHL Game March 30, 1999
Bill Guerin 500th NHL Game April 12, 1999
Tommy Salo 200th NHL Game April 17, 1999
Playoffs
Player Milestone Reached
Sean Brown 1st NHL Game April 21, 1999
Christian Laflamme
Georges Laraque
Tom Poti
Tommy Salo
Vladimir Vorobiev
Ethan Moreau 1st NHL Assist April 23, 1999
Jason Smith
Tom Poti 1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point
April 25, 1999
Boyd Devereaux 1st NHL Game April 27, 1999
Christian Laflamme 1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point

Transactions

Trades

June 16, 1998 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bobby Dollas
Tony Hrkac
To Edmonton Oilers
Josef Beranek
June 18, 1998 To New York Islanders
Mike Watt
To Edmonton Oilers
Eric Fichaud
June 27, 1998 To New Jersey Devils
*3rd round pick in 1998 (Brian Gionta)
To Edmonton Oilers
Fredrik Bremberg
4th round pick in 1998(Kristian Antila)
5th round pick in 1998 (Oleg Smirnov)
October 1, 1998 To Nashville Predators
Drake Berehowsky
Greg de Vries
Eric Fichaud
To Edmonton Oilers
Jim Dowd
Mikhail Shtalenkov
October 5, 1998 To Philadelphia Flyers
Valeri Zelepukin
To Edmonton Oilers
Daniel Lacroix
January 29, 1999 To Philadelphia Flyers
Andrei Kovalenko
To Edmonton Oilers
Alexandre Daigle
January 29, 1999 To Tampa Bay Lightning
Alexandre Daigle
To Edmonton Oilers
Alexander Selivanov
February 3, 1999 To Washington Capitals
Barrie Moore
To Edmonton Oilers
Brad Church
March 11, 1999 To Phoenix Coyotes
Mikhail Shtalenkov
To Edmonton Oilers
**5th round pick in 2000 (Matt Koalska)
March 20, 1999 To Chicago Blackhawks
Boris Mironov
Dean McAmmond
Jonas Elofsson
2nd round pick in 1999 (Dmitri Levinsky)
To Edmonton Oilers
Ethan Moreau
Chad Kilger
Christian Laflamme
Daniel Cleary
2nd round pick in 1999 (Alexei Semenov)
March 20, 1999 To New York Islanders
Mats Lindgren
8th round pick in 1999 (Radek Martinek)
To Edmonton Oilers
Tommy Salo
March 23, 1999 To New York Rangers
Kevin Brown
To Edmonton Oilers
Vladimir Vorobiev
March 23, 1999 To Toronto Maple Leafs
4th round pick in 1999 (Jonathan Zion)
2nd round pick in 2000 (Kris Vernarsky)
To Edmonton Oilers
Jason Smith
*Later traded to the New Jersey Devils.
**Later traded to the Nashville Predators.

Free agents

Player Former team Contract terms
F Chris Ferraro Pittsburgh Penguins 1 year,
F Kevin Brown Carolina Hurricanes 1 year, $330,900
F Pat Falloon Ottawa Senators 1 year, $297,810
D Todd Reirden New Jersey Devils 1 year,
D Marty McSorley San Jose Sharks 1 year, $1 million
Player New team
D Terran Sandwith Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
G Curtis Joseph Toronto Maple Leafs
G Jean-Francois Labbe New York Rangers
F Jesse Belanger Tampa Bay Lightning
F Scott Fraser New York Rangers

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft

Round # Player Nationality College/junior/club team (league)
113 Michael Henrich  Canada Barrie Colts (OHL)
367 Alex Henry  Canada London Knights (OHL)
499 Shawn Horcoff  Canada Michigan State University (CCHA)
4113 Kristian Antila  Finland Ilves (Finland)
5128 Paul Elliott  Canada Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
5144 Oleg Smirnov  Russia Kristall Elektrostal (Russia)
6159 Trevor Ettinger  Canada Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
7186 Mike Morrison  United States Exeter High School (USHS–NH)
8213 Christian Lefebvre  Canada Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)
9241 Maxim Spiridonov  Russia London Knights (OHL)

Roster

1998-99 Edmonton Oilers
Goaltenders

Defensemen

Wingers

Centres

References

Notes
  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. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1999.html
  3. Dinger 2011, p. 155.
  4. "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
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