The 1997–98 Ottawa Senators season was the sixth season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). The season saw the Senators face the challenge of improving on their very successful 1996–97 season, when they made the playoffs for the first time in team history. The 1997–98 season was even more successful, as Ottawa finished over .500 for the first time in club history, qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year, and won their first playoff series in modern club history. The Senators defeated the top-seeded New Jersey Devils in six games in the first round before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games in the second round.
1997–98 Ottawa Senators | |
---|---|
Division | 5th Northeast |
Conference | 8th Eastern |
1997–98 record | 34–33–15 |
Home record | 18–16–7 |
Road record | 16–17–8 |
Goals for | 193 |
Goals against | 200 |
Team information | |
General manager | Pierre Gauthier |
Coach | Jacques Martin |
Captain | Randy Cunneyworth |
Alternate captains | Daniel Alfredsson Alexei Yashin |
Arena | Corel Centre |
Average attendance | 16,686 (667,454 total) |
Minor league affiliate(s) | Worcester IceCats Raleigh IceCaps |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Alexei Yashin (33) |
Assists | Alexei Yashin (39) |
Points | Alexei Yashin (72) |
Penalty minutes | Denny Lambert (250) |
Plus/minus | Wade Redden (+17) |
Wins | Damian Rhodes (19) |
Goals against average | Ron Tugnutt (2.25) |
Regular season
editAlexei Yashin led the club offensively, with 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) in 82 games. Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt once again performed solidly in the Senators' net, helping set a club record for fewest goals allowed (200).
The Alexandre Daigle era came to an end midway through the season, as the Senators traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Václav Prospal and Pat Falloon.
Final standings
editNo. | CR | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 228 | 188 | 98 |
2 | 5 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 221 | 194 | 91 |
3 | 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 36 | 29 | 17 | 211 | 187 | 89 |
4 | 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 37 | 32 | 13 | 235 | 208 | 87 |
5 | 8 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 34 | 33 | 15 | 193 | 200 | 83 |
6 | 9 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 33 | 41 | 8 | 200 | 219 | 74 |
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 48 | 23 | 11 | 225 | 166 | 107 |
2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 82 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 228 | 188 | 98 |
3 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 42 | 29 | 11 | 242 | 193 | 95 |
4 | Washington Capitals | ATL | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 219 | 202 | 92 |
5 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 221 | 194 | 91 |
6 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 36 | 29 | 17 | 211 | 187 | 89 |
7 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 37 | 32 | 13 | 235 | 208 | 87 |
8 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 34 | 33 | 15 | 193 | 200 | 83 |
9 | Carolina Hurricanes | NE | 82 | 33 | 41 | 8 | 200 | 219 | 74 |
10 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 30 | 41 | 11 | 212 | 225 | 71 |
11 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 25 | 39 | 18 | 197 | 231 | 68 |
12 | Florida Panthers | ATL | 82 | 24 | 43 | 15 | 203 | 256 | 63 |
13 | Tampa Bay Lightning | ATL | 82 | 17 | 55 | 10 | 151 | 269 | 44 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs
Playoffs
editThe Ottawa Senators ended the 1997–98 regular season as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed. Daniel Alfredsson, who missed 27 games in the regular season due to injuries, led the team with nine points (seven goals, two assists) in the playoffs and the club won its first round matchup, an upset win over the New Jersey Devils
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
editOn paper, the series was a big mismatch, as the Devils had finished 24 points ahead in the standings. One American newspaper covering the playoffs did not even preview the series, expecting an easy win for the Devils.[2] The Devils were characterized as arrogant, although the Devils and the Senators had split their season series. Devil Randy McKay, when asked which player on the Senators he respected, said, "To be honest, I'd have to see their (roster) list."[3]
The series opened in New Jersey. In Game 1, the Senators got a 1–0 lead and held onto it until 3:24 was left in the third period, when Doug Gilmour scored to tie the game. After the goal, the Devils got several penalties in a row, including some in overtime. Although the Senators went 0–6 on the power play, they managed to win the game on an overtime winner from Bruce Gardiner at 5:58.[4] In Game 2, the Devils won the game in large part due to the offence of Doug Gilmour, who assisted on the first goal and scored the second, game-winning goal and an empty netter to tie the series.[5]
The series now moved to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. In Game 3, Damian Rhodes played outstanding and Alexei Yashin scored the winner, 2:47 into overtime on the power play. According to Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur, "It's Rhodes, that's the bottom line. He has been tremendous. We're getting the puck to him, we're getting rebounds, but he closes the door every time." Devils Head Coach Jacques Lemaire refused to appear for the post-game press conference.[6] The Senators won Game 4, 4–3, on the strength of a hat-trick by Daniel Alfredsson. The Senators had led 4–1, but late goals by Scott Stevens and Doug Gilmour, with 69 seconds left, made it a close contest.[7]
The series now returned to New Jersey, with the Devils on the brink of elimination. In Game 5, Brodeur stopped 22 of 23 shots and even assisted on a short-handed goal as the Devils won 3–1. Gilmour scored the game-winner and the Devils staved off elimination.[8]
In Game 6, Janne Laukkanen scored the winner, giving the Senators the lead that was solidified when Igor Kravchuk scored into an empty net to complete the series upset, 4–2, for the Senators. After the game, Scott Stevens commented, "The bottom line is that they're an average team that played great. And we're an above average team that played poorly."[2] The headlines from other newspapers labelled the playoff win a "titanic upset"[9] and "sensational upset."[10]
Eastern Conference Semifinals
editThe Senators did not capitalize on their first-round win, and the Capitals took the series in five games.
Schedule and results
editRegular season
edit1997–98 regular season[11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 8–3–3 (home: 4–1–1; road: 4–2–2)
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November: 2–10–1 (home: 2–7–0; road: 0–3–1)
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December: 8–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 4–3–0)
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January: 4–5–5 (home: 2–2–1; road: 2–3–4)
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February: 1–4–1 (home: 1–1–1; road: 0–3–0)
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March: 5–4–3 (home: 4–1–2; road: 1–3–1)
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April: 6–2–2 (home: 1–2–2; road: 5–0–0)
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Legend:
Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) |
Playoffs
edit1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) New Jersey Devils – Senators win 4–2
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Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (4) Washington Capitals – Capitals win 4–1
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Legend:
Win Loss |
Player statistics
editScoring
edit- Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; 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 Senators only.
- ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Senators only.
No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | |||
19 | Alexei Yashin | C | 82 | 33 | 39 | 72 | 6 | 24 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 8 | −6 | 8 |
15 | Shawn McEachern | RW | 81 | 24 | 24 | 48 | 1 | 42 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −6 | 8 |
11 | Daniel Alfredsson | RW | 55 | 17 | 28 | 45 | 7 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 9 | −4 | 20 |
29 | Igor Kravchuk | D | 81 | 8 | 27 | 35 | −19 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 |
10 | Andreas Dackell | RW | 82 | 15 | 18 | 33 | −11 | 24 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −4 | 2 |
20 | Magnus Arvedson | LW | 61 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 2 | 36 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −6 | 6 |
16 | Sergei Zholtok | C | 78 | 10 | 13 | 23 | −7 | 16 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 0 |
6 | Wade Redden | D | 80 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 17 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −5 | 2 |
27 | Janne Laukkanen | D | 60 | 4 | 17 | 21 | −15 | 64 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −3 | 8 |
28 | Denny Lambert | LW | 72 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 4 | 250 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
22 | Shaun Van Allen | C | 80 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 4 | 48 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 10 |
25 | Bruce Gardiner | RW | 55 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 2 | 50 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −2 | 2 |
14 | Radek Bonk | C | 65 | 7 | 9 | 16 | −13 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 2 |
9 | Alexandre Daigle‡ | C | 38 | 7 | 9 | 16 | −7 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4[a] | Chris Phillips | D | 72 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 2 | 38 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 2 |
33 | Jason York | D | 73 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 62 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −2 | 7 |
7 | Randy Cunneyworth | LW | 71 | 2 | 11 | 13 | −14 | 63 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
2 | Lance Pitlick | D | 69 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 50 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 17 |
17 | Chris Murray† | RW | 46 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 96 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 8 |
13 | Vaclav Prospal† | C | 15 | 1 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
12 | Pat Falloon† | RW | 28 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
24 | Stan Neckar | D | 60 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −14 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 2 |
26 | Phil Crowe | LW | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
42 | Derek Armstrong | C | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4 | Sean Hill‡ | D | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3 | Per Gustafsson† | D | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
18 | Marian Hossa | RW | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1 | Damian Rhodes | G | 50 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
23 | Radim Bicanek | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
48 | Ivan Ciernik | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
31 | Ron Tugnutt | G | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
21 | Dennis Vial | LW | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
38 | Jason Zent | LW | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Goaltending
editNo. | Player | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | ||
1 | Damian Rhodes | 50 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 1148 | 107 | 2.34 | .907 | 5 | 2743 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 236 | 21 | 2.14 | .911 | 0 | 590 |
31 | Ron Tugnutt | 42 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 882 | 84 | 2.25 | .905 | 3 | 2236 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 6 | 4.86 | .760 | 0 | 74 |
Awards and records
editAwards
editType | Award/honour | Recipient | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
League (in-season) |
NHL All-Star Game selection | Daniel Alfredsson | [12] |
Igor Kravchuk | |||
Team | Molson Cup | Alexei Yashin | [13] |
Transactions
editJune 1997
editJune 17 | Re-signed Jason Zent to a 1-year, $350,000 contract. |
June 21 | Acquired a 3rd round draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft - (Jani Hurme) and a 3rd round draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft - (Josh Langfeld) from the New Jersey Devils for a 2nd round draft pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft - (Stanislav Gron) |
Source[14]
July 1997
editJuly 3 | Signed free agent Marc LaBelle from the Dallas Stars to a 1-year contract. |
July 17 | Signed free agent Clayton Beddoes from the Boston Bruins to a 1-year contract. |
July 28 | Re-signed Denny Lambert to a 1-year, $243,750 contract. Signed free agent Derek Armstrong from the New York Islanders to a 1-year contract. |
July 29 | Re-signed Jason York to a 2-year, $1.4 million contract. |
July 31 | Signed Justin Hocking to a 1-year contract. Signed Mike Prokopec to a 1-year contract. |
Source[15]
August 1997
editAugust 1 | Re-signed Janne Laukkanen to a 2-year, $1.4 million contract. Re-signed Phil Crowe to a 1-year contract. |
August 12 | Re-signed Mike Maneluk to a multi-year contract. |
August 25 | Acquired Igor Kravchuk from the St. Louis Blues for Steve Duchesne. |
August 26 | Re-signed Lance Pitlick to a 2-year, $881,250 contract. |
Source[16]
September 1997
editSeptember 9 | Re-signed Stanislav Neckář to a 1-year, $650,000 contract. |
September 24 | Acquired a 6th round draft pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft - (Chris Neil) from the Chicago Blackhawks for Kirk Daubenspeck. |
September 28 | Lost Tom Chorske in 1997 NHL Waiver Draft to the New York Islanders. |
Source[17]
October 1997
editOctober 6 | Re-signed Shaun Van Allen to a 2-year, $975,000 contract extension beginning in 1998-99 to 1999-2000. |
October 12 | Re-signed Daniel Alfredsson to a 4-year, $10 million contract. |
October 21 | Traded Mike Maneluk to the Philadelphia Flyers for future considerations. |
Source[18]
November 1997
editNovember 7 | Re-signed Alexandre Daigle to a 1-year, $1.9 million contract extension for the 1998-99 season. |
November 17 | Acquired Chris Murray from the Carolina Hurricanes for Sean Hill. |
Source[19]
January 1998
editJanuary 17 | Acquired Václav Prospal, Pat Falloon and a 2nd round pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft - (Chris Bala) from the Philadelphia Flyers for Alexandre Daigle. |
Source[20]
March 1998
editMarch 9 | Acquired Scott Ferguson from the Edmonton Oilers for Frank Musil. |
March 17 | Acquired Per Gustafsson from the Toronto Maple Leafs for an 8th round pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft - (Dwight Wolfe). |
Source[21]
Draft picks
editOttawa's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[22]
Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 | Marian Hossa | Slovakia | Dukla Trencin (Slovak Extraliga) |
3 | 58 | Jani Hurme | Finland | TPS (SM-liiga) |
3 | 66 | Josh Langfeld | United States | Lincoln Stars (USHL) |
5 | 119 | Magnus Arvedson | Sweden | Farjestad BK (Elitserien) |
6 | 146 | Jeff Sullivan | Canada | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
7 | 173 | Robin Bacul | Czech Republic | Slavia Prague (Czech Extraliga) |
8 | 203 | Nick Gillis | United States | Cushing Academy (USHS-MA) |
9 | 229 | Karel Rachunek | Czech Republic | Zlin ZPS (Czech Extraliga) |
Farm teams
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ^ Phillips wore number 5 through November 22.
References
edit- "Ottawa Senators 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- "1997-98 Ottawa Senators Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- Garrioch, Bruce (1998), "Ottawa Senators 1992–93 to Date", Total Hockey
- Ottawa Senators staff (2006). Ottawa Senators Media Guide 2007. Ottawa Senators.
- National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
- ^ "1997–1998 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
- ^ a b Panzeri, Allen (May 3, 1998). "'We deserved to win': Senators ready for Round 2". Ottawa Citizen. p. C1.
- ^ Scanlan, Wayne (May 3, 1998). "Arrogant Devils wonder what hit them". Ottawa Citizen. p. C2.
- ^ Shoalts, David (April 23, 1998). "Ottawa shocks New Jersey in OT". The Globe and Mail. p. S1.
- ^ Shoals, David (April 25, 1998). "Gilmour scuttles Ottawa". The Globe and Mail. p. A28.
- ^ Warren, Ken (April 27, 1998). "none". The Record. p. D1.
- ^ Warren, Ken (April 29, 1998). "Devils pushed to the brink Ottawa Senators one game away from first- round upset of conference champs". The Record. p. F1.
- ^ MacGregor, Roy (May 1, 1998). "Brodeur steals show: New Jersey goalie earns assist in win over Ottawa". The Record. p. D1.
- ^ Panzeri, Allen (May 3, 1998). "Senators complete titanic upset: Ottawa advances to second round for first time". Calgary Herald. p. B1.
- ^ Hickey, Pat (May 3, 1998). "Sensational upset: Deja-woo: eighth-place Ottawa casts out first- place Devils in six games; Senators 3 Devils 1". Montreal Gazette. p. B1.
- ^ a b "1997-98 Ottawa Senators Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Ottawa Senators 2014–15 Media Guide, p.162–82
- ^ "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions".
- ^ "Transactions".
- ^ "Transactions".
- ^ "Transactions".
- ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.