1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs season
The 1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the franchise's 82nd season. Two moves occurred this season. First, the club moved from the Western to the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Secondly, the club moved from Maple Leaf Gardens to the new Air Canada Centre. Toronto qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Buffalo Sabres.
1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs | |
---|---|
Division | 2nd Northeast |
Conference | 4th Eastern |
1998–99 record | 45–30–7 |
Home record | 23–13–5 |
Road record | 22–17–2 |
Goals for | 268 |
Goals against | 231 |
Team information | |
General manager | Ken Dryden |
Coach | Pat Quinn |
Captain | Mats Sundin |
Arena | Maple Leaf Gardens and Air Canada Centre |
Average attendance | 16,765 |
Minor league affiliate(s) | St. John's Maple Leafs |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Sergei Berezin (37) |
Assists | Mats Sundin (52) |
Points | Mats Sundin (83) |
Penalty minutes | Tie Domi (198) |
Plus/minus | Alexander Karpovtsev (+38) |
Wins | Curtis Joseph (35) |
Goals against average | Curtis Joseph (2.56) |
Off-season
editThe Toronto Maple Leafs moved from the Central Division of the Western Conference to the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.
Regular season
editThe 1998–99 season was a tremendous improvement for the Maple Leafs over the 1997–98 season and the team got plenty of help from its new members, including Bryan Berard, Sylvain Cote, Curtis Joseph, Alexander Karpovtsev (who led the NHL in plus-minus with +39, but was not eligible for the NHL Plus-Minus Award because he played just 58 games), Yanic Perreault and Steve Thomas (who finished second on the team in points, with 73). Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Pat Quinn replaced Mike Murphy as Toronto's head coach. Six Maple Leafs scored 20 or more goals. Toronto set a club record for most regular season wins (45) and earned 97 points to finish second in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. They led the NHL in most goals for, with 268, and were the only team to score 200 or more even-strength goals.[1]
On November 12, 1998, the Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 10–3 away.[2] Mats Sundin recorded a hat trick in the game, which was the first regular season game in which the Leafs had scored ten goals since February 17, 1989, when they defeated the New York Rangers 10–6 away.[3]
Maple Leaf Gardens
edit- On February 13, 1999, the Maple Leafs ended a 67-year tradition when they played their last game at Maple Leaf Gardens. The team lost 6–2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Former Maple Leaf Doug Gilmour scored a fluke goal in that game and notorious tough guy Bob Probert scored the final NHL goal in Gardens history in the game's third period. During the emotional post-game ceremony, legendary Canadian singer Anne Murray performed "The Maple Leaf Forever" while wearing a Toronto jersey. The Leafs were the last of the Original Six teams to leave their Original Six-era arena, three years after the Canadiens did so.
Air Canada Centre
edit- The first Maple Leafs home game took place on February 20, 1999, against the Montreal Canadiens, won by the Leafs 3–2 on an overtime goal by Steve Thomas.
Season standings
editR | CR | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PIM | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 239 | 179 | 892 | 103 |
2 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 268 | 231 | 1095 | 97 |
3 | 6 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 214 | 181 | 1182 | 91 |
4 | 7 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 37 | 28 | 17 | 207 | 175 | 1561 | 91 |
5 | 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 184 | 209 | 1299 | 75 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | y – New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 47 | 24 | 11 | 248 | 196 | 105 |
2 | y – Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 44 | 23 | 15 | 239 | 179 | 103 |
3 | y – Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 34 | 30 | 18 | 210 | 202 | 86 |
4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 268 | 231 | 97 |
5 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 37 | 26 | 19 | 231 | 196 | 93 |
6 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 214 | 181 | 91 |
7 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 28 | 17 | 207 | 175 | 91 |
8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | ATL | 82 | 38 | 30 | 14 | 242 | 225 | 90 |
9 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 30 | 34 | 18 | 210 | 228 | 78 |
10 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 33 | 38 | 11 | 217 | 227 | 77 |
11 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 184 | 209 | 75 |
12 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 31 | 45 | 6 | 200 | 218 | 68 |
13 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 24 | 48 | 10 | 194 | 244 | 58 |
14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 19 | 54 | 9 | 179 | 292 | 47 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division
Playoffs
editEastern Conference Finals
editThe Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres met in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Maple Leafs were coming off a six-game series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the Sabres were coming off a six-game series win themselves, over the Boston Bruins. Toronto was having its best playoff since 1994, when they last made a Conference Final series. Buffalo, meanwhile, was in the third round for the second consecutive year. With the series victory, the Sabres advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 24 years.
Schedule and results
editRegular season
edit1998–99 regular season[6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–4–1 (home: 1–2–1; road: 4–2–0)
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November: 8–5–1 (home: 7–1–1; road: 1–4–0)
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December: 8–4–0 (home: 5–3–0; road: 3–1–0)
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January: 7–4–1 (home: 3–1–0; road: 4–3–1)
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February: 6–4–2 (home: 2–2–1; road: 4–2–1)
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March: 6–7–1 (home: 2–4–1; road: 4–3–0)
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April: 5–2–1 (home: 3–0–1; road: 2–2–0)
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Legend:
Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) |
Playoffs
edit1999 Stanley Cup playoffs[6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers – Maple Leafs win 4–2
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Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (8) Pittsburgh Penguins – Maple Leafs win 4–2
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Eastern Conference Finals vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres – Sabres 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 Maple Leafs only.
- ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | |||
13 | Mats Sundin | C | 82 | 31 | 52 | 83 | 22 | 58 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 16 |
32 | Steve Thomas | LW | 78 | 28 | 45 | 73 | 26 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 9 | −1 | 12 |
94 | Sergei Berezin | RW | 76 | 37 | 22 | 59 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 4 |
7 | Derek King | LW | 81 | 24 | 28 | 52 | 15 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
22 | Igor Korolev | RW | 66 | 13 | 34 | 47 | 11 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
20 | Mike Johnson | RW | 79 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 13 | 35 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −1 | 4 |
11 | Steve Sullivan | C | 63 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 12 | 28 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 14 |
19 | Fredrik Modin | LW | 67 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 14 | 35 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 6 |
10 | Garry Valk | LW | 77 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 8 | 53 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −1 | 22 |
3 | Sylvain Cote | D | 79 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 22 | 28 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −3 | 10 |
36 | Dmitri Yushkevich | D | 78 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 88 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
52 | Alexander Karpovtsev† | D | 56 | 2 | 25 | 27 | 38 | 52 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −7 | 12 |
18 | Alyn McCauley | C | 39 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
28 | Tie Domi | RW | 72 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 5 | 198 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −1 | 24 |
15 | Tomas Kaberle | D | 57 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
8 | Todd Warriner | LW | 53 | 9 | 10 | 19 | −6 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
34 | Bryan Berard† | D | 38 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 22 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 9 | −10 | 8 |
44 | Yanic Perreault† | C | 12 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −6 | 6 |
25 | Jason Smith‡ | D | 60 | 2 | 11 | 13 | −9 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
55 | Danny Markov | D | 57 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 47 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 18 |
38 | Yannick Tremblay | D | 35 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
14 | Darby Hendrickson‡ | C | 35 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −4 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
31 | Curtis Joseph | G | 67 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
12 | Kris King | LW | 67 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −16 | 105 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 25 |
39 | Ladislav Kohn | RW | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
16 | Lonny Bohonos | RW | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
2 | Dallas Eakins | D | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
33 | Chris McAllister† | D | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 4 |
42 | Kevyn Adams | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 14 |
4 | Kevin Dahl | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
30 | Glenn Healy | G | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
37 | Jason Podollan‡ | RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
29 | Felix Potvin‡ | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
35 | Jeff Reese† | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
21 | Adam Mair | C | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 14 |
Goaltending
edit- † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
- ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
No. | Player | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | ||
31 | Curtis Joseph | 67 | 35 | 24 | 7 | 1903 | 171 | 2.56 | .910 | 3 | 4001 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 440 | 41 | 2.43 | .907 | 1 | 1011 |
30 | Glenn Healy | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 257 | 27 | 2.97 | .895 | 0 | 546 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 0 | 20 |
29 | Felix Potvin‡ | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 142 | 19 | 3.81 | .866 | 0 | 299 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
35 | Jeff Reese† | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 8 | 4.53 | .843 | 0 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Awards and records
editAwards
editCurtis Joseph was a runner-up for the Lester B. Pearson Award and Vezina Trophy and Pat Quinn was a runner-up for the Jack Adams Award.[7]
Type | Award/honour | Recipient | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
League (in-season) |
NHL All-Star Game selection | Curtis Joseph[a] | [9] |
Mats Sundin | |||
NHL Player of the Week | Mats Sundin (October 26) | [10] | |
Sergei Berezin (April 5) | [11] | ||
Team | Molson Cup | Curtis Joseph | [12] |
Milestones
editMilestone | Player | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
500th game played | Curtis Joseph | February 10, 1999 |
Transactions
editThe Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 1998-99 season.
Trades
editJuly 2, 1998 | To Calgary Flames David Cooper |
To Toronto Maple Leafs Ladislav Kohn |
October 14, 1998 | To New York Rangers Mathieu Schneider |
To Toronto Maple Leafs Alexander Karpovtsev 4th round pick in 1999 (Mirko Murovic) |
January 9, 1999 | To New York Islanders Felix Potvin 6th round pick in 1999 (Fedor Fedorov) |
To Toronto Maple Leafs Bryan Berard 6th round pick in 1999 (Jan Socher) |
February 16, 1999 | To Vancouver Canucks Darby Hendrickson |
To Toronto Maple Leafs Chris McAllister |
February 17, 1999 | To Florida Panthers Jeff Ware |
To Toronto Maple Leafs David Nemirovsky |
March 23, 1999 | To Edmonton Oilers Jason Smith |
To Toronto Maple Leafs 4th round pick in 1999 (Jonathan Zion) 2nd round pick in 2000 (Kris Vernarsky) |
March 23, 1999 | To Los Angeles Kings Jason Podollan 3rd round pick in 1999 (Cory Campbell) |
To Toronto Maple Leafs Yanic Perreault |
Waivers
editOctober 5, 1998 | From St. Louis Blues Kevin Dahl |
Expansion Draft
editJune 25, 1999 | To Atlanta Thrashers Yannick Tremblay |
Free agents
editDraft picks
editToronto's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.[13]
Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | Nik Antropov | Kazakhstan | Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan) |
2 | 35 | Petr Svoboda | Czech Republic | BK Havlíčkův Brod (Czech Republic) |
3 | 69 | Jamie Hodson | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
4 | 87 | Alexei Ponikarovsky | Ukraine | Dynamo Moscow-2 (Russia) |
5 | 126 | Morgan Warren | Canada | Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) |
6 | 154 | Allan Rourke | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
7 | 181 | Jonathan Gagnon | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) |
8 | 215 | Dwight Wolfe | Canada | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
8 | 228 | Michal Travnicek | Czech Republic | Chemopetrol Litvínov (Czech Republic) |
9 | 236 | Sergei Rostov | Russia | Dynamo Moscow-2 (Russia) |
Notes
edit- ^ Joseph did not play and was replaced by Ron Tugnutt of the Ottawa Senators.[8]
References
edit- "Toronto Maple Leafs 1998-99 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- "1998-99 Toronto Maple Leafs Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- ^ "1998-99 NHL Summary | Hockey-Reference.com".
- ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks Box Score — November 12, 1998 | Hockey-Reference.com".
- ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers Box Score — February 17, 1989 | Hockey-Reference.com".
- ^ Dinger 2011, p. 155.
- ^ "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
- ^ a b "1998-99 Toronto Maple Leafs Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
- ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 222, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5.
- ^ "Lindros Gets All-Star Start - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. January 22, 1999. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "1999 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Sundin Named Player of the Week". NHL.com. October 26, 1998. Archived from the original on October 11, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ "Berezin Named Player of the Week". NHL.com. April 5, 1999. Archived from the original on October 18, 1999. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Toronto Maple Leafs 2015–16 Media Guide, p.373
- ^ "1998 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.