Before the 1998 season, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League was renamed to be the National Lacrosse League, in the process increasing the length of the regular season from ten to twelve games. The first season as the NLL and the 12th season overall, began on January 3, 1998, and concluded with the second championship game on April 28. The championship was decided by a best-two-of-three series, with the Philadelphia Wings defeating the Baltimore Thunder 16–12 in the first game and 17–12 in the second.

1998 NLL season
LeagueNational Lacrosse League
SportIndoor lacrosse
DurationJanuary 3, 1998 - April 28, 1998
Number of games12
Number of teams7
Regular season
League championsPhiladelphia Wings
  Runners-upBaltimore Thunder
Season MVPGary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Top scorerGary Gait (Baltimore Thunder)
Champion's Cup
ChampionsPhiladelphia Wings
  Runners-upBaltimore Thunder
Finals MVPDallas Eliuk (Philadelphia)
MILL/NLL seasons

Team movement

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The 1998 season featured the debut of two new teams, and the removal of one. The Boston Blazers folded after nine seasons in Boston and New England, while the Ontario Raiders and Syracuse Smash began play.

Teams

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  National Lacrosse League Teams
1998 National Lacrosse League
Team City Arena Capacity
Baltimore Thunder Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena 10,582
Buffalo Bandits Buffalo, New York Marine Midland Arena 18,595
New York Saints Uniondale, New York Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 16,297
Ontario Raiders Hamilton, Ontario Copps Coliseum 17,383
Philadelphia Wings Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CoreStates Center 19,511
Rochester Knighthawks Rochester, New York Rochester Community War Memorial 10,662
Syracuse Smash Syracuse, New York Onondaga County War Memorial 5,800

Regular season

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Reference: [1]

PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Philadelphia Wingsxyz1293.7500.03–36–0166148+1813.8312.33
2Baltimore Thunderx1284.6671.04–24–2184160+2415.3313.33
3Rochester Knighthawksx1266.5003.03–33–3168159+914.0013.25
4Buffalo Banditsx1266.5003.04–22–4166171−513.8314.25
5Ontario Raiders1266.5003.04–22–4165157+813.7513.08
6New York Saints1257.4174.03–32–4167165+213.9213.75
7Syracuse Smash12210.1677.02–40–6163219−5613.5818.25

x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GBGames back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

All Star Game

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No All-Star Game was played in 1998.

Playoffs

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Semifinals Championship (best-of-3)
      
4 Buffalo 12
1 Philadelphia 17
2 Baltimore 0
1 Philadelphia 2
3 Rochester 14
2 Baltimore 15
  • Game 1: Baltimore 12 @ Philadelphia 16
    Game 2: Philadelphia 17 @ Baltimore 12

Awards

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Award Winner Team
MVP Award Gary Gait Baltimore
Rookie of the Year Award Colin Doyle Ontario
Championship Game MVP (Series) Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia
Championship Game MVP (Game 1) Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia
Championship Game MVP (Game 2) Bill Miller Philadelphia

Weekly awards

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Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.

Week Player of the Week
1 Gary Gait
2 Andy Piazza
3 Derek Collins
4 Chris Gill
5 Eric Seremet
6 Tom Marechek
7 Gary Gait
8 Darris Kilgour
9 Derek General
10 Russ Heard
11 Colin Doyle
12 Steve Sombrotto
13 Mark Millon
14 John Tavares
15 Bob Watson

Monthly awards

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Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie. The 1998 season was the first season that the Rookie of the Month award was given out.

Month Overall Rookie
Jan Gary Gait Curt Malawsky
Feb Darris Kilgour Jake Bergey
Mar Mark Millon Colin Doyle

Statistics leaders

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Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.

Stat Player Team Number
Goals Gary Gait Baltimore 57
Assists Jim Veltman Ontario 40
Points Gary Gait Baltimore 85
Penalty Minutes Pat Coyle Ontario 48
Shots on Goal Gary Gait Baltimore 156
Loose Balls Jim Veltman Ontario 194
Save Pct Steve Dietrich Rochester 77.9

Attendance

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Regular Season

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Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[2]
Philadelphia Wings 6 14,197 85,182
Buffalo Bandits 6 12,256 73,534
New York Saints 6 6,725 40,349
Rochester Knighthawks 6 6,706 40,234
Baltimore Thunder 6 5,378 32,269
Ontario Thunder 6 4,810 28,862
Syracuse Smash 6 4,230 25,378
League 42 7,757 325,808

Playoffs

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Home Team Home Games Average Attendance Total Attendance[2]
Philadelphia Wings 2 9,288 19,655
Baltimore Thunder 2 3,282 6,564
League 4 6,555 26,219

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Lacrosse League - 1998 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "1998 Season". nllstats.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.