1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins
Northeast Division champions
Division1st Northeast
Conference2nd Eastern
1997–98 record40–24–18
Home record21–10–10
Road record19–14–8
Goals for228
Goals against188
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachKevin Constantine
CaptainRon Francis
Alternate captainsKevin Hatcher
Jaromir Jagr
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Average attendance15,070
Minor league affiliate(s)Syracuse Crunch
Johnstown Chiefs
Team leaders
GoalsJaromir Jagr (35)
AssistsJaromir Jagr (67)
PointsJaromir Jagr (102)
Penalty minutesChris Tamer (181)
Plus/minusJaromir Jagr (+17)
WinsTom Barrasso (31)
Goals against averagePeter Skudra (1.83)

The 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 31st in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was their first season under Head Coach Kevin Constantine and first after the initial retirement of Mario Lemieux.

Offseason

Following the 1996–97 season which saw their Hall of Fame star Mario Lemieux retire, the Penguins attempted to continue keeping their recent success. Over the previous nine seasons, no NHL team had been more successful than Pittsburgh in terms of regular season points, although the team had not won a Stanley Cup since 1992 (part of the reason why Head Coach Eddie Johnston was asked to resign down following the 1996–97 season). Former San Jose Sharks Head Coach Kevin Constantine was hired as Johnston's successor, promising to replace his predecessor's free-form style of play with a more disciplined approach. Additionally, Ron Francis was named captain in Lemieux's absence, and the team acquired center Martin Straka via free agency to add offense. The team also acquired the rights to defensive-defenseman Jiri Slegr, who had spent the 1996–97 season playing for Sodertalje SK in Sweden.

Regular season

The Penguins tied the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders for most short-handed goals allowed, with 16.[1]

Final standings

Northeast Division
No. 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
Eastern Conference[2]
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


Schedule and results

Regular season

1997–98 regular season[3]
October: 7–5–2 (home: 1–2–1; road: 6–3–1), 16 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
1 October 1 Los Angeles Kings 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–0–1 1 Recap
2 October 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Carolina Hurricanes 1–0–1 3 Recap
3 October 4 Florida Panthers 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1–1 3 Recap
4 October 8 Montreal Canadiens 3–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2–1 3 Recap
5 October 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers 1–3–1 3 Recap
6 October 11 Carolina Hurricanes 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3–1 5 Recap
7 October 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 New York Rangers 3–3–1 7 Recap
8 October 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Montreal Canadiens 3–3–2 8 Recap
9 October 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3–2 10 Recap
10 October 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Florida Panthers 5–3–2 12 Recap
11 October 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 San Jose Sharks 6–3–2 14 Recap
12 October 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Edmonton Oilers 6–4–2 14 Recap
13 October 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 OT Vancouver Canucks 7–4–2 16 Recap
14 October 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Calgary Flames 7–5–2 16 Recap
November: 7–4–3 (home: 5–2–2; road: 2–2–1), 17 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
15 November 1 Vancouver Canucks 6–7 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 8–5–2 18 Recap
16 November 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Chicago Blackhawks 8–6–2 18 Recap
17 November 5 Dallas Stars 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–7–2 18 Recap
18 November 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Detroit Red Wings 8–7–3 19 Recap
19 November 8 Buffalo Sabres 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–7–4 20 Recap
20 November 12 Washington Capitals 4–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–8–4 20 Recap
21 November 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New York Rangers 8–9–4 20 Recap
22 November 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–0 Toronto Maple Leafs 9–9–4 22 Recap
23 November 19 Boston Bruins 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 9–9–5 23 Recap
24 November 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0 Ottawa Senators 10–9–5 25 Recap
25 November 22 New York Rangers 3–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 11–9–5 27 Recap
26 November 24 Buffalo Sabres 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 12–9–5 29 Recap
27 November 26 Carolina Hurricanes 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 13–9–5 31 Recap
28 November 29 Montreal Canadiens 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 14–9–5 33 Recap
December: 7–3–3 (home: 3–2–1; road: 4–1–2), 17 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
29 December 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 Montreal Canadiens 15–9–5 35 Recap
30 December 4 New Jersey Devils 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 15–10–5 35 Recap
31 December 6 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 16–10–5 37 Recap
32 December 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 Los Angeles Kings 17–10–5 39 Recap
33 December 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 18–10–5 41 Recap
34 December 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Phoenix Coyotes 18–10–6 42 Recap
35 December 16 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–10–7 43 Recap
36 December 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Colorado Avalanche 18–10–8 44 Recap
37 December 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 St. Louis Blues 18–11–8 44 Recap
38 December 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Washington Capitals 19–11–8 46 Recap
39 December 27 Montreal Canadiens 1–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 19–12–8 46 Recap
40 December 29 New York Islanders 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 20–12–8 48 Recap
41 December 31 Carolina Hurricanes 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–12–8 50 Recap
January: 8–3–2 (home: 4–1–1; road: 4–2–1), 18 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
42 January 3 Colorado Avalanche 5–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 21–13–8 50 Recap
43 January 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 New York Islanders 22–13–8 52 Recap
44 January 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New Jersey Devils 22–14–8 52 Recap
45 January 10 New Jersey Devils 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–14–8 54 Recap
46 January 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Carolina Hurricanes 24–14–8 56 Recap
47 January 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Boston Bruins 24–15–8 56 Recap
48 January 20 Ottawa Senators 0–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 24–15–9 57 Recap
49 January 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 New Jersey Devils 25–15–9 59 Recap
50 January 24 Boston Bruins 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–15–9 61 Recap
51 January 26 St. Louis Blues 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–15–9 63 Recap
52 January 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Washington Capitals 27–15–10 64 Recap
53 January 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Boston Bruins 28–15–10 66 Recap
54 January 31 Detroit Red Wings 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–15–10 68 Recap
February: 1–2–3 (home: 0–1–1; road: 1–1–2), 5 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
55 February 2 New York Islanders 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–16–10 68 Recap
56 February 4 Washington Capitals 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–16–11 69 Recap
57 February 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Buffalo Sabres 29–16–12 70 Recap
58 February 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Ottawa Senators 29–16–13 71 Recap
59 February 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–2 Montreal Canadiens 30–16–13 73 Recap
60 February 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Boston Bruins 30–17–13 73 Recap
March: 6–3–4 (home: 6–0–3; road: 0–3–1), 16 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
61 March 2 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–17–13 75 Recap
62 March 5 Chicago Blackhawks 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 31–17–14 76 Recap
63 March 7 Philadelphia Flyers 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 32–17–14 78 Recap
64 March 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers 32–18–14 78 Recap
65 March 11 Calgary Flames 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 33–18–14 80 Recap
66 March 14 Buffalo Sabres 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 34–18–14 82 Recap
67 March 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 Buffalo Sabres 34–19–14 82 Recap
68 March 18 Edmonton Oilers 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 35–19–14 84 Recap
69 March 21 Philadelphia Flyers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–19–14 86 Recap
70 March 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–0 Dallas Stars 36–19–15 87 Recap
71 March 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 New York Islanders 36–20–15 87 Recap
72 March 28 New York Rangers 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–20–16 88 Recap
73 March 29 Ottawa Senators 1–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–20–17 89 Recap
April: 4–4–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 2–2–0), 9 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
74 April 1 San Jose Sharks 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 36–21–17 89 Recap
75 April 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Tampa Bay Lightning 37–21–17 91 Recap
76 April 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Florida Panthers 37–22–17 91 Recap
77 April 7 Phoenix Coyotes 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 37–23–17 91 Recap
78 April 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Ottawa Senators 37–24–17 91 Recap
79 April 11 Florida Panthers 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 37–24–18 92 Recap
80 April 15 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 38–24–18 94 Recap
81 April 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Carolina Hurricanes 39–24–18 96 Recap
82 April 18 Boston Bruins 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 40–24–18 98 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens – Canadiens win 4–2
Game Date Visitor Score Home Series Recap
1 April 23 Montreal Canadiens 3–2 (OT) Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1 Recap
2 April 25 Montreal Canadiens 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Recap
3 April 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Montreal Canadiens 1–2 Recap
4 April 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 Montreal Canadiens 2–2 Recap
5 May 1 Montreal Canadiens 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Recap
6 May 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–3 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss

Player statistics

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[6]
Player GP GS TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Tom Barrasso 63 61 3542:07 31 14 13 122 2.07 1556 0.922 7 0 2 14
Peter Skudra 17 12 851:23 6 4 3 26 1.83 341 0.924 0 0 1 2
Ken Wregget 15 9 611:26 3 6 2 28 2.75 293 0.904 0 0 0 6
Total 82 5004:56 40 24 18 176 2.11 2190 0.920 7 0 3 22
Playoffs[7]
Player GP GS TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Tom Barrasso 6 6 376:19 2 4 0 17 2.71 171 0.901 0 0 0 2
Total 6 376:19 2 4 0 17 2.71 171 0.901 0 0 0 2

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		Art Ross Trophy Jaromir Jagr [8]
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Ron Francis [9]
NHL First All-Star Team Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) [10]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Jaromir Jagr[a] [12]
Team A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award Jaromir Jagr [13]
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award Ron Francis [14]
Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award Ron Francis [14]
Leading Scorer Award Jaromir Jagr
Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy Peter Skudra [15]
Most Valuable Player Award Ron Francis [16]
Jaromir Jagr
Players' Player Award Ron Francis [15]
The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Chris Tamer [13]
Tyler Wright

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Robert Dome October 1, 1997 [17]
Alexei Morozov
Sven Butenschon October 19, 1997
Peter Skudra November 5, 1997
25th shutout Tom Barrasso November 15, 1997

Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1997–98 season:[18]

Trades

August 12, 1997 To Edmonton Oilers

1998 3rd round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Jiri Slegr

September 24, 1997 To Buffalo Sabres

Jason Woolley

To Pittsburgh Penguins

1998 5th round pick

September 28, 1997 To Colorado Avalanche

Francois Leroux

To Pittsburgh Penguins

1998 3rd round pick

October 27, 1997 To Chicago Blackhawks

Greg Johnson

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Tuomas Gronman

March 24, 1998 To Anaheim Ducks

rights to Patrick Lalime

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Sean Pronger

June 16, 1998 To Edmonton Oilers

rights to Josef Beranek

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Bobby Dollas
Tony Hrkac

June 17, 1998 To Calgary Flames

David Roche
Ken Wregget

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Todd Hlushko
German Titov

Free agents

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Brad Werenka Chicago Blackhawks July 31, 1997
Jeff Christian Phoenix Coyotes August 4, 1997
Martin Straka Florida Panthers August 6, 1997
Robert Lang[19] HC Sparta Praha September 2, 1997
Peter Skudra[20] Edmonton Oilers September 25, 1997
Drake Berehowsky Edmonton Oilers September 30, 1997
Rob Brown[21] Chicago Wolves October 1, 1997

Waivers

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Robert Lang[22] Boston Bruins September 28, 1997
Peter Ferraro[23] New York Rangers October 1, 1997
Chris Ferraro[23] New York Rangers October 1, 1997
Robert Lang[24] Boston Bruins October 25, 1997
Peter Ferraro[25] New York Rangers January 14, 1998
Tony Hrkac Nashville Predators June 26, 1998

Retained

Player Details Date
Ian Moran Resigned August 1, 1997
Joe Dziedzic[26] Resigned September 10, 1997
Alexei Morozov[27] Signed rookie contract September 24, 1997
Jaromir Jagr Resigned January 27, 1998
Peter Skudra Resigned June 17, 1998

Draft picks

Main article: 1997 NHL entry draft

The Penguins drafted the following players at the 1997 NHL entry draft at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh:[28]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 17 Robert Dome Left Wing  Slovakia Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)
2 44 Brian Gaffaney Defense  United States North Iowa Huskies (USHL)
3 71 Josef Melichar Defense  Czech Republic HC Ceske Budejovice (Czech)
4 97 Alexandre Mathieu Center  Canada Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
5 124 Harlan Pratt Defense  Canada Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
6 152 Petr Havelka Left Wing  Czech Republic Sparta Prague (Czech)
7 179 Mark Moore Defense  Canada Harvard University (ECACHL)
8 208 Andrew Ference Defense  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
9 234 Eric Lind Defense  United States Avon Old Farms (USHS–CT)

Farm teams

The Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League finished last overall in the Northern Conference with a record of 23–41–6.

The American Hockey League (AHL)'s Syracuse Crunch finished in third place in the Empire State Division with a record of 35–32–11–2 record. They were eliminated by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Jagr was voted to the starting lineup, earning more votes than any other player.[11]

References

  • "Pittsburgh Penguins 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  • "1997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  1. ^ "1997-98 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ "1997–1998 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "1997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "1997–1998 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  5. ^ "1997–1998 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "1997–1998 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. ^ "1997–1998 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. ^ "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  10. ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  11. ^ "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
  14. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
  15. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
  16. ^ 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
  17. ^ "1997-98 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  19. ^ "PENGUINS SIGN ROBERT LANG". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 2, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  20. ^ "PENGUINS SIGN GOALTENDER PETER SKUDRA". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 25, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  21. ^ "PENGUINS SIGN ROB BROWN". Pittsburgh Penguins. October 1, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  22. ^ "PENGUINS TRADE FRANCOIS LEROUX TO COLORADO; LOSE ROBERT LANG IN WAIVER DRAFT". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 28, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  23. ^ a b "PENGUINS CLAIM PETER AND CHRIS FERRARO". Pittsburgh Penguins. October 1, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  24. ^ "PENGUINS CLAIM ROBERT LANG OFF WAIVERS". Pittsburgh Penguins. October 25, 1997. Archived from the original on January 12, 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  25. ^ "PETER FERRARO CLAIMED ON WAIVERS BY NY RANGERS". Pittsburgh Penguins. January 14, 1998. Archived from the original on January 15, 1998. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  26. ^ "PENGUINS SIGN JOE DZIEDZIC". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 10, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  27. ^ "PENGUINS SIGN ALEXEI MOROZOV". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 24, 1997. Archived from the original on October 22, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  28. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.