1998–99 St. Louis Blues season

The 1998–99 St. Louis Blues season was the team's 32nd season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite the loss of Brett Hull during the preceding off-season, the Blues made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 20th-straight season after finishing in second place with a record of 37–32–13.

1998–99 St. Louis Blues
Division	2nd Central
Conference	5th Western
1998–99 record	37–32–13
Home record	18–17–6
Road record	19–15–7
Goals for	237
Goals against	209
Team information
General manager	Larry Pleau
Coach	Joel Quenneville
Captain	Chris Pronger
Arena	Kiel Center
Team leaders
Goals	Pavol Demitra
Assists	Pavol Demitra
Points	Pavol Demitra

Off-season

Realignment came, as the NHL went from four to six divisions. Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay and Washington were grouped in the Eastern Conference's new Southeast Division and Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton and Vancouver moved into the new Northwest Division in the Western Conference.

Blues captain Chris Pronger was in mid-season form during one of the team's voluntary scrimmages in late August. After 90 minutes of exhausting four-on-four hockey with only eight players per team, Pronger was campaigning to prolong the game.

The sentiment was nothing new for a man who logged more ice time per game (30:37) than any other player in the league last season. And when Pronger wasn't on the ice, it seemed that Norris Trophy winner Al MacInnis was. At 35, MacInnis had the finest season of his outstanding 16-year career. He led NHL defensemen in scoring with 62 points, averaged more than 29 minutes per game (fourth in the league) and was +33 on a team whose next-highest mark in that category was center Craig Conroy's +14. The problem for the Blues was finding four other defensemen they wanted to put on the ice.

In training camp the Blues were getting ready for the regular-season wars. During intrasquad games MacInnis and Pronger exchanged slashes—MacInnis called them "love taps"—and Pronger fought rookie forward Brandon Sugden and had a nasty mid-ice collision with defenceman Jamie Rivers, who was subsequently lost in the waiver draft. That ill-tempered defense will help goalie Roman Turek, who had sparkling numbers (16–3–3, 2.08 goals-against average) as Ed Belfour's backup in Dallas last season. Turek, 29, will get his first crack at being a No. 1 goalie now that Grant Fuhr has been shipped to Calgary. Netminding was a problem for the Blues in 1998–99: St. Louis allowed the fewest shots of any team in the league, but its goals-against average ranked only 14th.

The scoring load will fall to 24-year-old forward Pavol Demitra, who broke out last season and led the team with 37 goals and 89 points. His 10 game-winning goals were one behind league-leader Brett Hull of the Stars. Crafty center Pierre Turgeon had a strong postseason (13 points in 13 games) and a solid training camp. The rookie to watch is 22-year-old forward Jochen Hecht, a German who had two goals in five playoff games after a late-season call-up. He has outstanding size (6 ft 3 in, 200 pounds) and skill and is versatile enough to play any position up front.

The Blues are a team with a scrappy attitude, a handful of stars—count 41-year-old coach Joel Quenneville among them—and a future among the Western Conference's elite teams.[1]

Regular season

Despite the loss of Brett Hull the Blues made the playoffs for the 20th straight season by finishing in 2nd place with a record of 37–32–13. Helping to keep the Blues playoff streak alive was Al MacInnis who won the Norris trophy as the best defenceman in the NHL, while Pavol Demitra provided the scoring touch with 37 goals. In the playoffs the Blues would find themselves in a quick hole as they trailed the Phoenix Coyotes 3 games to 1. However the Blues would rally and take the series in 7 games. However, in the 2nd round the Blues would be knocked off again as they are beaten by the Dallas Stars led by Brett Hull in 6 games. Hull would go on to score the Stanley Cup Clinching goal for the Stars.

The Blues tied the Washington Capitals for the fewest power-play opportunities during the regular season, with just 301. They also tied the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks for the fewest short-handed goals allowed, with 4.[2]

• Bright spots

1. Chris Pronger is poised to become THE defenceman in the NHL, if he's not already.
2. Everybody wondered who would step up to replace Brett Hull's goals and, poof, here comes Pavol Demitra with 37.
3. LW Jochen Hecht is turning heads and should make the team.

• Gray areas

1. Geoff Courtnall missed 58 games with a concussion, but has looked good as new in camp. Still, those head injuries are tricky.
2. Everybody likes Roman Turek's potential.
3. Jury still out on young guns like Michal Handzus, Jamal Mayers, Tyson Nash and Lubos Bartecko.

Season standings

Central Division

R	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PIM	Pts
1	3	Detroit Red Wings	82	43	32	7	245	202	1202	93
2	5	St. Louis Blues	82	37	32	13	237	209	1308	87
3	10	Chicago Blackhawks	82	29	41	12	202	248	1807	70
4	12	Nashville Predators	82	28	47	7	190	261	1420	63

[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

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	T	October 10, 1998	3–3 OT	@ Boston Bruins (1998–99)	0–0–1
2	W	October 12, 1998	4–2	@ New York Rangers (1998–99)	1–0–1
3	L	October 16, 1998	1–4	@ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	1–1–1
4	L	October 17, 1998	0–1	New York Islanders (1998–99)	1–2–1
5	W	October 22, 1998	5–3	@ Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	2–2–1
6	W	October 24, 1998	4–3	Calgary Flames (1998–99)	3–2–1
7	L	October 27, 1998	1–2	@ Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	3–3–1
8	W	October 29, 1998	3–1	Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	4–3–1
9	T	October 31, 1998	2–2 OT	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	4–3–2
10	W	November 4, 1998	3–1	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	5–3–2
11	T	November 5, 1998	2–2 OT	@ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	5–3–3
12	T	November 7, 1998	2–2 OT	@ San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	5–3–4
13	W	November 10, 1998	5–2	Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	6–3–4
14	L	November 11, 1998	2–6	@ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	6–4–4
15	W	November 14, 1998	5–1	Nashville Predators (1998–99)	7–4–4
16	L	November 19, 1998	2–3	@ Nashville Predators (1998–99)	7–5–4
17	T	November 21, 1998	3–3 OT	Dallas Stars (1998–99)	7–5–5
18	W	November 24, 1998	4–0	Nashville Predators (1998–99)	8–5–5
19	L	November 27, 1998	2–4	San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	8–6–5
20	W	November 28, 1998	4–2	Washington Capitals (1998–99)	9–6–5
21	L	December 4, 1998	0–2	@ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	9–7–5
22	L	December 5, 1998	1–3	Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	9–8–5
23	T	December 8, 1998	2–2 OT	Buffalo Sabres (1998–99)	9–8–6
24	L	December 12, 1998	3–4	Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	9–9–6
25	T	December 14, 1998	0–0 OT	@ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	9–9–7
26	L	December 15, 1998	3–7	@ Dallas Stars (1998–99)	9–10–7
27	W	December 17, 1998	3–2	Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	10–10–7
28	W	December 19, 1998	5–2	Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	11–10–7
29	T	December 22, 1998	3–3 OT	@ New York Islanders (1998–99)	11–10–8
30	L	December 23, 1998	2–4	@ New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	11–11–8
31	W	December 26, 1998	4–3	Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	12–11–8
32	T	December 28, 1998	4–4 OT	@ Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	12–11–9
33	W	January 1, 1999	6–5	@ Nashville Predators (1998–99)	13–11–9
34	L	January 2, 1999	0–1	New York Rangers (1998–99)	13–12–9
35	W	January 4, 1999	4–0	Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)	14–12–9
36	W	January 7, 1999	4–2	Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	15–12–9
37	L	January 9, 1999	1–2	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1998–99)	15–13–9
38	L	January 11, 1999	1–3	@ Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	15–14–9
39	W	January 13, 1999	4–2	@ Buffalo Sabres (1998–99)	16–14–9
40	L	January 16, 1999	0–2	@ Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	16–15–9
41	L	January 19, 1999	2–4	@ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	16–16–9
42	L	January 21, 1999	2–4	Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	16–17–9
43	W	January 26, 1999	3–0	@ San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	17–17–9
44	W	January 28, 1999	4–2	@ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)	18–17–9
45	L	January 30, 1999	3–4	@ Calgary Flames (1998–99)	18–18–9
46	W	February 1, 1999	4–3 OT	@ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	19–18–9
47	L	February 4, 1999	0–2	New Jersey Devils (1998–99)	19–19–9
48	L	February 6, 1999	3–4	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	19–20–9
49	W	February 8, 1999	5–4	@ Florida Panthers (1998–99)	20–20–9
50	W	February 10, 1999	5–4	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	21–20–9
51	L	February 11, 1999	1–5	San Jose Sharks (1998–99)	21–21–9
52	L	February 13, 1999	2–3	Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	21–22–9
53	W	February 15, 1999	8–1	Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)	22–22–9
54	T	February 18, 1999	0–0 OT	Florida Panthers (1998–99)	22–22–10
55	L	February 20, 1999	3–4	Nashville Predators (1998–99)	22–23–10
56	W	February 22, 1999	5–1	Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	23–23–10
57	L	February 24, 1999	1–3	Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	23–24–10
58	W	February 26, 1999	4–2	@ Calgary Flames (1998–99)	24–24–10
59	W	February 28, 1999	3–1	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	25–24–10
60	W	March 2, 1999	5–1	@ Nashville Predators (1998–99)	26–24–10
61	L	March 4, 1999	0–4	Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	26–25–10
62	L	March 7, 1999	3–4	@ Dallas Stars (1998–99)	26–26–10
63	L	March 9, 1999	4–7	Calgary Flames (1998–99)	26–27–10
64	L	March 11, 1999	0–3	Montreal Canadiens (1998–99)	26–28–10
65	W	March 13, 1999	6–4	Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	27–28–10
66	W	March 14, 1999	5–2	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	28–28–10
67	W	March 16, 1999	5–2	Philadelphia Flyers (1998–99)	29–28–10
68	T	March 18, 1999	2–2 OT	Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	29–28–11
69	L	March 20, 1999	2–3	Ottawa Senators (1998–99)	29–29–11
70	W	March 22, 1999	5–2	Carolina Hurricanes (1998–99)	30–29–11
71	W	March 25, 1999	4–1	@ Vancouver Canucks (1998–99)	31–29–11
72	L	March 26, 1999	1–2	@ Edmonton Oilers (1998–99)	31–30–11
73	L	March 28, 1999	1–3	@ Chicago Blackhawks (1998–99)	31–31–11
74	W	April 1, 1999	3–0	Tampa Bay Lightning (1998–99)	32–31–11
75	W	April 3, 1999	5–2	Dallas Stars (1998–99)	33–31–11
76	T	April 5, 1999	2–2 OT	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1998–99)	33–31–12
77	W	April 7, 1999	4–2	@ Washington Capitals (1998–99)	34–31–12
78	T	April 9, 1999	1–1 OT	Detroit Red Wings (1998–99)	34–31–13
79	L	April 11, 1999	2–4	Colorado Avalanche (1998–99)	34–32–13
80	W	April 14, 1999	3–1	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1998–99)	35–32–13
81	W	April 15, 1999	6–4	@ Phoenix Coyotes (1998–99)	36–32–13
82	W	April 18, 1999	3–2	@ Los Angeles Kings (1998–99)	37–32–13

Playoffs

	Conference Quarter-finals					Conference Semi-finals					Conference Finals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	Devils	3			E4	Maple Leafs	4
	8	Penguins	4			E8	Penguins	2
	2	Senators	0							Eastern Conference
	7	Sabres	4
											E4	Maple Leafs	1
										E7	Sabres	4
	3	Hurricanes	2
	6	Bruins	4
	4	Maple Leafs	4			E6	Bruins	2
	5	Flyers	2			E7	Sabres	4
																E7	Sabres	2
		(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
																W1	Stars	4
	1	Stars	4			W1	Stars	4
	8	Oilers	0			W5	Blues	2
	2	Avalanche	4
	7	Sharks	2
											W1	Stars	4
										W2	Avalanche	3
	3	Red Wings	4
	6	Mighty Ducks	0								Western Conference
	4	Coyotes	3			W2	Avalanche	4
	5	Blues	4			W3	Red Wings	2

• During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.

The Stanley Cup

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Pavol Demitra	LW	82	37	52	89	16	13	14	0	10
Pierre Turgeon	C	67	31	34	65	36	4	10	0	5
Al MacInnis	D	82	20	42	62	70	33	11	1	2
Scott Young	RW	75	24	28	52	27	8	8	0	4
Chris Pronger	D	67	13	33	46	113	3	8	0	0
Scott Pellerin	LW	80	20	21	41	42	1	0	5	4
Craig Conroy	C	69	14	25	39	38	14	0	1	1
Mike Eastwood	C	82	9	21	30	36	6	0	0	0
Pascal Rheaume	C	60	9	18	27	24	10	2	0	0
Terry Yake	C	60	9	18	27	34	-9	3	0	4
Jim Campbell	RW	55	4	21	25	41	-8	1	0	0
Michel Picard	LW	45	11	11	22	16	5	0	0	2
Lubos Bartecko	LW	32	5	11	16	6	4	0	0	1
Michal Handzus	C	66	4	12	16	30	-9	0	0	0
Ricard Persson	D	54	1	12	13	94	4	0	0	0
Geoff Courtnall	LW	24	5	7	12	28	2	1	0	2
Kelly Chase	RW	45	3	7	10	143	2	0	0	1
Marty Reasoner	C	22	3	7	10	8	2	1	0	0
Jamal Mayers	RW	34	4	5	9	40	-3	0	0	0
Tony Twist	LW	63	2	6	8	149	0	0	0	0
Jamie Rivers	D	76	2	5	7	47	-3	1	0	0
Todd Gill	D	28	2	3	5	16	-6	1	0	0
Blair Atcheynum	RW	12	2	2	4	2	2	0	0	1
Bryan Helmer	D	29	0	4	4	19	3	0	0	0
Jeff Finley	D	30	1	2	3	20	12	0	0	0
Marc Bergevin	D	52	1	1	2	99	-14	0	0	0
Chris McAlpine	D	51	1	1	2	50	-10	0	0	0
Jim Carey	G	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rory Fitzpatrick	D	1	0	0	0	2	-3	0	0	0
Grant Fuhr	G	39	0	0	0	12	0	0	0	0
Jochen Hecht	LW	3	0	0	0	0	-2	0	0	0
Brent Johnson	G	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jamie McLennan	G	33	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tyson Nash	LW	2	0	0	0	5	-1	0	0	0
Rich Parent	G	10	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Rudy Poeschek	RW/D	16	0	0	0	33	0	0	0	0
Brad Shaw	D	12	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SO	SA	SV	SV%
Grant Fuhr	2193	39	16	11	8	89	2.44	2	827	738	.892
Jamie McLennan	1763	33	13	14	4	70	2.38	3	640	570	.891
Rich Parent	519	10	4	3	1	22	2.54	1	193	171	.886
Brent Johnson	286	6	3	2	0	10	2.10	0	127	117	.921
Jim Carey	202	4	1	2	0	13	3.86	0	76	63	.829
Team:	4963	82	37	32	13	204	2.47	6	1863	1659	.890

Playoffs

Scoring

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
Pierre Turgeon	C	13	4	9	13	6	3	0	0	2
Al MacInnis	D	13	4	8	12	20	-2	2	0	0
Scott Young	RW	13	4	7	11	10	2	1	0	1
Pavol Demitra	LW	13	5	4	9	4	-5	3	0	1
Geoff Courtnall	LW	13	2	4	6	10	-4	2	0	0
Chris Pronger	D	13	1	4	5	28	-2	1	0	0
Blair Atcheynum	RW	13	1	3	4	6	2	0	0	0
Craig Conroy	C	13	2	1	3	6	-3	0	0	0
Jeff Finley	D	13	1	2	3	8	-4	0	0	1
Terry Yake	C	13	1	2	3	14	-3	1	0	0
Ricard Persson	D	13	0	3	3	17	-1	0	0	0
Jochen Hecht	LW	5	2	0	2	0	4	0	0	0
Mike Eastwood	C	13	1	1	2	6	2	0	0	0
Jamie Rivers	D	9	1	1	2	2	-2	1	0	1
Michal Handzus	C	11	0	2	2	8	0	0	0	0
Scott Pellerin	LW	8	1	0	1	4	-2	0	0	0
Pascal Rheaume	C	5	1	0	1	4	1	0	0	0
Grant Fuhr	G	13	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0
Jamal Mayers	RW	11	0	1	1	8	-2	0	0	0
Lubos Bartecko	LW	5	0	0	0	2	-3	0	0	0
Chris McAlpine	D	13	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
Jamie McLennan	G	1	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	0
Tyson Nash	LW	1	0	0	0	2	-3	0	0	0
Michel Picard	LW	5	0	0	0	2	-3	0	0	0
Brad Shaw	D	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
Tony Twist	LW	1	0	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0

Goaltending

Player	MIN	GP	W	L	GA	GAA	SO	SA	SV	SV%
Grant Fuhr	790	13	6	6	31	2.35	1	305	274	.898
Jamie McLennan	37	1	0	1	0	0.00	0	7	7	1.000
Team:	827	13	6	7	31	2.25	1	312	281	.901

[5]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

• James Norris Memorial Trophy – Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues

All-Star teams

• First team – Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues

Roster

	Center Pavol Demitra Pierre Turgeon Craig Conroy Mike Eastwood Pascal Rheaume Terry Yake Michal Handzus Marty Reasoner Jochen Hecht		Right wing Scott Young Jim Campbell Lubos Bartecko Kelly Chase Jamal Mayers Blair Atcheynum		Left wing Scott Pellerin Michel Picard Geoff Courtnall Tony Twist Tyson Nash		Defense Al MacInnis Chris Pronger Ricard Persson Jamie Rivers Todd Gill Bryan Helmer Jeff Finley Chris McAlpine Marc Bergevin Rory Fitzpatrick Brad Shaw Rudy Poeschek		Goalie Brent Johnson Jamie McLennan Grant Fuhr Rich Parent Jim Carey General manager: Larry Pleau Coach: Joel Quenneville

Draft picks

St. Louis's draft picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft held at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	24	Christian Backman	Sweden	Västra Frölunda HC (Sweden)
2	41	Maxym Linnik	Ukraine	St. Thomas Stars (GOJHL)
3	83	Matt Walker	Canada	Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
6	157	Brad Voth	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
6	170	Andrei Troschinsky	Kazakhstan	Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk (Kazakhstan)
7	197	Brad Twordik	Canada	Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
8	225	Yevgeni Pastukh	Ukraine	Khimik Voskresensk (Russia)
9	255	John Pohl	United States	University of Minnesota (CCHA)

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• 1998 NHL Entry Draft
• 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game
• National Hockey League All-Star Game
• NHL All-Rookie Team
• 1998 in sports

References

1. CNN/SI
2. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1999.html
3. Dinger 2011, p. 155.
4. "1998-1999 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
5. "1998-99 St. Louis Blues Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.

Bibliography

• Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.

External links

• Hickok Sports
• CNN/SI
• The National Hockey League Web Site
• Official website of the St. Louis Blues
• St. Louis Blues Website
• Blues on Hockey Database