Suvarna Garge (Editor)

1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs season

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Division
  
1998–99 record
  
45–30–7

Road record
  
22–17–2

Conference
  
Home record
  
23–13–5

Goals for
  
268

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.

Contents

Off-season

The Toronto Maple Leafs moved from the Central Division of the Western Conference to the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.

Regular season

The 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.

On November 12, 1998, the Maple Leafs defeated the Chicago Blackhawks on the road by a score of 10–3. 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 on the road, 10–6.

Maple Leaf Gardens

  • 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.
  • Air Canada Centre

  • 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.
  • 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.

    Divisions: ATL - Atlantic Division, NE - Northeast Division, SE - Southeast Division

    bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division

    Regular season

    Scoring
    Goaltending

    Playoffs

    Scoring
    Goaltending

    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;

    Transactions

    The Maple Leafs have been involved in the following transactions during the 1998-99 season.

    Eastern Conference Finals

    The 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.

    Awards and honors

  • Curtis Joseph, Runner-up, Vezina Trophy.
  • Curtis Joseph, Runner-up, Lester B. Trophy.
  • Pat Quinn, Runner-Up, Jack Adams Trophy.
  • References

    1998–99 Toronto Maple Leafs season Wikipedia


    Similar Topics