1998 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1998 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1997–98 season, and the culmination of the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the Western Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. It was the 105th year of the Stanley Cup being contested. The series was the Capitals' first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history. The Red Wings swept the Capitals to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, capturing their ninth Stanley Cup in team history. This also marked the fourth consecutive Stanley Cup Finals to end in a sweep, and as of 2024 is the last Cup Final to end in a sweep.

1998 Stanley Cup Finals
1234 Total
Detroit Red Wings 25*24 4
Washington Capitals 14*11 0
* indicates periods of overtime
Location(s)Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2)
Washington: MCI Center (3, 4)
CoachesDetroit: Scotty Bowman
Washington: Ron Wilson
CaptainsDetroit: Steve Yzerman
Washington: Dale Hunter
National anthemsDetroit: Karen Newman
Washington: Robert "Bob" McDonald
RefereesBill McCreary (1, 4)
Don Koharski (2)
Terry Gregson (3)
DatesJune 9–16, 1998
MVPSteve Yzerman (Red Wings)
Series-winning goalMartin Lapointe (2:26, second, G4)
Hall of FamersRed Wings:
Sergei Fedorov (2015)
Viacheslav Fetisov (2001)
Igor Larionov (2008)
Nicklas Lidstrom (2015)
Larry Murphy (2004)
Brendan Shanahan (2013)
Steve Yzerman (2009)
Capitals:
Phil Housley (2015)
Adam Oates (2012)
Coaches:
Scotty Bowman (1991)
NetworksCanada:
(English): CBC
(French): SRC
United States:
(English): Fox (1), ESPN (2–4)
Announcers(CBC) Bob Cole and Harry Neale
(SRC) Claude Quenneville and Gilles Tremblay
(Fox) Mike Emrick and John Davidson
(ESPN) Gary Thorne and Bill Clement
← 1997 Stanley Cup Finals 1999 →

Detroit coach Scotty Bowman won his eighth Stanley Cup in that capacity (having previously done so with the Montreal Canadiens in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979, the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992, and the Wings the previous year), tying him with former Canadiens coach Toe Blake for the record of most Cups won by a coach (which he would break when he helped the Red Wings win the 2002 Cup).

Motivation to win a second straight title

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Just six days after sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 Finals, Red Wings defenceman Vladimir Konstantinov and masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov sustained serious brain injuries when the limousine in which they were riding crashed. Viacheslav Fetisov was also in the limousine but was not seriously injured. The Red Wings subsequently dedicated their 1997–98 season to the two injured members and wore a patch on their jerseys bearing the players' initials. When the Red Wings were presented with the Stanley Cup, they wheeled Konstantinov onto the ice and placed the Cup in his lap. They also took him for a victory lap around the rink.

Paths to the Finals

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Detroit Red Wings

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Detroit advanced to the Finals by defeating the Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars in six games each.

Washington Capitals

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Washington defeated the Boston Bruins 4–2, the Ottawa Senators 4–1, and the Buffalo Sabres 4–2.

Game summaries

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In this series, Capitals head coach Ron Wilson became the first person to head coach in both an Olympics and a Stanley Cup Finals in the same year, having coached team USA at the Nagano Olympics. Peter Laviolette would join him in this feat in 2006 while with the Carolina Hurricanes during their championship season, having coached the American ice hockey team during the Torino Olympics.

Game 1

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June 9 Washington Capitals 1–2 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena

At home, Detroit took an early lead in the first period and scored two goals within two minutes and 14 seconds of each other. The Red Wings were able to hold off a Washington assault and take the first game of the series with a score of 2–1.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Joe Kocur (4) Doug Brown (1), Tomas Holmstrom (9) 14:04 1–0 DET
DET Nicklas Lidstrom (6) Steve Yzerman (17), Tomas Holmstrom (10) 16:18 2–0 DET
2nd WSH Richard Zednik (7) Andrei Nikolishin (12), Peter Bondra (5) 15:57 2–1 DET
3rd None
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Martin Lapointe Tripping 04:21 2:00
WSH Mark Tinordi Interference 17:22 2:00
2nd DET Bench (served by Vyacheslav Kozlov) Too many men on the ice 05:48 2:00
DET Steve Yzerman Slashing 08:51 2:00
WSH Chris Simon Roughing 18:06 2:00
3rd WSH Andrei Nikolishin Interference 00:38 2:00
DET Joe Kocur Roughing 04:19 2:00

Game 2

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June 11 Washington Capitals 4–5 OT Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena

It looked as if the Capitals were to tie the series with a 4–2 lead in the third period, but after a Detroit goal to make it 4–3, Capitals forward Esa Tikkanen had a scoring opportunity midway through the third period that would have likely put Detroit away before the venue changed back to Washington's MCI Center, and also would have changed the entire dynamic of the series, but he missed the open net shot. Detroit then rallied late in the third period to tie the game and send it into overtime. Kris Draper scored with four minutes left in the first overtime to give the Red Wings a 5–4 victory and a 2–0 lead in the series.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Steve Yzerman (5) Tomas Holmstrom (11), Nicklas Lidstrom (13) 07:49 1–0 DET
2nd WSH Peter Bondra (7) Andrei Nikolishin (13), Jeff Brown (1) 01:51 1–1
WSH Chris Simon (1) Jeff Brown (2), Dale Hunter (4) 06:11 2–1 WSH
WSH Adam Oates (6) Joe Juneau (8), Calle Johansson (8) 11:03 3–1 WSH
3rd DET Steve Yzerman (6) – sh Viacheslav Fetisov (1), Darren McCarty (7) 06:37 3–2 WSH
WSH Joe Juneau (7) – pp Sergei Gonchar (4), Brian Bellows (7) 07:05 4–2 WSH
DET Martin Lapointe (8) Igor Larionov (9), Viacheslav Fetisov (2) 08:08 4–3 WSH
DET Doug Brown (2) Unassisted 15:46 4–4
OT DET Kris Draper (1) Martin Lapointe (6), Brendan Shanahan (4) 15:24 5–4 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH Joe Reekie Holding – Obstruction 13:05 2:00
WSH Peter Bondra Hooking – Obstruction 15:22 2:00
2nd DET Kirk Maltby High-sticking 03:09 2:00
WSH Richard Zednik Hooking – Obstruction 07:12 2:00
DET Chris Osgood Unsportsmanlike conduct 14:11 2:00
WSH Chris Simon Roughing 14:11 2:00
DET Kirk Maltby Slashing 16:20 2:00
3rd DET Nicklas Lidstrom Interference 06:23 2:00
WSH Richard Zednik Cross checking 10:18 2:00
DET Martin Lapointe Interference 11:40 2:00
OT DET Joe Kocur Roughing 05:24 2:00
WSH Esa Tikkanen Roughing 05:24 2:00

Game 3

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June 13 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 Washington Capitals MCI Center

Detroit scored in the first 35 seconds to take an early lead which held up until the third period. The Capitals tied the game midway through the third period, but Sergei Fedorov scored to give the Wings a three games to none lead in the series.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Tomas Holmstrom (7) Steve Yzerman (18), Darren McCarty (8) 00:35 1–0 DET
2nd None
3rd WSH Brian Bellows (5) – pp Adam Oates (10), Joe Juneau (9) 10:35 1–1
DET Sergei Fedorov (10) Doug Brown (2), Viacheslav Fetisov (3) 15:09 2–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st WSH Chris Simon Slashing 02:48 2:00
WSH Dale Hunter Charging 08:10 2:00
WSH Phil Housley Elbowing 12:29 2:00
DET Tomas Holmstrom Goaltender interference 13:11 2:00
DET Martin Lapointe Interference 17:01 2:00
2nd WSH Todd Krygier Roughing 02:05 2:00
DET Anders Eriksson Holding – Obstruction 07:29 2:00
DET Igor Larionov Tripping – Obstruction 10:17 2:00
DET Kris Draper Roughing 15:23 2:00
WSH Sergei Gonchar Roughing 15:23 2:00
3rd WSH Sergei Gonchar Roughing 05:50 2:00
DET Darren McCarty Tripping 09:22 2:00

Game 4

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June 16 Detroit Red Wings 4–1 Washington Capitals MCI Center

In game four, Detroit was dominant throughout to win the game by a score of 4–1 and sweep the series. Steve Yzerman was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs. When the Cup was awarded, Vladimir Konstantinov was brought onto the ice in his wheelchair and joined the celebration with his team.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Doug Brown (3) – pp Sergei Fedorov (9), Larry Murphy (12) 10:30 1–0 DET
2nd DET Martin Lapointe (9) Igor Larionov (10), Bob Rouse (3) 02:26 2–0 DET
WSH Brian Bellows (6) Adam Oates (11), Joe Juneau (10) 07:49 2–1 DET
DET Larry Murphy (3) – pp Tomas Holmstrom (12), Sergei Fedorov (10) 11:46 3–1 DET
3rd DET Doug Brown (4) – pp Vyacheslav Kozlov (8), Anders Eriksson (5) 01:32 4–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Anders Eriksson Interference 07:17 2:00
WSH Peter Bondra Interference 09:12 2:00
WSH Calle Johansson Roughing 11:01 2:00
2nd DET Kris Draper Roughing 09:13 2:00
WSH Mark Tinordi Roughing 09:13 2:00
WSH Esa Tikkanen Goaltender interference 11:02 2:00
DET Igor Larionov Hooking 12:41 2:00
DET Bob Rouse High-sticking 16:07 2:00
WSH Mark Tinordi Slashing 19:53 2:00
3rd DET Viacheslav Fetisov Roughing 13:08 2:00

Team rosters

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Bolded years under Finals appearance indicates year won Stanley Cup.

Detroit Red Wings

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
30   Chris Osgood G L 1991 Peace River, Alberta third (1995, 1997)
31   Kevin Hodson G L 1993–94 Winnipeg, Manitoba second (1997) (did not play)
2   Viacheslav Fetisov D L 1994–95 Moscow, Soviet Union third (1995, 1997)
3   Bob Rouse D R 1994–95 Surrey, British Columbia third (1995, 1997)
5   Nicklas LidstromA D L 1989 Krylbo, Sweden third (1995, 1997)
15   Dmitri Mironov D R 1997–98 Moscow, Soviet Union first (did not play)
16   Vladimir Konstantinov D R 1989 Murmansk, Soviet Union third (1995, 1997) (did not play)
27   Aaron Ward D R 1993–94 Windsor, Ontario second (1997) (did not play)
34   Jamie Macoun D L 1997–98 Newmarket, Ontario third (1986, 1989)
44   Anders Eriksson D L 1993 Bollnäs, Sweden first
55   Larry Murphy D R 1996–97 Scarborough, Ontario fourth (1991, 1992, 1997)
8   Igor Larionov C L 1995–96 Voskresensk, Soviet Union second (1997)
11   Mathieu Dandenault LW R 1994 Sherbrooke, Quebec second (1997) (did not play)
13   Vyacheslav Kozlov LW L 1990 Voskresensk, Soviet Union third (1995, 1997)
14   Brendan ShanahanA LW R 1996–97 Etobicoke, Ontario second (1997)
17   Doug Brown RW R 1994–95 Southborough, Massachusetts third (1995, 1997)
18   Kirk Maltby RW R 1995–96 Guelph, Ontario second (1997)
19   Steve YzermanC C R 1983 Burnaby, British Columbia third (1995, 1997)
20   Martin Lapointe RW R 1991 Ville St. Pierre, Quebec third (1995, 1997)
22   Mike Knuble RW R 1991 Toronto, Ontario first (did not play)
25   Darren McCarty RW R 1992 Burnaby, British Columbia third (1995, 1997)
26   Joe Kocur RW R 1996–97 Kelvington, Saskatchewan third (1994, 1997)
33   Kris Draper C L 1993–94 Toronto, Ontario third (1995, 1997)
41   Brent Gilchrist C L 1997–98 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan second (1989) (did not play)
91   Sergei Fedorov C L 1989 Pskov, Soviet Union third (1995, 1997)
96   Tomas Holmstrom LW L 1994 Piteå, Sweden second (1997)

Washington Capitals

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# Nat Player Position Hand Acquired Place of birth Finals appearance
30   Bill Ranford G L 1996–97 Brandon, Manitoba third (1988, 1990) (did not play)
37   Olaf Kolzig G L 1989 Johannesburg, South Africa first
2   Ken Klee D R 1990 Indianapolis, Indiana first
6   Calle JohanssonA D L 1988–89 Gothenburg, Sweden first
19   Brendan Witt D L 1993 Humboldt, Saskatchewan first (did not play)
24   Mark Tinordi D L 1994–95 Red Deer, Alberta second (1991)
28   Jeff Brown D R 1997–98 Ottawa, Ontario second (1994)
29   Joe Reekie D L 1993–94 Victoria, British Columbia first
55   Sergei Gonchar D L 1992 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union first
96   Phil Housley D L 1996–97 Saint Paul, Minnesota first
9   Todd Krygier LW L 1995–96 Chicago Heights, Illinois first
10   Kelly Miller LW L 1986–87 Lansing, Michigan first
11   Esa Tikkanen LW L 1997–98 Helsinki, Finland sixth (1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1994)
12   Peter Bondra RW L 1990 Bakovtsi, Soviet Union first
13   Andrei Nikolishin C L 1996–97 Vorkuta, Soviet Union first
17   Chris Simon LW L 1996–97 Wawa, Ontario second (1996)
20   Michal Pivonka C L 1984 Kladno, Czechoslovakia first (did not play)
21   Jeff Toms C L 1997–98 Swift Current, Saskatchewan first
22   Steve Konowalchuk LW L 1991 Salt Lake City, Utah first (did not play)
23   Brian Bellows RW R 1997–98 St. Catharines, Ontario third (1991, 1993)
27   Craig Berube LW L 1993–94 Calahoo, Alberta first
32   Dale HunterC C L 1987–88 Petrolia, Ontario first
36   Mike Eagles C/RW L 1993–94 Sussex, New Brunswick first
44   Richard Zednik RW L 1994 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia first
77   Adam OatesA C R 1996–97 Weston, Ontario first
90   Joe Juneau C L 1993–94 Pont-Rouge, Quebec first

Stanley Cup engraving

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The 1998 Stanley Cup was presented to Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Red Wings 4–1 win over the Capitals in game four

The following Red Wings players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

1997–98 Detroit Red Wings

Players

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Mike Ilitch Sr. (Owner/President/Governor), Marian Ilitch (Owner/Secretary-Treasurer), Atanas Ilitch (Vice President/minority Owner)
  • Christopher Ilitch (Vice President/minority owner), Denise Ilitch Lites, Ronald Ilitch (Minority Owners)
  • Michael Ititch Jr., Lisa Ilitch Murray, Carole Ilitch Trepeck (Minority Owners)
  • Jim Devellano (Sr. Vice President), Ken Holland (General Manager), Don Waddell (Assistant General Manager), William Scotty Bowman (Head Coach/Director of Player Personnel)
  • Barry Smith (Associate Coach), Dave Lewis (Associate Coach), Jim Nill (Director of Player Development/Director of Amateur Scouting), Dan Belise (Pro Scout), Mark Howe (Pro Scout)
  • Jim Bedard (Goaltending Consultant), Hakan Andersson (Director of European Scouting), Mark Leach (Scout), Joe McDonnell (Scout)
  • Bruce Haralson (Scout), John Wharton (Athletic Trainer), Paul Boyer (Equipment Manager), Tim Abbott (Asst. Equipment Manager)
  • Bob Huddleston (Massage Therapist), Sergei Mnatsakanov (Masseur), Wally Crossman (Dressing Room Assistant)


Stanley Cup engravings

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  • Konstantinov's career ended in a car accident. The Red Wings still recognized him as part of the team and got permission from the league to have his name engraved.
  • Wally Crossman was the oldest person engraved on the Stanley Cup at age 87.
  • Detroit wanted to include a record 55 names on the Stanley Cup in 1997–98. Following that request, the NHL decided to limit the number of names to 52 to make sure all names fit on the Cup. Players who play in Stanley Cup Finals, or play at least 41 regular season games for the winning team, must be included on the Cup each year. Other players who do not officially qualify may also be included if requested by the team. There are no rules for which non-players must be included on the Stanley Cup, only a limit on total number of names going on the cup. No player who officially qualifies may be left off to include more non-players.

Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup

  • #34 Norm Maracle† (G – 4 games played), #21 Darryl Laplante† (D – played 2 games) did not qualify to win the Stanley Cup. Both players spent majority of the season of in the minors. Maracle played 66 games in goal for Adirondack while Darryl Laplante played 77 on defence.
  • Art Mnatsusakanov†, Johnny Remejes†, Mike Vella† (Dressing Room Asst.) – all 5 members were awarded Stanley Cup Rings

Broadcasting

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In Canada, the series was televised on CBC. In the United States, Fox broadcast game one while ESPN televised games two through four. Had the series extended, games five and seven would have been broadcast on Fox, and ESPN would have aired game six.

Aftermath

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The following season, the Red Wings would reach the Western Conference Semifinals, only to be ousted by the Colorado Avalanche in six games. The Red Wings would make their next Stanley Cup Finals appearance four years later, where they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. They would also win the Stanley Cup in 2008 over the Sidney Crosby-led Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

The Capitals missed the playoffs the following year. They would not return to the Stanley Cup Finals until 20 years later, when they would win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history over the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

See also

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References

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External videos
  1998 Stanley Cup Final, Game 4 - Detroit vs. Washington on YouTube
  • Diamond, Dan (2000). Total Stanley Cup. NHL.
  • Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.
  • Wilborn, Michael (1998). "Red Wings Fans jam Downtown". Washington Post.
Preceded by Detroit Red Wings
Stanley Cup Champions

1998
Succeeded by