1997–98 Phoenix Coyotes season

1997–98 Phoenix Coyotes
Division4th Central
Conference7th Western
1997–98 record35–35–12
Home record19–16–6
Road record16–19–6
Goals for224
Goals against227
Team information
General managerBobby Smith
CoachJim Schoenfeld
CaptainKeith Tkachuk
ArenaAmerica West Arena
Average attendance15,404
Minor league affiliate(s)Springfield Falcons
Mississippi Sea Wolves
Team leaders
GoalsKeith Tkachuk (40)
AssistsCliff Ronning (44)
PointsKeith Tkachuk (66)
Penalty minutesRick Tocchet (157)
Plus/minusTeppo Numminen (+25)
WinsNikolai Khabibulin (30)
Goals against averageJimmy Waite (2.12)

The 1997–98 Phoenix Coyotes season was the Coyotes' second season in Phoenix, the franchise's 19th season in the NHL, its second season in Phoenix, and its 26th season overall. The Coyotes made the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs, losing in the first round to the Detroit Red Wings.

This was the team's final season of its original tenure in the Central Division, which it had joined while still based in Winnipeg, before being realigned into the Pacific Division the following season. The Coyotes would return to the Central in 2021.

Off-season

Regular season

Final standings

Central Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Dallas Stars 82 49 22 11 242 167 109
2 3 Detroit Red Wings 82 44 23 15 250 196 103
3 4 St. Louis Blues 82 45 29 8 256 204 98
4 6 Phoenix Coyotes 82 35 35 12 224 227 82
5 9 Chicago Blackhawks 82 30 39 13 192 199 73
6 10 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 30 43 9 194 237 69
Western Conference[1]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – Dallas Stars CEN 82 49 22 11 242 167 109
2 x – Colorado Avalanche PAC 82 39 26 17 231 205 95
3 Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 44 23 15 250 196 103
4 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 45 29 8 256 204 98
5 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 38 33 11 227 225 87
6 Phoenix Coyotes CEN 82 35 35 12 224 227 82
7 Edmonton Oilers PAC 82 35 37 10 215 224 80
8 San Jose Sharks PAC 82 34 38 10 210 216 78
9 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 30 39 13 192 199 73
10 Toronto Maple Leafs CEN 82 30 43 9 194 237 69
11 Calgary Flames PAC 82 26 41 15 217 252 67
12 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 26 43 13 205 261 65
13 Vancouver Canucks PAC 82 25 43 14 224 273 64

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won Division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy


Playoffs

The series began in Detroit. In Game 1, Detroit won 6–3, but in Game 2, the Coyotes came back and won 7–4. The series then shifted to Phoenix, where the Coyotes were victorious in Game 3, 3–2. However, the Coyotes' 2–1 series lead was short lived, as Detroit won 4–2 in Game 4. For Game 5 back in Detroit, the Red Wings won 3–1. In Game 6, the series went back to Phoenix, where Detroit won the game 5–2 and the series 4–2.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1997–98 regular season[2]
October: 5–5–2 (home: 4–2–1; road: 1–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 W October 1, 1997 6–2 Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 1–0–0 Recap
2 L October 3, 1997 2–7 @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 1–1–0 Recap
3 W October 5, 1997 2–1 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 2–1–0 Recap
4 L October 8, 1997 2–3 OT Boston Bruins (1997–98) 2–2–0 Recap
5 T October 11, 1997 3–3 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 2–2–1 Recap
6 W October 13, 1997 2–1 Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 3–2–1 Recap
7 W October 19, 1997 5–3 San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 4–2–1 Recap
8 L October 21, 1997 3–4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 4–3–1 Recap
9 T October 23, 1997 3–3 OT Washington Capitals (1997–98) 4–3–2 Recap
10 W October 26, 1997 6–1 Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 5–3–2 Recap
11 L October 29, 1997 2–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 5–4–2 Recap
12 L October 30, 1997 2–4 @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) 5–5–2 Recap
November: 7–6–0 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–4–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
13 W November 2, 1997 3–1 Calgary Flames (1997–98) 6–5–2 Recap
14 L November 5, 1997 2–4 @ Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 6–6–2 Recap
15 L November 6, 1997 1–4 @ Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 6–7–2 Recap
16 W November 8, 1997 3–0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 7–7–2 Recap
17 W November 11, 1997 5–2 Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 8–7–2 Recap
18 L November 13, 1997 2–5 Montreal Canadiens (1997–98) 8–8–2 Recap
19 W November 15, 1997 3–2 @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 9–8–2 Recap
20 W November 17, 1997 6–3 Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 10–8–2 Recap
21 L November 20, 1997 2–4 @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 10–9–2 Recap
22 W November 22, 1997 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 11–9–2 Recap
23 W November 25, 1997 3–2 St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 12–9–2 Recap
24 L November 27, 1997 1–4 Dallas Stars (1997–98) 12–10–2 Recap
25 L November 29, 1997 2–5 @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) 12–11–2 Recap
December: 5–5–5 (home: 0–2–3; road: 5–3–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
26 W December 1, 1997 3–2 @ Florida Panthers (1997–98) 13–11–2 Recap
27 L December 3, 1997 1–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (1997–98) 13–12–2 Recap
28 T December 5, 1997 2–2 OT @ Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 13–12–3 Recap
29 L December 6, 1997 0–4 @ New York Islanders (1997–98) 13–13–3 Recap
30 L December 8, 1997 1–3 @ New York Rangers (1997–98) 13–14–3 Recap
31 T December 10, 1997 3–3 OT @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 13–14–4 Recap
32 T December 12, 1997 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 13–14–5 Recap
33 T December 14, 1997 3–3 OT Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 13–14–6 Recap
34 L December 17, 1997 1–5 Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 13–15–6 Recap
35 W December 19, 1997 6–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 14–15–6 Recap
36 L December 20, 1997 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 14–16–6 Recap
37 T December 23, 1997 2–2 OT Calgary Flames (1997–98) 14–16–7 Recap
38 W December 26, 1997 4–0 @ San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 15–16–7 Recap
39 W December 27, 1997 4–2 @ Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 16–16–7 Recap
40 W December 29, 1997 5–3 @ Calgary Flames (1997–98) 17–16–7 Recap
January: 7–4–3 (home: 4–1–1; road: 3–3–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
41 W January 1, 1998 4–0 Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 18–16–7 Recap
42 W January 3, 1998 2–1 New York Islanders (1997–98) 19–16–7 Recap
43 L January 6, 1998 0–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 19–17–7 Recap
44 L January 8, 1998 2–5 @ Boston Bruins (1997–98) 19–18–7 Recap
45 W January 9, 1998 4–2 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 20–18–7 Recap
46 T January 11, 1998 4–4 OT Ottawa Senators (1997–98) 20–18–8 Recap
47 W January 14, 1998 3–2 Florida Panthers (1997–98) 21–18–8 Recap
48 L January 20, 1998 2–6 @ Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 21–19–8 Recap
49 W January 21, 1998 6–1 @ Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 22–19–8 Recap
50 L January 24, 1998 2–5 Edmonton Oilers (1997–98) 22–20–8 Recap
51 W January 26, 1998 4–2 Vancouver Canucks (1997–98) 23–20–8 Recap
52 T January 28, 1998 4–4 OT @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 23–20–9 Recap
53 T January 30, 1998 3–3 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1997–98) 23–20–10 Recap
54 W January 31, 1998 5–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 24–20–10 Recap
February: 0–5–1 (home: 0–3–1; road: 0–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
55 L February 3, 1998 2–4 Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 24–21–10 Recap
56 L February 5, 1998 2–6 Philadelphia Flyers (1997–98) 24–22–10 Recap
57 T February 7, 1998 1–1 OT New York Rangers (1997–98) 24–22–11 Recap
58 L February 25, 1998 2–4 Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 24–23–11 Recap
59 L February 26, 1998 0–3 @ Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 24–24–11 Recap
60 L February 28, 1998 0–4 @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) 24–25–11 Recap
March: 4–7–1 (home: 3–5–0; road: 1–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
61 L March 2, 1998 1–3 Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 24–26–11 Recap
62 L March 6, 1998 4–5 OT Carolina Hurricanes (1997–98) 24–27–11 Recap
63 T March 8, 1998 1–1 OT @ Dallas Stars (1997–98) 24–27–12 Recap
64 L March 10, 1998 3–4 Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 24–28–12 Recap
65 W March 12, 1998 5–4 Dallas Stars (1997–98) 25–28–12 Recap
66 W March 14, 1998 2–0 @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 26–28–12 Recap
67 L March 16, 1998 1–2 @ Washington Capitals (1997–98) 26–29–12 Recap
68 L March 19, 1998 3–4 Colorado Avalanche (1997–98) 26–30–12 Recap
69 L March 21, 1998 2–3 @ Los Angeles Kings (1997–98) 26–31–12 Recap
70 W March 22, 1998 3–1 San Jose Sharks (1997–98) 27–31–12 Recap
71 W March 24, 1998 4–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1997–98) 28–31–12 Recap
72 L March 28, 1998 0–3 New Jersey Devils (1997–98) 28–32–12 Recap
April: 7–3–0 (home: 3–1–0; road: 4–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
73 W April 1, 1998 5–1 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 29–32–12 Recap
74 W April 3, 1998 6–3 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1997–98) 30–32–12 Recap
75 L April 5, 1998 2–3 @ New Jersey Devils (1997–98) 30–33–12 Recap
76 W April 7, 1998 2–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–98) 31–33–12 Recap
77 L April 9, 1998 1–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 31–34–12 Recap
78 W April 11, 1998 4–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 32–34–12 Recap
79 W April 12, 1998 2–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1997–98) 33–34–12 Recap
80 W April 14, 1998 2–1 Detroit Red Wings (1997–98) 34–34–12 Recap
81 W April 16, 1998 3–2 Dallas Stars (1997–98) 35–34–12 Recap
82 L April 18, 1998 4–5 St. Louis Blues (1997–98) 35–35–12 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[2]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings – Red Wings win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 L April 22, 1998 3–6 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 24, 1998 7–4 @ Detroit Red Wings Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 W April 26, 1998 3–2 Detroit Red Wings Coyotes lead 2–1 Recap
4 L April 28, 1998 2–4 Detroit Red Wings Series tied 2–2 Recap
5 L April 30, 1998 1–3 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 3, 1998 2–5 Detroit Red Wings Red Wings win 4–2 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
7 Keith Tkachuk LW 69 40 26 66 9 147 6 3 3 6 −1 10
97 Jeremy Roenick C 79 24 32 56 5 103 6 5 3 8 −1 4
77 Cliff Ronning C 80 11 44 55 5 36 6 1 3 4 −1 4
15 Craig Janney C 68 10 43 53 5 12 6 0 3 3 −2 0
27 Teppo Numminen D 82 11 40 51 25 30 1 0 0 0 0 0
92 Rick Tocchet RW 68 26 19 45 1 157 6 6 2 8 0 25
11 Dallas Drake RW 60 11 29 40 17 71 4 0 1 1 −4 2
22 Mike Gartner RW 60 12 15 27 −4 24 5 1 0 1 −2 18
21 Bob Corkum C 76 12 9 21 −7 28 6 1 0 1 −3 4
10 Oleg Tverdovsky D 46 7 12 19 1 12 6 0 7 7 −2 0
4 Gerald Diduck D 78 8 10 18 14 118 6 0 2 2 −4 20
16 Brad Isbister LW 66 9 8 17 4 102 5 0 0 0 −1 2
26 John Slaney D 55 3 14 17 −3 24 — — — — — —
34 Darrin Shannon LW 58 2 12 14 4 26 5 0 1 1 −1 4
36 Juha Ylonen C 55 1 11 12 −3 10 — — — — — —
19 Shane Doan RW 33 5 6 11 −3 35 6 1 0 1 −2 6
5 Deron Quint D 32 4 7 11 −6 16 — — — — — —
6 Jay More‡ D 41 5 5 10 0 53 — — — — — —
14 Mike Stapleton C 64 5 5 10 −4 36 6 0 0 0 0 2
44 Norm Maciver D 41 2 6 8 −11 38 6 0 1 1 0 2
33 Jim McKenzie LW 64 3 4 7 −7 146 1 0 0 0 0 0
3 Keith Carney† D 20 1 6 7 5 18 6 0 0 0 −3 4
24 Michel Petit† D 32 4 2 6 −4 77 5 0 0 0 −1 8
32 Jocelyn Lemieux RW 30 3 3 6 0 27 — — — — — —
2 Murray Baron D 45 1 5 6 −10 106 6 0 2 2 2 6
8 Jim Johnson D 16 2 1 3 0 18 — — — — — —
18 Mark Janssens† C 7 1 2 3 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 2
35 Nikolai Khabibulin G 70 0 2 2 22 4 0 1 1 0
54 Daniel Briere C 5 1 0 1 1 2 — — — — — —
55 Jason Doig D 4 0 1 1 −4 12 — — — — — —
48 Sean Gagnon D 5 0 1 1 1 14 — — — — — —
18 Chad Kilger‡ LW 10 0 1 1 −2 4 — — — — — —
72 Jeff Christian LW 1 0 0 0 −1 0 — — — — — —
20 Jim Cummins† RW 20 0 0 0 −7 47 3 0 0 0 0 4
31 Scott Langkow G 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
29 Scott Levins RW 2 0 0 0 −1 5 — — — — — —
39 Brad Tiley D 1 0 0 0 1 0 — — — — — —
28 Jimmy Waite G 17 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
35 Nikolai Khabibulin 70 30 28 10 1835 184 2.74 .900 4 4026 4 2 1 106 13 4.21 .877 0 185
28 Jimmy Waite 17 5 6 1 322 28 2.12 .913 1 793 4 0 3 97 11 3.85 .887 0 171
31 Scott Langkow 3 0 1 1 60 10 4.39 .833 0 137 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		NHL Second All-Star Team Keith Tkachuk (Left Wing) [3]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Nikolai Khabibulin [4]
Keith Tkachuk
Team Hardest Working Player Award Dallas Drake [5]
Leading Scorer Award Keith Tkachuk [5]
Man of the Year Award Jim McKenzie [5]
Team MVP Award Keith Tkachuk [5]
Three-Star Award Keith Tkachuk [5]

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Brad Isbister October 1, 1997 [6]
Sean Gagnon November 8, 1997
Brad Tiley December 5, 1997
Daniel Briere March 19, 1998

Transactions

Trades

March 4, 1998 To Chicago Blackhawks
Chad Kilger
Jay More 		To Phoenix Coyotes
Keith Carney
Jim Cummins
March 24, 1998 To New York Islanders
9th round pick in 1998 (Jason Doyle) 		To Phoenix Coyotes
Mark Janssens
June 11, 1998 To Tampa Bay Lightning
Craig Janney 		To Phoenix Coyotes
Louie DeBrusk
5th round pick in 1998 (Jay Leach)
June 18, 1998 To Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Jim McKenzie 		To Phoenix Coyotes
Jean-Francois Jomphe
June 27, 1998 To San Jose Sharks
5th round pick in 1999 (Marc-Andre Thinel) 		To Phoenix Coyotes
5th round pick in 1998 (Josh Blackburn)

Waivers

September 28, 1997 From Chicago Blackhawks
Jimmy Waite

Free agents

Player Former Team
Ted Crowley Boston Bruins
Rick Tocchet Washington Capitals
Darin Kimble New Jersey Devils
Jeff Christian Pittsburgh Penguins
Martin Simard Colorado Avalanche
John Slaney Los Angeles Kings
Brad Tiley Los Angeles Kings
Radoslav Suchy Undrafted Free Agent
Michel Petit Philadelphia Flyers
Player New Team
Kris King Toronto Maple Leafs
Jeff Finley New York Rangers
Pat Jablonski Carolina Hurricanes
Brent Thompson New York Rangers
Kevin Dahl Calgary Flames
Igor Korolev Toronto Maple Leafs

Draft picks

Phoenix's draft picks at the 1997 NHL entry draft held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[7]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
2 43 Juha Gustafsson  Finland Kiekko-Espoo (Finland)
4 96 Scott McCallum  Canada Tri-City Americans (WHL)
5 123 Curtis Suter  Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
6 151 Robert Francz  Germany Peterborough Petes (OHL)
8 207 Aleksandrs Andrejevs  Latvia Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
9 233 Wyatt Smith  United States University of Minnesota (WCHA)

See also

References

  • "Phoenix Coyotes 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  • "1997-98 Phoenix Coyotes Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  1. ^ "1997-1998 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  2. ^ a b "1997-98 Phoenix Coyotes Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Arizona Coyotes 2014–2015 Media Guide, p.290
  6. ^ "1997-98 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.