1997–98 Colorado Avalanche season

1997–98 Colorado Avalanche
Pacific Division champions
Division1st Pacific
Conference2nd Western
1997–98 record39–26–17
Home record21–10–10
Road record18–16–7
Goals for231
Goals against205
Team information
General managerPierre Lacroix
CoachMarc Crawford
CaptainJoe Sakic
Alternate captainsClaude Lemieux
Adam Foote
ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena
Average attendance16,061
Minor league affiliate(s)Hershey Bears
Team leaders
GoalsJoe Sakic (27)
AssistsPeter Forsberg (66)
PointsPeter Forsberg (91)
Penalty minutesJeff Odgers (213)
Plus/minusUwe Krupp (+21)
WinsPatrick Roy (31)
Goals against averageCraig Billington (2.32)

The 1997–98 Colorado Avalanche season was the Avalanche's third season.

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 2 Colorado Avalanche 82 39 26 17 231 205 95
2 5 Los Angeles Kings 82 38 33 11 227 225 87
3 7 Edmonton Oilers 82 35 37 10 215 224 80
4 8 San Jose Sharks 82 34 38 10 210 216 78
5 11 Calgary Flames 82 26 41 15 217 252 67
6 12 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 26 43 13 205 261 65
7 13 Vancouver Canucks 82 25 43 14 224 273 64

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.

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


Schedule and results

Regular season

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

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

Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[2]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers – Oilers win 4–3
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 L April 22, 1998 2–3 Edmonton Oilers Oilers lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 24, 1998 5–2 Edmonton Oilers Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 W April 26, 1998 5–4 OT @ Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 2–1 Recap
4 W April 28, 1998 3–1 @ Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 3–1 Recap
5 L April 30, 1998 1–3 Edmonton Oilers Avalanche lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 2, 1998 0–2 @ Edmonton Oilers Series tied 3–3 Recap
7 L May 4, 1998 0–4 Edmonton Oilers Oilers win 4–3 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 Avalanche only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Avalanche only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
21 Peter Forsberg C 72 25 66 91 6 94 7 6 5 11 3 12
13 Valeri Kamensky LW 75 26 40 66 −2 60 7 2 3 5 1 18
19 Joe Sakic C 64 27 36 63 0 50 6 2 3 5 0 6
22 Claude Lemieux RW 78 26 27 53 −7 115 7 3 3 6 2 8
8 Sandis Ozolinsh D 66 13 38 51 −12 65 7 0 7 7 −3 14
18 Adam Deadmarsh RW 73 22 21 43 0 125 7 2 0 2 −1 4
28 Eric Lacroix LW 82 16 15 31 0 84 7 0 0 0 −2 6
4 Uwe Krupp D 78 9 22 31 21 38 7 0 1 1 2 4
20 Rene Corbet LW 68 16 12 28 8 133 2 0 0 0 0 2
26 Stephane Yelle C 81 7 15 22 −10 48 7 1 0 1 −3 12
17 Jari Kurri RW 70 5 17 22 6 12 4 0 0 0 −1 0
52 Adam Foote D 77 3 14 17 −3 124 7 0 0 0 −1 23
29 Eric Messier LW 62 4 12 16 4 20 — — — — — —
24 Jon Klemm D 67 6 8 14 −3 30 4 0 0 0 1 0
5 Alexei Gusarov D 72 4 10 14 9 42 7 0 1 1 1 6
16 Jeff Odgers† RW 68 5 8 13 5 213 6 0 0 0 −1 25
12 Shean Donovan† RW 47 5 7 12 3 48 — — — — — —
11 Keith Jones RW 23 3 7 10 −4 22 7 0 0 0 −1 13
2 Sylvain Lefebvre D 81 0 10 10 2 48 7 0 0 0 −1 4
10 Josef Marha‡ C 11 2 5 7 0 4 — — — — — —
3 Aaron Miller D 55 2 2 4 0 51 7 0 0 0 0 8
9 Mike Ricci‡ C 6 0 4 4 0 2 — — — — — —
14 Tom Fitzgerald† RW 11 2 1 3 0 22 7 0 1 1 −2 20
27 Francois Leroux D 50 1 2 3 −3 140 — — — — — —
33 Patrick Roy G 65 0 3 3 39 7 0 1 1 0
6 Wade Belak D 8 1 1 2 −3 27 — — — — — —
15 Yves Sarault LW 2 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — —
7 Pascal Trepanier D 15 0 1 1 −2 18 — — — — — —
1 Craig Billington G 23 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
40 Brad Larsen LW 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
14 Christian Matte RW 5 0 0 0 0 6 — — — — — —
10 Warren Rychel† LW 8 0 0 0 −1 23 6 0 0 0 −2 24

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
33 Patrick Roy 65 31 19 13 1825 153 2.39 .916 4 3835 7 3 4 191 18 2.51 .906 0 430
1 Craig Billington 23 8 7 4 588 45 2.32 .923 1 1162 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 1

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		NHL First All-Star Team Peter Forsberg (Center) [3]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Peter Forsberg[a] [5]
Valeri Kamensky
Jari Kurri[b]
Sandis Ozolinsh[a]
Patrick Roy[a]
Joe Sakic
NHL Rookie of the Month Eric Messier (October) [7]

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Pascal Trepanier October 1, 1997 [8]
Brad Larsen March 21, 1998

Transactions

Draft picks

Colorado's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[9]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 26 Kevin Grimes  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
2 53 Graham Belak  Canada Edmonton Ice (WHL)
3 55 Rick Berry  Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
3 78 Ville Nieminen  Finland Tappara (Finland)
4 87 Brad Larsen  Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
5 133 Aaron Miskovich  United States Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
6 161 David Aebischer  Switzerland HC Fribourg-Gotteron (Switzerland)
8 217 Doug Schmidt  United States Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
9 243 Kyle Kidney  United States Salisbury School (USHS-CT)
9 245 Steve Lafleur  Canada Belleville Bulls (OHL)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Forsberg, Ozolinsh, and Roy were voted to the starting lineup.[4]
  2. ^ Commissioner’s selection.[6]

References

  • "Colorado Avalanche 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  • "1997-98 Colorado Avalanche Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  1. ^ "1997-1998 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  2. ^ a b "1997-98 Colorado Avalanche Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Harris, Beth (January 17, 1998). "All-Star game a fitting tribute to Kurri". New Bedford Standard-Times. Retrieved July 9, 2023. Not voted as a starter by the fans and not selected as a reserve by the league, he was one of four players chosen by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
  7. ^ "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "1997-98 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.