Wikipedia

1997–98 St. Louis Blues season

The highlight of the 1997–98 St. Louis Blues season would mark an end of an era as former captain Brett Hull was not re-signed following the season.

1997–98 St. Louis Blues
Division3rd Central
Conference4th Western
1997–98 record45–29–8
Home record26–10–5
Road record19–19–3
Goals for256
Goals against204
Team information
General managerLarry Pleau
CoachJoel Quenneville
CaptainChris Pronger
ArenaKiel Center
Average attendance18,414
Minor league affiliate(s)Worcester IceCats
Peoria Rivermen
Baton Rouge Kingfish
Team leaders
GoalsGeoff Courtnall (31)
AssistsPierre Turgeon (46)
PointsBrett Hull (72)
Penalty minutesKelly Chase (231)
Plus/minusChris Pronger (+47)
WinsGrant Fuhr (29)
Goals against averageJamie McLennan (2.17)

Off-season

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In his first full season as head coach, Joel Quenneville decided to employ a defensive formula. The move worked wonders as even Brett Hull bought into the new system as the Blues finished in third place with a solid 45–29–8 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Blues would sweep the Los Angeles Kings in four games. In the second round, the Blues were eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in six games. The season would mark an end of an era, as Brett Hull was not signed to a new contract after the season, joining the Dallas Stars as a free agent during the summer.[1]

Defenseman Chris Pronger was named team captain, a role that had been vacant during the previous season.

Regular season

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The Blues were one of only two teams out the NHL's 26 to score at least 3 goals per game (The Detroit Red Wings were the other team). The Blues' 256 goals for led all teams.[2]

Final standings

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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[3]
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

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Regular season

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

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

Playoffs

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1998 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings: Blues win 4–0
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W April 23, 1998 8–3 Los Angeles Kings Blues lead 1–0 Recap
2 W April 25, 1998 2–1 Los Angeles Kings Blues lead 2–0 Recap
3 W April 27, 1998 4–3 @ Los Angeles Kings Blues lead 3–0 Recap
4 W April 29, 1998 2–1 @ Los Angeles Kings Blues win 4–0 Recap
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings: Red Wings win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 W May 8, 1998 4–2 @ Detroit Red Wings Blues lead 1–0 Recap
2 L May 10, 1998 1–6 @ Detroit Red Wings Series tied 1–1 Recap
3 L May 12, 1998 2–3 2OT Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 2–1 Recap
4 L May 14, 1998 2–5 Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 3–1 Recap
5 W May 17, 1998 3–1 @ Detroit Red Wings Red Wings lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 19, 1998 1–6 Detroit Red Wings Red Wings win 4–2 Recap
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics

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Scoring

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  • 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 Blues only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Blues only.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
16 Brett Hull RW 66 27 45 72 −1 26 10 3 3 6 −3 2
77 Pierre Turgeon C 60 22 46 68 13 24 10 4 4 8 −5 2
14 Geoff Courtnall LW 79 31 31 62 12 94 10 2 8 10 −2 18
28 Steve Duchesne D 80 14 42 56 9 32 10 0 4 4 −8 6
38 Pavol Demitra LW 61 22 30 52 11 22 10 3 3 6 −3 2
2 Al MacInnis D 71 19 30 49 6 80 8 2 6 8 1 12
22 Craig Conroy C 81 14 29 43 20 46 10 1 2 3 −1 8
10 Jim Campbell RW 76 22 19 41 0 55 10 7 3 10 −1 12
44 Chris Pronger D 81 9 27 36 47 180 10 1 9 10 −2 26
33 Scott Pellerin LW 80 8 21 29 14 62 10 0 2 2 1 10
23 Blair Atcheynum RW 61 11 15 26 5 10 10 0 0 0 −2 2
27 Terry Yake C 65 10 15 25 1 38 10 2 1 3 −3 6
9 Darren Turcotte C 62 12 6 18 6 26 10 0 0 0 −4 2
25 Pascal Rheaume C 48 6 9 15 4 35 10 1 3 4 0 8
17 Joe Murphy‡ RW 27 4 9 13 8 22 — — — — — —
37 Harry York‡ C 58 4 6 10 0 31 — — — — — —
4 Marc Bergevin D 81 3 7 10 −2 90 10 0 1 1 −1 8
19 Chris McAlpine D 54 3 7 10 14 36 10 0 0 0 −1 16
5 Todd Gill† D 11 5 4 9 2 10 10 2 2 4 −3 10
34 Michel Picard† LW 16 1 8 9 3 29 — — — — — —
20 Rudy Poeschek RW/D 50 1 7 8 −5 64 2 0 0 0 −2 6
39 Kelly Chase RW 67 4 3 7 10 231 7 0 0 0 −2 23
6 Jamie Rivers D 59 2 4 6 5 36 — — — — — —
18 Tony Twist LW 60 1 1 2 −4 105 — — — — — —
31 Grant Fuhr G 58 0 2 2 6 10 0 1 1 2
12 Chris Kenady RW 5 0 2 2 1 0 — — — — — —
32 Mike Eastwood† C 10 1 0 1 0 6 3 1 0 1 −1 0
43 Libor Zabransky D 6 0 1 1 −3 6 — — — — — —
29 Jamie McLennan G 30 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0
30 Rich Parent G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
7 Ricard Persson D 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —

Goaltending

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No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
31 Grant Fuhr 58 29 21 6 1354 138 2.53 .898 3 3274 10 6 4 297 28 2.73 .906 0 616
29 Jamie McLennan 30 16 8 2 618 60 2.17 .903 2 1658 1 0 0 4 1 4.25 .750 0 14
30 Rich Parent 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 1.000 0 12 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

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Awards

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Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual) 		Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Jamie McLennan [5]
King Clancy Memorial Trophy Kelly Chase [6]
NHL Second All-Star Team Chris Pronger (Defense) [7]
NHL Plus-Minus Award Chris Pronger [8]
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Al MacInnis[a] [9]

Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
1,000th game played Al MacInnis October 23, 1997 [10]
Geoff Courtnall March 3, 1998 [11]
First game Rich Parent November 8, 1997 [12]
Chris Kenady December 8, 1997
1,000th point Al MacInnis April 7, 1998 [13]

Transactions

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Draft picks

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St. Louis's draft picks at the 1997 NHL entry draft held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[14]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
2 40 Tyler Rennette   Canada North Bay Centennials (OHL)
4 86 Didier Tremblay   Canada Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
4 98 Jan Horacek   Czech Republic Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
4 106 Jame Pollock   Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
6 149 Nicholas Bilotto   Canada Beauport Harfangs (QMJHL)
7 177 Ladislav Nagy   Slovakia HC Košice (Slovakia)
8 206 Bob Haglund   United States Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
9 232 Dmitri Plekhanov   Russia Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia)
9 244 Marek Ivan   Czech Republic Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Commissioner’s selection.

References

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  • "St. Louis Blues 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  • "1997-98 St. Louis Blues Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  1. ^ St. Louis Blues (1967-Present)
  2. ^ "1997-98 NHL Summary".
  3. ^ "1997-1998 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  4. ^ a b "1997-98 St. Louis Blues Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "King Clancy Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Bud Light Plus-Minus Award award winners at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "N.H.L.: LAST NIGHT; Lightning Coach On Thin Ice". The New York Times. October 24, 1997. Retrieved July 9, 2023. Blues defenseman Al MacInnis, who played in his 1,000th game, was honored in a pregame ceremony.
  11. ^ "ST. PETERSBURG TIMES POWER RANKINGS". Tampa Bay Times. March 8, 1998. Retrieved July 9, 2023. ST. LOUIS (8): Can you believe Geoff Courtnall played his 1,000th NHL game last week?
  12. ^ "1997-98 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "1981 NHL Entry Draft -- Al MacInnis". www.hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023. Scored his 1,000th career NHL point during St. Louis' April 7, 1998, game at Detroit.
  14. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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