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1997–98 San Jose Sharks
Division4th Pacific
Conference8th Western
1997–98 record34–38–10
Home record17–19–5
Road record17–19–5
Goals for210
Goals against216
Team information
General manager Dean Lombardi
Coach Darryl Sutter
Captain Todd Gill (Oct-Mar)
Vacant (Mar-Apr)
Arena San Jose Arena
Average attendance17,111
Minor league affiliate(s) Kentucky Thoroughblades
Louisville RiverFrogs
Team leaders
Goals Jeff Friesen (31)
AssistsJeff Friesen (32)
PointsJeff Friesen (63)
Penalty minutes Owen Nolan (144)
Plus/minus Bill Houlder (+13)
Wins Mike Vernon (30)
Goals against averageMike Vernon (2.46)
←  1996–97
1998–99 →

The 1997–98 San Jose Sharks season was the Sharks' seventh season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). Following their second last-place finish in as many years, the Sharks unceremoniously fired first-year head coach Al Sims; he was replaced by Darryl Sutter, who had previously coached the Chicago Blackhawks. At the time of his hiring, Sutter was the first head coach in franchise history to have previously coached another NHL team.

The Sharks' coaching switch was accompanied by a handful of player acquisitions and debuts. Of these, the addition of five-time NHL All-Star goaltender Mike Vernon proved most important. On August 18, 1997, the Sharks acquired Vernon from the Detroit Red Wings for a pair of second-round picks; at the time of the trade, Vernon was only two months removed from backstopping the Red Wings to victory in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. Additionally, the Sharks drafted highly-touted forward Patrick Marleau with the second overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Despite a lackluster rookie season, Marleau would enjoy considerable success with the Sharks over the following two decades. Lastly, 1996 first-found pick Marco Sturm was added to the roster early in the season. Sturm and Marleau, in particular, supplemented a burgeoning collection of young forwards that already included mainstays Jeff Friesen and Owen Nolan.

In Sutter's first season at the helm, the Sharks' play improved substantially. While they once again failed to post a winning record, the team managed to clinch the Western Conference's eighth (and final) playoff berth. In the first round of the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Sharks faced the top-seeded Dallas Stars. The Sharks quickly dropped their first two games in Dallas; upon returning to San Jose, however, the Sharks rallied to tie the series at two games apiece. An upset was not to be, however, as the Stars responded with a pair of one-goal victories to win the series in six games. Despite a quick exit from the playoffs, the 1997-98 season would prove to be a turning point for the franchise. After finishing with the Western Conference's worst record in four of their first six seasons of play, the Sharks would miss the postseason just twice between 1998 and 2019.

Offseason

Regular season

Captain Todd Gill was traded to the St. Louis Blues, in March.

Final 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


Playoffs

In a Conference Quarterfinals series, the Sharks met the #1 seeded and Presidents' Trophy-winning Dallas Stars. The Sharks were eliminated by the Stars in six games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

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

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

Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs [2]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) Dallas Stars – Stars win 4–2
Game Result Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 L April 22, 1998 1–4 @ Dallas Stars Stars lead 1–0 Recap
2 L April 24, 1998 2–5 @ Dallas Stars Stars lead 2–0 Recap
3 W April 26, 1998 4–1 Dallas Stars Stars lead 2–1 Recap
4 W April 28, 1998 1–0 OT Dallas Stars Series tied 2–2 Recap
5 L April 30, 1998 2–3 @ Dallas Stars Stars lead 3–2 Recap
6 L May 2, 1998 2–3 OT Dallas Stars Stars 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 Sharks only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sharks only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
39 Jeff Friesen LW 79 31 32 63 8 40 6 0 1 1 −1 2
11 Owen Nolan RW 75 14 27 41 −2 144 6 2 2 4 −1 26
15 John MacLean† RW 51 13 19 32 0 28 6 2 3 5 1 4
14 Patrick Marleau C 74 13 19 32 5 14 5 0 1 1 −1 0
2 Bill Houlder D 82 7 25 32 13 48 6 1 2 3 0 2
19 Marco Sturm LW 74 10 20 30 −2 40 2 0 0 0 −2 0
37 Stephane Matteau LW 73 15 14 29 4 60 4 0 1 1 1 0
22 Murray Craven LW 67 12 17 29 4 25 6 1 1 2 −2 0
9 Bernie Nicholls C 60 6 22 28 −4 26 6 0 5 5 −2 8
21 Tony Granato RW 59 16 9 25 3 70 1 0 0 0 0 0
10 Marcus Ragnarsson D 79 5 20 25 −11 65 6 0 0 0 2 4
18 Mike Ricci† C 59 9 14 23 −4 30 6 1 3 4 0 6
23 Todd Gill‡ D 64 8 13 21 −13 31 — — — — — —
40 Mike Rathje D 81 3 12 15 −4 59 6 1 0 1 −3 6
20 Andrei Zyuzin D 56 6 7 13 8 66 6 1 0 1 −2 14
28 Shawn Burr LW 42 6 6 12 2 50 6 0 0 0 −1 8
33 Marty McSorley D 56 2 10 12 10 140 — — — — — —
3 Doug Bodger‡ D 28 4 6 10 0 32 — — — — — —
8 Jarrod Skalde‡†‡† C 22 4 6 10 −2 14 — — — — — —
17 Joe Murphy† RW 10 5 4 9 1 14 6 1 1 2 −1 20
43 Al Iafrate D 21 2 7 9 −1 28 6 1 0 1 −4 10
12 Ron Sutter C 57 2 7 9 −2 22 6 1 0 1 −1 14
26 [a] Dave Lowry† LW 50 4 4 8 0 51 6 0 0 0 0 18
25 Viktor Kozlov‡ C 18 5 2 7 −2 2 — — — — — —
42 Shean Donovan‡ RW 20 3 3 6 3 22 — — — — — —
27 Alexander Korolyuk LW 19 2 3 5 −5 6 — — — — — —
7 Rich Brennan‡ D 11 1 2 3 −4 2 — — — — — —
27 Bryan Marchment† D 12 0 3 3 2 43 6 0 0 0 1 10
17 Steve Guolla C 7 1 1 2 −2 0 — — — — — —
62 Andrei Nazarov‡ LW 40 1 1 2 −4 112 — — — — — —
29 Mike Vernon G 62 0 2 2 24 6 0 0 0 0
24 Barry Potomski LW 9 0 1 1 1 30 — — — — — —
34 Niklas Andersson LW 5 0 0 0 −1 2 — — — — — —
32 Kelly Hrudey G 28 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0
30 Jason Muzzatti† G 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
5 Ken Sutton† D 8 0 0 0 −4 15 — — — — — —
16 Dody Wood‡ C 8 0 0 0 −3 40 — — — — — —

Goaltending

  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Sharks only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
29 Mike Vernon 62 30 22 8 1401 146 2.46 .896 5 3564 6 2 4 138 14 2.41 .899 1 348
32 Kelly Hrudey 28 4 16 2 600 62 2.73 .897 1 1360 1 0 0 6 1 3.00 .833 0 20
30 Jason Muzzatti† 1 0 0 0 13 2 4.49 .846 0 27 — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season) 		NHL Rookie of the Month Marco Sturm (November) [3]
Team Sharks Player of the Year Mike Vernon [4]
Sharks Rookie of the Year Patrick Marleau [4]
Marco Sturm
Andrei Zyuzin

Milestones

Milestone Player Date Ref
1,000th game played Murray Craven March 30, 1998 [5]

Transactions

Draft picks

San Jose's picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [6]

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team
1 2 Patrick Marleau Center   Canada Seattle Thunderbirds
1 23 Scott Hannan Defense   Canada Kelowna Rockets
4 82 Adam Colagiacomo Right Wing   Canada Oshawa Generals
5 107 Adam Spylo Right Wing   Canada Erie Otters
7 163 Joe Dusbabek Right Wing   United States Notre Dame
8 192 Cam Severson Left Wing   Canada Prince Albert Raiders
9 219 Mark Smith Center   Canada Lethbridge Hurricanes

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Lowry wore number 15 until MacLean was acquired.

References

  • "San Jose Sharks 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  • "1997-98 San Jose Sharks Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  1. ^ "1997-1998 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  2. ^ a b "1997-98 San Jose Sharks Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "NHL Rookies of the Month". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b 2014–15 San Jose Sharks Media Guide, p.255–58
  5. ^ Cooper, Tony (March 31, 1998). "Sharks Take a Shot Where It Hurts / Injury to Hrudey leads to Blues' rout". SFGATE. Retrieved July 9, 2023. Left wing Murray Craven, out the past five games with a neck injury, returned to play the 1,000th game of his NHL career.
  6. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
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