1997–98 New York Rangers season

NHL hockey team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1997–98 1997 New York Rangers Eastern 11th Atlantic 5th 25–39–18 14–18–9 11–21–9 197 231 Neil Smith Colin Campbell (Oct.–Feb.)John Muckler (Feb.–Apr.) Brian Leetch Madison Square Garden 18,189 Hartford Wolf PackCharlotte Checkers Adam Graves/Wayne Gretzky/Alexei Kovalev/Pat LaFontaine (23) Wayne Gretzky (67) Wayne Gretzky (90) Darren Langdon (197) Tim Sweeney (+7) Mike Richter (21) Dan Cloutier (2.50) The 1997–98 New York Rangers season was the franchise's 72nd season. The Rangers posted a 25–39–18 regular season record, finishing in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.Hockey-Reference 2010-01-26 1997–98 New York Rangers Roster and Statistics https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NYR/1998.html New York missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 1992–93 season.Sandomir Richard The New York Times 1998-04-08 2010-07-31 Hockey; For Garden, No Playoffs Means No Payoff https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/08/sports/hockey-for-garden-no-playoffs-means-no-payoff.html The Rangers fired head coach Colin Campbell mid-season and replaced him with former Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup-winning coach John Muckler.Veteran Muckler Hired To Coach N.Y. Rangers The Philadelphia Inquirer February 20, 1998 http://articles.philly.com/1998-02-20/sports/25753995_1_umpire-minor-leagues-suit https://web.archive.org/web/20160222113814/http://articles.philly.com/1998-02-20/sports/25753995_1_umpire-minor-leagues-suit dead February 22, 2016 October 31, 2024 This was also the first season since the 1990–91 season that the Rangers did not have Mark Messier; after a contentious negotiating period, the Rangers elected not to re-sign Messier and he instead joined the Vancouver Canucks.Diamos Jason A Bad Feeling Chases Messier Out of New York The New York Times July 29, 1997 https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/29/sports/a-bad-feeling-chases-messier-out-of-new-york.html February 7, 2016 Regular season The Rangers were the only team in the league not to score a short-handed goal.1997–98 NHL Season Summary Hockey-Reference https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1998.html 2013-11-29 Final standings NYR NYR Schedule and results background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 5px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 5px solid; 1997–98 regular season1997–98 New York Rangers Schedule and Results https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/NYR/1998_games.html Hockey-Reference July 2, 2023 y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; October: 3–6–5 (home: 2–3–3; road: 1–3–2) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 1 || October 3, 1997 || New York Islanders || 2–2 OT || 0–0–1 || 1997020013 T |- | 2 || October 5, 1997 || Los Angeles Kings || 2–2 OT || 0–0–2 || 1997020029 T |- | 3 || October 8, 1997 || @ Edmonton Oilers || 3–3 OT || 0–0–3 || 1997020043 T |- | 4 || October 9, 1997 || @ Calgary Flames || 1–1 OT || 0–0–4 || 1997020049 T |- | 5 || October 11, 1997 || @ Vancouver Canucks || 6–3 || 1–0–4 || 1997020062 W |- | 6 || October 14, 1997 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–0 || 1–1–4 || 1997020072 L |- | 7 || October 15, 1997 || @ Ottawa Senators || 5–1 || 1–2–4 || 1997020076 L |- | 8 || October 18, 1997 || @ St. Louis Blues || 5–3 || 1–3–4 || 1997020098 L |- | 9 || October 20, 1997 || Carolina Hurricanes || 4–2 || 2–3–4 || 1997020107 W |- | 10 || October 22, 1997 || Chicago Blackhawks || 1–0 || 2–4–4 || 1997020117 L |- | 11 || October 24, 1997 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 4–3 || 3–4–4 || 1997020129 W |- | 12 || October 26, 1997 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || 3–3 OT || 3–4–5 || 1997020141 T |- | 13 || October 28, 1997 || Dallas Stars || 3–2 || 3–5–5 || 1997020149 L |- | 14 || October 30, 1997 || @ New York Islanders || 5–3 || 3–6–5 || 1997020162 L |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; November: 5–5–4 (home: 2–2–2; road: 3–3–2) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 15 || November 3, 1997 || Edmonton Oilers || 2–2 OT || 3–6–6 || 1997020186 T |- | 16 || November 5, 1997 || @ Colorado Avalanche || 4–2 || 4–6–6 || 1997020196 W |- | 17 || November 7, 1997 || @ Dallas Stars || 2–2 OT || 4–6–7 || 1997020207 T |- | 18 || November 12, 1997 || New Jersey Devils || 3–2 || 4–7–7 || 1997020234 L |- | 19 || November 14, 1997 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || 5–7–7 || 1997020248 W |- | 20 || November 16, 1997 || Colorado Avalanche || 4–1 || 6–7–7 || 1997020262 W |- | 21 || November 18, 1997 || @ Florida Panthers || 3–1 || 7–7–7 || 1997020273 W |- | 22 || November 19, 1997 || @ Tampa Bay Lightning || 6–3 || 7–8–7 || 1997020277 L |- | 23 || November 21, 1997 || @ Carolina Hurricanes || 4–3 || 8–8–7 || 1997020290 W |- | 24 || November 22, 1997 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 OT || 8–9–7 || 1997020294 L |- | 25 || November 25, 1997 || Vancouver Canucks || 4–2 || 8–10–7 || 1997020310 L |- | 26 || November 26, 1997 || @ New York Islanders || 4–1 || 8–11–7 || 1997020316 L |- | 27 || November 28, 1997 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 3–3 OT || 8–11–8 || 1997020329 T |- | 28 || November 30, 1997 || Florida Panthers || 1–1 OT || 8–11–9 || 1997020345 T |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; December: 4–7–3 (home: 3–4–1; road: 1–3–2) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 29 || December 2, 1997 || Washington Capitals || 3–2 OT || 8–12–9 || 1997020354 L |- | 30 || December 5, 1997 || Philadelphia Flyers || 4–4 OT || 8–12–10 || 1997020372 T |- | 31 || December 6, 1997 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 3–3 OT || 8–12–11 || 1997020379 T |- | 32 || December 8, 1997 || Phoenix Coyotes || 3–1 || 9–12–11 || 1997020388 W |- | 33 || December 10, 1997 || Calgary Flames || 4–1 || 9–13–11 || 1997020396 L |- | 34 || December 12, 1997 || Florida Panthers || 4–3 || 9–14–11 || 1997020407 L |- | 35 || December 16, 1997 || @ New Jersey Devils || 4–3 || 9–15–11 || 1997020433 L |- | 36 || December 17, 1997 || @ Florida Panthers || 4–2 || 10–15–11 || 1997020439 W |- | 37 || December 20, 1997 || @ Tampa Bay Lightning || 2–2 OT || 10–15–12 || 1997020459 T |- | 38 || December 21, 1997 || Buffalo Sabres || 2–0 || 10–16–12 || 1997020465 L |- | 39 || December 23, 1997 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 4–1 || 11–16–12 || 1997020475 W |- | 40 || December 26, 1997 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 3–0 || 11–17–12 || 1997020484 L |- | 41 || December 28, 1997 || Boston Bruins || 4–3 || 12–17–12 || 1997020501 W |- | 42 || December 31, 1997 || @ Tampa Bay Lightning || 2–0 || 12–18–12 || 1997020517 L |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; January: 4–4–3 (home: 3–2–2; road: 1–2–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 43 || January 3, 1998 || @ Washington Capitals || 3–2 || 13–18–12 || 1997020539 W |- | 44 || January 6, 1998 || Carolina Hurricanes || 4–2 || 14–18–12 || 1997020552 W |- | 45 || January 8, 1998 || Washington Capitals || 5–3 || 14–19–12 || 1997020567 L |- | 46 || January 12, 1998 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3–2 || 15–19–12 || 1997020592 W |- | 47 || January 14, 1998 || @ New Jersey Devils || 4–1 || 15–20–12 || 1997020602 L |- | 48 || January 20, 1998 || St. Louis Blues || 3–1 || 16–20–12 || 1997020616 W |- | 49 || January 22, 1998 || Philadelphia Flyers || 4–3 || 16–21–12 || 1997020631 L |- | 50 || January 24, 1998 || New Jersey Devils || 3–3 OT || 16–21–13 || 1997020642 T |- | 51 || January 26, 1998 || Washington Capitals || 2–2 OT || 16–21–14 || 1997020655 T |- | 52 || January 29, 1998 || @ Ottawa Senators || 2–2 OT || 16–21–15 || 1997020672 T |- | 53 || January 31, 1998 || @ Boston Bruins || 4–2 || 16–22–15 || 1997020681 L |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; February: 2–3–1 (home: 0–1–0; road: 2–2–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 54 || February 2, 1998 || @ San Jose Sharks || 3–2 || 17–22–15 || 1997020703 W |- | 55 || February 4, 1998 || @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || 3–2 || 17–23–15 || 1997020715 L |- | 56 || February 5, 1998 || @ Los Angeles Kings || 3–1 || 17–24–15 || 1997020722 L |- | 57 || February 7, 1998 || @ Phoenix Coyotes || 1–1 OT || 17–24–16 || 1997020734 T |- | 58 || February 26, 1998 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 5–2 || 18–24–16 || 1997020749 W |- | 59 || February 28, 1998 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3–1 || 18–25–16 || 1997020757 L |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; March: 4–9–2 (home: 3–4–1; road: 1–5–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 60 || March 2, 1998 || Buffalo Sabres || 1–0 || 18–26–16 || 1997020772 L |- | 61 || March 4, 1998 || @ Florida Panthers || 4–3 || 19–26–16 || 1997020782 W |- | 62 || March 7, 1998 || @ New Jersey Devils || 6–3 || 19–27–16 || 1997020803 L |- | 63 || March 9, 1998 || New Jersey Devils || 2–2 OT || 19–27–17 || 1997020813 T |- | 64 || March 11, 1998 || San Jose Sharks || 5–3 || 20–27–17 || 1997020827 W |- | 65 || March 12, 1998 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 4–1 || 20–28–17 || 1997020577 L |- | 66 || March 14, 1998 || @ Boston Bruins || 5–1 || 20–29–17 || 1997020841 L |- | 67 || March 16, 1998 || Ottawa Senators || 5–4 || 21–29–17 || 1997020858 W |- | 68 || March 18, 1998 || Montreal Canadiens || 2–1 OT || 22–29–17 || 1997020868 W |- | 69 || March 21, 1998 || Detroit Red Wings || 4–3 || 22–30–17 || 1997020886 L |- | 70 || March 22, 1998 || @ Philadelphia Flyers || 5–4 OT || 22–31–17 || 1997020894 L |- | 71 || March 25, 1998 || Ottawa Senators || 3–2 OT || 22–32–17 || 1997020907 L |- | 72 || March 26, 1998 || @ Carolina Hurricanes || 4–1 || 22–33–17 || 1997020912 L |- | 73 || March 28, 1998 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–2 OT || 22–33–18 || 1997020925 T |- | 74 || March 30, 1998 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 3–1 || 22–34–18 || 1997020941 L |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0161AB 2px solid; border-bottom:#E6393F 2px solid; April: 3–5–0 (home: 1–2–0; road: 2–3–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Recap |- | 75 || April 1, 1998 || Boston Bruins || 4–2 || 22–35–18 || 1997020951 L |- | 76 || April 4, 1998 || @ New York Islanders || 3–0 || 22–36–18 || 1997020968 L |- | 77 || April 5, 1998 || @ Chicago Blackhawks || 2–1 OT || 23–36–18 || 1997020979 W |- | 78 || April 7, 1998 || Montreal Canadiens || 3–2 || 23–37–18 || 1997020989 L |- | 79 || April 11, 1998 || @ Detroit Red Wings || 5–2 || 23–38–18 || 1997021015 L |- | 80 || April 14, 1998 || @ Washington Capitals || 3–1 || 23–39–18 || 1997021029 L |- | 81 || April 15, 1998 || New York Islanders || 4–2 || 24–39–18 || 1997021034 W |- | 82 || April 18, 1998 || @ Philadelphia Flyers || 2–1 || 25–39–18 || 1997021054 W |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black W #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black L #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black T 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 Rangers only. = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only. No. Jersey number Player Pos Position Regular season GP Games played G Goals A Assists Pts Points +/- Plus/minus PIM Penalties in minutes 99 Wayne Gretzky C 82 23 67 90 −11 28 16 Pat LaFontaine C 67 23 39 62 −16 36 27 Alexei Kovalev LW 73 23 30 53 −22 44 2 Brian Leetch D 76 17 33 50 −36 32 24 Niklas Sundstrom Niklas Sundström RW 70 19 28 47 0 24 17 Kevin Stevens LW 80 14 27 41 −7 130 9 Adam Graves LW 72 23 12 35 −30 41 37 Tim Sweeney ice hockey RW 56 11 18 29 7 26 33 Bruce Driver D 75 5 15 20 −3 46 12 Mike Keane RW 70 8 10 18 −12 47 5 Ulf Samuelsson D 73 3 9 12 1 122 20 Brian Skrudland C 59 5 6 11 −4 39 32 Mike Eastwood C 48 5 5 10 −2 16 25 Alexander Karpovtsev D 47 3 7 10 −1 38 18 Bill Berg ice hockey C 67 1 9 10 −15 55 26 Jeff Finley D 63 1 6 7 −3 55 15 Darren Langdon LW 70 3 3 6 0 197 10 Marc Savard C 28 1 5 6 −4 4 28 P. J. Stock C 38 2 3 5 4 114 23 Jeff Beukeboom D 63 0 5 5 −25 195 39 Vladimir Vorobiev RW 15 2 2 4 −10 6 21 Johan Lindbom LW 38 1 3 4 4 28 6 Doug Lidster D 36 0 4 4 2 24 29 Eric Cairns D 39 0 3 3 −3 92 36 Daniel Goneau LW 11 2 0 2 −4 4 14 Geoff Smith ice hockey D 15 1 1 2 −4 6 8 Ryan VandenBussche RW 16 1 0 1 −2 38 4 Maxim Galanov D 6 0 1 1 1 2 35 Mike Richter G 72 0 1 1 2 30 Sylvain Blouin D 1 0 0 0 0 5 34 Dan Cloutier G 12 0 0 0 19 12 Bob Errey RW 12 0 0 0 −5 7 14 Peter Ferraro RW 1 0 0 0 −2 2 31 Jason Muzzatti G 6 0 0 0 10 36 Pierre Sevigny ice hockey LW 3 0 0 0 0 2 8 Brad Smyth RW 1 0 0 0 0 0 38 Ronnie Sundin D 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 Harry York C 2 0 0 0 −1 0 Goaltending = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Rangers only. No. Jersey number Player Regular season GP Games played W Wins L Losses T Ties SA Shots against GA Goals against GAA Goals against average SV% Save percentage SO Shutouts TOI Time on ice 35 Mike Richter 72 21 31 15 1888 184 2.66 .903 0 4143 34 Dan Cloutier 12 4 5 1 248 23 2.50 .907 0 551 31 Jason Muzzatti 6 0 3 2 156 17 3.26 .891 0 313 Sources:New York Rangers 1997-98 roster and statistics https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000481998.html www.hockeydb.com July 2, 2023 Awards and records Awards TypeAward/honorRecipientRef League(annual) NHL Second All-Star Team Wayne Gretzky (Center)Postseason All-Star Teams https://records.nhl.com/awards/phwa-all-star-teams?season=19971998 records.nhl.com July 9, 2023 League(in-season) NHL All-Star Game selection Wayne Gretzky1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters https://www.hockey-reference.com/allstar/NHL_1998_roster.html Hockey-Reference August 29, 2024 Brian LeetchLeetch was voted to the starting lineup.NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986) https://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=29185 NHL.com August 29, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20230322193353/https://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=29185 March 22, 2023 Team Ceil Saidel Memorial Award Adam Graves2014–15 New York Rangers Media Guide New York Rangers 2014 349–352 Frank Boucher Trophy Wayne Gretzky Good Guy Award Alexei Kovalev Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award Marc Savard Players' Player Award Darren Langdon Rangers MVP Wayne Gretzky Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Wayne Gretzky Milestones MilestonePlayerDateRef First game Marc Savard October 3, 19971997–98 NHL Debuts https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_1998_debut.html Hockey-Reference October 8, 2024 Johan Lindbom November 12, 1997 P. J. Stock November 21, 1997 Dan Cloutier January 3, 1998 Ronnie Sundin January 14, 1998 Maxim Galanov April 4, 1998 1,000th point Pat LaFontaine January 22, 1998Flyers get victory, spoil LaFontaine feat https://www.deseret.com/1998/1/23/19359340/flyers-get-victory-spoil-lafontaine-feat Deseret News Associated Press July 9, 2023 January 23, 1998 Draft picks New York's picks at the 1997 NHL entry draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Civic Arena.Hockey-Reference 2012-07-14 1997 NHL Entry Draft https://www.hockey-reference.com/draft/NHL_1997_entry.htmlNational Hockey League 2012-07-14 NHL Draft History http://www.nhl.com/futures/drafthistory.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20010128131400/http://nhl.com/futures/drafthistory.html 2001-01-28 Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League) 1 19 Stefan Cherneski RW Canada Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) 2 46 Wes Jarvis D Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 3 73 Burke Henry D Canada Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) 4 93 Tomi Kallarsson D Finland HPK Junior (Finland) 5 126 Jason McLean G Canada Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) 5 134 Johan Lindbom RW Sweden HV71 (SEL) 6 136 Mike York C United States Michigan State University (NCAA) 6 154 Shawn Degagne G Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL) 7 175 Johan Holmqvist G Sweden Brynäs IF (SEL) 7 182 Mike Mottau D United States Boston College (NCAA) 8 210 Andrew Proskurnicki LW Canada Sarnia Sting (OHL) 9 236 Richard Miller D United States Providence College (NCAA) See also 1997–98 NHL season Notes References Category:New York Rangers seasons New York Rangers New York Rangers New York Rangers Category:1990s in Manhattan