# 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 31st in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was their first season under Head Coach Kevin Constantine and first after the initial retirement of Mario Lemieux.

## Offseason

Following the 1996–97 season which saw their Hall of Fame star Mario Lemieux retire, the Penguins attempted to continue keeping their recent success. Over the previous nine seasons, no NHL team had been more successful than Pittsburgh in terms of regular season points, although the team had not won a Stanley Cup since 1992 (part of the reason why Head Coach Eddie Johnston was asked to resign down following the 1996–97 season). Former San Jose Sharks Head Coach Kevin Constantine was hired as Johnston's successor, promising to replace his predecessor's free-form style of play with a more disciplined approach. Additionally, Ron Francis was named captain in Lemieux's absence, and the team acquired center Martin Straka via free agency to add offense. The team also acquired the rights to defensive-defenseman Jiri Slegr, who had spent the 1996–97 season playing for Sodertalje SK in Sweden.

## Regular season

The Penguins tied the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders for most short-handed goals allowed, with 16.

### Final standings

Northeast Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 228 | 188 | 98 |
| 2 | 5 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 221 | 194 | 91 |
| 3 | 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 36 | 29 | 17 | 211 | 187 | 89 |
| 4 | 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 37 | 32 | 13 | 235 | 208 | 87 |
| 5 | 8 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 34 | 33 | 15 | 193 | 200 | 83 |
| 6 | 9 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 33 | 41 | 8 | 200 | 219 | 74 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | New Jersey Devils | ATL | 82 | 48 | 23 | 11 | 225 | 166 | 107 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NE | 82 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 228 | 188 | 98 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | ATL | 82 | 42 | 29 | 11 | 242 | 193 | 95 |
| 4 | Washington Capitals | ATL | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 219 | 202 | 92 |
| 5 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 221 | 194 | 91 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 36 | 29 | 17 | 211 | 187 | 89 |
| 7 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 37 | 32 | 13 | 235 | 208 | 87 |
| 8 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 34 | 33 | 15 | 193 | 200 | 83 |
| 9 | Carolina Hurricanes | NE | 82 | 33 | 41 | 8 | 200 | 219 | 74 |
| 10 | New York Islanders | ATL | 82 | 30 | 41 | 11 | 212 | 225 | 71 |
| 11 | New York Rangers | ATL | 82 | 25 | 39 | 18 | 197 | 231 | 68 |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | ATL | 82 | 24 | 43 | 15 | 203 | 256 | 63 |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Lightning | ATL | 82 | 17 | 55 | 10 | 151 | 269 | 44 |
Divisions: ATL – Atlantic, NE – Northeast
bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

1997–98 regular season :
October: 7–5–2 (home: 1–2–1; road: 6–3–1), 16 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
1October 1Los Angeles Kings3–3Pittsburgh Penguins0–0–11Recap
2October 3Pittsburgh Penguins4–3Carolina Hurricanes1–0–13Recap
3October 4Florida Panthers5–3Pittsburgh Penguins1–1–13Recap
4October 8Montreal Canadiens3–0Pittsburgh Penguins1–2–13Recap
5October 9Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Philadelphia Flyers1–3–13Recap
6October 11Carolina Hurricanes1–4Pittsburgh Penguins2–3–15Recap
7October 14Pittsburgh Penguins1–0New York Rangers3–3–17Recap
8October 15Pittsburgh Penguins1–1Montreal Canadiens3–3–28Recap
9October 17Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Tampa Bay Lightning4–3–210Recap
10October 19Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Florida Panthers5–3–212Recap
11October 22Pittsburgh Penguins5–2San Jose Sharks6–3–214Recap
12October 24Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Edmonton Oilers6–4–214Recap
13October 25Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTVancouver Canucks7–4–216Recap
14October 28Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Calgary Flames7–5–216Recap :
November: 7–4–3 (home: 5–2–2; road: 2–2–1), 17 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
15November 1Vancouver Canucks6–7 OTPittsburgh Penguins8–5–218Recap
16November 2Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Chicago Blackhawks8–6–218Recap
17November 5Dallas Stars5–2Pittsburgh Penguins8–7–218Recap
18November 7Pittsburgh Penguins1–1Detroit Red Wings8–7–319Recap
19November 8Buffalo Sabres2–2Pittsburgh Penguins8–7–420Recap
20November 12Washington Capitals4–1Pittsburgh Penguins8–8–420Recap
21November 14Pittsburgh Penguins1–3New York Rangers8–9–420Recap
22November 15Pittsburgh Penguins5–0Toronto Maple Leafs9–9–422Recap
23November 19Boston Bruins3–3Pittsburgh Penguins9–9–523Recap
24November 20Pittsburgh Penguins2–0Ottawa Senators10–9–525Recap
25November 22New York Rangers3–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins11–9–527Recap
26November 24Buffalo Sabres1–5Pittsburgh Penguins12–9–529Recap
27November 26Carolina Hurricanes2–3Pittsburgh Penguins13–9–531Recap
28November 29Montreal Canadiens3–6Pittsburgh Penguins14–9–533Recap :
December: 7–3–3 (home: 3–2–1; road: 4–1–2), 17 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
29December 1Pittsburgh Penguins1–0Montreal Canadiens15–9–535Recap
30December 4New Jersey Devils4–0Pittsburgh Penguins15–10–535Recap
31December 6Mighty Ducks of Anaheim2–5Pittsburgh Penguins16–10–537Recap
32December 9Pittsburgh Penguins2–1Los Angeles Kings17–10–539Recap
33December 10Pittsburgh Penguins3–0Mighty Ducks of Anaheim18–10–541Recap
34December 12Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Phoenix Coyotes18–10–642Recap
35December 16Tampa Bay Lightning1–1Pittsburgh Penguins18–10–743Recap
36December 19Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Colorado Avalanche18–10–844Recap
37December 20Pittsburgh Penguins1–4St. Louis Blues18–11–844Recap
38December 26Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Washington Capitals19–11–846Recap
39December 27Montreal Canadiens1–0Pittsburgh Penguins19–12–846Recap
40December 29New York Islanders1–5Pittsburgh Penguins20–12–848Recap
41December 31Carolina Hurricanes2–3Pittsburgh Penguins21–12–850Recap :
January: 8–3–2 (home: 4–1–1; road: 4–2–1), 18 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
42January 3Colorado Avalanche5–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins21–13–850Recap
43January 6Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New York Islanders22–13–852Recap
44January 7Pittsburgh Penguins1–3New Jersey Devils22–14–852Recap
45January 10New Jersey Devils1–4Pittsburgh Penguins23–14–854Recap
46January 12Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Carolina Hurricanes24–14–856Recap
47January 14Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Boston Bruins24–15–856Recap
48January 20Ottawa Senators0–0Pittsburgh Penguins24–15–957Recap
49January 22Pittsburgh Penguins3–2New Jersey Devils25–15–959Recap
50January 24Boston Bruins2–4Pittsburgh Penguins26–15–961Recap
51January 26St. Louis Blues2–4Pittsburgh Penguins27–15–963Recap
52January 28Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Washington Capitals27–15–1064Recap
53January 29Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Boston Bruins28–15–1066Recap
54January 31Detroit Red Wings2–4Pittsburgh Penguins29–15–1068Recap :
February: 1–2–3 (home: 0–1–1; road: 1–1–2), 5 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
55February 2New York Islanders4–2Pittsburgh Penguins29–16–1068Recap
56February 4Washington Capitals2–2Pittsburgh Penguins29–16–1169Recap
57February 6Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Buffalo Sabres29–16–1270Recap
58February 7Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Ottawa Senators29–16–1371Recap
59February 25Pittsburgh Penguins6–2Montreal Canadiens30–16–1373Recap
60February 28Pittsburgh Penguins2–6Boston Bruins30–17–1373Recap :
March: 6–3–4 (home: 6–0–3; road: 0–3–1), 16 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
61March 2Toronto Maple Leafs1–3Pittsburgh Penguins31–17–1375Recap
62March 5Chicago Blackhawks2–2Pittsburgh Penguins31–17–1476Recap
63March 7Philadelphia Flyers4–6Pittsburgh Penguins32–17–1478Recap
64March 8Pittsburgh Penguins3–4 OTPhiladelphia Flyers32–18–1478Recap
65March 11Calgary Flames1–4Pittsburgh Penguins33–18–1480Recap
66March 14Buffalo Sabres1–2Pittsburgh Penguins34–18–1482Recap
67March 15Pittsburgh Penguins0–3Buffalo Sabres34–19–1482Recap
68March 18Edmonton Oilers2–4Pittsburgh Penguins35–19–1484Recap
69March 21Philadelphia Flyers3–4Pittsburgh Penguins36–19–1486Recap
70March 22Pittsburgh Penguins0–0Dallas Stars36–19–1587Recap
71March 26Pittsburgh Penguins3–4New York Islanders36–20–1587Recap
72March 28New York Rangers2–2Pittsburgh Penguins36–20–1688Recap
73March 29Ottawa Senators1–1Pittsburgh Penguins36–20–1789Recap :
April: 4–4–1 (home: 2–2–1; road: 2–2–0), 9 Points
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
74April 1San Jose Sharks3–2Pittsburgh Penguins36–21–1789Recap
75April 4Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Tampa Bay Lightning37–21–1791Recap
76April 5Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Florida Panthers37–22–1791Recap
77April 7Phoenix Coyotes2–1Pittsburgh Penguins37–23–1791Recap
78April 9Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Ottawa Senators37–24–1791Recap
79April 11Florida Panthers3–3Pittsburgh Penguins37–24–1892Recap
80April 15Tampa Bay Lightning1–5Pittsburgh Penguins38–24–1894Recap
81April 16Pittsburgh Penguins4–1Carolina Hurricanes39–24–1896Recap
82April 18Boston Bruins2–5Pittsburgh Penguins40–24–1898Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

### Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens – Canadiens win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeSeriesRecap
1April 23Montreal Canadiens3–2 (OT)Pittsburgh Penguins0–1Recap
2April 25Montreal Canadiens1–4Pittsburgh Penguins1–1Recap
3April 27Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Montreal Canadiens1–2Recap
4April 29Pittsburgh Penguins6–3Montreal Canadiens2–2Recap
5May 1Montreal Canadiens5–2Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Recap
6May 3Pittsburgh Penguins0–3Montreal Canadiens2–4Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jaromir Jagr | 77 | 35 | 67 | 102 | 17 | 64 |
| Ron Francis | 81 | 25 | 62 | 87 | 12 | 20 |
| Stu Barnes | 78 | 30 | 35 | 65 | 15 | 30 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 74 | 19 | 29 | 48 | -3 | 66 |
| Martin Straka | 75 | 19 | 23 | 42 | -1 | 28 |
| Rob Brown | 82 | 15 | 25 | 40 | -1 | 59 |
| Fredrik Olausson | 76 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 13 | 42 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 76 | 13 | 13 | 26 | -4 | 8 |
| Eddie Olczyk | 56 | 11 | 11 | 22 | -9 | 35 |
| Robert Lang$^†$ | 51 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 6 | 14 |
| Alex Hicks | 58 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 4 | 54 |
| Brad Werenka | 71 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 46 |
| Jiri Slegr | 73 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 109 |
| Andreas Johansson | 50 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 20 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 81 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 127 |
| Robert Dome | 30 | 5 | 2 | 7 | -1 | 12 |
| Tyler Wright | 82 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 112 |
| Peter Ferraro$^‡$ | 29 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 12 |
| Chris Ferraro | 46 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 43 |
| Ian Moran | 37 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| Chris Tamer | 79 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 181 |
| Neil Wilkinson | 34 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 24 |
| Garry Valk | 39 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 33 |
| Tuomas Gronman | 22 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 25 |
| Greg Johnson$^‡$ | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Sean Pronger$^†$ | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| Sven Butenschon | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 |
| Total | Total | 228 | 397 | 625 | — | 1,193 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jaromir Jagr | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Stu Barnes | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Ron Francis | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Jiri Slegr | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Fredrik Olausson | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Robert Lang | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -4 | 2 |
| Eddie Olczyk | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 4 |
| Martin Straka | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Rob Brown | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -4 | 4 |
| Kevin Hatcher | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Brad Werenka | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 8 |
| Chris Tamer | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| Tyler Wright | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 2 |
| Ian Moran | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
| Sean Pronger | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 |
| Andreas Johansson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 8 |
| Tuomas Gronman | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Hicks | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 15 | 26 | 41 | — | 68 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso | 63 | 61 | 3542:07 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 122 | 2.07 | 1556 | 0.922 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Peter Skudra | 17 | 12 | 851:23 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 1.83 | 341 | 0.924 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ken Wregget | 15 | 9 | 611:26 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 2.75 | 293 | 0.904 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | Total | 82 | 5004:56 | 40 | 24 | 18 | 176 | 2.11 | 2190 | 0.920 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Tom Barrasso | 6 | 6 | 376:19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2.71 | 171 | 0.901 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 6 | 376:19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2.71 | 171 | 0.901 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Art Ross Trophy | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (annual) | Lady Byng Memorial Trophy | Ron Francis |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Ron Francis |
| Team | Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award | Ron Francis |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | Peter Skudra |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Ron Francis |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Ron Francis |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Chris Tamer |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Tyler Wright |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Robert Dome | October 1, 1997 |
| First game | Alexei Morozov | October 1, 1997 |
| First game | Sven Butenschon | October 19, 1997 |
| First game | Peter Skudra | November 5, 1997 |
| 25th shutout | Tom Barrasso | November 15, 1997 |

## Transactions

The Penguins have been involved in the following transactions during the 1997–98 season:

### Trades

| August 12, 1997 | To Edmonton Oilers 1998 3rd round pick | To Pittsburgh Penguins Jiri Slegr |
| September 24, 1997 | To Buffalo Sabres Jason Woolley | To Pittsburgh Penguins 1998 5th round pick |
| September 28, 1997 | To Colorado Avalanche Francois Leroux | To Pittsburgh Penguins 1998 3rd round pick |
| October 27, 1997 | To Chicago Blackhawks Greg Johnson | To Pittsburgh Penguins Tuomas Gronman |
| March 24, 1998 | To Anaheim Ducks rights to Patrick Lalime | To Pittsburgh Penguins Sean Pronger |
| June 16, 1998 | To Edmonton Oilers rights to Josef Beranek | To Pittsburgh Penguins Bobby Dollas Tony Hrkac |
| June 17, 1998 | To Calgary Flames David Roche Ken Wregget | To Pittsburgh Penguins Todd Hlushko German Titov |

### Free agents

| Player | Acquired from | Lost to | Date |
| Brad Werenka | Chicago Blackhawks | | July 31, 1997 |
| Jeff Christian | | Phoenix Coyotes | August 4, 1997 |
| Martin Straka | Florida Panthers | | August 6, 1997 |
| Robert Lang | HC Sparta Praha | | September 2, 1997 |
| Peter Skudra | Edmonton Oilers | | September 25, 1997 |
| Drake Berehowsky | | Edmonton Oilers | September 30, 1997 |
| Rob Brown | Chicago Wolves | | October 1, 1997 |

### Waivers

| Player | Acquired from | Lost to | Date |
| Robert Lang | | Boston Bruins | September 28, 1997 |
| Peter Ferraro | New York Rangers | | October 1, 1997 |
| Chris Ferraro | New York Rangers | | October 1, 1997 |
| Robert Lang | Boston Bruins | | October 25, 1997 |
| Peter Ferraro | | New York Rangers | January 14, 1998 |
| Tony Hrkac | | Nashville Predators | June 26, 1998 |

### Retained

| Player | Details | Date |
| Ian Moran | Resigned | August 1, 1997 |
| Joe Dziedzic | Resigned | September 10, 1997 |
| Alexei Morozov | Signed rookie contract | September 24, 1997 |
| Jaromir Jagr | Resigned | January 27, 1998 |
| Peter Skudra | Resigned | June 17, 1998 |

## Draft picks

The Penguins drafted the following players at the 1997 NHL entry draft at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh:
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 17 | Robert Dome | Left Wing | Slovakia | Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) |
| 2 | 44 | Brian Gaffaney | Defense | United States | North Iowa Huskies (USHL) |
| 3 | 71 | Josef Melichar | Defense | Czech Republic | HC Ceske Budejovice (Czech) |
| 4 | 97 | Alexandre Mathieu | Center | Canada | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 124 | Harlan Pratt | Defense | Canada | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) |
| 6 | 152 | Petr Havelka | Left Wing | Czech Republic | Sparta Prague (Czech) |
| 7 | 179 | Mark Moore | Defense | Canada | Harvard University (ECACHL) |
| 8 | 208 | Andrew Ference | Defense | Canada | Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) |
| 9 | 234 | Eric Lind | Defense | United States | Avon Old Farms (USHS–CT) |

## Farm teams

The Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League finished last overall in the Northern Conference with a record of 23–41–6.
The American Hockey League (AHL)'s Syracuse Crunch finished in third place in the Empire State Division with a record of 35–32–11–2 record. They were eliminated by the Hamilton Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs.