# 1998 NLL season

Before the 1998 season, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League was renamed to be the National Lacrosse League, in the process increasing the length of the regular season from ten to twelve games. The first season as the NLL and the 12th season overall, began on January 3, 1998, and concluded with the second championship game on April 28. The championship was decided by a best-two-of-three series, with the Philadelphia Wings defeating the Baltimore Thunder 16–12 in the first game and 17–12 in the second.

## Team movement

The 1998 season featured the debut of two new teams, and the removal of one. The Boston Blazers folded after nine seasons in Boston and New England, while the Ontario Raiders and Syracuse Smash began play.

### Teams

1998 National Lacrosse League :
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Baltimore Thunder | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Arena | 10,582 |
| Buffalo Bandits | Buffalo, New York | Marine Midland Arena | 18,595 |
| New York Saints | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 16,297 |
| Ontario Raiders | Hamilton, Ontario | Copps Coliseum | 17,383 |
| Philadelphia Wings | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | CoreStates Center | 19,511 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | Rochester, New York | Rochester Community War Memorial | 10,662 |
| Syracuse Smash | Syracuse, New York | Onondaga County War Memorial | 5,800 |

## Regular season

Reference:
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
| 1 | Philadelphia Wings – xyz | 12 | 9 | 3 | .750 | 0.0 | 3–3 | 6–0 | 166 | 148 | +18 | 13.83 | 12.33 |
| 2 | Baltimore Thunder – x | 12 | 8 | 4 | .667 | 1.0 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 184 | 160 | +24 | 15.33 | 13.33 |
| 3 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3.0 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 168 | 159 | +9 | 14.00 | 13.25 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bandits – x | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3.0 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 166 | 171 | −5 | 13.83 | 14.25 |
| 5 | Ontario Raiders | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | 3.0 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 165 | 157 | +8 | 13.75 | 13.08 |
| 6 | New York Saints | 12 | 5 | 7 | .417 | 4.0 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 167 | 165 | +2 | 13.92 | 13.75 |
| 7 | Syracuse Smash | 12 | 2 | 10 | .167 | 7.0 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 163 | 219 | −56 | 13.58 | 18.25 |
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game

## All Star Game

No All-Star Game was played in 1998.

## Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship (best-of-3) | Championship (best-of-3) | Championship (best-of-3) |
| 4 | Buffalo | 12 | | | |
| 1 | Philadelphia | 17 | | | |
| 1 | Philadelphia | 17 | 2 | Baltimore | 0 |
| | | | 1 | Philadelphia | 2 |
| 3 | Rochester | 14 | 1 | Philadelphia | 2 |
| 2 | Baltimore | 15 | | | |
* Game 1: Baltimore 12 @ Philadelphia 16 Game 2: Philadelphia 17 @ Baltimore 12

## Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| MVP Award | Gary Gait | Baltimore |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Colin Doyle | Ontario |
| Championship Game MVP (Series) | Dallas Eliuk | Philadelphia |
| Championship Game MVP (Game 1) | Dallas Eliuk | Philadelphia |
| Championship Game MVP (Game 2) | Bill Miller | Philadelphia |

### Weekly awards

Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.
| Week | Player of the Week |
| 1 | Gary Gait |
| 2 | Andy Piazza |
| 3 | Derek Collins |
| 4 | Chris Gill |
| 5 | Eric Seremet |
| 6 | Tom Marechek |
| 7 | Gary Gait |
| 8 | Darris Kilgour |
| 9 | Derek General |
| 10 | Russ Heard |
| 11 | Colin Doyle |
| 12 | Steve Sombrotto |
| 13 | Mark Millon |
| 14 | John Tavares |
| 15 | Bob Watson |

### Monthly awards

Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie. The 1998 season was the first season that the Rookie of the Month award was given out.
| Month | Overall | Rookie |
| Jan | Gary Gait | Curt Malawsky |
| Feb | Darris Kilgour | Jake Bergey |
| Mar | Mark Millon | Colin Doyle |

## Statistics leaders

Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.
| Stat | Player | Team | Number |
| Goals | Gary Gait | Baltimore | 57 |
| Assists | Jim Veltman | Ontario | 40 |
| Points | Gary Gait | Baltimore | 85 |
| Penalty Minutes | Pat Coyle | Ontario | 48 |
| Shots on Goal | Gary Gait | Baltimore | 156 |
| Loose Balls | Jim Veltman | Ontario | 194 |
| Save Pct | Steve Dietrich | Rochester | 77.9 |

## Attendance
### Regular Season

| Home Team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance |
| Philadelphia Wings | 6 | 14,197 | 85,182 |
| Buffalo Bandits | 6 | 12,256 | 73,534 |
| New York Saints | 6 | 6,725 | 40,349 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 6 | 6,706 | 40,234 |
| Baltimore Thunder | 6 | 5,378 | 32,269 |
| Ontario Thunder | 6 | 4,810 | 28,862 |
| Syracuse Smash | 6 | 4,230 | 25,378 |
| League | 42 | 7,757 | 325,808 |

### Playoffs

| Home Team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance |
| Philadelphia Wings | 2 | 9,288 | 19,655 |
| Baltimore Thunder | 2 | 3,282 | 6,564 |
| League | 4 | 6,555 | 26,219 |