RE-LIVE THE EDMONTON OILERS 1997-98 SEASON

7 years ago

As quickly as the Edmonton Oilers had raised the expectations of fans with a return to the playoffs and a first-round upset of the highly favoured Dallas Stars in the spring of 1997, they stuck a pin in that balloon at the start of the 1997-98 season by getting off to a 5-10-5 start in their first 20 games.

It wasn’t the start of the season that would turn out to be the story, though, as the Oilers would finish hot, winning seven of their final 10 games to qualify for the post season for the second straight year and fashion another stunning first-round upset in the playoffs. The man behind the second-half resurgence was goaltender Curtis Joseph. Hell, he was the resurgence.

RECORD 35-37-10 (80 points) 3rd in Pacific Division

GD 215-224 minus-9 SH% 9.1 SV% .906

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS

1998-03-24	Dan McGillis traded to Philadelphia with 2nd round pick in 1998 (Jason Beckett) for Janne Niinimaa.
1998-03-09	Scott Ferguson traded to Ottawa for Frank Musil.
1998-01-09	Drew Bannister traded to Anaheim for Bobby Dollas.
1998-01-06	Tony Hrkac claimed on waivers from Dallas.
1998-01-04	Jason Arnott traded to New Jersey with Bryan Muir for Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin.
1997-12-30	Jason Bonsignore traded to Tampa Bay with Steve Kelly and Bryan Marchment for Paul Comrie and Roman Hamrlik.
1997-11-06	Ray Whitney claimed on waivers by Florida.
1997-10-15	Jason Bowen traded by Philadelphia for Brant Myhres.
1997-10-01	Ray Whitney signed as free agent (formerly with San Jose).
1997-09-30	Drake Berehowsky signed as free agent (formerly with Pittsburgh).
1997-09-23	Louie DeBrusk signed as free agent by Tampa Bay.
1997-08-25	Mariusz Czerkawski traded to NY Islanders for Dan Lacouture.
1997-08-12	Jiri Slegr traded to Pittsburgh for 3rd round pick in 1998 (Brian Gionta (New Jersey)).
1997-07-28	Scott Fraser signed as free agent (formerly with Calgary).
1997-07-23	Luke Richardson signed as free agent by Philadelphia.
1997-07-22	Bill Huard signed as free agent (formerly with Dallas).
1997-07-16	Vladimir Vujtek traded to Tampa Bay with 3rd round pick in 1998 (Dmitry Afanesenkov) for Brantt Myhres and 3rd round pick in 1998 (Alex Henry).
1997-07-14	Doug Friedman signed as free agent (formerly with Colorado).
1997-06-21	Jason Chimera drafted 121st overall.
1997-06-21	Michel Riesen drafted 14th overall.
1997-06-21	Peter Sarno drafted 141st overall.

LEADING SCORERS

Rk	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	S	S%
1	Doug Weight	C	79	26	44	70	1	69	205	12.7
2	Dean McAmmond	LW	77	19	31	50	9	46	128	14.8
3	Boris Mironov	D	81	16	30	46	-8	100	203	7.9
4	Todd Marchant	LW	76	14	21	35	9	71	194	7.2
5	Ryan Smyth	LW	65	20	13	33	-24	44	205	9.8
6	Bill Guerin	RW	40	13	16	29	1	80	130	10.0
7	Mats Lindgren	C	82	13	13	26	0	42	131	9.9
8	Roman Hamrlik	D	41	6	20	26	3	48	112	5.4
9	Dan McGillis	D	67	10	15	25	-17	74	119	8.4
10	Scott Fraser	RW	29	12	11	23	6	6	61	19.7

Goalies:

Player	GP	W	L	T/O	GA	SA	SV	SV%	GAA	SO
Curtis Joseph	71	29	31	9	181	1901	1720	.905	2.63	8
Bob Essensa	16	6	6	1	35	404	369	.913	2.55	0

SEASON RECAP

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Before Cujo heated up, the Oilers struggled mightily to recapture the form that had seen them upset Dallas on Todd Marchant’s Game 7 overtime goal the previous spring. At 11-22-9 through 42 games, the Oilers were going nowhere fast and that prompted a significant shake-up by GM Glen Sather.

Sather traded Jason Arnott, who’d gone from being a Calder Trophy candidate just a few seasons before to the doghouse with fans, to the New Jersey Devils along with Bryan Muir for Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin. While a lot of people credit the trade with a turnaround that saw the Oilers go 24-15-1 in their final 40 games, Cujo was the catalyst.

Joseph would play in 71 games on the season and record eight shutouts, and four of those would come in a span of 17 games between Feb. 2 and March 21 as the Oilers mounted a charge down the stretch that would see them finish seventh. He wasn’t finished there – not nearly – as the Oilers drew the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

ANOTHER UPSET

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The Oilers won the first game 3-2 but the Avalanche, who were 15 points better than the Oilers during the regular season, roared back to take what seemed like a stranglehold on the series with 5-2, 5-4 and 3-1 wins. Not so fast, Bub. Facing elimination, the Oilers narrowed the series to 3-2 by virtue of 3-1 win in Denver. Then came Joseph.

Joseph pulled the Oilers even in the series with 31 saves in a 2-0 decision in Edmonton and then he closed the deal back in Denver with another 31-save performance in a 4-0 victory as Colorado stopper Patrick Roy imploded, allowing the four goals on just 17 shots.

As was the case the spring before, the Oilers couldn’t maintain momentum from the first-round upset, this time in a rematch with the revenge-minded Stars, their victims from 1997. Joseph blanked Dallas 2-0 in Game 2, but that’s the only win the Oilers would get as the Stars won the series in five games with 3-1, 1-0, 3-1 and 2-1 decisions.

Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260.

RE-LIVE THE EDMONTON OILERS 1997-98 SEASON

NOTABLE TRANSACTIONS

LEADING SCORERS

SEASON RECAP

ANOTHER UPSET

RECENTLY BY ROBIN BROWNLEE

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