The 1998–99 Philadelphia Flyers season Philadelphia Flyers ' 32nd season in the National Hockey League (NHL).
In the off-season, the Flyers went looking for a new goaltender. Sean Burke hadn't worked out well enough and Ron Hextall was about to enter his final season as a backup. They chose to sign former Panther John Vanbiesbrouck over former Oiler Curtis Joseph , who ended up signing with Toronto. The 1998–99 season was marred by a life-threatening injury sustained by Eric Lindros on April 1 during a game against the Nashville Predators , a season-ending injury later diagnosed as a collapsed lung. Up until that point, Lindros was having an MVP-type season with 40 goals and 53 assists in 71 games. It is said that if roommate Keith Jones had not intervened at the last minute, Lindros might have died on the plane ride back to Philadelphia. Without Lindros, the Flyers were fortunate to have re-acquired Mark Recchi at the trade deadline. Although Vanbiesbrouck allowed nine goals to Joseph's eleven allowed, the Flyers lost their first round series with Toronto in six games.
Regular season [ ] Season standings [ ] Game log [ ] Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point)
1998–99 Game log
October: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
1
October 9 Philadelphia
1 – 0
NY Rangers Vanbiesbrouck
18,200
1–0–0
2
November: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
November 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
December: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
December 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
January: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
January 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
February: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
February 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
March: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
March 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
April: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts
April 1
0 – 0
0–0–0
Playoffs [ ] Game log [ ] Win Loss
1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Toronto - Maple Leafs win 4–2
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series
1
April 22 Philadelphia
3 – 0
Toronto Vanbiesbrouck
18,800
Flyers lead 1–0
2
April 24 Philadelphia
1 – 2
Toronto Vanbiesbrouck
18,800
Series tied 1–1
3
April 26 Toronto 2 – 1
Philadelphia
Vanbiesbrouck
19,595
Maple Leafs lead 2–1
4
April 28 Toronto 2 – 5
Philadelphia
Vanbiesbrouck
19,703
Series tied 2–2
5
April 30 Philadelphia
1 – 2
Toronto OT
Vanbiesbrouck
18,800
Maple Leafs lead 3–2
6
May 2 Toronto 1 – 0
Philadelphia
Vanbiesbrouck
19,706
Maple Leafs win 4–2
Player stats [ ] Skaters [ ] Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Flyers. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
‡ Traded mid-season
Goaltenders [ ] Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Regular season
Playoffs
Player
#
GP
TOI
W
L
T
GA
SO
SV%
GAA
GP
TOI
W
L
GA
SO
SV%
GAA
John Vanbiesbrouck 34
62
3712
27
18
15
135
6
.902
2.18
6
369
2
4
9
1
.938
1.46
Ron Hextall 27
23
1235
10
7
4
52
0
.888
2.53
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Jean-Marc Pelletier 49
1
60
0
1
0
5
0
.828
5.00
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Awards and records [ ] Awards [ ] Transactions [ ] The Flyers were involved in the following transactions before/during the 1998–99 season.
Trades [ ]
June 27, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers 1998
To Nashville Predators Dominic Roussel
June 27, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers 5th round pick in 1998
To Chicago Blackhawks Paul Coffey
August 25, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers 2000
To New York Islanders Ray Giroux
October 5, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Valeri Zelepukin
To Edmonton Oilers Daniel Lacroix
October 13, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Ryan Bast 1999
To Calgary Flames 1999
October 19, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers 2000
To Vancouver Canucks Trent Klatt
November 12, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Keith Jones
To Colorado Avalanche Shjon Podein
November 17, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Roman Vopat
To Chicago Blackhawks Mike Maneluk
December 12, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Mikael Renberg Daymond Langkow
To Tampa Bay Lightning Chris Gratton Mike Sillinger
December 28, 1998
To Philadelphia Flyers Karl Dykhuis
To Tampa Bay Lightning Petr Svoboda
January 8, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Dennis Bonvie
To Chicago Blackhawks Frank Bialowas
January 26, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Nashville Predators Sergei Klimentiev
January 29, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Andrei Kovalenko
To Edmonton Oilers Alexandre Daigle
February 10, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Pittsburgh Penguins
March 6, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Adam Burt
To Carolina Hurricanes Andrei Kovalenko
March 10, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Mark Recchi
To Montreal Canadiens Dainius Zubrus 2nd round pick in 1999 2000
March 20, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Sandy McCarthy Mikael Andersson
To Tampa Bay Lightning Colin Forbes 1999
March 23, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Craig Berube
To Washington Capitals
March 23, 1999
To Philadelphia Flyers Steve Duchesne
To Los Angeles Kings Dave Babych 5th round pick in 2000
Other transactions [ ]
Date
Player
Team (League)
Notes
Signed via free agency
July 6, 1998
Marc Bureau
Montreal (NHL )
3 years
July 9, 1998
Sergei Klimentiev
Rochester (AHL )
2 years
July 16, 1998
John Vanbiesbrouck
Florida (NHL)
July 28, 1998
Mark Greig
Grand Rapids (IHL )
2 years
July 28, 1998
Jason Zent
Ottawa (NHL)
August 17, 1998
Steve McLaren
Indianapolis (IHL)
1 year
August 24, 1998
Richard Park
Anaheim (NHL)
1 year
October 7, 1998
Jody Hull
Tampa Bay (NHL)
2 years
Lost via free agency
August 18, 1999
Chris Joseph
Ottawa (NHL)
Lost in 1998 NHL Expansion Draft
June 26, 1998
Craig Darby
Nashville (NHL)
Retirement
n/a
Joel Otto
—
Re-signed
June 25, 1998
Eric Lindros
—
1 year, $8.5 million
July 15, 1998
Paul Healey
—
2 years
July 15, 1998
Ron Hextall
—
1 year
July 15, 1998
Jeff Lank
—
2 years
August 3, 1998
Mike Maneluk
—
1 year
August 3, 1998
John Stevens
—
2 years
August 14, 1998
Rod Brind'Amour
—
3 years
August 17, 1998
Peter White
—
3 years
March 30, 1999
Eric Desjardins
—
4 year extension
May 10, 1999
Mark Recchi
—
5 year extension
Signed to Entry Level contracts
July 16, 1998
Dmitri Tertyshny
Traktor Chelyabinsk (RSL )
Drafted 132nd overall, 1995
August 4, 1998
Mark Eaton
Notre Dame (CCHA )
Undrafted free agent
Draft picks [ ] Philadelphia's picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft .[3]
Farm teams [ ] The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL .[4]
See also [ ] References [ ]
Philadelphia Flyers
Team
History • Players • Award Winners • Records • Seasons • Draft Picks • The Spectrum • Wachovia Center
Head Coaches Allen • Stasiuk • Shero • McCammon • Quinn • McCammon • Keenan • Holmgren • Dineen • Simpson • Murray • Cashman • Neilson • Ramsay • Barber • Hitchcock • Stevens • Laviolette • Berube • Hakstol • Vigneault
Division titles
1967-68 , 1973-74 , 1974-75 , 1975-76 , 1976-77 , 1979-80 , 1982-83 , 1984-85 , 1985-86 , 1986-87 , 1994-95 , 1995-96 , 1999-2000 , 2001-02 , 2003-04
Conference Championships
1974-75 , 1975-76 , 1976-77 , 1979-80 , 1984-85 , 1986-87 , 1996-97
Stanley Cups 1973-74 , 1974-75
Affiliates
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL ), Reading Royals (ECHL )
Canada
Finland
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Russia