Washington Capitals 1998 Playoff Run

[Jim MacDonald]

Hey everyone,

Wanted to get your thoughts/feedback on the 1998 Washington Capitals playoff run. I don't recall watching many Eastern Conference games that year, and wanted to know who were the key players and what were some of the big plays that got them to the Final? Obviously Kolzig was the star in goal, did he have a really good playoff run? Any one of the front or back end guys have a really good playoff? (I remember Oates, Bellows, Juneau, Esa Tikannen was on that team, Richard Zednik). I seen they beat Dominik Hasek and Buffalo on a OT goal to get to the finals, I wonder if that was a bit of an "upset." Look forward to your guys' thoughts/knowledge!-Jim

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[goeb]

I feel like the Caps basically rode Bondra and Kolzig into a very respectable 4 or 5th seed in the playoffs. I did not think they would go far just due to their lack of depth on paper. Lucky for them though, all the top seeds got eliminated in the first round which made their path to the finals a bit easier. Bruins series seemed to be a pretty good one, I remember one OT victory the Caps had was marred by controversy due to the Bruins having a goal disallowed earlier because a player had a toe in the crease. They rolled through Ottawa in round 2, and were able to get some key OT victories against the Sabres in round 3. I was barely a teen back then, but I recall most people picking Buffalo to win the series due to how dominant Hasek was all season (including the olympics) and felt it was destiny for him to reach the finals. Caps did a good job getting under his skin though and that might have ultimately played a role in the series as he let in a few weak ones in that series. Caps also managed to win 3 games in OT during that series, which would ultimately be too much for any opposition to overcome. For the most part the storyline was Kolzig vs Hasek though.

Caps had a very impressive road record before playing Detroit in the finals, and that probably could be attributed to Kolzig.
Kolzig was Smythe-worthy during the playoffs but I don't think the voters could overlook the fact that the Capitals got swept in the finals. He definitely kept them competitive in games 1 and 3 though (game 2 was an off game for him though).

I recall the Oates-Bellows-Juneau line really clicking that playoffs. Three guys who were viewed as being on the decline surprised everyone. Gonchar had a breakout postseason himself, that is when I first started to notice what a good goal scorer that guy was. Ron Wilson managed to get the most out of his team during that run but eventually they just got outclassed by the Wings. Western Conference was dominant during the 2nd half of the 90's and the finals seemed to be a foregone conclusion. First three games were very competitive. Game 2 the Caps were in control of most of the game and I remember Tikkanen missing, essentially, an open net that could have given them a 5-3 lead. Wings ultimately came back to tie it at 4 with Kris Draper scoring the memorable OT winner. Game 3 was a nail-biter that was capped off by a very beautiful goal by Fedorov.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

I feel like the Caps basically rode Bondra and Kolzig into a very respectable 4 or 5th seed in the playoffs. I did not think they would go far just due to their lack of depth on paper. Lucky for them though, all the top seeds got eliminated in the first round which made their path to the finals a bit easier. Bruins series seemed to be a pretty good one, I remember one OT victory the Caps had was marred by controversy due to the Bruins having a goal disallowed earlier because a player had a toe in the crease. They rolled through Ottawa in round 2, and were able to get some key OT victories against the Sabres in round 3. I was barely a teen back then, but I recall most people picking Buffalo to win the series due to how dominant Hasek was all season (including the olympics) and felt it was destiny for him to reach the finals. Caps did a good job getting under his skin though and that might have ultimately played a role in the series as he let in a few weak ones in that series. Caps also managed to win 3 games in OT during that series, which would ultimately be too much for any opposition to overcome. For the most part the storyline was Kolzig vs Hasek though.

Caps had a very impressive road record before playing Detroit in the finals, and that probably could be attributed to Kolzig.
Kolzig was Smythe-worthy during the playoffs but I don't think the voters could overlook the fact that the Capitals got swept in the finals. He definitely kept them competitive in games 1 and 3 though (game 2 was an off game for him though).

I recall the Oates-Bellows-Juneau line really clicking that playoffs. Three guys who were viewed as being on the decline surprised everyone. Gonchar had a breakout postseason himself, that is when I first started to notice what a good goal scorer that guy was. Ron Wilson managed to get the most out of his team during that run but eventually they just got outclassed by the Wings. Western Conference was dominant during the 2nd half of the 90's and the finals seemed to be a foregone conclusion. First three games were very competitive. Game 2 the Caps were in control of most of the game and I remember Tikkanen missing, essentially, an open net that could have given them a 5-3 lead. Wings ultimately came back to tie it at 4 with Kris Draper scoring the memorable OT winner. Game 3 was a nail-biter that was capped off by a very beautiful goal by Fedorov.

This is excellent Goeb! Very interesting to learn all this stuff! Obviously I watched the finals versus the Caps but didn't really know their path to get there.

 

[VanIslander]

Well, I saw it coming that winter.

And I had Washington as my team, Kolzig as my goalie and Godzilla also as my Conn Smythe in the university hockey pool I was in. The biggest laugh came when I announced Kolzig as my MVP candidate (I drafted 2nd out of 20 of us for candidates for that award, and chose him over several coveted others).

That Caps team was hard working, checked like the hell and the goalie played awesome in many contests. They were primed for a playoff run.

 

[Troubadour]

Kolzig looked unbeatable against the Sabres, but the Red Wings re-humanized him pretty well.

Three other names I haven't seen mentioned yet are Nikolishin, Gonchar and Calle Johansson, all of whom contributed a fair share of good hockey during that run.

 

[sr edler]

Kolzig looked unbeatable against the Sabres, but the Red Wings re-humanized him pretty well.

Three other names I haven't seen mentioned yet are Nikolishin, Gonchar and Calle Johansson, all of whom contributed a fair share of good hockey during that run.

Gonchar has been named in one of the few posts this thread has seen so far. You should have mentioned Steve Konowalchuk, for hipster cred. But, now when I look at Konowalchuk's stats I see he didn't play in the playoffs that year. Injured?

 

[Troubadour]

Gonchar has been named in one of the few posts this thread has seen so far. You should have mentioned Steve Konowalchuk, for hipster cred. But, now when I look at Konowalchuk's stats I see he didn't play in the playoffs that year. Injured?

That's a bummer, as I only added Gonchar ex post facto. To be honest, having watched all of the semis and final games that year, I remember very little of it. I have a foggy memory of a long-range goal Hasek let in against the Caps and a very blurred picture of Yzerman's goal on Kolzig. Both Red Wings finals from the late nineties have kinda melted together for me. They (the Wings) made everyone look real bad.

 

[sr edler]

That's a bummer, as I only added Gonchar ex post facto. To be honest, having watched all of the semis and final games that year, I remember very little of it. I have a foggy memory of a long-range goal Hasek let in against the Caps and a very blurred picture of Yzerman's goal on Kolzig. Both Red Wings finals from the late nineties have kinda melted together for me. They (the Wings) made everyone look real bad.

I remember Gonchar played with some kind of semi-cage.

 

[Troubadour]

I remember Gonchar played with some kind of semi-cage.

Yes! I remember that too, but I still don't know why.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Caps had some guys banged up that postseason, Pivonka, Jeff Brown, Klee, and I think Housley missed a few games, too..not that it would've made a difference against Detroit.
Each series were nail biters, too many OT games that could've gone either way, alot of close games with empty netters...I'm still amazed that they got as far as they did considering how they played that regular season.
At least 20 years later they finally got their Cup.

 

[goeb]

Came across this on youtube if anyone wanted to relive their surprise 1997-98 season:

 

[goeb]

Caps had some guys banged up that postseason, Pivonka, Jeff Brown, Klee, and I think Housley missed a few games, too..not that it would've made a difference against Detroit.
Each series were nail biters, too many OT games that could've gone either way, alot of close games with empty netters...I'm still amazed that they got as far as they did considering how they played that regular season.
At least 20 years later they finally got their Cup.

Before they won the cup last season, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony that the 1998 Caps managed to get to the finals, yet President-Tropy caliber teams in the Ovechkin era couldn't even get to the conference finals. I think that just reinforces how pivotal good goaltending can be in the playoffs though.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Before they won the cup last season, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony that the 1998 Caps managed to get to the finals, yet President-Tropy caliber teams in the Ovechkin era couldn't even get to the conference finals. I think that just reinforces how pivotal good goaltending can be in the playoffs though.

That was part of their problem in the late '80's-early '90's...goaltending. Beaupre, Liut, Tabaracci, et al were good but never great. Kolzig was phenomenal for Washington and their depth came through when it mattered which unfortunately alot of Ovechkin's teams didn't have that depth in the playoffs. I just hope I don't hve to wait another 20 for a finals appearance.

 

[Big Phil]

Hey everyone,

Wanted to get your thoughts/feedback on the 1998 Washington Capitals playoff run. I don't recall watching many Eastern Conference games that year, and wanted to know who were the key players and what were some of the big plays that got them to the Final? Obviously Kolzig was the star in goal, did he have a really good playoff run? Any one of the front or back end guys have a really good playoff? (I remember Oates, Bellows, Juneau, Esa Tikannen was on that team, Richard Zednik). I seen they beat Dominik Hasek and Buffalo on a OT goal to get to the finals, I wonder if that was a bit of an "upset." Look forward to your guys' thoughts/knowledge!-Jim

It's been mentioned, but there was a bit of a break in the first round. New Jersey, Philly and Pittsburgh all got knocked off. Also, a very, very forgotten thing happened in the 1998 series between Washington and Boston. Game 3 overtime, the Bruins scored! A legitimate goal by PJ Axelsson. Hang on............was Tim Taylor's toe in the crease? It didn't effect the play at all, but yeah, it was. For the briefest of times in NHL history this was the rule. It hampered the game and believe it or not despite the evidence that it was sucking the life out of the game, and deciding playoff series, the NHL somehow STILL kept this rule in the game a year after this goal and got rid of it after the Hull goal. To this day I still loathe Brian Burke because it was him to kept saying this rule was good for the game and eventually the players will get used to it.

Either way, this goal would have had Boston go up 2-1 in the series. The goal was called off and Bruins coach Pat Burns was angrier on the bench than any coach I have ever seen in my life (perhaps even more than Terry Crisp in 1990). I mean Burns was teeth-gritting angry after that goal was called off, made worse by the fact that Washington scored after that and eventually won the series.

This led to round 2, where Washington played an easy team in Ottawa. The other series was Buffalo/Montreal. Basically this left the East wide open and Washington had home ice through the whole playoffs. Buffalo was basically just Hasek and a few puppet strings as players, so if you could beat him you beat Buffalo. So yeah, I hate to say that a team has an "easy" way to get to the final, but this is one of those rare times that all of the chips aligned for them. Throw in the fact that Washington missed the playoffs on either side of 1998 and that it took them 20 years to get to the final again and it shows you 1998 was about as "one-off" as it can be.

Granted, Kolzig did play great. He truly did. Bondra didn't show up very well and the team relied a lot on Oates as well as some past their prime guys who were wily veterans (Bellows, Tikkanen, etc.). Housley was another player that disappeared throughout this run.

Either way, the clock struck midnight when they played Detroit. The first three games were surprisingly close though. 2-1 in Game 1, 5-4 in overtime in Game 2 and 2-1 in Game 3. Game 4 wasn't close at 4-1. Game 2 was the biggest punch in the gut. Washington had a 4-2 lead in the 3rd period, Detroit got a goal and then Tikkanen had a wide and I mean WIDE open net to make it a two-goal game again and slid it past the post. Yzerman had coughed the puck up and Tik had a breakaway and deked Osgood out of his jock only to slide it past the post. This almost certainly means the Caps win. As it was Detroit tied it, won it in overtime and then won a squeaker in Game 3.


I still think the Caps lose, but maybe they take the series to 6 games perhaps?

 

[streitz]

Weird team, I remember them fairly well and remember watching most of their Boston, Ottawa and Detroit series (The sabres didn't particularly interest me, I'm sure I saw a few games).


As has been said, Kolzig was the biggest reason for their success. Without him I don't think they make it by Ottawa(who dominated them in shots, one game the sens outshot the caps like 40-12 and the caps still won, every game was like that IIRC) much less the Sabres.

Oates was still elite but getting older, Bondra was an elite goal scorer but not a great overall player, he was also injured for part of those playoffs.

They had a bunch of older guys, some of whom they picked up recently, Bellows for example they picked up out of Germany that year and he was still strong in the playoffs as always. Tinordi, Hunter, Housley, Bellows, Tikkanen, former Jets superstar Mike Eagles among others. These guys ranged from serviceable to useless/washed up.

Pivonka who was a decent playmaking center(played his entire career for the caps i think) was basically banged up and finished by the time this run happened.

Was surprised Juneau was tied for the lead in scoring with Oates looking it up. Decent player but nothing really special.

Their D core was actually pretty bad, one of the worst that's ever made it to the finals. Gonchar(who was still young and raw) and Tinordi(good bruising D man but at that time very banged up) were easily their two best.

Edit- Johansson was alright too probably better then Tinordi at that point, always forget about him.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

Kolzig looked unbeatable against the Sabres, but the Red Wings re-humanized him pretty well.

Ahhh so this is was the difference in that series.....Kolzig outplayed the Dominator! Crazy! I'll have to look at that series' scores and statistics...

 

[Jim MacDonald]

To this day I still loathe Brian Burke because it was him to kept saying this rule was good for the game and eventually the players will get used to it.

Wow....Brian Burke was the one who kept this stupid rule alive?! Unbelievable!

 

[streitz]

Ahhh so this is was the difference in that series.....Kolzig outplayed the Dominator! Crazy! I'll have to look at that series' scores and statistics...

Kolzig in 1998 was up there with the best playoff rune by a goalie ever. That caps team literally had 2 legitimate star players(Oates and Bondra), a couple average guys, a couple guys who were either too old or too young and a bunch of crap.


Out of all the odd runs in that era. 1996 panthers, 1998 caps, 1999 sabres, 2002 canes, 2003 ducks, 2004 flames.


I'd very easily say the 98 caps were the worst overall team. Although the 96 panthers didn't have a superstar they were more well rounded.

 

[The Panther]

Wow....Brian Burke was the one who kept this stupid rule alive?! Unbelievable!

Brian Burke is noted for many things. Intelligence regarding hockey is not one of them.

 

[Troubadour]

Brian Burke is noted for many things. Intelligence regarding hockey is not one of them.

Well, I believe the person is being "ironic".

 

[Big Phil]

Wow....Brian Burke was the one who kept this stupid rule alive?! Unbelievable!

Burke was Bettman's right hand man at this time. This is the NHL that we know, when a rule is insane the powers that be have too much of an ego to change it right away. You see a difference like this in other sports. The NFL screwed up several years ago with the referees going on strike and once that horrible play call that cost the Packers a touchdown and a game went wrong they signed the refs back immediately.

With the NHL the entire hockey world knew this was a stupid rule and they ought to go back to the former way, what we know as it is today. It took a goal of epic controversy that still looms 20 years later for them to change it. Not even a goal in 1998 that arguably cost a team a playoff series. Burke did the job Mike Murphy does now, or before him Shanahan, or Colin Campbell. As idiotic as some rules are in the NHL, none were as obvious to a monkey that it needed to change and it wasn't working. Not only that it sucked the life out of the game in a way I have never seen in my entire hockey watching career. Burke was the Leafs GM and I still always remembered him supporting this rule back then.

 

[McGarnagle]

As has been mentioned, they got a lucky break in OT in the first round with the stupid crease rule stealing a game from the Bruins.

The rest of the Eastern conference bracket collapsed because the top 3 seeds got upset. Yes, Kolzig put up a hell of a run, but honestly, they didn't play anyone. A precocious Sens team then a Buffalo team that was Hasek and not much else.

Despite that, the finals was one of the closest and tightest played sweeps you'll see, so they were a legitimately good team.

 

[Vanzig]

Nobody was gonna beat Detroit that year, It was a surprise run, BRIAN BELLOWS played awesome as his Line Juneau,Oates,Bellows Played great.
Housley,Tikkanen and the rest played well but I always looked at that Caps team as a slap together type team yet they made it to the FINALS. Good run for a bunch of ROOKIES and VETERANS

 

[sr edler]

Brian Burke is noted for many things. Intelligence regarding hockey is not one of them.

To Burke's credit though he never gave up on the Sedins when they struggled initially, he saw their skill. And, he recognized Kessel as a crucial piece when Boston threw him to the vultures (the team around him in Toronto was just trash, including Phaneuf, another Burke favorite).

I'm certainly not claiming Burke is some profound hockey mind, but it feels like some people are hating on him on auto-pilot sometimes.

 

[streitz]

To Burke's credit though he never gave up on the Sedins when they struggled initially, he saw their skill. And, he recognized Kessel as a crucial piece when Boston threw him to the vultures (the team around him in Toronto was just trash, including Phaneuf, another Burke favorite).

I'm certainly not claiming Burke is some profound hockey mind, but it feels like some people are hating on him on auto-pilot sometimes.

A broken clock is right twice a day.