1997–98 Edmonton Oilers season explained

The 1997–98 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 19th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 36–37–9 record in 1996–97, earning their first Stanley Cup playoff spot in five seasons. The Oilers then defeated the heavily favoured Colorado Avalanche before losing to the Dallas Stars in the second round.

Edmonton began the season slowly, and on January 4, with a record of 11–22–9, the Oilers traded Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin. The trade seemed to spark Edmonton, as they finished the year 24–15–1, making the playoffs for the second-straight season after finishing in seventh place in the Western Conference.

Offensively, Doug Weight had another solid season, leading the Oilers in goals (26), assists (44) and points (70). Ryan Smyth was the only other player to score at least 20 goals for the team. Dean McAmmond had a breakout season, finishing second to Weight with 50 points, as well as third in goals, with 19. Bill Guerin had a solid half season in Edmonton, scoring 13 goals and 29 points in 40 games. Boris Mironov would lead the defence with 16 goals and 46 points, while Drake Berehowsky would lead the team with 169 penalty minutes.

In goal, Curtis Joseph got the majority of playing time, winning 29 games, posting a goals against average (GAA) of 2.63 and setting the club record with shutouts in a season at eight. Bob Essensa backed him up once again, contributing a solid GAA of 2.55 and winning six games. The Oilers also tied the Dallas Stars for most power-play goals scored (77) and finished with the most power-play opportunities (483) in the League.^[1]

On March 2, 1998, Scott Fraser scored just 11 seconds into the overtime period to give the Oilers a 5-4 road win over the Colorado Avalanche.^[2] It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1997–98 regular season.^[3]

The Oilers opened the playoffs against the Pacific Division-winning Colorado Avalanche, who eliminated Edmonton from the playoffs the previous spring, and finished with 15 more points during the regular season. The Oilers, however, surprised the Avalanche in the opening game, winning 3–2, but Colorado stormed back to win three in a row to go up 3–1 in the series. The Oilers held off the Avalanche in Game 5 with a 3–1 in Denver, then returned home for game 6 to shut-out Colorado 2–0, forcing a deciding Game 7. Curtis Joseph earned his second-straight shutout in the series, as Edmonton won 4–0 and the series 4–3, eliminating the heavily favoured Avalanche.

In the second round, Edmonton played against Dallas, whom the Oilers defeated the previous year in the opening round. The Stars finished with an NHL-best 109 points in the regular season. The Stars beat Edmonton in the first game, but Curtis Joseph shut-out Dallas in Game 2, evening the series as it returned to Edmonton for the next two games. The third game was scoreless in regulation time, though the Stars scored in the first overtime period to take a 2–1 series lead. The Oilers' offence then went dry as they scored only two goals in the next two games, losing both, and the series 4–1.

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 1 || October 1 || Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 3 || San Jose Sharks || || Joseph || 16,769 || 1–0–0 || 2 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 2 || October 3 || Detroit Red Wings || 8 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 1–1–0 || 2 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 3 || October 5 || Colorado Avalanche || 3 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 16,093 || 1–2–0 || 2 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 4 || October 8 || New York Rangers || 3 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 16,573 || 1–2–1 || 3 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 5 || October 11 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 1 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 2–2–1 || 5 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 6 || October 13 || Edmonton Oilers || 0 – 3 || Vancouver Canucks || || Essensa || 14,535 || 2–3–1 || 5 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 7 || October 15 || Colorado Avalanche || 6 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 15,972 || 2–4–1 || 5 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 8 || October 17 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 2 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || || Essensa || 16,565 || 2–5–1 || 5 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 9 || October 19 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 2 || Los Angeles Kings || OT || Joseph || 11,279 || 3–5–1 || 7 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 10 || October 21 || Boston Bruins || 2 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,870 || 3–6–1 || 7 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 11 || October 24 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 4–6–1 || 9 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 12 || October 29 || Phoenix Coyotes || 2 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,390 || 5–6–1 || 11 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 13 || November 1 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 3 || Boston Bruins || || Joseph || 13,969 || 5–7–1 || 11 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 14 || November 3 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 2 || New York Rangers || OT || Joseph || 18,200 || 5–7–2 || 12 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 15 || November 5 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 4 || New York Islanders || OT || Joseph || 9,036 || 5–7–3 || 13 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 16 || November 6 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 6 || Philadelphia Flyers || || Essensa || 19,348 || 5–8–3 || 13 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 17 || November 8 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 2 || Washington Capitals || || Joseph || 10,397 || 5–9–3 || 13 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 18 || November 10 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 4 || Buffalo Sabres || OT || Joseph || 13,628 || 5–9–4 || 14 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 19 || November 12 || Carolina Hurricanes || 6 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,240 || 5–10–4 || 14 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 20 || November 15 || Calgary Flames || 2 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 17,099 || 5–10–5 || 15 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 21 || November 17 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 6 || Phoenix Coyotes || || Joseph || 14,686 || 5–11–5 || 15 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 22 || November 19 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 3 || Dallas Stars || || Joseph || 15,783 || 5–12–5 || 15 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 23 || November 20 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 0 || St. Louis Blues || || Joseph || 15,988 || 6–12–5 || 17 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 24 || November 22 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 0 || Ottawa Senators || || Joseph || 17,113 || 7–12–5 || 19 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 25 || November 25 || Chicago Blackhawks || 2 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 14,473 || 7–12–6 || 20 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 26 || November 28 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || 3 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 7–13–6 || 20 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 27 || November 30 || San Jose Sharks || 1 – 6 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,739 || 8–13–6 || 22 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 28 || December 2 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Colorado Avalanche || || Joseph || 16,061 || 8–14–6 || 22 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 29 || December 3 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 4 || Dallas Stars || || Joseph || 14,241 || 8–15–6 || 22 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 30 || December 5 || Detroit Red Wings || 1 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Essensa || 17,099 || 9–15–6 || 24 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 31 || December 7 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 3 || Chicago Blackhawks || OT || Joseph || 15,591 || 9–15–7 || 25 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 32 || December 10 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || New Jersey Devils || || Joseph || 13,831 || 9–16–7 || 25 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 33 || December 12 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 2 || Detroit Red Wings || || Essensa ||| 19,983 || 10–16–7 || 27 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 34 || December 13 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 1 || St. Louis Blues || || Joseph || 17,207 || 11–16–7 || 29 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 35 || December 17 || Chicago Blackhawks || 0 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 15,431 || 11–16–8 || 30 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 36 || December 20 || Dallas Stars || 2 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 17,099 || 11–17–8 || 30 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 37 || December 22 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 3 || Montreal Canadiens || OT || Essensa || 20,731 || 11–17–9 || 31 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 38 || December 23 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 5 || Toronto Maple Leafs || || Joseph || 15,726 || 11–18–9 || 31 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 39 || December 27 || Colorado Avalanche || 5 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 11–19–9 || 31 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 40 || December 30 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 11–20–9 || 31 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 41 || January 2 || Montreal Canadiens || 5 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 11–21–9 || 31 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 42 || January 4 || Los Angeles Kings || 3 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 16,266 || 11–22–9 || 31 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 43 || January 7 || Florida Panthers || 2 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,797 || 12–22–9 || 33 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 44 || January 9 || Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 1 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || || Joseph || 17,174 || 13–22–9 || 35 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 45 || January 10 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 3 || Los Angeles Kings || || Joseph || 16,005 || 14–22–9 || 37 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 46 || January 12 || St. Louis Blues || 1 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,872 || 15–22–9 || 39 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 47 || January 14 || Calgary Flames || 2 – 5 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 16–22–9 || 41 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 48 || January 20 || Phoenix Coyotes || 2 – 6 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,842 || 17–22–9 || 43 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 49 || January 23 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 3 || San Jose Sharks || || Joseph || 17,483 || 17–23–9 || 43 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 50 || January 24 || Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 2 || Phoenix Coyotes || || Essensa || 15,826 || 18–23–9 || 45 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 51 || January 26 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 2 || Colorado Avalanche || OT || Joseph || 16,061 || 18–24–9 || 45 || |- style="text-align:center; background:white;"| 52 || January 28 || New Jersey Devils || 1 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 17,099 || 18–24–10 || 46 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 53 || January 31 || Vancouver Canucks || 6 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 18–25–10 || 46 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 54 || February 2 || Los Angeles Kings || 0 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,403 || 19–25–10 || 48 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 55 || February 4 || San Jose Sharks || 3 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 15,251 || 19–26–10 || 48 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 56 || February 6 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 5 || Vancouver Canucks || || Joseph || 17,421 || 19–27–10 || 48 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 57 || February 7 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Calgary Flames || || Essensa || 18,719 || 19–28–10 || 48 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 58 || February 25 || Ottawa Senators || 2 – 5 || Edmonton Oilers || || Essensa || 16,142 || 20–28–10 || 50 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 59 || February 27 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || 4 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || || Essensa || 17,099 || 20–29–10 || 50 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 60 || February 28 || San Jose Sharks || 1 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 21–29–10 || 52 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 61 || March 2 || Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 4 || Colorado Avalanche || OT || Essensa || 16,061 || 22–29–10 || 54 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 62 || March 4 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 2 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 14,640 || 23–29–10 || 56 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 63 || March 7 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 4 || Toronto Maple Leafs || || Joseph || 15,726 || 23–30–10 || 56 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 64 || March 9 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 3 || Chicago Blackhawks || OT || Joseph || 17,900 || 24–30–10 || 58 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 65 || March 11 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 0 || Tampa Bay Lightning || || Joseph || 15,319 || 25–30–10 || 60 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 66 || March 13 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 0 || Florida Panthers || || Joseph || 14,703 || 26–30–10 || 62 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 67 || March 15 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 4 || Carolina Hurricanes || || Joseph || 7,853 || 26–31–10 || 62 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 68 || March 17 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 4 || Detroit Red Wings || || Essensa || 19,983 || 26–32–10 || 62 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 69 || March 18 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || || Joseph || 14,327 || 26–33–10 || 62 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 70 || March 21 || St. Louis Blues || 0 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 27–33–10 || 64 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 71 || March 22 || New York Islanders || 3 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 16,731 || 27–34–10 || 64 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 72 || March 25 || Washington Capitals || 2 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 15,130 || 28–34–10 || 66 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 73 || March 27 || Buffalo Sabres || 1 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 28–35–10 || 66 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 74 || March 30 || Calgary Flames || 1 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 29–35–10 || 68 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 75 || April 1 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Vancouver Canucks || || Joseph || 15,662 || 29–36–10 || 68 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 76 || April 3 || Dallas Stars || 1 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 30–36–10 || 70 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 77 || April 6 || Vancouver Canucks || 2 – 3 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 31–36–10 || 72 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 78 || April 8 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 4 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || || Joseph || 17,174 || 31–37–10 || 72 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 79 || April 9 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 0 || Los Angeles Kings || || Joseph || 14,450 || 32–37–10 || 74 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 80 || April 11 || Edmonton Oilers || 5 – 4 || Calgary Flames || || Joseph || 18,719 || 33–37–10 || 76 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 81 || April 15 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || 3 – 5 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 34–37–10 || 78 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 82 || April 18 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || || Essensa || 17,099 || 35–37–10 || 80 || |-|-| Legend:

Playoffs

|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 1 || April 22 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 2 || Colorado Avalanche || || Joseph || 16,061 || 1–0 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 2 || April 24 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 5 || Colorado Avalanche || || Joseph || 16,061 || 1–1 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 3 || April 26 || Colorado Avalanche || 5 – 4 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 17,099 || 1–2 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 4 || April 28 || Colorado Avalanche || 3 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 1–3 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 5 || April 30 || Edmonton Oilers || 3 – 1 || Colorado Avalanche || || Joseph || 16,061 || 2–3 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 6 || May 2 || Colorado Avalanche || 0 – 2 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 3–3 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 7 || May 4 || Edmonton Oilers || 4 – 0 || Colorado Avalanche || || Joseph || 16,061 || 4–3 || |-|- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 1 || May 7 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 3 || Dallas Stars || || Joseph || 16,928 || 0–1 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;"| 2 || May 9 || Edmonton Oilers || 2 – 0 || Dallas Stars || || Joseph || 16,928 || 1–1 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 3 || May 11 || Dallas Stars || 1 – 0 || Edmonton Oilers || OT || Joseph || 17,099 || 1–2 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 4 || May 13 || Dallas Stars || 3 – 1 || Edmonton Oilers || || Joseph || 17,099 || 1–3 || |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb;"| 5 || May 16 || Edmonton Oilers || 1 – 2 || Dallas Stars || || Joseph || 16,928 || 1–4 || |-|-| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
• = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

	Player		scope=colgroup colspan=6	Regular season	scope=colgroup colspan=6	Playoffs
39		C	79	26	44	70	1	69	12	2	7	9	−4	14
37		LW	77	19	31	50	9	46	12	1	4	5	0	12
2		D	81	16	30	46	−8	100	12	3	3	6	−3	27
26		LW	76	14	21	35	9	71	12	1	1	2	0	10
94		LW	65	20	13	33	−24	44	12	1	3	4	−2	16
9		RW	40	13	16	29	1	80	12	7	1	8	−6	17
14		C	82	13	13	26	0	42	12	1	1	2	0	10
22		D	41	6	20	26	3	48	12	0	6	6	−4	12
33		D	67	10	15	25	−17	74
18		RW	29	12	11	23	6	6	11	1	1	2	0	0
16		RW	82	6	17	23	−10	122	12	1	2	3	0	25
51		RW	59	6	17	23	−14	28	1	0	0	0	0	2
20		C	36	8	11	19	3	10	12	0	3	3	2	2
17		C	61	9	9	18	−9	39	11	1	4	5	−1	2
7		RW	35	5	13	18	−16	78
25		RW	66	9	6	15	−3	73	12	2	2	4	4	13
21		LW	33	2	10	12	−2	57	8	1	2	3	3	2
5		D	65	7	4	11	−17	80	7	0	0	0	−4	21
24		D	11	1	8	9	7	6	11	1	1	2	3	12
6		D	30	2	5	7	6	22	11	0	0	0	2	16
15		D	67	1	6	7	1	169	12	1	2	3	1	14
19		C	38	1	4	5	−5	6
32		D	11	4	0	4	−3	8
12		LW	17	2	2	4	−1	2
8		LW	9	1	3	4	−1	0
24		D	27	0	4	4	−2	58
8		D	17	1	2	3	1	8	7	0	0	0	1	6
9		C	14	1	2	3	−4	4
55		D	34	0	2	2	−7	42
31		G	71	0	2	2		4	12	0	0	0		2
10		C	19	0	2	2	−4	8
23		D	18	0	1	1	−1	43
28		LW	30	0	1	1	−5	72	4	0	0	0	0	2
21		D	2	0	0	0	−2	0
36		RW	4	0	0	0	0	27
29		D	4	0	0	0	0	10
30		G	16	0	0	0		0	1	0	0	0		0
40		D	1	0	0	0	1	0
8		LW	16	0	0	0	0	20
27		RW	11	0	0	0	−4	59
4		D	7	0	0	0	−3	22	1	0	0	0	0	4
6		D	7	0	0	0	0	17
38		D	8	0	0	0	−4	6

Goaltending

	Player	scope=colgroup colspan=10	Regular season	scope=colgroup colspan=9	Playoffs
31		71	29	31	9	1901	181	2.63	.905	8	4132	12	5	7	319	23	1.93	.928	3	716
30		16	6	6	1	404	35	2.54	.913	0	825	1	0	0	11	1	2.26	.909	0	27

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Doug Weight	[4]
NHL Rookie of the Month	Scott Fraser (March)	[5]
	Scott Fraser (April)
Team	Community Service Award	Todd Marchant	[6]
	Defenceman of the Year	Boris Mironov
	Molson Cup	Curtis Joseph
	Most Popular Player	Curtis Joseph
	Top Defensive Forward	Mats Lindgren
	Top First Year Oiler	Roman Hamrlik
	Unsung Hero	Dean McAmmond
	Zane Feldman Trophy	Doug Weight

Records

• 14: An Oilers record for most shutouts in a career by Curtis Joseph.

• 10: A new Oilers record for most shutouts in a career by Curtis Joseph on February 2, 1998.

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
	100th NHL Point	October 1, 1997
	1st NHL Game	October 5, 1997
	1,300th NHL PIM	October 11, 1997
	100th NHL PIM	October 21, 1997
	1st NHL Assist	October 24, 1997
	200th NHL PIM	October 29, 1997
Boyd Devereaux	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	November 3, 1997
	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	November 5, 1997
	400th NHL Game	November 8, 1997
	1st NHL Game	November 15, 1997
Georges Laraque
	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	November 17, 1997
Joe Hulbig
	100th NHL Game	November 19, 1997
	200th NHL Game
Mike Watt	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	November 22, 1997
	1st NHL Game	November 25, 1997
	400th NHL Point	November 28, 1997
	100th NHL Goal	November 30, 1997
	100th NHL PIM	December 2, 1997
	100th NHL Point	December 3, 1997
Joe Hulbig	1st NHL Goal	December 5, 1997
	100th NHL Game
Rem Murray
	100th NHL Game	December 7, 1997
Doug Weight	300th NHL Assist	December 10, 1997
	1,600th NHL PIM	December 20, 1997
Bryan Marchment	100th NHL Point
Kelly Buchberger	700th NHL Game	December 27, 1997
Dean McAmmond	200th NHL Game
Doug Weight	400th NHL PIM
Boyd Devereaux	1st NHL Goal	January 20, 1998
Dan McGillis	100th NHL PIM	January 23, 1998
Greg de Vries	100th NHL Game	January 31, 1998
Curtis Joseph	200th NHL Win	February 2, 1998
	1st NHL Game
	100th NHL Assist	February 6, 1998
	200th NHL Point	February 25, 1998
Boris Mironov	400th NHL PIM 300th NHL Game	February 27, 1998
	500th NHL PIM	February 28, 1998
	1st NHL Game	March 4, 1998
Bill Guerin	400th NHL Game
Drake Berehowsky	300th NHL PIM	March 7, 1998
Mike Grier	100th NHL PIM
Roman Hamrlik	400th NHL Game
	400th NHL PIM
	1st NHL Assist	March 9, 1998
Roman Hamrlik	500th NHL PIM	March 13, 1998
Dean McAmmond	100th NHL PIM	March 15, 1998
Valeri Zelepukin	400th NHL Game
	100th NHL Assist	March 18, 1998
Todd Marchant	200th NHL PIM	March 25, 1998
	100th NHL Point	April 1, 1998
	500th NHL Game	April 3, 1998
Doug Weight	500th NHL Game	April 8, 1998
Frank Musil	1,200th NHL PIM	April 11, 1998

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	April 22, 1998
	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
	1st NHL Game
	100th NHL PIM	April 24, 1998
	50th NHL Game	April 28, 1998
Drake Berehowsky	1st NHL Goal	May 2, 1998
	100th NHL PIM
Curtis Joseph	5th NHL Shutout
Dean McAmmond	1st NHL Assist
	1st NHL Goal	May 4, 1998
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	May 13, 1998
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Assist	May 16, 1998

Transactions

Trades

June 18, 1997	To Philadelphia Flyers Matt Cerven	To Edmonton Oilers 7th round pick in 1997
July 16, 1997	To Tampa Bay Lightning Vladimir Vujtek 3rd round pick in 1998	To Edmonton Oilers Brantt Myhres 3rd round pick in 1998
August 12, 1997	To Pittsburgh Penguins Jiri Slegr	To Edmonton Oilers 3rd round pick in 1998
August 25, 1997	To New York Islanders Mariusz Czerkawski	To Edmonton Oilers Dan LaCouture
October 15, 1997	To Philadelphia Flyers Brantt Myhres	To Edmonton Oilers Jason Bowen
December 30, 1997	To Tampa Bay Lightning Bryan Marchment Steve Kelly Jason Bonsignore	To Edmonton Oilers Roman Hamrlik Paul Comrie
January 4, 1998	To New Jersey Devils Jason Arnott Bryan Muir	To Edmonton Oilers Bill Guerin Valeri Zelepukin
January 9, 1998	To Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Drew Bannister	To Edmonton Oilers Bobby Dollas
March 9, 1998	To Ottawa Senators Scott Ferguson	To Edmonton Oilers Frank Musil
March 24, 1998	To Philadelphia Flyers Dan McGillis 2nd round pick in 1998	To Edmonton Oilers Janne Niinimaa

Free agents

Player Former team Colorado Avalanche Dallas Stars Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Pittsburgh Penguins San Jose Sharks HIFK Helsinki (SM-liiga)

Player New team Philadelphia Flyers Quebec Rafales (IHL) Manitoba Moose (IHL) Tampa Bay Lightning

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.^[7]

Round		Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	14			EHC Biel (Switzerland)
2	41			Erie Otters (OHL)
3	68	Sergei Yerkovich		Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)
4	94			Farjestad BK (Sweden)
5	121			Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
6	141			Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
7	176			Peterborough Petes (OHL)
7	187			Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
8	205	Chris Kerr		Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
9	231			St. Albert Saints (AJHL)

References

• Web site: Edmonton Oilers 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . July 7, 2023.
• Web site: 1997-98 Edmonton Oilers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts . Hockey-Reference.com . July 7, 2023.
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1997-98 NHL Summary. 2020-10-01. Hockey-Reference.com. en.
2. Web site: Oilers Top Avalanche. 2020-10-01. www.cbsnews.com. 3 March 1998 . en-US.
3. Web site: 1997-98 NHL Schedule and Results. 2020-10-01. Hockey-Reference.com. en.
4. Web site: 1998 NHL All-Star Game Rosters . Hockey-Reference.com . August 29, 2024.
5. Web site: NHL Rookies of the Month . Hockey-Reference.com . July 9, 2023.
6. 2014–15 Edmonton Oilers Media Guide, p.173
7. Web site: 1997 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com . www.hockeydb.com . July 9, 2023.