This truly was a golden age for Czech hockey. Jags and Hasek winning the throphies, Olympic gold, three golds at world championships 99/00/01. Really wish this would happen again sometimes.
God, can you imagine how good the Red Wings' defensive core would have been over the years with both Vladdy AND Lidstrom as the top pairing, getting older, playing their whole careers together?
I love that jersey, for one thing. Great video, for another. I miss those times. The Avs/Wings rivalry was the most intense sports rivalry I've personally seen. That would be a great video, IMHO.
I watched this in tears because it was such a great and inspirational story for Steve Yzerman and the rest of the team and if you recall Sergei Federov was injured for most of the season
I loved that season. Gretzky was still a great playmaker, there were plenty of 50-goal guys, and the Wings won it all. Then I went and played NHL99 all through college.
I remember this time clearly. The city was on such a high and after the accident, it felt like all the air got sucked out at once. In that limo was a driver, who turned out to be legally drunk, and had passed out at the wheel, causing the limo to cross onto the median on Woodward Avenue and crash into a tree. Slava Fetisov was in the limo too and received minor injuries. Konstantinov suffered head trauma that crippled him. And team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, also in the limo, was paralyzed from the crash. I remember returning the following day from a outing at a friends cabin and we drove by the area where the accident had happened. The limo was gone, but the damaged grass and tree remained. It was now surrounded by flowers, and balloons, and letters of well-wishes...and a line of car on both sides of Woodward driving by slowly. People paying their respects and wondering why such senselessness had to happen.
Dec 14, 1997 Mike Gartner becomes the 5th player to score 700 goals! He's the only player to score at least 30 goals (seasons) for 5 teams. He retired with 708 goals in 19 NHL seasons (+1 WHA). Leaving it to 2 active players who played in the WHA.
Konstantinov should be in the HoF. I am big proponent for stay home defensemen. He had a 13 year career counting the Soviet League. His career was cut short by something out of his control and he tried to do the right thing getting a driver.
He was far from a stay at home defenseman. He was pretty damn good in the offensive zone, also. Watch some of his highlight goals, he was a great skater, and had some pretty good moves on some breakaways.
I can't speak for everyone, but that year, that moment; eventhough the wings were loaded with all stars, they were the definition of what a team is. Vladdy still gets standing ovations whenever he is at a game. He is, and always will be, a hero of Hockeytown.
That Caps-Bruins series turned on the ridiculous crease rule. A goal that was perfectly good in OT wiped off because a Bruins player had his pinky toe in the crease and those days you had zero tolerance. I remember Pat Burns going absolutely nuts on the bench. Caps won in double OT (Brian Bellows I think) and away they went. Bracket collapse in the East and an unthinkable Stanley Cup finals berth. The less said about Esa Tikkanen's miss in Game 2, the better
Two random observations for this season, I still remember a pair of SI articles during the playoffs, one that spoke of Fedorov being so good that he could reach the same echelon of salary as the highest paid guys in other sports of that time, which was when they were rising fast (I believe Albert Belle in Baseball had just signed the first contract paying over 10 million a year the year before, and Kevin Brown was months away from signing a deal for I believe 16 mil a year). The second article was a completely bizarre piece titled "Peter The Great" about mainly Forsberg, written during the Edm-Col series, which alluded to Mats Lindgren having basically elite potential. As an aside, the best evidence against Mark Messier, and his apparent lax effort while a Canuck (which there was many of course, like the picture with some kid signing autographs while not even bothering to take off his shades, and that he resided in Washington the whole time for I guess tax reasons) would have to be the fact that while he was a Canuck, Messier was basically a Lady Byng level player, which for how he played and "led" was pretty telling, particularly on what if i'm not mistaken was the last team in NHL history to record over 2000 PIM in a single season.
This was the year I started following hockey and it was the Nagano Olympics tournament that got me hooked. Hasek in particular. Back then (knowing nothing and watching him) I thought "wow, hockey goalies are so incredibly good!" 20 years later I can say to that - nah, they're good, but only Hasek was so spectacular.
2009 the narrative for Carolina was how much success they've had since the move from Hartford with playoff appearances in 99, 01, 02, 06, and 09, of course including two finals appearances, a Stanley Cup win, and a miraculous trip to the Conference Finals. 2018... well, they're known as a mediocre to subpar franchise.
Yep ... that team had a lot of random guys - Esa, Brian Bellows, Jeff Brown. It was a fun team - I really though they had something with Bondra, Witt, Simon, Konowalchuk, Gonchar and Kolzig. Just lacked the elite talent which lead to the disastrous Jagr trade
Bettman caused the accident. That was all to motivate the Red Wings, so that an American team would still win the Stanley Cup. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why a Canadian team will never win a Cup during the Bettman era. Ah, and yeah, Bettman is an alien, so he can't die, and so a Canadian team will never win the Cup.
Har har, Bettman caused the accident...funny but not reality. Bettman is a money guy and has done wonders to make the NHL successful. Hockey is now mainstream and is routinely featured in movies, TV and advertising. That said, he knows that even though hockey is Canada's national sport, American finance is what drives its success and I find it weird that a Canadian team hasn't won a Cup since 1993, the last year before he became commissioner.
@@GrinderCB Hey what do you mean "Bettman has done wonders to make the NHL successful" He hasn't done anything. It was all his alien buddies who did the job. Bettman just sat in his jacuzzi, during all that time. And btw, it's not Gary Bettman that you're seeing getting booed at the draft, it's Danius Portaquos, a scientific experiment conducted by the NHL. Stop believing what THEY want you to believe.
1998 1st round, Blues vs Kings. Blues take the first two games in St. Louis. Gm. 3 at L.A. Kings out to a 3-0 lead, Jamie Storr dominating in net. Looks like the Kings can get back into the series. On a delayed penalty against the Kings the puck goes down behind the Kings net where Storr plays it. Should've been a whistle right there on the delayed penalty but the referee doesn't see it. Geoff Courtnall absolutely bulldozes Jamie Storr from behind. Seeing the hit, Sean O'Donnell of the Kings drops his gloves and goes after Courtnall, who doesn't reciprocate, turns turtle and withstands the pummeling. End result: Ian Laperriere, 2 min on the original interference call, Courtnall, 2 min for interference on the goaltender, O'Donnell 5 min for fighting. Blues go on the 5 min major where they score 4 goals to take the lead and hold on to win the game. Storr stayed in but the hit by Courtnall shook him up and he was later reported to have a concussion on the play. Referee Don Koharski had to be escorted by the Inglewood PD to the shuttle bus back to his hotel because of the angry mob that assembled near the players/officials parking area. The Kings now had no healthy goalies and the Blues finished them off easily in Gm.4.
The SCF definitely didn't feel like a 4 game sweep. And I'm not sure on who but I think Joe Juneau missed a wide open net that could of iced game 2 for the Caps. I'm still confident Detroit wins that series in 98 but had Washington won game 2, the entire complexion of that series would of changed.
This was the biggest moment in the series, at least that I can still remember. Tikkanen puts this home and game 2 is over. ua-cam.com/video/sHLkk2gV3C4/v-deo.html
#16 won't be retired until Konstantinov gets a place in the HHOF. The Red Wings will only hang a number, if you're in the Hall. And don't ask about Larry Aurie's #6. That's just another big mess.
Turned that entire game around too. It would have iced the game. Say what you will about the series loss, but I think most Caps fans will agree that this series created real interest in hockey the DC. Washington was and is so dominated by Redskins fans (and to lesser extent, Cowboys fans) that hockey seemed like a novelty. Seeing how passionate Red Wings fans were (showing up in huge numbers at the new arena in Downtown DC) and having a winning team vying for the Stanley Cup, I think helped inspire a whole new young generation of fans. And it showed with the number of people who came out to celebrate the win this year.
Yea this was tragic for us and all the hockey world. Seeing Konstantinov raise that cup again was awe-inspiring.
This truly was a golden age for Czech hockey. Jags and Hasek winning the throphies, Olympic gold, three golds at world championships 99/00/01. Really wish this would happen again sometimes.
Those late 90s Wings teams were LOADED. Olaf Kolzig was the only reason any of those finals games were close.
God, can you imagine how good the Red Wings' defensive core would have been over the years with both Vladdy AND Lidstrom as the top pairing, getting older, playing their whole careers together?
I love that jersey, for one thing.
Great video, for another. I miss those times. The Avs/Wings rivalry was the most intense sports rivalry I've personally seen.
That would be a great video, IMHO.
A rivalry for the ages. I miss it so much! lol
I watched this in tears because it was such a great and inspirational story for Steve Yzerman and the rest of the team and if you recall Sergei Federov was injured for most of the season
if this didn't show how tough and committed Russian players were, I don't know what else can be said
Adam Scott no, Fedorov missed most of the season though contract dispute. Almost going to Carolina.
Sverige well that explains a lot
I appreciate everything you do shannon
I loved that season. Gretzky was still a great playmaker, there were plenty of 50-goal guys, and the Wings won it all. Then I went and played NHL99 all through college.
I was sad when the Capitals lost in the finals and I couldn't be angry at the Red Wings for winning. Respect for #16.
...rattles off a goaltenders playoff save percentage from a playoffs 20 years ago...
Only Shannon.
We’re not worthy! 🙌🏻
I remember this time clearly. The city was on such a high and after the accident, it felt like all the air got sucked out at once. In that limo was a driver, who turned out to be legally drunk, and had passed out at the wheel, causing the limo to cross onto the median on Woodward Avenue and crash into a tree. Slava Fetisov was in the limo too and received minor injuries. Konstantinov suffered head trauma that crippled him. And team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov, also in the limo, was paralyzed from the crash.
I remember returning the following day from a outing at a friends cabin and we drove by the area where the accident had happened. The limo was gone, but the damaged grass and tree remained. It was now surrounded by flowers, and balloons, and letters of well-wishes...and a line of car on both sides of Woodward driving by slowly. People paying their respects and wondering why such senselessness had to happen.
First playoffs series win for the Senators since the 1927 Stanley Cup final
Dec 14, 1997 Mike Gartner becomes the 5th player to score 700 goals!
He's the only player to score at least 30 goals (seasons) for 5 teams.
He retired with 708 goals in 19 NHL seasons (+1 WHA). Leaving it to 2 active players who played in the WHA.
The others are Gretzky and Messier.
Konstantinov should be in the HoF. I am big proponent for stay home defensemen. He had a 13 year career counting the Soviet League. His career was cut short by something out of his control and he tried to do the right thing getting a driver.
He was far from a stay at home defenseman. He was pretty damn good in the offensive zone, also. Watch some of his highlight goals, he was a great skater, and had some pretty good moves on some breakaways.
This was the year Kariya got cheap shorted from behind into a goal post. The drop from the ducks shows just how key he was for them.
In the Olympic semifinal Pavel Bure scored 5 goals!
He had 9 goals.
i was born shortly after this, damn i wish i got to see stevie Y in his prime. thanks again for the content, the years are flying by
I can't speak for everyone, but that year, that moment; eventhough the wings were loaded with all stars, they were the definition of what a team is. Vladdy still gets standing ovations whenever he is at a game. He is, and always will be, a hero of Hockeytown.
i still loved the screaming eagle blue jersey
I really feel bad about at time for Tikkanen!!. Was it that game 2 where he miss the empty net!!.
That Caps-Bruins series turned on the ridiculous crease rule. A goal that was perfectly good in OT wiped off because a Bruins player had his pinky toe in the crease and those days you had zero tolerance. I remember Pat Burns going absolutely nuts on the bench. Caps won in double OT (Brian Bellows I think) and away they went. Bracket collapse in the East and an unthinkable Stanley Cup finals berth. The less said about Esa Tikkanen's miss in Game 2, the better
Two random observations for this season, I still remember a pair of SI articles during the playoffs, one that spoke of Fedorov being so good that he could reach the same echelon of salary as the highest paid guys in other sports of that time, which was when they were rising fast (I believe Albert Belle in Baseball had just signed the first contract paying over 10 million a year the year before, and Kevin Brown was months away from signing a deal for I believe 16 mil a year).
The second article was a completely bizarre piece titled "Peter The Great" about mainly Forsberg, written during the Edm-Col series, which alluded to Mats Lindgren having basically elite potential.
As an aside, the best evidence against Mark Messier, and his apparent lax effort while a Canuck (which there was many of course, like the picture with some kid signing autographs while not even bothering to take off his shades, and that he resided in Washington the whole time for I guess tax reasons) would have to be the fact that while he was a Canuck, Messier was basically a Lady Byng level player, which for how he played and "led" was pretty telling, particularly on what if i'm not mistaken was the last team in NHL history to record over 2000 PIM in a single season.
there has never been a sweep in the finals since this season
Scary coincidence, I just learned about this two days ago and then you posted a video about it.
Man...I miss those wings teams those where some good times
The Pat Burns and Byron Dafoe era in Boston. It was a fun team to root for.
This was the year I started following hockey and it was the Nagano Olympics tournament that got me hooked. Hasek in particular. Back then (knowing nothing and watching him) I thought "wow, hockey goalies are so incredibly good!" 20 years later I can say to that - nah, they're good, but only Hasek was so spectacular.
Czechs beating Russia was the best thing. Cesi, do toho! Cesi do toho!
The season I become a hockey fan
2009 the narrative for Carolina was how much success they've had since the move from Hartford with playoff appearances in 99, 01, 02, 06, and 09, of course including two finals appearances, a Stanley Cup win, and a miraculous trip to the Conference Finals.
2018... well, they're known as a mediocre to subpar franchise.
before this year this was it for the Caps ... Juneau!
Yep ... that team had a lot of random guys - Esa, Brian Bellows, Jeff Brown. It was a fun team - I really though they had something with Bondra, Witt, Simon, Konowalchuk, Gonchar and Kolzig. Just lacked the elite talent which lead to the disastrous Jagr trade
Chris B PIT just gave away Jagr.
The season I started to follow NHL Ice Hockey
20-year anniversary of the last time Konstantinov played sounds like a fine time to retire his number 16.
Remember those finals. The wings turned into overdrive last two rounds.
Kelly had been chasing that Clancy.
Bettman caused the accident. That was all to motivate the Red Wings, so that an American team would still win the Stanley Cup. That, ladies and gentlemen, is why a Canadian team will never win a Cup during the Bettman era. Ah, and yeah, Bettman is an alien, so he can't die, and so a Canadian team will never win the Cup.
I knew Bettman was up to something! That man...or alien...
You know why Ohio hasn't won the Stanley Cup, because they are really close to Canada, and Bettman hates Canada
Har har, Bettman caused the accident...funny but not reality. Bettman is a money guy and has done wonders to make the NHL successful. Hockey is now mainstream and is routinely featured in movies, TV and advertising. That said, he knows that even though hockey is Canada's national sport, American finance is what drives its success and I find it weird that a Canadian team hasn't won a Cup since 1993, the last year before he became commissioner.
@@dmoran1093 Very true
@@GrinderCB Hey what do you mean "Bettman has done wonders to make the NHL successful" He hasn't done anything. It was all his alien buddies who did the job. Bettman just sat in his jacuzzi, during all that time. And btw, it's not Gary Bettman that you're seeing getting booed at the draft, it's Danius Portaquos, a scientific experiment conducted by the NHL. Stop believing what THEY want you to believe.
As a Capitals fan, I still curse Esa Tikkanen for missing that open net in game 2.
1998 1st round, Blues vs Kings. Blues take the first two games in St. Louis. Gm. 3 at L.A. Kings out to a 3-0 lead, Jamie Storr dominating in net. Looks like the Kings can get back into the series. On a delayed penalty against the Kings the puck goes down behind the Kings net where Storr plays it. Should've been a whistle right there on the delayed penalty but the referee doesn't see it. Geoff Courtnall absolutely bulldozes Jamie Storr from behind. Seeing the hit, Sean O'Donnell of the Kings drops his gloves and goes after Courtnall, who doesn't reciprocate, turns turtle and withstands the pummeling. End result: Ian Laperriere, 2 min on the original interference call, Courtnall, 2 min for interference on the goaltender, O'Donnell 5 min for fighting. Blues go on the 5 min major where they score 4 goals to take the lead and hold on to win the game. Storr stayed in but the hit by Courtnall shook him up and he was later reported to have a concussion on the play. Referee Don Koharski had to be escorted by the Inglewood PD to the shuttle bus back to his hotel because of the angry mob that assembled near the players/officials parking area. The Kings now had no healthy goalies and the Blues finished them off easily in Gm.4.
Will anyone ever surpass Yzerman's tenure as captain?
Patch 83 don't think so, 20 years! 😉
“Last year was brutal for you guys. You get consolation though: losing to the Red Wings again.”
The SCF definitely didn't feel like a 4 game sweep. And I'm not sure on who but I think Joe Juneau missed a wide open net that could of iced game 2 for the Caps. I'm still confident Detroit wins that series in 98 but had Washington won game 2, the entire complexion of that series would of changed.
Nicklas Lidström should of won the Norris!
the year i was born
This was the biggest moment in the series, at least that I can still remember. Tikkanen puts this home and game 2 is over.
ua-cam.com/video/sHLkk2gV3C4/v-deo.html
Hulls foot was in the crease
@Demon Rat next right?
#16 won't be retired until Konstantinov gets a place in the HHOF. The Red Wings will only hang a number, if you're in the Hall. And don't ask about Larry Aurie's #6. That's just another big mess.
Can the Olympics please pay NHL athletes so they can play
😊
If the NHL had kept the good playoffs format:
DAL vs ARI
DET vs STL
COL vs SJ
LAK vs EDM
NJ vs BRK
PHI vs WSH
PIT vs MTL
BOS vs BUF
olaf the goalaf.
Red Army era Wings were stacked.
First
As a Capitals fan, I still curse Esa Tikkanen for missing that open net in game 2.
Turned that entire game around too. It would have iced the game.
Say what you will about the series loss, but I think most Caps fans will agree that this series created real interest in hockey the DC. Washington was and is so dominated by Redskins fans (and to lesser extent, Cowboys fans) that hockey seemed like a novelty. Seeing how passionate Red Wings fans were (showing up in huge numbers at the new arena in Downtown DC) and having a winning team vying for the Stanley Cup, I think helped inspire a whole new young generation of fans. And it showed with the number of people who came out to celebrate the win this year.