The 1998 Calder Cup playoffs of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

began on April 14, 1998.1998 Calder Cup Playoffs
''caldercup.com''. Retrieved on May 2, 2008. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-five series for division semifinals and

best-of-seven series There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

for division finals and conference finals. The conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

. The Calder Cup Final ended on June 10, 1998, with the

Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and played most of its home games at the Spectrum (arena), Spectrum ...

defeating the

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint J ...

four games to two to win the first Calder Cup in team history. Philadelphia's

Mike Maneluk Mike Maneluk (born October 1, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Playing career Maneluk played three seasons for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League and one for the Canadian National Team befo ...

won the

Jack A. Butterfield Trophy The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League (AHL). First awarded in the 1937–38 season, it is named after Frank Calder, first president of the National Hockey League. The Calder Cup is dis ...

as the AHL playoff

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. The Philadelphia Phantoms set an AHL playoff record by winning 9 road games in one playoff year.

Playoff seeds

After the 1997–98 AHL regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs. However, due to the uneven number of teams in the each conference, it was possible for the fifth-placed team in the five team divisions to crossover to the playoffs for the four team divisions. This could only happen if the fifth-placed team in a five team division earned more points than the fourth-placed team in the four team division in the same conference. In this case, the fifth-placed team from the five team division would play in place of the fourth-placed team from the four team division in that part of the playoff bracket. The

were the Western Conference regular season champions as well as the

Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy is presented annually to the AHL team that finishes the regular season with the most points or highest points percentage. The award is named after late former AHL board member Macgregor Kilpatrick. The award was fir ...

winners with the best overall regular season record. The

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

were the Eastern Conference regular season champions.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

– 99 points #

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs' were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and w ...

– 81 points #

Portland Pirates The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...

– 80 points #

St. John's Maple Leafs The St. John's Maple Leafs were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, at Memorial Stadium from 1991 to 2001, and at Mile One Stadium from 2001 to 2005. The team was a ...

– 73 points

New England Division

– Eastern Conference regular season champions, 99 points #

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

– 99 points #

Beast of New Haven The Beast of New Haven were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League in the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons. The team was based in New Haven, Connecticut, and played at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which was demolished in 2007. The Be ...

– 85 points #

Worcester IceCats The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois. History The IceCats ...

– 83 points

Western Conference

Empire Division

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with a ...

– 103 points #

Hamilton Bulldogs The Hamilton Bulldogs are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League that began to play in the 2015–16 OHL season, 2015–16 season. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the Bulldogs play their home games at FirstOntario Cent ...

– 94 points #

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...

– 83 points #

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Natio ...

– 74 points #

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

– 72 points ''(Played in the Mid-Atlantic Division bracket by virtue of earning more points than the fourth-placed team in that division)''

Mid-Atlantic Division

– Western Conference regular season champions; Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy winners, 106 points #

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

– 85 points #

Kentucky Thoroughblades The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena. The Thoroughblades were ...

– 70 points

Bracket

In each round the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.Frequently asked questions
''theahl.com''. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.

Division Semifinals

:Note 1: ''All times are in

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small port ...

( UTC−4).'' :Note 2: ''Game times in italics signify games to be played only if necessary.'' :Note 3: ''Home team is listed first.''

Playoff seeds

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

New England Division

Western Conference

Empire Division

Mid-Atlantic Division

Bracket

Division Semifinals

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

=(A1) Saint John Flames vs. (A4) St. John's Maple Leafs

=(A2) Fredericton Canadiens vs. (A3) Portland Pirates

New England Division

= (N1) Springfield Falcons vs. (N4) Worcester IceCats

=(N2) Hartford Wolf Pack vs. (N3) Beast of New Haven

Western Conference

Empire Division

=(E1) Albany River Rats vs. (E4) Adirondack Red Wings

=(E2) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (E3) Syracuse Crunch

Mid-Atlantic Division

=(M1) Philadelphia Phantoms vs. (E5) Rochester Americans

=(M2) Hershey Bears vs. (M3) Kentucky Thoroughblades

Division Finals

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

=(A1) Saint John Flames vs. (A3) Portland Pirates

New England Division

=(N2) Hartford Wolf Pack vs. (N4) Worcester IceCats

Western Conference

Empire Division

=(E1) Albany River Rats vs. (E2) Hamilton Bulldogs

Mid-Atlantic Division

=(M1) Philadelphia Phantoms vs. (M2) Hershey Bears

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

(N2) Hartford Wolf Pack vs. (A1) Saint John Flames

Western Conference

(M1) Philadelphia Phantoms vs. (E1) Albany River Rats

Calder Cup Final

(M1) Philadelphia Phantoms vs. (A1) Saint John Flames

See also

References