The 1998–99 San Jose Sharks season was the Sharks' eighth season of operation in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Under second-year head coach Darryl Sutter, the Sharks reached the playoffs for a second consecutive season. While the team won three fewer games than it had during the prior season, it became the first in franchise history to score more goals (196) than it allowed (191). During the campaign, general manager

Dean Lombardi Dean Lombardi (born March 5, 1958) is an American ice hockey executive with the Philadelphia Flyers. He most recently served as the president, general manager and alternate governor of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...

continued to add to the Sharks' roster. During the 1998 preseason, both goaltender Steve Shields and All-Star defenseman

Gary Suter Gary Lee Suter (born June 24, 1964) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played over 1,000 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985 and 2002. He was a ninth round selection of the Calgary Flames, 180th overa ...

were acquired from the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

and

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

, respectively, in exchange for low-level draft picks and prospects. While neither played a major role during the 1998–99 season, both would make key contributions to the Sharks' success the following season. Indeed, Lombardi's most notable addition was that of veteran forward

Vincent Damphousse Vincent François Damphousse (born December 17, 1967) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eighteen seasons. He played centre for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Cana ...

. Damphousse, acquired in a midseason trade with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

, would experience immediate success in San Jose; he would ultimately remain with the Sharks until the conclusion of the 2003–04 season. The 1998–99 season also saw the continued development of several highly-touted prospects. Most notably, the campaign saw second-year forwards

Patrick Marleau Patrick Denis Marleau (born September 15, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. With 1,779 NHL games played, he is the all-time leader in games played in league history. He passed the record previously held by Gordie Howe ...

and

Marco Sturm Marco Johann Sturm (born September 8, 1978) is a German professional ice hockey coach and former winger who played in the National Hockey League and Deutsche Eishockey Liga. He is currently the Head Coach of the Ontario Reign. Sturm began his ca ...

emerge as consistent scoring threats. Additionally, the season also saw the debut of promising young defenseman (and future NHL All-Star)

Scott Hannan Kenneth Scott Hannan (born January 23, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Hannan was born in Richmond, British Columbia, but grew up in Surrey, British Columbia. Playing career As a youth, Hannan played in the 1992 Quebec ...

. These players, along with established forward

Jeff Friesen Jeffrey Daryl Friesen (born August 5, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League, spending roughly half his career with the San Jose Sharks, who drafted him in the 1994 NHL Ent ...

and defenseman

Mike Rathje Michael Steven Rathje (born May 11, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks and Philadelphia Flyers. Rathje was born in Mannville, Alberta, bu ...

, would drive much of the team's success over the following five years. Despite their losing record, the Sharks reached the postseason for a second consecutive season. In the first round of the

1999 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL), began on April 21, 1999, following the 1998–99 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for ...

, the Sharks were matched against the Northwest Division champion

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

. Due to the

Columbine High School Massacre On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...

, the first two games of the series were played in San Jose; the heavily favored Avalanche won both. As had been the case one year prior, the Sharks won their next two games in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

to even the series at two games apiece. The Avalanche responded by routing the Sharks in Game Five to take a 3–2 series lead. The Sharks managed to push the Avalanche to overtime in Game Six; a goal by Colorado rookie

Milan Hejduk Milan Hejduk (; born February 14, 1976) is a Czech-American former professional ice hockey forward. Nicknamed "the Duke", he spent his entire 14-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Colorado Avalanche and retired holding the record ...

, however, spelled the end of the Sharks' season. As of the

2017–18 NHL season The 2017–18 NHL season was the 101st season of operation (100th season of play) of the National Hockey League. With the addition of a new expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, 31 teams competed in an 82-game regular season. The regular sea ...

, the 1998–99 San Jose Sharks (along with the 1998–99 Edmonton Oilers) are the last team to have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a losing record.

Off-season

Forward

Owen Nolan Owen Liam Nolan (born 12 February 1972) is a Northern Irish-born, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. During his 18-year NHL career, he played for t ...

was named team captain.

Regular season

The Sharks tied the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

and

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

for the fewest short-handed goals allowed, with 4.

Final standings

Schedule and results

Playoffs

Round 1 vs. Colorado

Player statistics

Awards and records

Transactions

Draft picks

References

;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1998-99 San Jose Sharks Season S S San Jose Sharks seasons

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...