1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season
| 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Division | 1st Northeast |
| 1997–98 record | 40–24–18 |
| Goals for | 228 |
| Goals against | 188 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Craig Patrick |
| Coach | Kevin Constantine |
| Captain | Ron Francis |
| Alternate captains |
Kevin Hatcher Jaromir Jagr |
| Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jaromir Jagr (35) |
| Assists | Jaromir Jagr (67) |
| Points | Jaromir Jagr (102) |
| Penalties in minutes | Chris Tamer (181) |
| Wins | Tom Barrasso (31) |
| Goals against average | Peter Skudra (1.83) |
The 1997–98 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 31st in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was their first season under Head Coach Kevin Constantine and first after the initial retirement of Mario Lemieux.
Following the 1996–97 season which saw their Hall of Fame star Mario Lemieux retire, the Penguins attempted to continue keeping their recent success. Over the previous nine seasons, no NHL team had been more successful than Pittsburgh in terms of regular season points, although the team had not won a Stanley Cup since 1992 (part of the reason why Head Coach Eddie Johnston was asked to resign down following the 1996–97 season). Former San Jose Sharks Head Coach Kevin Constantine was hired as Johnston's successor, promising to replace his predecessor's free-form style of play with a more disciplined approach. Additionally, Ron Francis was named captain in Lemieux's absence, and the team acquired center Martin Straka via free agency to add offense. The team also acquired the rights to defensive-defenseman Jiri Slegr, who had spent the 1996–97 season playing for Sodertalje SK in Sweden.
The Penguins tied the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers and New York Islanders for most short-handed goals allowed, with 16.
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