Record Number of Players
Dealt on Deadline Day

NEW YORK (March 24, 1998) - The trading deadline came and went, and, as expected, there was a flurry of activity. A total of 19 trades involving 38 players were made prior to the 3:00 p.m. ET deadline.

The 19 deals equals the record set in 1995, while the 38 players involved surpasses the previous high of 35 set in 1994 and equaled in 1997.

The Dallas Stars completed perhaps the biggest trade of the day, acquiring forwards Brian Skrudland and Mike Keane from the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Todd Harvey and Bob Errey. Skrudland and Keane are regarded as two of the best checking forwards in the League and both have been on Stanley Cup winning teams.

Philadelphia, who acquired veteran defenseman Dave Babych from Vancouver, early in the day, sent promising young defenseman Janne Niinimaa to Edmonton for rugged defensemen Dan McGillis and a second round pick in the 1998 Entry Draft.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings were also active, bolstering their defense with the acquisitions of Dmitri Mironov and Jamie Macoun. Mironov, who was Anaheim's third leading scorer (6-30-36), helped Russia capture the Silver Medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, earlier this year. In exchange for Mironov, the Red Wings sent young defenseman Jamie Pushor to the Ducks.

Macoun, 36, was a member of the Calgary club which won the Stanley Cup in 1989. Toronto received Tampa Bay's fourth round pick in the 1998 Entry Draft (previously acquired).

Early in the day, Florida traded forward Ray Sheppard, a proven goal scorer who has 318 career tallies, to Carolina in exchange for veteran goaltender Kirk McLean.