THE 1998 NHL ALL-STAR GAME

IN VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA

NORTH AMERICAN ALL-STARS-8

WORLD ALL STARS-7

MVP: Temmu Sellane (3 goals)

 

WRITE-UP | STATS

 

 

Mark messier scores the winning goal on a great assist by Wayn Gretzky. Sure was nice to see them play together again.

 

 

THE 48th NHL ALL-STAR GAME!

VANCOUVER (January 18, 1998) - Keith

Tkachuk had two goals and an assist

nd Mark Messier thrilled the

hometown fans with the game-winner as

North America held on for an 8-7

victory over the World in the 48th

NHL All-Star Game in Vancouver,

British Columbia.

 

Complete with a new international format and billed

as a preview of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Nagano,

Japan, the All-Star Game served as a coming-out party for

the four-man Finnish contingent, which combined for four

goals -- including a hat trick by Teemu Selanne of the

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim -- and six assists.

 

But the North Americans were able to prevail,

holding off a late rally and surviving a scare with just

under four minutes to go when defenseman Chris Chelios of

Chicago nearly pushed the puck into his own net while

trying to clear a rebound.

 

North America took control by scoring twice in a

93-second span late in the second period. Philadelphia's

Eric Lindros, who will captain Team Canada at the Nagano

Olympics, put home a rebound of Chelios' shot with 5:14

to go, forging a 5-5 tie.

 

Tony Amonte of Chicago broke the deadlock with his

first career All-Star goal. He skated behind the net,

threw the puck in front as he came around the right

goalpost and goaltender Olaf Kolzig of the Washington

Capitals knocked it in while diving back across the

crease. Kolzig was the lone German representative on the

World All-Stars.

 

North America poured it on early in the third

period. Tkachuk, a member of the Phoenix Coyotes, scored

on a one-timer from the low right faceoff circle off a

cross-ice pass from Dallas' Mike Modano at 1:36.

 

Just under 2 1/2 minutes later, Messier, one of two

players from the host Vancouver Canucks, delighted the

crowd at G.M. Place by taking a pass from former teammate

Wayne Gretzky and lifting a backhander just under the

crossbar.

 

"He just seemed to feed it through to me on the

backhand," said Messier. "I didn't really have anywhere

else to go other than that shot, and happened to find the

net."

 

It was the fifth career All-Star goal for Messier, a

commissioner's selection to the game who was celebrating

his 37th birthday.

 

The World team got back the goal, cutting the margin

to 8-6 on a rebound tally by Ottawa's Igor Kravchuk at

7:03. The World Stars climbed within a goal with 10:19

remaining as Igor Larionov's shot from the low right

circle caromed in off New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin

Brodeur's right pad.

 

Despite predictions of a more intense,

tighter-checking contest, the World team established an

All-Star record for fastest two goals from the start of

game, beating Colorado's Patrick Roy twice in 2:15.

 

A giveaway by Devils defenseman Scott Stevens set up

the first goal, a short wrist shot by Selanne 53 seconds

into the contest. Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins

scored off a rebound of Peter Bondra's deflection to

break the record set in 1993, when Mike Gartner tallied

twice in the game's first 3:37.

 

The World opened a 3-0 lead four minutes into the

period on the first video replay goal in All-Star

history. Selanne's wrist shot from the right wing

appeared to hit the goalpost, but replays confirmed it

crossed the goal line.

 

Roy is the most scored upon goaltender in All-Star

history, allowing 24 goals in eight appearances. Glenn

Hall was the previous record-holder, giving up 22 goals

in 13 games.

 

North America got on the board 13 seconds after

Selanne's second goal as John LeClair of the Flyers put

the puck through Dominik Hasek's pads off a partial

breakaway. Gretzky assisted on the play to become the top

scorer in All-Star history, passing Mario Lemieux.

 

Tkachuk, one of seven Americans on the North

American team, deflected Chelios' point shot past Hasek

for a power-play goal at 10:50 after Detroit's Viacheslav

Fetisov of the World squad was penalized for

cross-checking.

 

The North Americans finally tied it with 1:35 to go

in the first period when New Jersey's Scott Niedermayer

put a one-timer past Hasek's stick side off Joe Sakic's

cross-ice pass. Niedermayer was playing in his first

All-Star Game.

 

The North Americans grabbed a 4-3 lead 1:53 into the

second period on Theo Fleury's fourth career All-Star

goal. But Selanne completed the 10th All-Star hat trick

and third in two years just over five minutes later and

the World went ahead, 5-4, at 12:36 when another Finn,

Jari Kurri, flipped a weak wrist shot that eluded Ed

Belfour.

 

Selanne won MVP honors, becoming the first European

to do so and the first member of the losing team since

1986.

 

"It was a surprise to me that I won the MVP because

we lost," said Selanne. "But you know, there's a lot of

great players on both sides. You never know what's going

to happen. Overall it was again very nice to be here.

It's always nice to be a part of this happening."

 

 

 

STATS FOR THE 48th NHL ALL-STAR GAME

 

First Period

 

1.  World, Selanne (Koivu) 0:53

2.  World, Jagr (Bondra, Mironov) 2:15

3.  World, Selanne (Lehtinen, Fetisov) 4:00

4.  North America, LeClair (Gretzky, Chelios) 4:13

5.  North America, Tkachuk (Fleury, Chelios) 10:50 (pp)

6.  North America, Niedermayer (Sakic, Recchi) 18:25

Penalty - Fetisov, World 10:04.

 

Second Period

 

7.  North America, Fleury (Modano, Tkachuk) 1:53

8.  World, Selanne (Lehtinen, Koivu) 7:11

9.  World, Kurri (Koivu, Lehtinen) 12.36

10.  North America, Lindros (Chelios, Messier) 14:46

11.  North America, Amonte (Sakic, Bourque) 16:19

Penalty - Fleury, North America 18:48.

 

Third Period

 

12.  North America, Tkachuk (Modano, Fleury) 1:36

13.  North America, Messier (Gretzky) 4:00

14.  World, Kravchuk (Sundin, Forsberg) 7:03

15.  World, Larionov (Bure) 9:41

Penalty - Weight, North America 10:32.

 

SHOTS ON GOAL:

WORLD

NORTH AMERICA

1st Period

7

13

2nd Period

11

17

3rd Period

11

13

TOTAL:

29

43

 

 

Goalies (shots-saves)

World:  Hasek (13-10), Kolzig (0:00 Second)(17-14), Khabibulin (0:00 Third)(13-11)

North America:  Roy (7-4), Belfour (0:00 Second)(11-9), Brodeur (0:00 Third)(11-9)

 

Power plays (goals-chances)

World:  0-2

North America:  1-1

 

The Officials

Referee - Paul Stewart

Linesmen - Michael Cvik, Shane Heyer

 

Attendence:

18, 422