1998–99 New York Rangers season
The 1998–99 New York Rangers season was the 73rd season for the franchise. The Rangers missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season in what was Wayne Gretzky's final season in the National Hockey League.
Regular season
Final standings
The Great One retires
Wayne Gretzky's last NHL game in Canada was on April 16, 1999, in a 2–2 tie with the Ottawa Senators. His 1,487th and final game was a 2–1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins which had Jaromir Jagr, a future Ranger captain, scoring the game-winning goal on April 18, 1999, at Madison Square Garden. The national anthems in that game were adjusted to accommodate Gretzky's departure. In place of "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee," Bryan Adams sang "We're going to miss you Wayne Gretzky." John Amirante changed lyrics in "The Star-Spangled Banner" from "the land of the free" to "the land of Wayne Gretzky." He scored his final point in this game, assisting on the lone New York goal scored by Brian Leetch. Gretzky was named as the first, second and third star of both games; only Maurice Richard had such an honour previously, for his performance in a 1944 playoff game.At the time of his retirement, Gretzky was the second-to-last former WHA player still active in professional hockey, Mark Messier being the last. Messier, himself a former Ranger who would return to spend his final four playing years there, along with other representatives of the great Edmonton Oilers dynasty of the 1980s, attended the game. Gretzky's final game was considered a "national retirement party" in Canada, and Bryan Adams' rendition of "O Canada" was like a "lullaby." As the final seconds ticked away, the crowd at Madison Square Garden gave him a standing ovation, capping off "an entirely satisfying, weekend-long going-away party" in Canada, as there would be "No Regretzkys."
Gretzky told Scott Morrison that the final game of his career was his greatest day. He recounted:
Schedule and results
Playoffs
The Rangers failed to qualify for the 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, missing the playoffs for the second straight season.Player statistics
;Skaters| Player | ||||||
| 70 | 9 | 53 | 62 | -23 | 14 | |
| 82 | 28 | 27 | 55 | 5 | 46 | |
| 82 | 13 | 42 | 55 | -7 | 42 | |
| 82 | 38 | 15 | 53 | -12 | 47 | |
| 56 | 20 | 27 | 47 | -6 | 50 | |
| 70 | 9 | 36 | 45 | -7 | 38 | |
| 81 | 23 | 20 | 43 | -10 | 64 | |
| 81 | 13 | 30 | 43 | -2 | 20 | |
| 82 | 15 | 20 | 35 | -7 | 26 | |
| 75 | 10 | 24 | 34 | -19 | 71 | |
| 37 | 11 | 17 | 28 | -1 | 72 | |
| 73 | 8 | 8 | 16 | -2 | 13 | |
| ‡ | 67 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 93 |
| 67 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -11 | 30 | |
| 45 | 0 | 9 | 9 | -2 | 60 | |
| ‡ | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -6 | 12 |
| 28 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -12 | 14 | |
| † | 52 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -12 | 92 |
| 68 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -12 | 40 | |
| 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -4 | 23 | |
| † | 31 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 46 |
| † | 30 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 |
| †‡ | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -3 | 4 |
| 32 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -5 | 38 | |
| 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 8 | |
| ‡ | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| ‡ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| † | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 2 | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ‡ | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 4 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 6 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| †‡ | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 8 |
| 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 80 |
;Goaltenders
| Player | ||||||||||
| 68 | 3878 | 27 | 30 | 8 | 170 | 2.63 | 1897 | .910 | 4 | |
| 22 | 1097 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 49 | 2.68 | 570 | .914 | 0 |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.
‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.
Draft picks
New York's picks at the 1998 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York at the Marine Midland Arena.| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 7 | Manny Malhotra | C | Guelph Storm | |
| 2 | 40 | Randy Copley | LW | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | |
| 3 | 66 | Jason LaBarbera | G | Portland Winter Hawks | |
| 4 | 114 | Boyd Kane | LW | Regina Pats | |
| 5 | 122 | Pat Leahy | RW | Miami University | |
| 5 | 131 | Tomas Kloucek | D | Slavia Prague | |
| 7 | 180 | Stefan Lundqvist | RW | Brynas IF | |
| 8 | 207 | Johan Witehall | LW | Leksands IF | |
| 9 | 235 | Jan Mertzig | D | Lulea HF |
Awards and honors
- Wayne Gretzky, Lady Byng Trophy
- Wayne Gretzky, MVP of NHL All-Star Game