1998 Stanley Cup Finals

1998 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1998 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Western Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals. It was the 105th year of the Stanley Cup being contested. It was the Capitals' first appearance in a Stanley Cup Final since the franchise's inception in 1974. The Red Wings won the series for the second year in a row, four games to none. It was the Wings' ninth Stanley Cup, and as of 2012, this is the last season in which a defending Stanley Cup champion has successfully defended and retained the Stanley Cup, the most recent time when a Final concluded with a sweep, and the most recent time that neither the first nor second seed in either conference's playoffs participated in a Finals. This was also the last time until 2002 that a Stanley Cup final ended after an NBA Finals in the same season had concluded.