OHL 1998/99

	Ontario Hockey League
	◄ previous	1998/99 season	next ►
Master:	Belleville Bulls
• OHL |  LHJMQ •   |  WHL •

The 1998/99 OHL season was the 19th season of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Plymouth Whalers won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the best points team of the regular season . The play-offs began on March 20, 1999 and ended with the first win of the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the Belleville Bulls on May 11, 1999, which prevailed in the final against the London Knights .

At the beginning of the season, the Brampton Battalion and the Mississauga IceDogs added two new franchises to the OHL, which increased the field of participants to 20 teams and made changes to the season mode necessary.

Changes

With the 1998/99 season, the Brampton Battalion and the Mississauga IceDogs were included in the Ontario Hockey League, so that the field now consisted of 20 instead of 18 teams. As a result, the distribution of the teams was reorganized. So far, the 18 teams played in three divisions ( East , Central and West Division ), which meant that 14 teams qualified for the play-offs and thus the two division winners with the best points qualified directly for the second round via byes . This format has now been changed by introducing a fourth division (Midwest Division) and assigning this to a Western Conference together with the West Division . The two remaining ( East and Central ) now belonged to the Eastern Conference .

From now on, the three best teams in each division qualified for the play-offs, as did the two teams with the highest points in each conference who were not among the six directly qualified. With a total of 16 teams, byes were no longer necessary; Furthermore, the game was played in the same mode as in the NHL : Both Conferences only played a conference winner (who received the newly created Wayne Gretzky Trophy or Bobby Orr Trophy ), before these two then competed in the final for the J. Ross Robertson Cup face. In addition, with the Holody Trophy, an award was created for the annual winner of the new Midwest Division , similar to the existing trophies of the three other divisions.

Regular season

Closing tables

Abbreviations: GP = games, W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = defeat after overtime , GF = goals scored, GA = goals conceded, Pts = points
Explanations:     = play-off qualification,     = conference winner,     = Hamilton Spectator Trophy winner

Eastern Conference

East Division	GP	W.	L.	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
Ottawa 67's	68	48	13	7th	0	305	164	103
Belleville Bulls	68	39	21st	7th	1	334	246	86
Oshawa Generals	68	39	22nd	5	2	280	217	85
Peterborough Petes	68	40	24	2	2	266	213	84
Kingston Frontenacs	68	22nd	40	4th	2	240	320	50

Central Division	GP	W.	L.	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
Barrie Colts	68	49	12	6th	1	343	192	105
Sudbury Wolves	68	25th	35	8th	0	261	288	58
North Bay Centennials	68	22nd	39	6th	1	215	248	51
Toronto St. Michael's Majors	68	20th	40	6th	2	214	316	48
Mississauga IceDogs	68	4th	56	3	5	145	426	16

Western Conference

Midwest Division	GP	W.	L.	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
Guelph Storm	68	44	21st	2	1	300	218	91
Owen Sound Platers	68	39	22nd	5	2	312	293	85
Erie Otters	68	31	33	4th	0	271	297	66
Kitchener Rangers	68	23	38	6th	1	205	257	53
Brampton Battalion	68	8th	55	3	2	198	362	21st

West Division	GP	W.	L.	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
Plymouth Whalers	68	51	11	4th	2	313	162	108
Sarnia Sting	68	37	24	6th	1	279	216	81
London Knights	68	34	27	4th	3	260	217	75
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds	68	31	27	8th	2	244	242	72
Windsor Spitfires	68	23	33	6th	6th	203	294	58

Best scorer

Abbreviations: GP = games, G = goals, A = assists , Pts = points, PIM = penalty minutes; Bold: Season best

player	team	GP	G	A.	Pts	PIM
Peter Sarno	Sarnia Sting	68	37	93	130	49
Norm Milley	Sudbury Wolves	68	52	68	120	47
Sheldon Keefe	Barrie Colts Toronto St. Michael's Majors	66	51	65	116	140
Adam Colagiacomo	Plymouth Whalers	67	40	68	108	89
Mike Fisher	Sudbury Wolves	68	41	65	106	55
Daniel Tkaczuk	Barrie Colts	58	43	62	105	58
Harold Druken	Plymouth Whalers	60	58	45	103	34
Kevin Colley	Oshawa Generals	63	39	62	101	68
Justin Papineau	Belleville Bulls	68	52	47	99	28
Ivan Novosselzew	Sarnia Sting	68	57	39	96	45

Best goalkeeper

Abbreviations: GP = games, TOI = ice age (in minutes), W = wins, L = defeats, T = draws, OTL = overtime / shootout defeats, GA = goals conceded, SO = shutouts , Sv% = shots saved (in% ), GAA = counter goal

player	team	GP	TOI	W.	L.	T	OTL	GA	SO	Sv%	ATM
Robert Holsinger	Plymouth Whalers	40	2252	28	9	0	1	78	5	92.4	2.08
Levente Szuper	Ottawa 67's	32	1801	22nd	6th	3	0	70	4th	92.0	2.33
Seamus Kotyk	Ottawa 67's	41	2314	26th	7th	0	4th	92	5	91.5	2.39

Only goalkeepers who have played at least 1052 minutes of play are recorded.

Play-offs

Play-off tree

Conference quarterfinals

Conference semifinals

Conference finals

OHL championship

E1

Barrie Colts

4th

E8

Kingston Frontenacs

1

E1

Barrie Colts

3

E4

Oshawa Generals

4th

E4

Oshawa Generals

4th

E5

Peterborough Petes

1

E4

Oshawa Generals

1

Eastern Conference

E3

Belleville Bulls

4th

E3

Belleville Bulls

4th

E6

Sudbury Wolves

0

E3

Belleville Bulls

4th

E2

Ottawa 67's

1

E2

Ottawa 67's

4th

E7

North Bay Centennials

0

E3

Belleville Bulls

4th

W5

London Knights

3

W1

Plymouth Whalers

4th

W8

Windsor Spitfires

0

W1

Plymouth Whalers

3

W5

London Knights

4th

W4

Sarnia Sting

2

W5

London Knights

4th

W5

London Knights

4th

Western Conference

W3

Owen Sound Platers

3

W3

Owen Sound Platers

4th

W6

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

1

W3

Owen Sound Platers

4th

W2

Guelph Storm

2

W2

Guelph Storm

4th

W7

Erie Otters

1

J. Ross Robertson Cup Final

(E3) Belleville Bulls - (W5) London Knights

Apr 29, 1999 7:30 p.m. (local time)

Belleville Bulls Justin Papineau (9:38) Glenn Crawford (17:16) Kevin Baker (29:47) Kelly Paddon (47:13)

4: 5 n.V. (2: 1, 1: 1, 1: 2, 0: 1) Match report as of: 0: 1

London Knights Krys Barch (12:21) Tom Kostopoulos (23:08) Tyler Durham (45:58) Krys Barch (51:49) Adam Saffer (68:17)

Yardmen Arena , Belleville , Ontario

0May 1, 1999 7:30 p.m.

London Knights Jay Legault (40:30) Jason Doyle (48:18) Chris Kelly (51:10)

3: 6 (0: 2, 0: 2, 3: 2) Match report as of 1: 1

Belleville Bulls Ryan Ready (4:26) Justin Papineau (9:13) Randy Rowe (20:47) Nathan Robinson (35:54) Glenn Crawford (41:01) Justin Papineau (42:27)

London Ice House , London , Ontario Spectators: 5,075

0May 3, 1999 7:30 p.m.

Belleville Bulls Mike Renzi (17:46) Jonathan Cheechoo (44:56) Jonathan Cheechoo (47:04) Randy Rowe (49:37) Justin Papineau (59:59)

5: 3 (1: 0, 0: 1, 4: 2) Match report as of: 2: 1

London Knights John Erskine (37:33) Richard Pitirri (57:59) Tom Kostopoulos (59:30)

Yardmen Arena, Belleville, Ontario Spectators: 3,179

0May 5, 1999 7:30 p.m.

London Knights Tom Kostopoulos (15:42)

1: 6 (1: 4, 0: 2, 0: 0) Match report as of: 1: 3

Belleville Bulls Branko Radivojevič (1:25) Derek Campbell (3:00) Justin Papineau (8:21) Chris Stanley (11:28) Justin Papineau (22:44) Randy Rowe (36:38)

London Ice House, London, Ontario Spectators: 5,075

0May 7, 1999 7:30 p.m.

Belleville Bulls Randy Rowe (3:54) Jonathan Cheechoo (39:34) Jonathan Cheechoo (51:32) Glenn Crawford (56:25)

4: 6 (1: 1, 1: 1, 2: 4) Match report as of: 3: 2

London Knights Tom Kostopoulos (18:55) Richard Pitirri (27:05) Tom Kostopoulos (46:59) Chris Kelly (49:24) Rico Fata (49:32)

Yardmen Arena, Belleville, Ontario

0May 9, 1999 6:00 p.m.

London Knights Tom Kostopoulos (5:27) Rico Fata (29:58) Jay Legault (38:09) Jay Legault (54:16) Chris Kelly (56:11)

5: 1 (1: 0, 2: 1, 2: 0) Match report as of: 3: 3

Belleville Bulls Justin Papineau (36:22)

London Ice House, London, Ontario Spectators: 4,977

May 11, 1999 7:30 p.m.

Belleville Bulls Glenn Crawford (7:47) Branko Radivojevič (10:23) Jonathan Cheechoo (12:28) Justin Papineau (16:02) Jonathan Cheechoo (20:23) Jonathan Cheechoo (32:20) Jonathan Cheechoo (34:45 ) Ryan Ready (43:49) Jonathan Cheechoo (50:12)

9: 2 (4: 1, 3: 1, 2: 0) Match report as of: 4: 3

London Knights Chris Kelly (17:40) Mike Mazzuca (33:28)

Yardmen Arena, Belleville, Ontario

J. Ross Robertson Cup winner

J. Ross Robertson Cup winner Belleville Bulls

Goalkeepers: Cory Campbell , Chad Mehlenbacher Defenders: Rick Bertran , Adam Collins , Michael Jacobsen , Branislav Mezei , Jason Lawmaster , Kelly Paddon , Nick Policelli Attackers: Kevin Baker , Derek Campbell , Mark Chaplin , Jonathan Cheechoo , Glenn Crawford , Tyler Longo , Kris Newbury , Justin Papineau , Branko Radivojevič , Ryan Ready , Mike Renzi , Nathan Robinson , Randy Rowe , Chris Stanley Head Coach and General Manager: Lou Crawford

Best scorer

Abbreviations: GP = games, G = goals, A = assists , Pts = points, PIM = penalty minutes; Bold: Season best

player	team	GP	G	A.	Pts	PIM
Justin Papineau	Belleville Bulls	21st	21st	30th	51	20th
Ryan Ready	Belleville Bulls	21st	10	28	38	22nd
Tom Kostopoulos	London Knights	25th	19th	16	35	32
Richard Pitirri	London Knights	25th	12	22nd	34	24
Jonathan Cheechoo	Belleville Bulls	21st	15th	15th	30th	27
Krys Barch	London Knights	25th	9	17th	26th	15th
Chris Kelly	London Knights	25th	9	17th	26th	22nd
Jay Legault	London Knights	25th	8th	18th	26th	40
Mike Dombkiewicz	Owen Sound Platers	16	3	22nd	25th	22nd
Kevin Colley	Oshawa Generals	16	8th	16	24	32
Brent Gauvreau	Oshawa Generals	17th	10	14th	24	15th
Glenn Crawford	Belleville Bulls	21st	13	11	24	22nd
Branko Radivojevič	Belleville Bulls	21st	7th	17th	24	18th

Best goalkeeper

Abbreviations: GP = games, TOI = ice age (in minutes), W = wins, L = defeats, OTL = overtime / shootout defeats , GA = goals conceded, SO = shutouts , Sv% = shots saved (in%), GAA = Conceded goal

player	team	GP	TOI	W.	L.	OTL	GA	SO	Sv%	ATM
Seamus Kotyk	Sarnia Sting	5	338	1	3	1	13	0	91.2	2.31
JF Perras	Erie Otters	5	245	1	2	1	11	0	93.7	2.69
Levente Szuper	Ottawa 67's	4th	241	2	1	1	11	1	92.4	2.73

Greg Hewitt achieved the highest catch quota with 93.9%.

Only goalkeepers who have played at least 125 minutes of play are recorded.

Awards

All-star teams

First all-star team
Attack:	Ryan Ready - Daniel Tkaczuk - Iwan Novosselzew
Defense:	Brian Campbell - Bryan Allen
Goal:	Brian Finley
Trainer:	Peter DeBoer

Second all-star team
Attack:	Denis Schwidki - Harold Druken - Norm Milley
Defense:	Martin Škoula - Kevin Mitchell
Goal:	Tyrone Garner
Trainer:	Lou Crawford

Third all-star team
Attack:	Jay Legault - Peter Sarno - Sheldon Keefe
Defense:	Nick Boynton - Nikos Tselios
Goal:	Seamus Kotyk
Trainer:	Dave Siciliano

All rookie teams

First all rookie team
Attack:	Denis Schwidki - Jason Spezza - Sheldon Keefe
Defense:	Jay Harrison - Luke Sellars
Goal:	Cory Campbell

Second all rookie team
Attack:	Raffi Torres - Brad Boyes - Darryl Bootland
Defense:	Mark Popovic - Kelly Paddon
Goal:	Alex Auld

Awarded trophies

Award		team
J. Ross Robertson Cup		Belleville Bulls
Hamilton Spectator Trophy		Plymouth Whalers
Bobby Orr Trophy		Belleville Bulls
Wayne Gretzky Trophy		London Knights
Emms Trophy		Barrie Colts
Leyden Trophy		Ottawa 67's
Holody Trophy		Guelph Storm
Bumbacco Trophy		Plymouth Whalers
Award	player	team
Red Tilson Trophy	Brian Campbell	Ottawa 67's
Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy	Peter Sarno	Sarnia Sting
Matt Leyden Trophy	Peter DeBoer	Plymouth Whalers
Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy	Norm Milley	Sudbury Wolves
Max Kaminsky Trophy	Brian Campbell	Ottawa 67's
OHL Goaltender of the Year	Brian Finley	Barrie Colts
Jack Ferguson Award	Jason Spezza	Mississauga IceDogs
Dave Pinkney Trophy	Rob Zepp Robert Holsinger	Plymouth Whalers
OHL Executive of the Year	Jeff Hunt	Ottawa 67's
Emms Family Award	Sheldon Keefe	Barrie Colts
FW "Dinty" Moore Trophy	Levente Szuper	Ottawa 67's
OHL Humanitarian of the Year	Ryan McKie	Sudbury Wolves
William Hanley Trophy	Brian Campbell	Ottawa 67's
Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy	Ryan Ready	Belleville Bulls
Bobby Smith Trophy	Rob Zepp	Plymouth Whalers
Wayne Gretzky 99 Award	Justin Papineau	Belleville Bulls

See also

• 1998/99 season of the Québec Major Junior Hockey League
• 1998/99 season of the Western Hockey League
• Memorial Cup 1999

Web links

• OHL 1998/99 at hockeydb.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ bellevillebulls.com: historical roster 1998/99 (English, accessed on January 6, 2014)
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Aaron Bell: 2014–2015 OHL Media Information Guide . Ontario Hockey League, p. 145. (English, freely available online as a PDF file ( Memento of the original from March 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link accordingly Instructions and then remove this note. , 4674 kB) 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Aaron Bell: 2014–2015 OHL Media Information Guide . Ontario Hockey League, p. 151. (English, freely available online as a PDF file ( Memento of the original from March 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link accordingly Instructions and then remove this note. , 4674 kB)