For the second consecutive year, the Red Wings claimed the Stanley Cup. After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1997 Finals, they swept the Capitals.
It was a season dedicated to Vladimir Konstantinov and Sergei Mnastsakanov who had been seriously injured in a car accident that occurred just days after the Red Wings won the 1997 Cup.
The Red Wings had gotten through the Western Conference portion of the playoffs with relative ease, as all three series leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals ended in six games.
In the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, the Capitals didn’t make it easy for the Wings at Joe Louis Arena.