The 1998–99 season was a tremendous improvement for the Maple Leafs over the 1997–98 season and the team got plenty of help from its new members, including
Bryan Berard,
Sylvain Cote,
Curtis Joseph,
Alexander Karpovtsev (who led the NHL in
plus-minus with +39, but was not eligible for the
NHL Plus-Minus Award because he played just 58 games),
Yanic Perreault and
Steve Thomas (who finished second on the team in points, with 73). Former
Vancouver Canucks head coach
Pat Quinn replaced
Mike Murphy as Toronto's head coach. Six Maple Leafs scored 20 or more goals. Toronto set a club record for most regular season wins (45) and earned 97 points to finish second in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference. They led the NHL in most goals for, with 268, and were the only team to score 200 or more even-strength goals. On November 12, 1998, the Maple Leafs defeated the
Chicago Blackhawks 10–3 away.
Mats Sundin recorded a hat trick in the game, which was the first regular season game in which the Leafs had scored ten goals since February 17, 1989, when they defeated the
New York Rangers 10–6 away.
Maple Leaf Gardens • On February 13, 1999, the Maple Leafs ended a 67-year tradition when they played their last game at Maple Leaf Gardens. The team lost 6–2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Former Maple Leaf
Doug Gilmour scored a fluke goal in that game and notorious tough guy
Bob Probert scored the final NHL goal in Gardens history in the game's third period. During the emotional post-game ceremony, legendary Canadian singer
Anne Murray performed "
The Maple Leaf Forever" while wearing a Toronto jersey. The Leafs were the last of the Original Six teams to leave their Original Six-era arena, three years after the Canadiens did so.
Air Canada Centre • The first Maple Leafs home game took place on February 20, 1999, against the
Montreal Canadiens, won by the Leafs 3–2 on an
overtime goal by
Steve Thomas.
Season standings ==Playoffs==