2002–03 NHL season

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox sports season The 2002–03 NHL season was the 86th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup winners were the New Jersey Devils, who won the best of seven series 4–3 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Template:TOC left

League business

Entry draft

The 2002 NHL entry draft was held on June 22 and 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Rick Nash was selected first overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Rule changes

The league approved the following rule changes:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Following the death of Brittanie Cecil during the previous season, netting at both ends of the rink became mandatory, and the minimum height of the glass around the entire rink was raised to five feet.
  • "Hurry-up" faceoff and line-change rules were implemented, similar to ones used by the American Hockey League. Except during the final two minutes of a game and after a goal is scored, the visiting team has five seconds to complete a line change during stoppages, and the home team has eight seconds. The linesman will then blow his whistle and drop the puck within five seconds, regardless if one or both teams' centres are lined up at the faceoff dot. If a centre is offside before getting properly lined up by the five seconds, he will get a warning before getting subsequent delay of game penalties.

Arena changes

Regular season

All-Star Game

The All-Star Game was played on February 2, 2003, at Office Depot Center in Sunrise, the home of the Florida Panthers. The game returned to an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format.

Highlights

The regular season saw several surprises. The San Jose Sharks, who many felt would be one of the elite teams in the West, stumbled early and badly disassembled much of the team. The two-year-old Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, got out to an early start and held onto their first-ever playoff berth throughout the season, winning coach Jacques Lemaire the Jack Adams Award.

The most surprising team was probably the Tampa Bay Lightning, which many had predicted to finish last, winning their first Southeast Division title and making the playoffs for the first time in seven years. The most disappointing teams, other than the Sharks, were the New York Rangers, who finished out of the playoffs again despite bearing the league's leading payroll, and the Carolina Hurricanes, who finished last overall after a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Finals the year before. On January 8, 2003, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Michael Leighton gained a shutout in his NHL debut in a 0–0 tie versus the Phoenix Coyotes. Coyotes goaltender Zac Bierk earned his first career shutout, although it was not his NHL debut. It was the first—and with the abolition of ties two years later, the only—time that two goalies in the same game both earned their first career shutouts.<ref>Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.19, James Duplacey, JG Press, Template:ISBN</ref>

At the midpoint of the season, the Canucks led the Western Conference and Ottawa led the East. Vancouver stumbled somewhat over the stretch and lost the Northwest Division title to Colorado and the Western Conference to Dallas. Ottawa continued to dominate, having the best season in franchise history and winning both the Eastern Conference and the Presidents' Trophy.

The season was also marred by financial difficulties. Despite their success, the Ottawa Senators were in bankruptcy protection for almost all of 2003, and at one point could not pay the players. Owner Rod Bryden tried a variety of innovative financing strategies, but these all failed and the team was purchased after the season by billionaire Eugene Melnyk. The Buffalo Sabres also entered bankruptcy protection before being bought by New York businessman Tom Golisano. The financial struggles of the Pittsburgh Penguins continued as the team continued to unload its most expensive players.

The season was marked by a great number of coaches being fired, from Bob Hartley in Colorado to Darryl Sutter in San Jose and Bryan Trottier of the New York Rangers.

Worries over the decline in scoring and the neutral zone trap continued. The season began with an attempted crack down on obstruction and interference, but by the midpoint of the season this effort had petered out.

Final standings

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

Eastern Conference

Template:2002–03 NHL Atlantic Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Northeast Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Southeast Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Eastern Conference standings

Western Conference

Template:2002–03 NHL Central Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Northwest Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Pacific Division standings Template:2002–03 NHL Western Conference standings Source: Template:Cite book

Playoffs

2003 Stanley Cup playoffs logo
2003 Stanley Cup playoffs logo

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Bracket

In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8.

The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

2003 Stanley Cup playoffs

Awards

The NHL Awards presentation took place in Toronto.

Presidents' Trophy: Ottawa Senators
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)		 New Jersey Devils
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Western Conference playoff champion)		 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Art Ross Trophy: Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings
Calder Memorial Trophy: Barret Jackman, St. Louis Blues
Conn Smythe Trophy: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
Hart Memorial Trophy: Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche
Jack Adams Award: Jacques Lemaire, Minnesota Wild
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Alexander Mogilny, Toronto Maple Leafs
Lester B. Pearson Award: Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy: Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
NHL Foundation Player Award: Darren McCarty, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Plus-Minus Award: Peter Forsberg & Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award: Marty Turco, Dallas Stars
Vezina Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils
William M. Jennings Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils;
Roman Cechmanek and Robert Esche, Philadelphia Flyers

All-Star teams

First team   Position   Second team
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils G Marty Turco, Dallas Stars
Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues D Sergei Gonchar, Washington Capitals
Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings D Derian Hatcher, Dallas Stars
Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche C Joe Thornton, Boston Bruins
Todd Bertuzzi, Vancouver Canucks RW Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
Markus Näslund, Vancouver Canucks LW Paul Kariya, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts
Peter Forsberg Colorado 75 29 77 106
Markus Naslund Vancouver 82 48 56 104
Joe Thornton Boston 77 36 65 101
Milan Hejduk Colorado 82 50 48 98
Todd Bertuzzi Vancouver 82 46 51 97
Pavol Demitra St. Louis 78 36 57 93
Glen Murray Boston 82 44 48 92
Mario Lemieux Pittsburgh 67 28 63 91
Dany Heatley Atlanta 77 41 48 89
Zigmund Palffy Los Angeles 76 37 48 85
Mike Modano Dallas 79 28 57 85
Sergei Fedorov Detroit 80 36 47 83

Source: NHL.Template:Sfn

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage

Player Team GP MIN GA GAA W L T SO SV%
Marty Turco Dallas Stars 55 3203 92 1.72 31 10 10 7 .932
Roman Cechmanek Philadelphia Flyers 58 3350 102 1.83 33 15 10 6 .925
Dwayne Roloson Minnesota Wild 50 2945 98 2.00 23 16 8 4 .927
Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 73 4374 147 2.02 41 23 9 9 .914
Patrick Lalime Ottawa Senators 67 3943 142 2.16 39 20 7 8 .911
Patrick Roy Colorado Avalanche 63 3769 137 2.18 35 15 13 5 .920
Manny Legace Detroit Red Wings 25 1406 51 2.18 14 5 4 0 .925
Tomas Vokoun Nashville Predators 69 3974 146 2.20 25 31 11 3 .918
Robert Esche Philadelphia Flyers 30 1638 60 2.20 12 9 3 2 .907
Manny Fernandez Minnesota Wild 35 1979 75 2.24 19 13 2 2 .924

Playoffs

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points

Player Team GP G A Pts
Jamie Langenbrunner New Jersey Devils 24 11 7 18
Scott Niedermayer New Jersey Devils 24 2 16 18
Marian Gaborik Minnesota Wild 18 9 8 17
John Madden New Jersey Devils 24 6 10 16
Marian Hossa Ottawa Senators 18 5 11 16
Mike Modano Dallas Stars 12 5 10 15
Jeff Friesen New Jersey Devils 24 10 4 14
Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks 14 5 9 14
Sergei Zubov Dallas Stars 12 4 10 14
Andrew Brunette Minnesota Wild 18 7 6 13
Wes Walz Minnesota Wild 18 7 6 13

Coaches

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Milestones

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2002–03 (listed with their first team):

Last games

The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2002–03, listed with their team:

Player Team Notability
Tom Barrasso<ref>Goaltender Tom Barrasso retired after playing 19 NHL...</ref> St. Louis Blues 3-time NHL All-Star, Calder Memorial Trophy winner, Vezina Trophy winner, William M. Jennings Trophy winner.
Craig Berube<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> || Calgary Flames || Over 1000 games played.

Pavel Bure<ref>Don Cherry says Bure retired early because 'he took chances'</ref> New York Rangers Olympic silver and bronze medalist, 7-time NHL All-Star, 2-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner, Calder Memorial Trophy winner.
Sylvain Cote<ref>1992-93 Washington Capitals Sylvain Cote Jersey</ref> Washington Capitals Over 1100 games played.
Ken Daneyko<ref>HOCKEY; After 3 Stanley Cups, Devils' Daneyko Retires</ref> New Jersey Devils Bill Masterton Trophy winner, over 1200 games played.
Adam Deadmarsh<ref>Adam Deadmarsh retires from NHL due to concussions</ref> Los Angeles Kings Olympic silver medalist.
Kevin Dineen<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> || Columbus Blue Jackets || Over 1100 games played.

Theoren Fleury<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Chicago Blackhawks 7-time NHL All-Star, over 1000 games played.
Doug Gilmour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> || Toronto Maple Leafs || 2-time NHL All-Star, Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, over 1400 games played.

Adam Graves<ref>Rangers retire Adam Graves' No. 9 jersey</ref> San Jose Sharks Bill Masterton Trophy winner, King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner, over 1100 games played.
Phil Housley<ref>HERE'S WHY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR HOUSLEY TO MAKE HHOF GRADE</ref> Toronto Maple Leafs Olympic silver medalist, 7-time NHL All-Star, over 1400 games played.
Uwe Krupp<ref>Uwe Krupp</ref> Atlanta Thrashers 2-time NHL All-Star.
Kirk Muller<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> || Dallas Stars || Over 1300 games played.

Shjon Podein<ref>Where are they now: Shjon Podein</ref> St. Louis Blues King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner.
Paul Ranheim<ref>Paul S. Ranheim</ref> Phoenix Coyotes Over 1000 games played.
Mike Richter<ref>HOCKEY; After 2 Concussions, Richter Is Forced to Retire</ref> New York Rangers 2-time NHL All-Star.
Patrick Roy<ref>ROY SAYS HE'S 'COMING HOME' AS NO. 33 JERSEY IS RETIRED AT BELL CENTRE</ref> Colorado Avalanche 11-time NHL All-Star, 5-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, 3-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, 3-time Vezina Trophy winner, over 1000 games played.

2003 trade deadline

Template:See also Trading deadline: March 11, 2003.<ref>NHL trade deadline: Deals since 1980 | Habs Inside/Out Template:Webarchive</ref> Here is a list of major trades for the 2002–03 NHL trade deadline:

Broadcasting

Canada

This was the first season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and TSN. CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada regular season games, while TSN's coverage included Wednesday Night Hockey and other selected weeknights. Stanley Cup playoff coverage on cable expanded beyond the first round, with TSN allowed to televise all-U.S. games up to the Conference Finals. CBC still aired all playoff games involving Canadian teams, as well as exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals.

United States

This was the fourth year of the league's five-year U.S. national broadcast rights deal with ESPN and ABC. ESPN and ESPN2 aired weeknight games throughout the regular season. ABC's coverage included the All-Star Game and five weeks worth of regional games on Saturday afternoons between January and March. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while ABC had Saturday regional telecasts. Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster produced local coverage of first and second-round games (except for those games on ABC). ABC's weekend telecasts continued into the Conference Finals, while ESPN had the rest of the third-round games. ESPN then aired the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals before the rest of the series shifted to ABC.

See also

References

Notes

Template:Reflist

Template:NHL seasons Template:2002–03 NHL season by team

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