2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season

2002–03 Montreal Canadiens
Division 4th Northeast
Conference 9th Eastern
2002–03 record 30–35–8–9
Home record 16–16–5–4
Road record 14–19–3–5
Goals for 206
Goals against 234
Team information
General Manager Andre Savard
Coach Michel Therrien  (Oct–Jan)
Claude Julien (Jan–Apr)
Captain Saku Koivu
Arena Bell Centre
Team leaders
Goals Richard Zednik (31)
Assists Saku Koivu (50)
Points Saku Koivu (71)
Penalties in minutes Richard Zednik (79)
Plus/minus Andrei Markov (+13)
Wins Jose Theodore (20)
Goals against average Mathieu Garon (1.99)

The 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 94th season of play. The club struggled through the season, made a coaching change and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Regular season

Before the start of the season, many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens due to the team possessing a healthy Saku Koivu as well as last season's Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and showed little improvement in December. Players such as Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette were slow to produce offence for the team, and the two forwards were both sent down for brief stints in the minors. For his part, Jose Theodore's performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier. Despite the strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire Head Coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of the Habs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite Julien's arrival as head coach, the team was unable to improve its situation. The Habs saw their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ended in early March. Despite Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals, the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. The Canadiens ended with a record of 30–35–9–8, and former MVP Theodore had a disappointing season with a record of 20–31–6.

The Canadiens finished the regular season tying the Nashville Predators for the fewest short-handed goals scored, with just two.[1]

Final standings

Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
11Ottawa Senators82522181263182113
25Toronto Maple Leafs8244287323620898
37Boston Bruins82363111424523787
410Montreal Canadiens8230358920623477
512Buffalo Sabres82273710819021972

[2]

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference[3]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 P- Ottawa SenatorsNE82522181263182113
2 Y- New Jersey DevilsAT824620106216166108
3 Y- Tampa Bay LightningSE82362516521921093
4 X- Philadelphia FlyersAT824520134211166107
5 X- Toronto Maple LeafsNE8244287323620898
6 X- Washington CapitalsSE8239298622422092
7 X- Boston BruinsNE82363111424523787
8 X- New York IslandersAT82353411222423183
8.5
9 New York RangersAT82323610421023178
10 Montreal CanadiensNE8230358920623477
11 Atlanta ThrashersSE8231397522628474
12 Buffalo SabresNE82273710819021972
13 Florida PanthersSE82243613917623770
14 Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8227446518925565
15 Carolina HurricanesSE82224311617124061

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P- Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

Regular season results
No. R Date Score Opponent Record Points
1WOctober 11, 20024–1@ New York Rangers (2002–03)1–0–0–02
2LOctober 12, 20021–6Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)1–1–0–02
3LOctober 15, 20022–6Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)1–2–0–02
4WOctober 17, 20023–2@ Detroit Red Wings (2002–03)2–2–0–04
5TOctober 19, 20022–2 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)2–2–1–05
6TOctober 22, 20023–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)2–2–2–06
7LOctober 24, 20022–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)2–3–2–06
8WOctober 26, 20025–3Ottawa Senators (2002–03)3–3–2–08
9TOctober 29, 20022–2 OTMighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)3–3–3–09
10TNovember 1, 20022–2 OT@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)3–3–4–010
11WNovember 2, 20025–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)4–3–4–012
12LNovember 5, 20022–5St. Louis Blues (2002–03)4–4–4–012
13WNovember 7, 20023–0New York Islanders (2002–03)5–4–4–014
14WNovember 9, 20023–1Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)6–4–4–016
15LNovember 12, 20022–4Dallas Stars (2002–03)6–5–4–016
16LNovember 15, 20021–5@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)6–6–4–016
17WNovember 16, 20023–1New Jersey Devils (2002–03)7–6–4–018
18WNovember 18, 20025–4 OTPittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)8–6–4–020
19WNovember 20, 20023–2 OT@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)9–6–4–022
20LNovember 21, 20022–3@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)9–7–4–022
21LNovember 23, 20023–7Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)9–8–4–022
22WNovember 26, 20023–2Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)10–8–4–024
23LNovember 29, 20022–4@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)10–9–4–024
24OTLNovember 30, 20021–2 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (2002–03)10–9–4–125
25LDecember 4, 20021–5@ Dallas Stars (2002–03)10–10–4–125
26OTLDecember 6, 20026–7 OT@ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03)10–10–4–226
27WDecember 7, 20024–2@ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03)11–10–4–228
28WDecember 10, 20024–2@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)12–10–4–230
29LDecember 12, 20022–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)12–11–4–230
30WDecember 14, 20024–2Boston Bruins (2002–03)13–11–4–232
31WDecember 16, 20023–2@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)14–11–4–234
32LDecember 17, 20021–3San Jose Sharks (2002–03)14–12–4–234
33WDecember 19, 20023–1@ New York Rangers (2002–03)15–12–4–236
34WDecember 21, 20026–2Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)16–12–4–238
35LDecember 23, 20021–3@ New York Islanders (2002–03)16–13–4–238
36OTLDecember 27, 20022–3 OT@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03)16–13–4–339
37LDecember 28, 20022–3@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03)16–14–4–339
38TDecember 31, 20021–1 OT@ Calgary Flames (2002–03)16–14–5–340
39LJanuary 2, 20032–3@ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03)16–15–5–340
40OTLJanuary 4, 20034–5 OT@ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)16–15–5–441
41LJanuary 7, 20032–3@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03)16–16–5–441
42WJanuary 9, 20033–2New York Rangers (2002–03)17–16–5–443
43LJanuary 11, 20032–3Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)17–17–5–443
44WJanuary 13, 20034–2Calgary Flames (2002–03)18–17–5–445
45LJanuary 15, 20030–1@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)18–18–5–445
46LJanuary 16, 20031–4@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03)18–19–5–445
47OTLJanuary 18, 20032–3 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)18–19–5–546
48WJanuary 20, 20033–2@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)19–19–5–548
49TJanuary 22, 20032–2 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)19–19–6–549
50TJanuary 25, 20031–1 OTWashington Capitals (2002–03)19–19–7–550
51WJanuary 26, 20034–3Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03)20–19–7–552
52WJanuary 28, 20036–3Florida Panthers (2002–03)21–19–7–554
53LJanuary 30, 20031–3@ New York Islanders (2002–03)21–20–7–554
54LFebruary 4, 20033–4Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)21–21–7–554
55LFebruary 6, 20033–6@ Boston Bruins (2002–03)21–22–7–554
56LFebruary 8, 20031–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)21–23–7–554
57WFebruary 9, 20032–0@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)22–23–7–556
58WFebruary 11, 20033–1Boston Bruins (2002–03)23–23–7–558
59OTLFebruary 13, 20031–2 OTColumbus Blue Jackets (2002–03)23–23–7–659
60WFebruary 15, 20033–2Edmonton Oilers (2002–03)24–23–7–661
61LFebruary 18, 20030–3Florida Panthers (2002–03)24–24–7–661
62OTLFebruary 19, 20031–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)24–24–7–762
63LFebruary 22, 20033–5Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03)24–25–7–762
64LFebruary 24, 20031–4@ Washington Capitals (2002–03)24–26–7–762
65LFebruary 27, 20033–6Minnesota Wild (2002–03)24–27–7–762
66TMarch 1, 20031–1 OTVancouver Canucks (2002–03)24–27–8–763
67LMarch 5, 20031–3@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)24–28–8–763
68OTLMarch 6, 20033–4 OT@ San Jose Sharks (2002–03)24–28–8–864
69LMarch 8, 20031–2@ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03)24–29–8–864
70WMarch 10, 20033–1@ Nashville Predators (2002–03)25–29–8–866
71WMarch 12, 20034–0@ Florida Panthers (2002–03)26–29–8–868
72WMarch 13, 20034–2@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03)27–29–8–870
73LMarch 15, 20031–2Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)27–30–8–870
74LMarch 18, 20030–1New Jersey Devils (2002–03)27–31–8–870
75LMarch 20, 20033–6New York Islanders (2002–03)27–32–8–870
76WMarch 22, 20035–3Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)28–32–8–872
77OTLMarch 25, 20033–4 OTWashington Capitals (2002–03)28–32–8–973
78LMarch 28, 20031–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03)28–33–8–973
79LMarch 29, 20031–3Ottawa Senators (2002–03)28–34–8–973
80WMarch 31, 20034–0@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03)29–34–8–975
81LApril 2, 20031–2@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03)29–35–8–975
82WApril 5, 20035–4New York Rangers (2002–03)30–35–8–977

Player statistics

Regular season

Before the start of the season, many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens as a result of a healthy Saku Koivu and last season's Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and show very little improvement in December. Players such as Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette were slow to produce offence for the team, and the two forwards were both sent down for brief stints in the minors. Moreover, Jose Theodore's performances were not up to par with his MVP-winning season of a year earlier. Despite strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire Head Coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of the Habs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite Julien's arrival, the team was unable to improve its situation and improve its collective effort. The Habs saw their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ended in early March. Despite Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals, the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Saku KoivuC82215071725515
Richard ZednikRW80311950794902
Yanic PerreaultC7324224630-11704
Jan BulisC82162440309002
Andrei MarkovD791324373413302
Doug GilmourC6111193036-6300
Patrice BriseboisD734252932-14101
Andreas DackellRW737182524-5001
Donald AudetteRW5411122319-7404
Oleg PetrovRW537162316-2202
Craig RivetD8271522711302
Joe JuneauC726162220-10002
Randy McKayRW756131972-14200
Mike RibeiroC52512176-3200
Chad KilgerLW60971621-4001
Mariusz CzerkawskiRW43591416-7100
Niklas SundstromRW33591483001
Marcel HossaLW346713143201
Patrick TraverseD650131324-9000
Stephane QuintalD67551070-4000
Jason WardRW832503000
Karl DykhuisD6514534-5000
Francis BouillonD203142-1010
Bill LindsayRW1902223-1000
Jose TheodoreG5702260000
Mike KomisarekD2101128-6000
Francois BeaucheminD10000-1000
Sylvain BlouinLW1700043-3000
Gordie DwyerLW1100046-2000
Mathieu GaronG800000000
Jeff HackettG1800000000
Ron HainseyD210002-1000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Jose Theodore341957203161652.90217971632.908
Jeff Hackett106318782452.540606561.926
Mathieu Garon4828350161.992267251.940
Team:496482304482262.73426702444.915

[4]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Roster

Forwards:
11 - Saku Koivu
14 - Oleg Petrov
17 - Jason Ward
20 - Richard Zednik
21 - Randy McKay
22 - Bill Lindsay
24 - Andreas Dackell
25 - Chad Kilger
26 - Sylvain Blouin
27 - Mariusz Czerkawski
32 - Gordie Dwyer
37 - Niklas Sundstrom
38 - Jan Bulis
71 - Mike Ribeiro
81 - Marcel Hossa
82 - Donald Audette
90 - Joé Juneau
93 - Doug Gilmour
94 - Yanic Perreault

Defencemen:
5 - Stéphane Quintal
8 - Mike Komisarek
28 - Karl Dykhuis
36 - François Beauchemin
43 - Patrice Brisebois
44 - Sheldon Souray
51 - Francis Bouillon
52 - Craig Rivet
54 - Patrick Traverse
65 - Ron Hainsey
79 - Andrei Markov

Goaltenders:
30 - Mathieu Garon
31 - Jeff Hackett
41 - Éric Fichaud
60 - José Théodore

Draft picks

Montreal's draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
114Chris Higgins United StatesYale University (ECAC)
245Tomas Linhart Czech RepublicHC Pardubice Jr. (Czech Republic)
499Michael Lambert CanadaMontreal Rocket (QMJHL)
6182Andre Deveaux CanadaBelleville Bulls (OHL)
7212Jonathan Ferland CanadaAcadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
9275Konstantin Korneyev RussiaKrylya Sovetov (Russia)

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2003.html
  2. ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
  3. ↑ "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ "2002-03 Montreal Canadiens Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
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