2003–04 NHL season
2003–04 NHL season | |
---|---|
League | Draft |
Top draft pick | Marc-Andre Fleury |
Picked by | Pittsburgh Penguins |
Regular season | |
Presidents' Trophy | Detroit Red Wings |
Season MVP | Martin St. Louis (Lightning) |
Top scorer | Martin St. Louis (Lightning) |
Playoffs | |
Playoffs MVP | Brad Richards (Lightning) |
Stanley Cup | |
Champions | Tampa Bay Lightning |
Runners-up | Calgary Flames |
The 2003–04 NHL season was the
For the fourth time in eight years, the all-time record for total shutouts in a season was shattered, as 192 shutouts were recorded.[1] The 2003–04 regular season was also the first one (excluding the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season) since 1967–68 in which there was neither a 50-goal scorer, nor a 100-point scorer.[1][2] It was also the final NHL season before the 2004–05 NHL lockout with games resuming in the fall of 2005 as part of the 2005–06 season, and the final season in which games could end in ties.
League business
The schedule of 82 games was revamped. The new format increased divisional games from five to six per team (24 total), and decreased inter-conference games to at least one per team, with three extra games (18 in total).
The alternating of jerseys was changed. For the first season since the 1969–70 season, teams would now wear their colored jerseys at home and white jerseys away.
The
Teams
2003-04 National Hockey League | ||||
Eastern Conference | ||||
Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic | ||||
New Jersey Devils | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Continental Airlines Arena
|
19,040 | |
New York Islanders | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
|
16,234 | |
New York Rangers | New York, New York
|
Madison Square Garden | 18,200 | |
Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
Wachovia Center
|
19,523 | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
|
Mellon Arena
|
16,958 | |
Northeast | Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts
|
FleetCenter
|
17,850 |
Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo, New York | HSBC Arena
|
18,690 | |
Montreal Canadiens | Montreal, Quebec
|
Bell Centre | 21,273 | |
Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, Ontario
|
Corel Centre
|
18,500 | |
Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario
|
Air Canada Centre
|
18,800 | |
Southeast | Atlanta Thrashers | Georgia
|
Phillips Arena
|
18,545 |
Carolina Hurricanes | Raleigh, North Carolina | RBC Center
|
18,700 | |
Florida Panthers | Sunrise, Florida | Office Depot Center
|
19,250 | |
Tampa Bay Lightning | Tampa, Florida | St. Pete Times Forum
|
19,092 | |
Washington Capitals | D.C.
|
MCI Center
|
18,573 | |
Western Conference | ||||
Central | Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago, Illinois
|
United Center | 20,500 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | Columbus, Ohio | Nationwide Arena | 18,136 | |
Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan
|
Joe Louis Arena | 20,066 | |
Nashville Predators | Nashville, Tennessee | Gaylord Entertainment Center
|
17,159 | |
St. Louis Blues | St. Louis, Missouri
|
Savvis Center
|
19,022 | |
Northwest | ||||
Calgary Flames | Calgary, Alberta
|
Pengrowth Saddledome
|
19,289 | |
Colorado Avalanche | Denver, Colorado
|
Pepsi Center
|
18,007 | |
Edmonton Oilers | Edmonton, Alberta
|
Rexall Place
|
16,839 | |
Minnesota Wild | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Xcel Energy Center | 18,064 | |
Vancouver Canucks | Vancouver, British Columbia
|
General Motors Place
|
18,630 | |
Pacific | Dallas Stars | Dallas, Texas
|
American Airlines Center | 18,532 |
Los Angeles Kings | Los Angeles, California
|
Staples Center
|
18,230 | |
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
|
Anaheim, California | Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim
|
17,174 | |
Phoenix Coyotes
|
Phoenix, Arizona Glendale, Arizona |
Glendale Arena
|
16,210 17,125 | |
San Jose Sharks | San Jose, California | HP Pavilion | 17,562 |
Regular season
The 2003–04 season was one overhung by concern over the expiry of the
waged a war of words with no agreement being signed.On September 26, just before the season was to begin, young Atlanta Thrashers star Dany Heatley crashed his Ferrari in suburban Atlanta. The passenger, Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder, was killed. Heatley himself was badly injured and eventually charged with vehicular homicide.
Entering the season, the two Stanley Cup favorites were the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference, who had won the Presidents' Trophy and come within a win of the Stanley Cup Finals the year before, and the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference, who, despite losing legendary goaltender Patrick Roy to retirement, added both Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya to an already star-studded lineup. Neither of these teams, however, were as successful as expected, with Ottawa finishing fifth in their conference and Colorado finishing fourth, losing the Northwest Division title for the first time in a decade when the franchise was still known as the Quebec Nordiques.
The greatest disappointments were the
The most surprising teams were the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East and the San Jose Sharks in the West. The Lightning, who had a remarkable season with only 20 man-games lost to injury, finished atop the Eastern Conference, while the Sharks, who were firmly in rebuilding mode after a disastrous 28–37–9–8 campaign the last season, came second in the West and won the Pacific Division.
Two other teams that did better than expected were carried by surprising young goaltenders. The Calgary Flames ended a seven-year playoff drought backed by the solid play of Miikka Kiprusoff, and the Boston Bruins won the Northeast Division by a whisker over the Toronto Maple Leafs with the help of eventual Calder Memorial Trophy-winning goaltender Andrew Raycroft.
Goaltending was also the story of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings as the return from retirement of legend Dominik Hasek bumped Curtis Joseph to the minor leagues. At the same time, long-time back up Manny Legace recorded better numbers than both veterans and won the starting job in the playoffs.
Of note is the fact that the Nashville Predators made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, though they were dispatched by a star-studded Detroit Red Wings team in the first round.
The regular season ended controversially, when in March 2004, the Vancouver Canucks' Todd Bertuzzi infamously attacked and severely injured the Colorado Avalanche's Steve Moore, forcing the latter eventually to retire.
Final standings
Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
For rankings in conference, division leaders are automatically ranked 1–3. These three, plus the next five teams in the conference standings, earn playoff berths at the end of the season.
Eastern Conference
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 229 | 186 | 101 |
2 | 6 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
3 | 8 | New York Islanders | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
4 | 13 | New York Rangers | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
5 | 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
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.
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 209 | 188 | 104 |
2 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 242 | 204 | 103 |
3 | 5 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 262 | 189 | 102 |
4 | 7 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 |
5 | 9 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 220 | 221 | 85 |
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.
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
2 | 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
3 | 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
4 | 12 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
5 | 14 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
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.
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Z- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
2 | Y- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 209 | 188 | 104 |
3 | Y- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 209 | 188 | 101 |
4 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 242 | 204 | 103 |
5 | X- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 262 | 189 | 102 |
6 | X- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 |
8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
8.5 | ||||||||||
9 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 220 | 221 | 85 |
10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
13 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot
Western Conference
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
2 | 7 | St. Louis Blues | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
3 | 8 | Nashville Predators | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
4 | 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
5 | 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
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.
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
2 | 4 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 235 | 198 | 100 |
3 | 6 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
4 | 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
5 | 10 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
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.
No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | San Jose Sharks | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 219 | 183 | 104 |
2 | 5 | Dallas Stars | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
3 | 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
4 | 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
5 | 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
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.
R | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
8.5 | ||||||||||
9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot
Playoffs
Bracket
Conference quarterfinals | Conference semifinals | Conference finals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
1 | Tampa Bay | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | NY Islanders | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Tampa Bay | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Montreal | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Boston | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Montreal | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Tampa Bay | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | New Jersey | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Philadelphia | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Toronto | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Toronto | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Ottawa | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
E1 | Tampa Bay | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
W6 | Calgary | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Detroit | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
8 | Nashville | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Detroit | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | San Jose | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | St. Louis | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
2 | San Jose | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Vancouver | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
2 | San Jose | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Colorado | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
4 | Colorado | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
5 | Dallas | 1 |
Awards
The NHL Awards presentation took place in Toronto.
All-Star teams
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay | 82 | 38 | 56 | 94 |
Ilya Kovalchuk | Atlanta | 81 | 41 | 46 | 87 |
Joe Sakic | Colorado | 81 | 33 | 54 | 87 |
Markus Naslund | Vancouver | 78 | 35 | 49 | 84 |
Marian Hossa | Ottawa | 81 | 36 | 46 | 82 |
Patrik Elias | New Jersey | 82 | 38 | 43 | 81 |
Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa | 77 | 32 | 48 | 80 |
Cory Stillman | Tampa Bay | 81 | 25 | 55 | 80 |
Robert Lang | Washington / Detroit | 69 | 30 | 49 | 79 |
Brad Richards | Tampa Bay | 82 | 26 | 53 | 79 |
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses: OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goals allowed; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Player | Team | GP | Mins | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV | GAA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Martin Brodeur | New Jersey | 75 | 4554 | 38 | 26 | 11 | 154 | 11 | .917 | 2.03 |
Marty Turco | Dallas | 73 | 4359 | 37 | 21 | 13 | 144 | 9 | .913 | 1.98 |
Ed Belfour | Toronto | 59 | 3444 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 122 | 10 | .918 | 2.13 |
Tomas Vokoun | Nashville | 73 | 4221 | 34 | 29 | 10 | 178 | 3 | .909 | 2.53 |
Dan Cloutier | Vancouver | 60 | 3539 | 33 | 21 | 6 | 134 | 5 | .914 | 2.27 |
Coaches
Eastern Conference
- Atlanta Thrashers: Bob Hartley
- Boston Bruins: Mike O'Connell
- Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff
- Carolina Hurricanes: Peter Laviolette
- Florida Panthers: Rick Dudley and John Torchetti
- Montreal Canadiens: Claude Julien
- New Jersey Devils: Pat Burns
- New York Islanders: Steve Stirling
- New York Rangers: Glen Sather
- Ottawa Senators: Jacques Martin
- Philadelphia Flyers: Ken Hitchcock
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Ed Olczyk
- Tampa Bay Lightning: John Tortorella
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Pat Quinn
- Washington Capitals: Glen Hanlon
Western Conference
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Mike Babcock
- Calgary Flames: Darryl Sutter
- Chicago Blackhawks: Brian Sutter
- Colorado Avalanche: Tony Granato
- Columbus Blue Jackets: Doug MacLean
- Dallas Stars: Dave Tippett
- Detroit Red Wings: Dave Lewis
- Edmonton Oilers: Craig MacTavish
- Los Angeles Kings: Andy Murray
- Minnesota Wild: Jacques Lemaire
- Nashville Predators: Barry Trotz
- Phoenix Coyotes: Bobby Francis and Rick Bowness
- San Jose Sharks: Ron Wilson
- St. Louis Blues: Joel Quenneville
- Vancouver Canucks: Marc Crawford
Milestones
Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2003–04 (listed with their first team):
- Chris Kunitz, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
- Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
- Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres
- Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres
- Eric Staal$, Carolina Hurricanes
- Travis Moen, Chicago Blackhawks
- Tuomo Ruutu, Chicago Blackhawks
- Nikolai Zherdev, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings
- Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings
- Brent Burns$, Minnesota Wild
- Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens
- Jordin Tootoo, Nashville Predators
- Marek Zidlicky, Nashville Predators
- Dominic Moore, New York Rangers
- Fedor Tyutin, New York Rangers
- Marc-Andre Fleury$, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks
- Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals
$ - active as of the
Last games
The following is a list of players of note who played their last NHL game in 2003–04, listed with their team:
- Valeri Bure, Dallas Stars
- Shayne Corson, Dallas Stars
- Vincent Damphousse, San Jose Sharks
- Ron Francis, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Kenny Jonsson, New York Islanders[6]
- Joé Juneau, Montreal Canadiens
- Mike Keane, Vancouver Canucks
- Trent Klatt, Los Angeles Kings
- Igor Larionov, New Jersey Devils
- Curtis Leschyshyn, Ottawa Senators
- Dave Lowry, Calgary Flames
- Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues
- Mark Messier, New York Rangers (The last active player to have played in the World Hockey Association, also last player to have played in the 1970s.)
- Steve Moore, Colorado Avalanche
- Adam Oates, Edmonton Oilers
- James Patrick, Buffalo Sabres
- Felix Potvin, Boston Bruins
- Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils
- Steve Thomas, Detroit Red Wings
- Roman Turek, Calgary Flames
Broadcasting
Canada
This was the second 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. During the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, TSN televised all-U.S. games while CBC aired all games involving Canadian teams. CBC then had exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Finals.
United States
This was the fifth and final year of the league's 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.
In May 2004, NBC reached an agreement to broadcast a slate of regular season games and playoff games. ESPN was only willing to renew its contract for two additional years, without games on ABC, with an opt-out clause after the first year.[7]
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- NHL All-Star Game
- NHL All-Rookie Team
- 2003 in sports
- 2004 in sports
- Red Mile
References
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
- Notes
- ^ a b "2003-04 NHL Summary - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "1967-68 NHL Summary - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "2003-2004 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ a b "2003–2004 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
- ^ "Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Kenny Jonsson retires". NHL.com. Canadian Press. June 20, 2009. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
- ^ Rudy Martzke (May 19, 2004). "NHL announces TV deal with NBC". USA Today. Retrieved July 2, 2012.