2002–03 Calgary Flames season

NHL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2002–03 Calgary Flames season was the 23rd National Hockey League season in Calgary. A relatively successful start to the season quickly gave way to disaster as the Flames lost 11 of 12 games in a November stretch dropping the Flames out of contention, ultimately failing to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

Division5th Northwest
Conference12th Western
2002–03 record29–36–13–4
Home record14–16–10–1
Quick facts Calgary Flames, Division ...
2002–03 Calgary Flames
Division5th Northwest
Conference12th Western
2002–03 record29–36–13–4
Home record14–16–10–1
Road record15–20–3–3
Goals for186
Goals against228
Team information
General managerCraig Button
CoachGreg Gilbert (Oct.–Dec.)
Al MacNeil
(Dec. 3-23)
Darryl Sutter (Dec.–Apr.)
CaptainCraig Conroy
Alternate captainsBob Boughner
Jarome Iginla
ArenaPengrowth Saddledome
Average attendance16,239
Minor league affiliatesSaint John Flames
Johnstown Chiefs
Team leaders
GoalsJarome Iginla (35)
AssistsCraig Conroy (37)
PointsJarome Iginla (67)
Penalty minutesScott Nichol (149)
Plus/minusBob Boughner (+5)
Denis Gauthier (+5)
Oleg Saprykin (+5)
WinsRoman Turek (27)
Goals against averageRoman Turek (2.57)
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The season began as the last had ended: with forward Marc Savard and head coach Greg Gilbert in bitter, public feud. After arguing in the media for nearly a year, the Flames finally granted the disgruntled players request, trading Savard to the Atlanta Thrashers.[1] Gilbert himself would not last much longer with the Flames, as he would be fired by the club barely two weeks after Savard was dealt.[2]

The Flames would quickly find a replacement for Gilbert, announcing they had hired Darryl Sutter shortly before the new year.[3] Sutter immediately began shaping the Flames to his own style, and the Flames finished 19–16–8–1 under their new bench boss.

Following the season, the Flames announced that they would not renew General Manager Craig Button's contract. Sutter took over as GM, carrying the dual roles until the end of the 2005–06 season.[4]

Flames mascot, Harvey the Hound, gained widespread publicity in January 2003 following an incident with Edmonton Oilers head coach, Craig MacTavish. With the Flames leading 4–0, Harvey was taunting the Oilers behind their bench. The frustrated coach reached up and ripped Harvey's signature red tongue out of his mouth, tossing it into the crowd. The incident would seem to spark the Oilers, who scored three goals shortly after. The Flames would hold on to win 4–3, however.[5] The incident made headlines throughout North America, and led to many jokes, including having many other NHL team mascots arrive at the 2003 All-Star Game with their tongues hanging out.[6]

Regular season

The Flames struggled offensively and were shut out a league-high 10 times, tied with the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins.[7]

Calgary finished 12th in the Western Conference, 17 points behind the 8th place Edmonton Oilers.

Final standings

More information No., CR ...
Northwest Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
13Colorado Avalanche824219138251194105
24Vancouver Canucks824523131264208104
36Minnesota Wild82422910119817895
48Edmonton Oilers82362611923123092
512Calgary Flames82293613418622875
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[8]

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.

More information R, Div ...
Western Conference
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Dallas StarsPA824617154245169111
2 Y- Detroit Red WingsCE824820104269203110
3 Y- Colorado AvalancheNW824219138251194105
4 X- Vancouver CanucksNW824523131264208104
5 X- St. Louis BluesCE82412411625322299
6 X- Minnesota WildNW82422910119817895
7 X- Mighty Ducks of AnaheimPA8240279620319395
8 X- Edmonton OilersNW82362611923123092
8.5
9 Chicago BlackhawksCE82303313620722679
10 Los Angeles KingsPA8233376620322178
11 Phoenix CoyotesPA82313511520423078
12 Calgary FlamesNW82293613418622875
13 Nashville PredatorsCE82273513718320674
14 San Jose SharksPA8228379821423973
15 Columbus Blue JacketsCE8229428321326369
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Divisions: PA – Pacific, CE – Central, NW – Northwest

Z – Clinched conference; Y – Clinched division; X – Clinched playoff spot

Schedule and results

More information Game, Date ...
2002–03 regular season[9]
October: 3–3–2–2 (home: 1–2–2–1; road: 2–1–0–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
1October 10Vancouver3 – 0CalgaryTurek17,4090–1–0–00L
2October 12Philadelphia5 – 4CalgaryTurek16,7500–2–0–00L
3October 14Calgary3 – 2VancouverTurek18,0161–2–0–02W
4October 17Boston3 – 3CalgaryOTTurek15,3461–2–1–03T
5October 19Calgary5 – 2ChicagoTurek14,0342–2–1–05W
6October 21Calgary0 – 4DetroitMcLennan20,0582–3–1–05L
7October 22Calgary3 – 4MinnesotaOTTurek18,0642–3–1–16OTL
8October 24Dallas3 – 3CalgaryOTTurek14,6252–3–2–17T
9October 26St. Louis4 – 3CalgaryOTTurek14,5382–3–2–28OTL
10October 31Buffalo0 – 3CalgaryTurek14,8223–3–2–210W
November: 3–9–1–1 (home: 1–4–1–0; road: 2–5–0–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
11November 2Colorado4 – 4CalgaryOTMcLennan17,4483–3–3–211T
12November 4Calgary4 – 2NY IslandersMcLennan12,3164–3–3–213W
13November 5Calgary3 – 2New JerseyMcLennan12,3155–3–3–215W
14November 7Calgary0 – 1NY RangersOTMcLennan18,2005–3–3–316OTL
15November 9Calgary0 – 3FloridaMcLennan14,7945–4–3–316L
16November 11Calgary1 – 2AtlantaMcLennan10,5015–5–3–316L
17November 14NY Rangers2 – 1CalgaryMcLennan16,3865–6–3–316L
18November 16St. Louis1 – 0CalgaryMcLennan15,5055–7–3–316L
19November 19Detroit5 – 0CalgaryMcLennan10,0615–8–3–316L
20November 21Edmonton3 – 1CalgaryMcLennan17,6605–9–3–316L
21November 23Chicago1 – 3CalgaryTurek15,8266–9–3–318W
22November 26Calgary2 – 7BostonTurek13,5826–10–3–318L
23November 27Calgary2 – 4WashingtonTurek13,5326–11–3–318L
24November 29Calgary2 – 7St. LouisTurek19,3266–12–3–318L
December: 5–6–3–0 (home: 1–3–2–0; road: 4–3–1–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
25December 1Calgary2 – 4DetroitTurek20,0586–13–3–318L
26December 3Calgary2 – 1ColoradoTurek18,0077–13–3–320W
27December 5Minnesota1 – 1CalgaryOTTurek14,1187–13–4–321T
28December 9Calgary2 – 1VancouverTurek18,4228–13–4–323W
29December 12Carolina4 – 3CalgaryTurek14,5288–14–4–323L
30December 14Colorado3 – 1CalgaryTurek17,1928–15–4–323L
31December 15Calgary3 – 3VancouverOTTurek18,4228–15–5–324T
32December 17Calgary3 – 0NashvilleTurek10,2169–15–5–326W
33December 19Calgary0 – 3ColumbusTurek17,2309–16–5–326L
34December 21Calgary0 – 2PittsburghTurek12,5719–17–5–326L
35December 23Calgary3 – 2MinnesotaTurek18,56810–17–5–328W
36December 27Toronto4 – 3CalgaryTurek18,01410–18–5–328L
37December 29Anaheim2 – 4CalgaryTurek16,92211–18–5–330W
38December 31Montreal1 – 1CalgaryOTTurek18,15911–18–6–331T
January: 6–7–1–0 (home: 5–3–1–0; road: 1–4–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
39January 2Tampa Bay1 – 4CalgaryTurek14,88112–18–6–333W
40January 4Minnesota2 – 3CalgaryTurek15,97413–18–6–335W
41January 7Calgary4 – 2ColoradoTurek18,00714–18–6–337W
42January 9Ottawa1 – 0CalgaryTurek16,05814–19–6–337L
43January 11Columbus7 – 2CalgaryTurek14,82714–20–6–337L
44January 13Calgary2 – 4MontrealTurek20,63014–21–6–337L
45January 14Calgary2 – 3TorontoTurek19,29014–22–6–337L
46January 16Nashville2 – 2CalgaryOTMcLennan14,62114–22–7–338T
47January 18Los Angeles1 – 2CalgaryOTTurek16,67515–22–7–340W
48January 20Edmonton3 – 4CalgaryTurek17,83216–22–7–342W
49January 23Phoenix7 – 1CalgaryTurek14,86516–23–7–342L
50January 25Detroit1 – 4CalgaryTurek18,02817–23–7–344W
51January 28Calgary3 – 4PhoenixTurek14,61917–24–7–344L
52January 29Calgary1 – 4DallasTurek18,53217–25–7–344L
February: 2–6–3–1 (home: 0–1–2–0; road: 2–5–1–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
53February 4Anaheim3 – 2CalgaryTurek14,11017–26–7–344L
54February 6Chicago2 – 2CalgaryOTMcLennan16,02717–26–8–345T
55February 7Calgary4 – 3EdmontonTurek16,83918–26–8–347W
56February 9Calgary2 – 4ColoradoTurek18,00718–27–8–347L
57February 12Calgary3 – 4AnaheimOTMcLennan11,61218–27–8–448OTL
58February 13Calgary2 – 4Los AngelesTurek17,53918–28–8–448L
59February 15Vancouver2 – 2CalgaryOTTurek18,25218–28–9–449T
60February 17Calgary3 – 5St. LouisTurek19,52218–29–9–449L
61February 19Calgary1 – 1DallasOTTurek18,53218–29–10–450T
62February 20Calgary1 – 4NashvilleMcLennan10,84218–30–10–450L
63February 23Calgary4 – 2PhoenixTurek14,24119–30–10–452W
64February 24Calgary2 – 5San JoseTurek17,31119–31–10–452L
March: 8–5–2–0 (home: 5–3–1–0; road: 3–2–1–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
65March 1San Jose3 – 4CalgaryTurek17,57520–31–10–454W
66March 5New Jersey4 – 5CalgaryOTTurek16,10621–31–10–456W
67March 7Calgary2 – 0ChicagoTurek14,70222–31–10–458W
68March 8Calgary3 – 2ColumbusOTTurek18,13623–31–10–460W
69March 11Edmonton5 – 2CalgaryTurek17,71423–32–10–460L
70March 13Toronto3 – 4CalgaryOTTurek18,06424–32–10–462W
71March 15Calgary2 – 3San JoseTurek17,49624–33–10–462L
72March 16Calgary2 – 2AnaheimOTMcLennan16,72624–33–11–463T
73March 18Calgary4 – 1Los AngelesTurek17,47025–33–11–465W
74March 20Washington4 – 1CalgaryTurek15,82725–34–11–465L
75March 22Nashville1 – 1CalgaryOTTurek16,62825–34–12–466T
76March 24Phoenix0 – 2CalgaryTurek16,68526–34–12–468W
77March 27Dallas1 – 2CalgaryOTTurek16,53327–34–12–470W
78March 29Columbus6 – 4CalgaryTurek16,00727–35–12–470L
79March 31Calgary0 – 3MinnesotaMcLennan18,56827–36–12–470L
April: 2–0–1–0 (home: 1–0–1–0; road: 1–0–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
80April 2San Jose2 – 2CalgaryOTTurek14,20727–36–13–471T
81April 4Los Angeles1 – 2CalgaryOTTurek17,00328–36–13–473W
82April 5Calgary4 – 1EdmontonTurek16,83929–36–13–475W

Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) T Tie (1 point) OTL Overtime loss (1 point)

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Player statistics

Scoring

  • Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
More information No., Player ...
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
12Jarome IginlaRW75353267−1049
22Craig ConroyC79223759−436
18[a]Chris DruryLW80233053−933
23Martin GelinasLW81213152−351
32Toni LydmanD8162026−728
11Stephane YelleC82101525−1050
19Oleg SaprykinLW5281523546
17Chris ClarkRW81101222−11126
10Dave LowryLW3451419422
44Rob Niedermayer‡LW5481018−1342
6Bob BoughnerD69314175126
4Jordan LeopoldD5841014−1512
3Denis GauthierD7211112599
28Robyn RegehrD7601212−987
40Scott NicholC685510−7149
24Blake SloanRW672810−528
20Mathias Johansson‡C46459−1512
8Petr BuzekD44358−614
7Chuck KobasewRW23426−38
27[b]Craig BerubeLW55246−6100
26Steve BeginC50314−751
18Jamie Wright‡LW19224112
15Blair BettsC913430
21Andrew Ference†D1604416
1Roman TurekG6504414
16Shean Donovan†RW13123−27
42Micki DuPont‡D16123−54
27Marc Savard‡C10123−38
5Steve MontadorD50112−9114
2Mike Commodore†D6011219
43Ladislav KohnRW301112
33Jamie McLennanG2200014
36Mike Mottau†D4000−10
51Rick MrozikD200000
38Robert DomeRW100000
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Goaltending

More information No., Player ...
No. Player Regular season
GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1Roman Turek652729916791642.54.90243822
33Jamie McLennan222114537582.99.89201165
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Awards and records

Awards

More information Type, Award/honour ...
Type Award/honour Recipient Ref
League
(in-season)		 NHL All-Star Game selection Jarome Iginla [10]
NHL YoungStars Game selection Jordan Leopold [11]
Team Molson Cup Jarome Iginla [12]
Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award Denis Gauthier [13]
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Milestones

More information Milestone, Player ...
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Chuck Kobasew October 10, 2002 [14]
Mathias Johansson October 12, 2002
Jordan Leopold October 19, 2002
Rick Mrozik April 4, 2003
1,000th game played Craig Berube October 12, 2002 [15]
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Transactions

The Flames were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.[16]

Trades

More information Date, Details ...
Date Details Ref
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) To Calgary Flames
  • NY Rangers’ 1st-round pick in 2002
  • 4th-round pick in 2002
 To Florida Panthers
  • 1st-round pick in 2002
 [17]
To Calgary Flames
  • 3rd-round pick in 2002
  • 5th-round pick in 2002
 To Toronto Maple Leafs
  • 3rd-round pick in 2002
 [17]
To Calgary Flames
To Minnesota Wild
  • 9th-round pick in 2002
 [18]
June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23) To Calgary Flames
  • 4th-round pick in 2002
  • Minnesota’s 5th-round pick in 2002
 To Montreal Canadiens
  • Florida’s 4th-round pick in 2002
 [17]
June 30, 2002 (2002-06-30) To Calgary Flames
To Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Conditional 8th-round pick in 2003
 [19]
September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11) To Calgary Flames
To Detroit Red Wings
  • Future considerations
 [20]
October 1, 2002 (2002-10-01) To Calgary Flames
To Colorado Avalanche
[21]
November 15, 2002 (2002-11-15) To Calgary Flames
To Atlanta Thrashers
[22]
January 22, 2003 (2003-01-22) To Calgary Flames
  • Future considerations
 To Philadelphia Flyers
[23]
To Calgary Flames
To New York Rangers
  • 6th-round pick in 2003 or 2004
 [23]
February 10, 2003 (2003-02-10) To Calgary Flames
To Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Conditional draft pick in 2003 or 2004
 [24]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) To Calgary Flames
To Anaheim Mighty Ducks
[25]
To Calgary Flames
  • Dean McAmmond
 To Colorado Avalanche
  • 5th-round pick in 2003 or 2004
 [25]
To Calgary Flames
To Pittsburgh Penguins
[25]
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Players acquired

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerFormer teamTermViaRef
July 2, 2002 (2002-07-02) Martin GelinasCarolina HurricanesFree agency[26]
July 9, 2002 (2002-07-09) Martin SonnenbergPittsburgh PenguinsFree agency[27]
Darcy VerotPittsburgh PenguinsFree agency[27]
July 11, 2002 (2002-07-11) Mike MartinSaint John Flames (AHL)Free agency[28]
Jason MorganSaint John Flames (AHL)Free agency[28]
July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) Robert DomePittsburgh PenguinsFree agency[29]
September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09) Jan VodrazkaLowell Lock Monsters (AHL)Free agency[30]
September 27, 2002 (2002-09-27) Darren LynchVancouver Giants (WHL)Free agency[31]
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Players lost

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerNew teamVia[c]Ref
July 2, 2002 (2002-07-02) Curtis JosephDetroit Red WingsFree agency (III)[33]
July 11, 2002 (2002-07-11) Clarke WilmNashville PredatorsFree agency (UFA)[34]
July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18) Alan LetangNew York IslandersFree agency (VI)[35]
July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) Dallas EakinsAtlanta ThrashersFree agency (UFA)[36]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) Rob MurraySpringfield Falcons (AHL)Free agency (UFA)[37]
August 12, 2002 (2002-08-12) Jason BotterillBuffalo SabresFree agency (VI)[38]
September 13, 2002 (2002-09-13) Mike VernonRetirement (III)[39]
Kay WhitmoreRetirement (III)[40]
October 4, 2002 (2002-10-04) Ronald PetrovickyNew York RangersWaiver draft[41]
October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09) Burke HenryNorfolk Admirals (AHL)Free agency (UFA)[42]
October 17, 2002 (2002-10-17) Dwayne HaySt. John's Maple Leafs (AHL)[d]Buyout[44]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) Igor KravchukFlorida PanthersFree agency (III)[45]
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Signings

More information Date, Player ...
DatePlayerTermContract typeRef
June 17, 2002 (2002-06-17) Rob NiedermayerRe-signing[46]
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22) Jamie McLennanRe-signing[18]
June 28, 2002 (2002-06-28) Chuck Kobasew3-yearEntry-level[47]
July 15, 2002 (2002-07-15) Mathias JohanssonEntry-level[48]
July 16, 2002 (2002-07-16) Jamie WrightRe-signing[49]
July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19) Chris ClarkRe-signing[50]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) Toni LydmanRe-signing[51]
Robyn RegehrRe-signing[51]
August 3, 2002 (2002-08-03) Denis Gauthier2-yearArbitration award[52]
August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09) Steve BeginRe-signing[53]
August 21, 2002 (2002-08-21) Matthew LombardiEntry-level[54]
September 6, 2002 (2002-09-06) Jarome Iginla2-yearRe-signing[55]
September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09) Craig BerubeRe-signing[30]
September 12, 2002 (2002-09-12) Ladislav KohnRe-signing[56]
May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28) Chris ClarkExtension[57]
Shean Donovan3-yearExtension[57]
June 5, 2003 (2003-06-05) Robyn Regehr5-yearExtension[58]
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Draft picks

Main article: List of Calgary Flames draft picks

Calgary's picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft in Toronto, Ontario.[59] The Flames had the 9th overall pick, however opted to drop down one spot to 10th via a trade with the Florida Panthers.

More information Rnd, Pick ...
Rnd Pick Player Nationality Position Team (league) NHL statistics
GPGAPtsPIM
110Eric Nystrom United StatesLWUniversity of Michigan (CCHA)5937548123401
239Brian McConnell United StatesFBoston University (HE)
390Matthew Lombardi CanadaCVictoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)536101161262293
4112Yuri Artyomenkov RussiaRWKrylja
5141Jiri Cetkovsky Czech RepublicRWZlin (Czech Jr.)
5142Emanuel Peter SwitzerlandCKloten (Swiss Jr.)
5146Viktor Bobrov RussiaFHC CSKA (RSL)
5159Kristofer Persson SwedenRWModo Jr.
6176Curtis McElhinney CanadaGColorado College (WCHA)24994–95–20, 2.83GAA
7202David Van der Gulik CanadaRWChilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)492111310
7203Pierre Johnsson SwedenRWFarjestad Jr.
8238Jyri Marttinen FinlandDJyvaskyla
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Farm teams

Saint John Flames

The 2002–03 season would be the tenth, and last, season in New Brunswick, as the Flames bought out the local ownership's share of the team following the season and suspended operations. The "Baby Flames" finished 32–41–6–1, last in the Canadian Division, and out of the playoffs. Robert Dome led the team with 27 goals and 56 points. Dany Sabourin and Levente Szuper split goaltending duties for the Flames.

Johnstown Chiefs

The Chiefs finished the 2002–03 season with a record of 28–33–11, finishing fifth in the Northwest Division, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

Following the season, the Flames announced they were switching affiliations to a new expansion team, the Las Vegas Wranglers.

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Drury wore number 37 through March 11.
  2. [b]
    Berube wore number 16 in his first 14 games.
  3. [c]
    In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.[32]
  4. [d]
    Hay signed with St. John's on November 27.[43]

References

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