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2001–02 NHL season

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2001–02 NHL season
LeagueNational Hockey League
SportIce hockey
DurationOctober 3, 2001 – June 13, 2002
Number of games82
Number of teams30
TV partner(s)CBC, Sportsnet, SRC (Canada)
ESPN, ABC (United States)
Draft
Top draft pickIlya Kovalchuk
Picked byAtlanta Thrashers
Regular season
Presidents' TrophyDetroit Red Wings
Season MVPJose Theodore (Canadiens)
Top scorerJarome Iginla (Flames)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVPNicklas Lidstrom (Red Wings)
Stanley Cup
ChampionsDetroit Red Wings
  Runners-upCarolina Hurricanes
NHL seasons

The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th regular season of the National Hockey League. Thirty teams competed in an 82-game regular season. The regular season began on October 3, and the playoffs concluded on June 13, with the Detroit Red Wings defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals in five games, winning their tenth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

League business

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Pittsburgh financial troubles

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The cash-strapped Pittsburgh Penguins, desperate to dump payroll, could no longer afford perennial superstar Jaromir Jagr.[1] He would be traded, along with Frantisek Kucera, to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Kris Beech, Ross Lupaschuk, Michal Sivek, and $4.9 million. Despite Mario Lemieux's return the previous season, the absence of Jagr proved devastating to the Penguins, and they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1990. The Penguins did not return to the playoffs until they drafted Sidney Crosby in 2005.

Entry draft

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The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. Ilya Kovalchuk was selected first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Preseason game in Europe

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As part of the NHL Challenge, the Colorado Avalanche played a preseason game against Swedish team Brynäs Gävle on September 16, 2001 at Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm.

Remembrances of September 11, 2001, attacks

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The 2001–02 regular season began less than one month after the September 11 attacks. The NHL honored the victims by having all players wear a patch on their jerseys, and a ribbon sticker on the back of their helmet. Red, white, and blue ribbons were painted on the ice behind each net at American arenas, and red and white ribbons were painted behind the nets at Canadian arenas. On September 20, 2001, in the middle of a pre-season game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers with both teams tied up 2–2, nine days after the attacks, the game was stopped so that a national television address by U.S. President George W. Bush about the September 11 attacks could be broadcast on the arena video screen. After the end of the television address, the game did not resume and was declared a 2–2 tie.[2]

Uniform changes

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  • Buffalo Sabres: In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Sabres, in a sign of solidarity, took to the ice at Madison Square Garden on October 7 wearing jerseys reading "New York" on the front. Like the New York Rangers, their opponents in that game, the Sabres, play their home games in the state of New York.
  • Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche introduce a third jersey, with a burgundy base and the word "Colorado" slanted across the front of the jersey.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets: The numbers become more narrow and the names on the back shrink slightly.
  • Edmonton Oilers: The team introduces an alternate jersey, featuring silver in place of bronze and red. The crest is their new alternate logo with an oil bolt with 5 rivets, representing the team's 5 Stanley Cup titles.
  • Los Angeles Kings: The Kings wore two patches. On the upper right chest was the All-Star Game patch, as the Kings were the hosts of the 2002 All-Star Game. On the upper left chest is a patch with the letters "AM," for director of scouting Garnet "Ace" Bailey and scout Mark Bavis, who were killed aboard United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11 attacks.
  • Nashville Predators: The Predators unveil their first alternate jersey in team history, with the base a mustard yellow compared to their usual shade of gold used in the trimmings of their home and away jerseys. It also uses the team's front-facing sabre-tooth tiger head logo.
  • New York Rangers: In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Rangers wore ribbons on their uniforms in memory of the victims. Also in their October 7 game at Madison Square Garden against the Buffalo Sabres, both teams wore "New York" on their jerseys. For the Rangers, it was a return of sorts to the blue jerseys they wore from 1978 to 1987.
  • Ottawa Senators: The Senators wore special stickers on their helmets marking their 10th season in the NHL.
  • Philadelphia Flyers: The orange jersey is retired, leaving the black jersey to be worn on the road full time. However, they did wear the orange jersey once on Halloween night. The jerseys brought good luck to the Flyers that night, as they shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3–0. In a show of support for New York's finest and bravest, the Flyers wore three special patches at the bottom of the back of the jersey. From left to right, they were "FDNY," the American flag, and "NYPD." The jerseys were auctioned off after the game to benefit the NHL's Twin Towers fund.
  • San Jose Sharks: The Sharks introduce a new black alternate jersey, with minimal striping compared to their home and away jerseys and downplaying the use of teal.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning: The team changes the font of their jerseys due to fan complaints deeming them unreadable. Also, the Lightning wore a patch to celebrate their 10th NHL season.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: In honor of the 75th anniversary of the St. Pats becoming the Maple Leafs, the team wears vintage St. Pats jerseys in their game against the Buffalo Sabres on March 2. During the rest of the season, they wore special stickers on their helmets celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Maple Leafs.
  • Vancouver Canucks: A new alternate jersey is introduced, featuring a torso that changes from navy blue to maroon. The jersey features a redesigned Canuck Place patch.
  • Washington Capitals: The Capitals wore a patch in memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

Arena changes

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Regular season

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All-Star Game

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The All-Star Game was played on February 2, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the home of the Los Angeles Kings. It was the last NHL All-Star Game to have the North America vs. World All-Star format.

Olympics

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The league took a break from its season between February 14 and February 25 to allow players to participate at the men's ice hockey tournament at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Death of Brittanie Cecil

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During the Calgary Flames–Columbus Blue Jackets game on March 16 at Nationwide Arena, 13-year old fan Brittanie Cecil was struck in head by a deflected puck. She died from her injuries two days later.[3] As a result of the tragedy, the NHL made it mandatory the following season to install protective nets above the glass behind both goals.[4]

Highlights

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For the second time in three seasons, no player reached the 100-point plateau.[5] In addition, for the first time since 1980, the Art Ross Trophy was not won by either Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, or Jaromir Jagr. Instead, the award went to Jarome Iginla, who scored 96 points.

Final standings

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The Detroit Red Wings placed first in the league standings and received home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. This is the first season that the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers both missed the playoffs.

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

Eastern Conference

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Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 2 Philadelphia Flyers 82 42 27 10 3 234 192 97
2 5 New York Islanders 82 42 28 8 4 239 220 96
3 6 New Jersey Devils 82 41 28 9 4 205 187 95
4 11 New York Rangers 82 36 38 4 4 227 258 80
5 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 82 28 41 8 5 198 249 69


Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 1 Boston Bruins 82 43 24 6 9 236 201 101
2 4 Toronto Maple Leafs 82 43 25 10 4 249 207 100
3 7 Ottawa Senators 82 39 27 9 7 243 208 94
4 8 Montreal Canadiens 82 36 31 12 3 207 209 87
5 10 Buffalo Sabres 82 35 35 11 1 213 200 82


Southeast Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 3 Carolina Hurricanes 82 35 26 16 5 217 217 91
2 9 Washington Capitals 82 36 33 11 2 228 240 85
3 13 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 27 40 11 4 178 219 69
4 14 Florida Panthers 82 22 44 10 6 180 250 60
5 15 Atlanta Thrashers 82 19 47 11 5 187 288 54


Teams in bold qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference[6]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Boston Bruins NE 82 43 24 6 9 236 201 101
2 Y- Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 42 27 10 3 234 192 97
3 Y- Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 35 26 16 5 217 217 91
4 X- Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 43 25 10 4 249 207 100
5 X- New York Islanders AT 82 42 28 8 4 239 220 96
6 X- New Jersey Devils AT 82 41 28 9 4 205 187 95
7 X- Ottawa Senators NE 82 39 27 9 7 243 208 94
8 X- Montreal Canadiens NE 82 36 31 12 3 207 209 87
8.5
9 Washington Capitals SE 82 36 33 11 2 228 240 85
10 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 35 35 11 1 213 200 82
11 New York Rangers AT 82 36 38 4 4 227 258 80
12 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 28 41 8 5 198 249 69
13 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 27 40 11 4 178 219 69
14 Florida Panthers SE 82 22 44 10 6 180 250 60
15 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 19 47 11 5 187 288 54

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

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot


Western Conference

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Central Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 1 Detroit Red Wings 82 51 17 10 4 251 187 116
2 4 St. Louis Blues 82 43 27 8 4 227 188 98
3 5 Chicago Blackhawks 82 41 27 13 1 216 207 96
4 14 Nashville Predators 82 28 41 13 0 196 230 69
5 15 Columbus Blue Jackets 82 22 47 8 5 164 255 57


Northwest Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 2 Colorado Avalanche 82 45 28 8 1 212 169 99
2 8 Vancouver Canucks 82 42 30 7 3 254 211 94
3 9 Edmonton Oilers 82 38 28 12 4 205 182 92
4 11 Calgary Flames 82 32 35 12 3 201 220 79
5 12 Minnesota Wild 82 26 35 12 9 195 238 73


Pacific Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 3 San Jose Sharks 82 44 27 8 3 248 189 99
2 6 Phoenix Coyotes 82 40 27 9 6 228 210 95
3 7 Los Angeles Kings 82 40 27 11 4 214 190 95
4 10 Dallas Stars 82 36 28 13 5 215 213 90
5 13 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 82 29 42 8 3 175 198 69


Teams in bold qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference[7]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 p – Detroit Red Wings CEN 82 51 17 10 4 251 187 116
2 y – Colorado Avalanche NW 82 45 28 8 1 212 169 99
3 y – San Jose Sharks PAC 82 44 27 8 3 248 199 99
4 St. Louis Blues CEN 82 43 27 8 4 227 188 98
5 Chicago Blackhawks CEN 82 41 27 13 1 216 207 96
6 Phoenix Coyotes PAC 82 40 27 9 6 228 210 95
7 Los Angeles Kings PAC 82 40 27 11 4 214 190 95
8 Vancouver Canucks NW 82 42 30 7 3 254 211 94
8.5
9 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 38 28 12 4 205 182 92
10 Dallas Stars PAC 82 36 28 13 5 215 213 90
11 Calgary Flames NW 82 32 35 12 3 201 220 79
12 Minnesota Wild NW 82 26 35 12 9 195 238 73
13 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim PAC 82 29 42 8 3 175 198 69
14 Nashville Predators CEN 82 28 41 13 0 196 230 69
15 Columbus Blue Jackets CEN 82 22 47 8 5 164 255 57

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific, NW – Northwest

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy; y – Won division


Playoffs

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Main article: 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup

Bracket

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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.

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 Boston 2
8 Montreal 4
3 Carolina 4
8 Montreal 2
2 Philadelphia 1
7 Ottawa 4
3 Carolina 4
Eastern Conference
4 Toronto 2
3 Carolina 4
6 New Jersey 2
4 Toronto 4
7 Ottawa 3
4 Toronto 4
5 NY Islanders 3
E3 Carolina 1
W1 Detroit 4
1 Detroit 4
8 Vancouver 2
1 Detroit 4
4 St. Louis 1
2 Colorado 4
7 Los Angeles 3
1 Detroit 4
Western Conference
2 Colorado 3
3 San Jose 4
6 Phoenix 1
2 Colorado 4
3 San Jose 3
4 St. Louis 4
5 Chicago 1

Awards

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The NHL Awards presentation took place in Toronto.

Presidents' Trophy: Detroit Red Wings
Prince of Wales Trophy:
(Eastern Conference playoff champion)		 Carolina Hurricanes
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl:
(Western Conference playoff champion)		 Detroit Red Wings
Art Ross Trophy: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: Saku Koivu, Montreal Canadiens
Calder Memorial Trophy: Dany Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers
Conn Smythe Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Michael Peca, New York Islanders
Hart Memorial Trophy: Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens
Jack Adams Award: Bob Francis, Phoenix Coyotes
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
King Clancy Memorial Trophy: Ron Francis, Carolina Hurricanes
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Ron Francis, Carolina Hurricanes
Lester B. Pearson Award: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
NHL Foundation Player Award: Ron Francis, Carolina Hurricanes
NHL Plus-Minus Award: Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings
Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award: Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy: Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens
William M. Jennings Trophy: Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche

All-Star teams

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First team   Position   Second team   Position   All-Rookie First Team
Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche G Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens G Dan Blackburn, New York Rangers
Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings D Rob Blake, Colorado Avalanche D Nick Boynton, Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings D Sergei Gonchar, Washington Capitals D Rostislav Klesla, Columbus Blue Jackets
Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche C Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs C Dany Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames RW Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins RW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks LW Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings LW Kristian Huselius, Florida Panthers

Player statistics

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Scoring leaders

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

Player Team GP G A Pts
Jarome Iginla Calgary 82 52 44 96
Markus Naslund Vancouver 81 40 50 90
Todd Bertuzzi Vancouver 72 36 49 85
Mats Sundin Toronto 82 41 39 80
Jaromir Jagr Washington 69 31 48 79
Joe Sakic Colorado 82 26 53 79
Pavol Demitra St. Louis 82 35 43 78
Adam Oates Washington/
Philadelphia		 80 14 64 78
Mike Modano Dallas 78 34 43 77
Ron Francis Carolina 80 27 50 77

Leading goaltenders

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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%
Patrick Roy Colorado Avalanche 63 3773 122 1.94 32 23 8 9 .925
Roman Cechmanek Philadelphia Flyers 46 2603 89 2.05 24 13 6 4 .921
Marty Turco Dallas Stars 31 1519 53 2.09 15 6 2 2 .921
Jose Theodore Montreal Canadiens 67 3864 136 2.11 30 24 10 7 .931
Jean-Sebastien Giguere Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 53 3127 111 2.13 20 25 6 4 .920
Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils 73 4347 156 2.15 38 26 9 4 .906
Dominik Hasek Detroit Red Wings 65 3872 140 2.17 41 15 8 5 .915
Brent Johnson St. Louis Blues 58 3491 127 2.18 34 20 4 5 .902
Byron Dafoe Boston Bruins 64 3827 141 2.21 35 26 3 4 .907
Martin Biron Buffalo Sabres 72 4085 151 2.22 31 28 10 4 .915

Source: 2003 NHL Yearbook

Coaches

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Eastern Conference

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Western Conference

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[8]

Milestones

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Debuts

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The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 2001–02 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Last games

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The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 2001–02 (listed with their last team):

Broadcasting

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Canada

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This was the fourth and final season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and Sportsnet. CBC aired Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada regular season games, while Sportsnet's telecasts included Tuesday Night Hockey and other weeknight games. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs continued to primarily be on CBC, while Sportsnet aired first round all-U.S. series.

The league would then sign a multi-year deal with Sportsnet's rival TSN.

United States

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This was the third 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 in 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

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References

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  • Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
  • Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.
Notes
  1. ^ "Jagr traded to Capitals". CBC News. October 1, 2001.
  2. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p. 71, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9.
  3. ^ Taylor, Phil (April 1, 2002). "Death of a Fan: The deflected puck that felled Brittanie Cecil left her small Ohio town reeling and has the rest of us wondering about an accident that didn't have to happen". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ "NHL approves safety nets, hurry-up face-offs". CBC.ca. October 3, 2002.
  5. ^ "2001-02 NHL Leaders - Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  6. ^ "2001–2002 Standings by Conference". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  7. ^ "2001-2002 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  8. ^ "NHL Coaches". NHL.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2001. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  9. ^ "ALUMNI: STEVE DUCHESNE". NHL.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  10. ^ "Ray Ferraro announces retirement". upi.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  11. ^ "Grant Ledyard". www.greatesthockeylegends.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  12. ^ "Hockey Hall of Fame - Stanley Cup Journals: 42". www.hhof.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  13. ^ "Backchecking: Dave Manson's soft, but heavy words". The Hockey News. March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  14. ^ "Where are they now? Stephane Richer - Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens". ourhistory.canadiens.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  15. ^ "Former hockey star Kevin Stevens charged with intent to distribute oxycodone - The Boston Globe". bostonglobe.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  16. ^ "Ex-Saint Suter ends stellar NHLcareer; Own terms: Defenseman retires after 17 seasons". highbeam.com. September 11, 2002. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  17. ^ "Rick Tocchet Named Assistant Coach". NHL.com. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  18. ^ "John Vanbiesbrouck retires - CBC Sports". cbc.ca. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  19. ^ Former NHLers Dale Hunter, Pat Verbeek eligible for Hockey Hall of Fame induction
  20. ^ "Flames retiring Mike Vernon's No. 30 - CBC Sports". cbc.ca. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
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