2002–03 Philadelphia Flyers season

2002–03 Philadelphia Flyers
Division	2nd Atlantic
Conference	4th Eastern
2002–03 record	45–20–13–4
Home record	21–10–8–2
Road record	24–10–5–2
Goals for	211
Goals against	166
Team information
General manager	Bob Clarke
Coach	Ken Hitchcock
Captain	Keith Primeau
Alternate captains	John LeClair Mark Recchi
Arena	First Union Center
Average attendance	19,325[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)	Philadelphia Phantoms Trenton Titans
Team leaders
Goals	Jeremy Roenick (27)
Assists	Mark Recchi (32) Jeremy Roenick (32)
Points	Jeremy Roenick (59)
Penalty minutes	Donald Brashear (161)
Plus/minus	Eric Desjardins (+30)
Wins	Roman Cechmanek (33)
Goals against average	Roman Cechmanek (1.83)

The 2002–03 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 36th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Though they prevailed in a grueling and lengthy seven-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs for their first playoff series victory in three years, the Flyers lost in the second round to the Ottawa Senators in six games.

Off-season

Ken Hitchcock, seen here in 2013, was hired as the 15th head coach in team history.

On May 14, the Flyers hired Stanley Cup-winning head coach Ken Hitchcock to replace Bill Barber, who was fired on April 30.^[2][3] Hitchcock, who had served as an assistant coach for the Flyers for three seasons from 1990 to 1993, had been fired three months earlier by the Dallas Stars midway through his seventh season as the team's head coach.^[4][5]

The Flyers made three trades in the ten days leading up to the 2002 NHL entry draft. On June 12, goaltender Brian Boucher and a 2002 third-round pick was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for centerman Michal Handzus and goaltender Robert Esche, a move that cemented Roman Cechmanek as the Flyers starting goaltender.^[6] Made expendable by Handzus' acquisition, centerman Jiri Dopita was traded to the Edmonton Oilers six days later for a 2003 third-round pick and a conditional 2004 draft pick.^[7]

A day before the draft the Flyers made a surprising trade that saw them acquire the fourth overall pick, which they used to select highly-touted Finnish defenseman Joni Pitkanen, from the Tampa Bay Lightning for third-line winger Ruslan Fedotenko and two 2002 second-round picks.^[8][9] Though Tampa Bay received some criticism for what was seen as a light return for a high draft pick, the trade ultimately came back to haunt the Flyers two years later in the Eastern Conference Finals when Fedotenko scored six goals against Philadelphia as the Lightning advanced to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.^[10][11]

Philadelphia stood pat when free agency opened on July 1 and opted not to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Adam Oates as well as veteran defenseman Luke Richardson, both Group III unrestricted free agents.^[12][13] The Flyers received compensatory draft picks in the 2003 NHL entry draft from the league for both players after they signed with Anaheim and Columbus respectively, garnering a third-round pick for Oates and a fourth-round pick for Richardson.^[14][15][16]

Regular season

The Flyers started the season strong amid a league-wide crackdown on obstruction, averaging four goals per game during October (including four six-goal games) and posting a 9–1–2–0 record in their first twelve games.^[17][18][19] The stricter rules enforcement was short-lived, however, and Philadelphia in particular averaged only 2.4 goals per game from November through the end of the regular season.^[20][19]

The team struggled throughout much of November, a 3–2 victory over Tampa Bay on November 19 being their only win in a ten-game stretch.^[19] Veteran winger John LeClair, off to a strong start with 11 goals in his first 21 games, suffered a dislocated shoulder on November 27 against Pittsburgh that kept him out of the lineup until March.^[21]

One of the highlights of the season occurred on December 5 against the New York Rangers when centerman Michal Handzus won the game on a penalty shot with less than a minute left in overtime to give the Flyers a 3–2 victory. Handzus became the second NHL player to ever score an overtime goal on a penalty shot, the first being David Legwand of the Nashville Predators two years earlier.^[22]

Early December saw the team swap defensemen with the San Jose Sharks, trading Dan McGillis for Marcus Ragnarsson.^[23] In his sixth season with the Flyers, McGillis' offensive production had dropped considerably since his career best 49-point season during the 2000–01 season while Ragnarsson was viewed as a more steady, stay-at-home defenseman better suited to pair with rookie Dennis Seidenberg and later with the more offensively-inclined Kim Johnsson.^[23][24] Ragnarsson signed a two-year contract extension with the club in February.^[24]

Approaching the season's midway point, the Flyers started January with six straight wins as well as ten wins in their first eleven games of 2003 before losing four straight heading into the All-Star break.^[19] Key injuries to young wingers Simon Gagne (groin strain) and Justin Williams (torn ligaments in his left knee) in January that caused both to miss significant time led to the team acquiring winger Sami Kapanen from the Carolina Hurricanes on February 7.^[21][25]

Three more trades followed in the days leading up to March 11 trading deadline. On March 1, veteran defenseman and former Flyer Dmitri Yushkevich was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings for two draft picks.^[26] A week later, a fifth-round draft pick was sent to the New York Islanders for fourth-line centerman Claude Lapointe.^[27] The Flyers made their biggest move on the eve of the deadline, acquiring former 40-goal scorer Tony Amonte from Phoenix for prospect Guillaume Lefebvre, a 2003 third-round pick, and a 2004 second-round pick.^[28] These moves plus LeClair's return to the lineup spurred a 10–2–2–0 run that saw Philadelphia finish one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the division title.^[21]

The Flyers goaltending tandem of starter Roman Cechmanek and backup Robert Esche proved reliable during the regular season, combining for eight shutouts.^[21][29] Cechmanek, who had a club single season record 1.83 goals against average, was voted the team's most valuable player. The team tied New Jersey for the fewest goals allowed with just 166, earning Cechmanek and Esche a share of the William M. Jennings Trophy with Martin Brodeur.^[29][30] Philadelphia also boasted the league's best road record (24–10–5–2).^[31]

Jeremy Roenick led the team in scoring for the second consecutive season and reached two major career milestones, recording his 600th assist and becoming the first of three Flyers players to play in their 1,000th NHL game during the season. The others were defensemen Eric Desjardins and Eric Weinrich. In what was regarded as a return to form after a disappointing 2001–02 season, Desjardins was the team's plus-minus leader and voted best defenseman for the seventh time.^[21]

Season standings

Atlantic Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	New Jersey Devils	82	46	20	10	6	216	166	108
2	4	Philadelphia Flyers	82	45	20	13	4	211	166	107
3	8	New York Islanders	82	35	34	11	2	224	231	83
4	9	New York Rangers	82	32	36	10	4	210	231	78
5	14	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	27	44	6	5	189	255	65

^[32]

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^[33]

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	P- Ottawa Senators	NE	82	52	21	8	1	263	182	113
2	Y- New Jersey Devils	AT	82	46	20	10	6	216	166	108
3	Y- Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	36	25	16	5	219	210	93
4	X- Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	45	20	13	4	211	166	107
5	X- Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	44	28	7	3	236	208	98
6	X- Washington Capitals	SE	82	39	29	8	6	224	220	92
7	X- Boston Bruins	NE	82	36	31	11	4	245	237	87
8	X- New York Islanders	AT	82	35	34	11	2	224	231	83
8.5
9	New York Rangers	AT	82	32	36	10	4	210	231	78
10	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	30	35	8	9	206	234	77
11	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	31	39	7	5	226	284	74
12	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	27	37	10	8	190	219	72
13	Florida Panthers	SE	82	24	36	13	9	176	237	70
14	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	27	44	6	5	189	255	65
15	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	22	43	11	6	171	240	61

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

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

Playoffs

See also: 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Despite recording their most points (107) since the 1985–86 season, the Flyers finished second in their division and were seeded fourth in the playoffs, drawing a tough first-round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They would do so with home ice advantage and a healthy roster, Simon Gagne and Justin Williams having both returned to the lineup in the final week of the regular season.^[34]

Philadelphia outplayed the Maple Leafs in game one, limiting the opposition to 15 shots. But Toronto was opportunistic with their scoring chances and won 5–3, Alexander Mogilny sealing the game with an empty-net goal for his third of the game.^[35] The Flyers dominated again in game two, this time winning 4–1 to tie the series.^[36]

The series shifted to Toronto and the Flyers jumped out to a 2–0 lead early in game three, but the game wasn't settled until the second overtime period when Tomas Kaberle scored for the Maple Leafs to end it at 4–3.^[37] Philadelphia was once again dominant in game four, limiting Toronto to only 10 shots in regulation time, but the game wasn't decided until Mark Recchi scored the game-winner for the Flyers at 13:54 of the third overtime period to tie the series again.^[38]

Back at home for game five, Sami Kapanen scored two power play goals in a 4–1 win to give the Flyers a 3–2 series lead.^[39] Defenseman Eric Desjardins suffered a broken right foot in the third period that kept him out for 2-to-4 weeks.^[40] He was replaced in the lineup by rookie Jim Vandermeer, who made his playoff debut in game six.^[40]

For the third time in the series, game six in Toronto was decided in overtime, Travis Green scoring the game-winner for the Maple Leafs in the second overtime period to force a game seven.^[41] Less than 24 hours later in Philadelphia, the Flyers blew out the Maple Leafs 6–1 to take the marathon series and secure their first playoff series victory in three years.^[42][43]

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Despite out-dueling Toronto's Ed Belfour in the first round, starting goaltender Roman Cechmanek was traded less than a month after the team's second-round playoff exit.

The Flyers opponent in the second round was the Presidents' Trophy-winning Ottawa Senators in a rematch of their 2002 five-game quarterfinal series loss.^[43] Though Philadelphia's offense scored more than the record low two goals they managed during that series, Ottawa held them to two goals or less in all six games of the rematch.^[44][45]

The Flyers matched their goal total from the 2002 series by scoring on their first two shots against Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime to go up 2–0 after one period, but Ottawa scored four unanswered goals to win game one.^[46] After being criticized by Hitchcock after his game one performance, Roman Cechmanek responded in game two with a 33-save shutout in a 2–0 win to tie the series.^[47]

The series shifted to Philadelphia for game three. Though the Flyers had a 2–1 lead after two periods, Ottawa scored the tying goal in the opening minute of the third period and won the game on Wade Redden's game-winning goal 6:43 into overtime.^[48] Cechmanek responded with another shutout in game four, stopping all 28 shots Ottawa fired his way, and Michal Handzus scored the lone goal in a 1–0 win to tie the series at two games apiece.^[49]

In a 5–2 game five loss in Ottawa, Cechmanek allowed four goals on 16 shots before being pulled midway through the second period in favor of backup Robert Esche.^[50] In game six in Philadelphia, Ottawa scored the game's first four goals en route to a 5–1 series clinching win.^[51]

A factor in the series loss was Cechmanek's inconsistency.^[52][53] Though he recorded shutouts in games two and four, his performance was considered poor in games one, five, and six.^[54] In the final two games, he allowed nine goals in two losses that ended the Flyers season.^[54] A week after game six, general manager Bob Clarke indicated the Flyers would move on from Cechmanek.^[52] He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings three weeks after the deciding game, ending a three-year run with the team that saw him rank second in the entire NHL in goals against average (1.96) and save percentage (.923), and third in shutouts (20).^[53][55][56]

Schedule and results

Preseason

2002 preseason[57]
Preseason: 5–4–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 3–3–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Ref 1 September 19 @ Washington Capitals 4–1 1–0–0 [58] 2 September 21 New Jersey Devils 1–5 1–1–0 [59] 3 September 22 @ New York Rangers 4–6 1–2–0 [60] 4 September 24 New York Islanders 4–2 2–2–0 [61] 5 September 26 @ New Jersey Devils 0–4 2–3–0 [62] 6 September 27 @ Carolina Hurricanes 5–1 3–3–0 [63] 7 October 1 New York Rangers 5–3 4–3–0 [64] 8 October 2 @ New York Islanders 1–4 4–4–0 [65] 9 October 5 Washington Capitals 3–2 5–4–0 [66]
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Regular season

2002–03 regular season[45]
October: 7–1–2–0, 16 points (home: 4–0–1–0; road: 3–1–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 1 October 10 @ Edmonton Oilers 2–2 OT 0–0–1–0 1 Recap 2 October 12 @ Calgary Flames 5–4 1–0–1–0 3 Recap 3 October 15 @ Montreal Canadiens 6–2 2–0–1–0 5 Recap 4 October 17 New York Islanders 3–3 OT 2–0–2–0 6 Recap 5 October 19 Washington Capitals 3–1 3–0–2–0 8 Recap 6 October 22 @ Buffalo Sabres 1–2 3–1–2–0 8 Recap 7 October 24 Montreal Canadiens 6–2 4–1–2–0 10 Recap 8 October 26 @ New York Islanders 6–2 5–1–2–0 12 Recap 9 October 29 Ottawa Senators 2–1 6–1–2–0 14 Recap 10 October 31 Phoenix Coyotes 6–2 7–1–2–0 16 Recap
November: 4–5–4–0, 12 points (home: 1–2–3–0; road: 3–3–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 11 November 2 Washington Capitals 2–1 8–1–2–0 18 Recap 12 November 5 @ Carolina Hurricanes 2–1 OT 9–1–2–0 20 Recap 13 November 7 New Jersey Devils 0–1 9–2–2–0 20 Recap 14 November 9 @ Washington Capitals 1–4 9–3–2–0 20 Recap 15 November 13 Florida Panthers 1–1 OT 9–3–3–0 21 Recap 16 November 15 @ Carolina Hurricanes 1–1 OT 9–3–4–0 22 Recap 17 November 16 Boston Bruins 2–2 OT 9–3–5–0 23 Recap 18 November 19 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 10–3–5–0 25 Recap 19 November 21 San Jose Sharks 2–2 OT 10–3–6–0 26 Recap 20 November 23 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 0–6 10–4–6–0 26 Recap 21 November 27 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2–7 10–5–6–0 26 Recap 22 November 29 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–3 10–6–6–0 26 Recap 23 November 30 @ Montreal Canadiens 2–1 OT 11–6–6–0 28 Recap
December: 6–4–2–1, 15 points (home: 3–2–1–1; road: 3–2–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 24 December 2 New Jersey Devils 0–1 OT 11–6–6–1 29 Recap 25 December 5 New York Rangers 3–2 OT 12–6–6–1 31 Recap 26 December 7 St. Louis Blues 1–3 12–7–6–1 31 Recap 27 December 10 @ Florida Panthers 5–2 13–7–6–1 33 Recap 28 December 12 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–1 14–7–6–1 35 Recap 29 December 14 Buffalo Sabres 2–0 15–7–6–1 37 Recap 30 December 17 Dallas Stars 2–2 OT 15–7–7–1 38 Recap 31 December 18 @ Atlanta Thrashers 3–1 16–7–7–1 40 Recap 32 December 21 Ottawa Senators 1–3 16–8–7–1 40 Recap 33 December 23 @ Ottawa Senators 2–2 OT 16–8–8–1 41 Recap 34 December 27 @ Colorado Avalanche 2–1 OT 17–8–8–1 43 Recap 35 December 28 @ Phoenix Coyotes 0–4 17–9–8–1 43 Recap 36 December 30 @ San Jose Sharks 1–2 17–10–8–1 43 Recap
January: 10–4–0–1, 21 points (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 6–1–0–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 37 January 2 @ Los Angeles Kings 4–1 18–10–8–1 45 Recap 38 January 3 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1–0 19–10–8–1 47 Recap 39 January 5 @ Atlanta Thrashers 5–4 20–10–8–1 49 Recap 40 January 7 Buffalo Sabres 3–2 21–10–8–1 51 Recap 41 January 9 @ New York Islanders 4–0 22–10–8–1 53 Recap 42 January 11 Detroit Red Wings 3–2 23–10–8–1 55 Recap 43 January 13 Atlanta Thrashers 4–7 23–11–8–1 55 Recap 44 January 16 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 24–11–8–1 57 Recap 45 January 18 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 25–11–8–1 59 Recap 46 January 19 @ New York Rangers 4–2 26–11–8–1 61 Recap 47 January 21 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–1 27–11–8–1 63 Recap 48 January 24 New York Islanders 1–3 27–12–8–1 63 Recap 49 January 25 @ Boston Bruins 0–1 OT 27–12–8–2 64 Recap 50 January 28 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–3 27–13–8–2 64 Recap 51 January 30 @ New Jersey Devils 1–5 27–14–8–2 64 Recap
February: 6–3–3–0, 15 points (home: 3–2–2–0; road: 3–1–1–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 52 February 4 @ New York Islanders 2–1 28–14–8–2 66 Recap 53 February 6 @ Ottawa Senators 2–2 OT 28–14–9–2 67 Recap 54 February 8 New York Rangers 2–1 29–14–9–2 69 Recap 55 February 10 Minnesota Wild 0–1 29–15–9–2 69 Recap 56 February 12 @ Minnesota Wild 0–2 29–16–9–2 69 Recap 57 February 13 @ St. Louis Blues 4–3 OT 30–16–9–2 71 Recap 58 February 15 Carolina Hurricanes 2–2 OT 30–16–10–2 72 Recap 59 February 18 New Jersey Devils 2–2 OT 30–16–11–2 73 Recap 60 February 20 Los Angeles Kings 5–0 31–16–11–2 75 Recap 61 February 22 Florida Panthers 2–4 31–17–11–2 75 Recap 62 February 25 @ Chicago Blackhawks 2–0 32–17–11–2 77 Recap 63 February 27 Chicago Blackhawks 5–2 33–17–11–2 79 Recap
March: 9–3–2–2, 22 points (home: 5–1–1–1; road: 4–2–1–1) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 64 March 1 @ Boston Bruins 3–2 OT 34–17–11–2 81 Recap 65 March 4 Vancouver Canucks 3–0 35–17–11–2 83 Recap 66 March 7 @ New York Rangers 1–5 35–18–11–2 83 Recap 67 March 8 Colorado Avalanche 1–2 OT 35–18–11–3 84 Recap 68 March 10 @ Washington Capitals 1–2 OT 35–18–11–4 85 Recap 69 March 13 Carolina Hurricanes 5–3 36–18–11–4 87 Recap 70 March 15 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 37–18–11–4 89 Recap 71 March 17 @ New Jersey Devils 4–2 38–18–11–4 91 Recap 72 March 18 @ Buffalo Sabres 2–5 38–19–11–4 91 Recap 73 March 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 39–19–11–4 93 Recap 74 March 22 New York Rangers 1–2 39–20–11–4 93 Recap 75 March 24 Atlanta Thrashers 6–2 40–20–11–4 95 Recap 76 March 25 @ Nashville Predators 1–1 OT 40–20–12–4 96 Recap 77 March 27 Boston Bruins 2–2 OT 40–20–13–4 97 Recap 78 March 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 41–20–13–4 99 Recap 79 March 31 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 6–1 42–20–13–4 101 Recap
April: 3–0–0–0, 6 points (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 2–0–0–0) Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap 80 April 1 Columbus Blue Jackets 4–0 43–20–13–4 103 Recap 81 April 4 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 4–1 44–20–13–4 105 Recap 82 April 6 @ Florida Panthers 6–2 45–20–13–4 107 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2003 Stanley Cup playoffs[45]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - Flyers win 4–3 Game Date Opponent Score Attendance Series Recap 1 April 9 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–5 18,937 Maple Leafs lead 1–0 Recap 2 April 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 19,597 Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 April 14 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–4 2OT 19,533 Maple Leafs lead 2–1 Recap 4 April 16 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 3OT 19,574 Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 April 19 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 19,828 Flyers lead 3–2 Recap 6 April 21 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 1–2 2OT 19,573 Series tied 3–3 Recap 7 April 22 Toronto Maple Leafs 6–1 19,870 Flyers win 4–3 Recap
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Ottawa Senators - Senators win 4–2 Game Date Opponent Score Attendance Series Recap 1 April 25 @ Ottawa Senators 2–4 18,197 Senators lead 1–0 Recap 2 April 27 @ Ottawa Senators 2–0 18,500 Series tied 1–1 Recap 3 April 29 Ottawa Senators 2–3 OT 19,680 Senators lead 2–1 Recap 4 May 1 Ottawa Senators 1–0 19,842 Series tied 2–2 Recap 5 May 3 @ Ottawa Senators 2–5 18,500 Senators lead 3–2 Recap 6 May 5 Ottawa Senators 1–5 19,454 Senators win 4–2 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; 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 Flyers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
97	Jeremy Roenick	C	79	27	32	59	20	75	13	3	5	8	1	8
8	Mark Recchi	RW	79	20	32	52	0	35	13	7	3	10	4	2
25	Keith Primeau	C	80	19	27	46	4	93	13	1	1	2	−2	14
26	Michal Handzus	C	82	23	21	44	13	46	13	2	6	8	3	6
5	Kim Johnsson	D	82	10	29	39	11	38	13	0	3	3	−1	8
37	Eric Desjardins	D	79	8	24	32	30	35	5	2	1	3	2	0
10	John LeClair	LW	35	18	10	28	10	16	13	2	3	5	5	10
12	Simon Gagne	LW	46	9	18	27	20	16	13	4	1	5	1	6
39	Marty Murray	C	76	11	15	26	−1	13	4	0	0	0	−2	4
87	Donald Brashear	LW	80	8	17	25	5	161	13	1	2	3	−1	21
14	Justin Williams	RW	41	8	16	24	15	22	12	1	5	6	2	8
2	Eric Weinrich	D	81	2	18	20	16	40	13	2	3	5	−2	12
20	Radovan Somik	LW	60	8	10	18	9	10	5	1	1	2	0	6
11	Tony Amonte†	RW	13	7	8	15	12	2	13	1	6	7	2	4
24	Sami Kapanen†	RW	28	4	9	13	−1	6	13	4	3	7	2	6
36	Dennis Seidenberg	D	58	4	9	13	8	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
55	Pavel Brendl‡	RW	42	5	7	12	8	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Eric Chouinard†	C	28	4	4	8	2	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Marcus Ragnarsson†	D	43	2	6	8	5	32	13	0	1	1	4	6
6	Chris Therien	D	67	1	6	7	10	36	13	0	2	2	0	2
29	Todd Fedoruk	LW	63	1	5	6	1	105	1	0	0	0	0	0
15	Joe Sacco†	RW	34	1	5	6	0	20	4	0	0	0	−2	0
18	Todd Warriner†‡	LW	13	2	3	5	2	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
13	Claude Lapointe†	C	14	2	2	4	5	16	13	2	3	5	0	14
22	Dmitri Yushkevich†	D	18	2	2	4	7	8	13	1	4	5	7	2
19	Paul Ranheim‡	RW	28	0	4	4	−4	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Andre Savage	C	16	2	1	3	2	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
23	Jim Vandermeer	D	24	2	1	3	9	27	8	0	1	1	1	9
3	Dan McGillis‡	D	24	0	3	3	7	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
18	Tomi Kallio†‡	RW	7	1	0	1	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
9	Mark Greig	RW	5	0	1	1	1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
32	Roman Cechmanek	G	58	0	0	0		8	13	0	0	0		0
42	Robert Esche	G	30	0	0	0		6	1	0	0	0		0
47	Kirby Law	RW	2	0	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
17	Guillaume Lefebvre‡	LW	14	0	0	0	1	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
34	Ian MacNeil	C	2	0	0	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
24	Chris McAllister‡	D	19	0	0	0	−2	21	—	—	—	—	—	—
18[a]	Patrick Sharp	C	3	0	0	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Mike Siklenka†	RW	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
22	Bruno St. Jacques‡	D	6	0	0	0	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
18	Jamie Wright†	LW	4	0	0	0	−1	4	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season											Playoffs
		GP	GS	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	GS	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
32	Roman Cechmanek	58	57	33	15	10	1368	102	1.83	.925	6	3,350	13	13	6	7	339	31	2.14	.909	2	867
42	Robert Esche	30	25	12	9	3	647	60	2.20	.907	2	1,638	1	0	0	0	14	1	2.00	.929	0	30

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	William M. Jennings Trophy	Roman Cechmanek[b]	[30]
		Robert Esche[b]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Ken Hitchcock (coach)	[67]
		Jeremy Roenick
	NHL YoungStars Game selection	Pavel Brendl	[68]
		Dennis Seidenberg
Team	Barry Ashbee Trophy	Eric Desjardins	[69]
	Bobby Clarke Trophy	Roman Cechmanek	[69]
	Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy	Donald Brashear	[69]
	Toyota Cup	Keith Primeau	[70]
	Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award	Robert Esche	[71]

Records

See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers records

Among the team records set during the 2002–03 season was John LeClair scoring four goals against the Montreal Canadiens on October 15, tying the team record for most goals in a regular season game.^[72] On October 26, the Flyers set the team record for fastest two goals from the start of a game (31 seconds), also tying the same mark from the start of a period.^[73][74] Goaltender Roman Cechmanek's 1.83 goals against average on the season is a team record.^[75] During game four of their conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers set team records for most shots on goal (75) and most shots on goal during a single overtime period (15).^[76][77] Three games during the series were decided in overtime, setting a team record for a single playoff series that was later tied during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.^[78]

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Dennis Seidenberg	October 10, 2002	[79]
	Patrick Sharp
	Radovan Somik	October 15, 2002
	Ian MacNeil	December 18, 2002
	Jim Vandermeer	January 3, 2003
	Mike Siklenka	January 28, 2003
1,000th game played	Jeremy Roenick	November 16, 2002	[80]
	Eric Desjardins	December 18, 2002	[81]
	Eric Weinrich	March 31, 2003	[82]
600th assist	Jeremy Roenick	January 9, 2003	[83]

Transactions

The Flyers 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.^[84]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 18, 2002 (2002-06-18)	To Philadelphia Flyers 3rd-round pick in 2003 Conditional 5th-round pick in 2004[c]	To Edmonton Oilers Jiri Dopita	[7]
June 21, 2002 (2002-06-21)	To Philadelphia Flyers 1st-round pick in 2002	To Tampa Bay Lightning Ruslan Fedotenko Tampa Bay's 2nd-round pick in 2002 Phoenix's 2nd-round pick in 2002	[8]
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)	To Philadelphia Flyers 6th-round pick in 2002 3rd-round pick in 2003	To Carolina Hurricanes Carolina's 3rd-round pick in 2002	[87]
June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23)	To Philadelphia Flyers 5th-round pick in 2003	To Columbus Blue Jackets Vancouver's 6th-round pick in 2002 7th-round pick in 2002	[88]
December 6, 2002 (2002-12-06)	To Philadelphia Flyers Marcus Ragnarsson	To San Jose Sharks Dan McGillis	[23]
December 19, 2002 (2002-12-19)	To Philadelphia Flyers Conditional draft pick in 2004[d]	To Phoenix Coyotes Paul Ranheim	[90]
January 22, 2003 (2003-01-22)	To Philadelphia Flyers Jamie Wright	To Calgary Flames Future considerations	[91]
January 29, 2003 (2003-01-29)	To Philadelphia Flyers Eric Chouinard	To Montreal Canadiens 2nd-round pick in 2003	[92]
February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)	To Philadelphia Flyers 6th-round pick in 2003	To Colorado Avalanche Chris McAllister	[93]
	To Philadelphia Flyers Todd Warriner	To Vancouver Canucks Conditional draft pick[e]	[94]
February 7, 2003 (2003-02-07)	To Philadelphia Flyers Ryan Bast Sami Kapanen	To Carolina Hurricanes Pavel Brendl Bruno St. Jacques	[25]
March 1, 2003 (2003-03-01)	To Philadelphia Flyers Dmitri Yushkevich	To Los Angeles Kings 4th-round pick in 2003 7th-round pick in 2004	[26]
March 9, 2003 (2003-03-09)	To Philadelphia Flyers Claude Lapointe	To New York Islanders 5th-round pick in 2003	[27]
March 10, 2003 (2003-03-10)	To Philadelphia Flyers Tony Amonte	To Phoenix Coyotes Guillaume Lefebvre Atlanta's 3rd-round pick in 2003 2nd-round pick in 2004	[95][28]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)	To Philadelphia Flyers Peter White	To Chicago Blackhawks Future considerations	[96]
May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28)	To Philadelphia Flyers 2nd-round pick in 2004	To Los Angeles Kings Roman Cechmanek	[55]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
July 2, 2002 (2002-07-02)	Ian MacNeil	Carolina Hurricanes		Free agency	[97]
July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04)	Andre Savage	Vancouver Canucks		Free agency	[98]
July 29, 2002 (2002-07-29)	Jeff Smith	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)	3-year	Free agency	[99]
January 1, 2003 (2003-01-01)	Tomi Kallio	Columbus Blue Jackets		Waivers	[100]
January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15)	Joe Sacco	Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL)	1-year	Free agency	[101]
January 27, 2003 (2003-01-27)	Mike Siklenka	Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL)	1-year	Free agency	[102]
May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)	Nick Deschenes	Yale University (ECAC)		Free agency	[103]
	Freddy Meyer	Boston University (HE)		Free agency	[103]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via[f]	Ref
July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01)	James Chalmers[g]		Contract expiration (UFA)	[13]
	Adam Oates	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	Free agency (III)	[14]
July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04)	Luke Richardson	Columbus Blue Jackets	Free agency (III)	[15]
July 15, 2002 (2002-07-15)	Greg Koehler	Nashville Predators	Free agency (VI)	[105]
July 21, 2002 (2002-07-21)	Tomas Divisek	HC Pardubice (ELH)	Free agency (II)[h]	[107]
July 30, 2002 (2002-07-30)	Vaclav Pletka	HC Ocelari Trinec (ELH)	Free agency[i]	[109]
August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09)	Mike Watt	Carolina Hurricanes	Free agency (II)	[110]
October 11, 2002 (2002-10-11)	Yves Sarault	Springfield Falcons (AHL)	Free agency (V)	[111]
January 15, 2003 (2003-01-15)	Rick Tocchet		Retirement (III)[j]	[112]
January 16, 2003 (2003-01-16)	Tomi Kallio	Frolunda HC (SHL)[k]	Release	[101]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)	Todd Warriner	Nashville Predators	Waivers	[114]
May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28)	Mark Greig	Hamburg Freezers (DEL)	Free agency	[115]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
N/A	Radovan Somik	1-year	Signing	[116]
June 25, 2002 (2002-06-25)	Jeff Woywitka	3-year	Entry-level	[117]
July 12, 2002 (2002-07-12)	Donald Brashear	4-year	Re-signing	[118]
	Todd Fedoruk	3-year	Re-signing	[118][119]
July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17)	David Harlock		Re-signing	[120]
	Kirby Law		Re-signing	[121]
July 27, 2002 (2002-07-27)	Dennis Seidenberg	3-year	Entry-level	[122]
August 8, 2002 (2002-08-08)	Neil Little	multi-year	Re-signing	[123]
	John Slaney	multi-year	Re-signing	[123]
September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11)	Simon Gagne	2-year	Re-signing	[124]
February 15, 2003 (2003-02-15)	Marcus Ragnarsson	2-year	Extension	[24]

Draft picks

See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft, which was held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on June 22–23, 2002.^[125] The Flyers traded their original first, 26th overall, second, 59th overall, and third-round picks, 92nd overall, and Maxime Ouellet to the Washington Capitals for Adam Oates on March 19, 2002.^[126] They also traded the Canucks' sixth-round pick, 184th overall, and their seventh-round pick, 225th overall, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Blue Jackets' 2003 fifth-round pick on June 23, 2002, and their eighth-round pick, 256th overall, to the Carolina Hurricanes for Paul Ranheim on May 31, 2000.^[126]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	Notes
1	4	Joni Pitkanen	Defense	Finland	Oulun Kärpät (SM-liiga)	[l]
4	105	Rosario Ruggeri	Defense	Canada	Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)	[m]
4	126	Konstantin Baranov	Forward	Russia	Mechel Chelyabinsk (RSL)
5	161	Dov Grumet-Morris	Goaltender	United States	Harvard University (ECAC)
6	192	Nikita Korovkin	Defense	Russia	Kamloops Blazers (WHL)	[n]
6	193	Joey Mormina	Defense	Canada	Colgate University (ECAC)
7	201	Mathieu Brunelle	Left wing	Canada	Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)	[o]

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.^[127][128] The Phantoms missed the Calder Cup playoffs for the first time in their seven year existence.^[129] Trenton made the Kelly Cup playoffs but were swept in the first round by the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies.^[130]

Notes

1. Sharp wore number 51 in the season opener and number 11 in his second game.
2. Co-winners with Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.
3. Condition not met. The Flyers would have received the Oilers' 2004 fifth-round pick if Dopita re-signed with Edmonton for the 2003–04 season.^[85] Dopita returned to Europe after being released by Edmonton on December 28.^[86]
4. Condition not met. The Flyers would have received a late round draft pick (sixth-to-eighth-round pick) if the Coyotes re-signed Ranheim for the 2003–04 season.^[89]
5. Condition not met.
6. In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.^[13]
7. Chalmers retired.^[104]
8. The Flyers retained Divisek's NHL rights through the 2007–08 season.^[106]
9. The Flyers retained Pletka's NHL rights until trading them to Chicago on August 2, 2006.^[108]
10. Tocchet was named an assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche.
11. Kallio signed with Frolunda on January 21.^[113]
12. The Flyers acquired the 4th overall pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ruslan Fedotenko, the Lightning's second-round pick and the Phoenix Coyotes' second-round pick on June 21, 2002.^[126]
13. The Flyers traded Dean McAmmond to the Calgary Flames for the Flames' fourth-round pick, 105th overall, on June 24, 2001.^[126]
14. The Flyers traded their 2001 fourth-round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for the Hurricanes' third-round pick, 91st overall, on June 24, 2001. The Flyers traded the Hurricanes' pick back to Carolina for the Hurricanes' sixth-round pick, 192nd overall, and the Hurricanes' 2003 third-round pick on June 22, 2002.^[126]
15. The Flyers traded their ninth-round pick, 287th overall, and their 2001 eighth-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Lightning's seventh-round pick, 201st overall, on June 24, 2001.^[126]

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