2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season

The 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 94th season of play. The club struggled through the season, made a coaching change and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
==Regular season==
Before the start of the season many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens due to the team possessing a healthy Saku Koivu as well as last seasons Hart Trophy winner in Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and show very little improvement in December. Players like Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette are slow to produce offense. The two forwards are both sent down for brief stints in the minors. For his part, Jose Theodore’s performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier. Despite the strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire head coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of Habs’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton. Despite Julien’s arrival as head coach, the team is unable to improve its situation. The Habs see their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ends in early March. Even with Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in 5 seasons. The Canadiens ended with a record of 30-35-9-8 and former MVP Theodore had a disappointing season with a record of 20-31-6.
===Final standings===
===Game log===
Regular season results	Regular season results	Regular season results	Regular season results	Regular season results 	Regular season results
No. 	R 	Date 	Score 	Opponent 	Record
1 	W 	October 11, 2002 	4–1 	@ New York Rangers (2002–03) 	1–0–0–0
2 	L 	October 12, 2002 	1–6 	Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 	1–1–0–0
3 	L 	October 15, 2002 	2–6 	Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 	1–2–0–0
4 	W 	October 17, 2002 	3–2 	@ Detroit Red Wings (2002–03) 	2–2–0–0
5 	T 	October 19, 2002 	2–2 OT 	Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 	2–2–1–0
6 	T 	October 22, 2002 	3–3 OT 	Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 	2–2–2–0
7 	L 	October 24, 2002 	2–6 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 	2–3–2–0
8 	W 	October 26, 2002 	5–3 	Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 	3–3–2–0
9 	T 	October 29, 2002 	2–2 OT 	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) 	3–3–3–0
10 	T 	November 1, 2002 	2–2 OT 	@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 	3–3–4–0
11 	W 	November 2, 2002 	5–2 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 	4–3–4–0
12 	L 	November 5, 2002 	2–5 	St. Louis Blues (2002–03) 	4–4–4–0
13 	W 	November 7, 2002 	3–0 	New York Islanders (2002–03) 	5–4–4–0
14 	W 	November 9, 2002 	3–1 	Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) 	6–4–4–0
15 	L 	November 12, 2002 	2–4 	Dallas Stars (2002–03) 	6–5–4–0
16 	L 	November 15, 2002 	1–5 	@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 	6–6–4–0
17 	W 	November 16, 2002 	3–1 	New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 	7–6–4–0
18 	W 	November 18, 2002 	5–4 OT 	Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 	8–6–4–0
19 	W 	November 20, 2002 	3–2 OT 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 	9–6–4–0
20 	L 	November 21, 2002 	2–3 	@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 	9–7–4–0
21 	L 	November 23, 2002 	3–7 	Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 	9–8–4–0
22 	W 	November 26, 2002 	3–2 	Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 	10–8–4–0
23 	L 	November 29, 2002 	2–4 	@ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 	10–9–4–0
24 	L 	November 30, 2002 	1–2 OT 	Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 	10–9–4–1
25 	L 	December 4, 2002 	1–5 	@ Dallas Stars (2002–03) 	10–10–4–1
26 	L 	December 6, 2002 	6–7 OT 	@ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03) 	10–10–4–2
27 	W 	December 7, 2002 	4–2 	@ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) 	11–10–4–2
28 	W 	December 10, 2002 	4–2 	@ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 	12–10–4–2
29 	L 	December 12, 2002 	2–3 	Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 	12–11–4–2
30 	W 	December 14, 2002 	4–2 	Boston Bruins (2002–03) 	13–11–4–2
31 	W 	December 16, 2002 	3–2 	@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 	14–11–4–2
32 	L 	December 17, 2002 	1–3 	San Jose Sharks (2002–03) 	14–12–4–2
33 	W 	December 19, 2002 	3–1 	@ New York Rangers (2002–03) 	15–12–4–2
34 	W 	December 21, 2002 	6–2 	Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 	16–12–4–2
35 	L 	December 23, 2002 	1–3 	@ New York Islanders (2002–03) 	16–13–4–2
36 	L 	December 27, 2002 	2–3 OT 	@ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 	16–13–4–3
37 	L 	December 28, 2002 	2–3 	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 	16–14–4–3
38 	T 	December 31, 2002 	1–1 OT 	@ Calgary Flames (2002–03) 	16–14–5–3
39 	L 	January 2, 2003 	2–3 	@ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03) 	16–15–5–3
40 	L 	January 4, 2003 	4–5 OT 	@ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) 	16–15–5–4
41 	L 	January 7, 2003 	2–3 	@ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 	16–16–5–4
42 	W 	January 9, 2003 	3–2 	New York Rangers (2002–03) 	17–16–5–4
43 	L 	January 11, 2003 	2–3 	Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 	17–17–5–4
44 	W 	January 13, 2003 	4–2 	Calgary Flames (2002–03) 	18–17–5–4
45 	L 	January 15, 2003 	0–1 	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 	18–18–5–4
46 	L 	January 16, 2003 	1–4 	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 	18–19–5–4
47 	L 	January 18, 2003 	2–3 OT 	Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 	18–19–5–5
48 	W 	January 20, 2003 	3–2 	@ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 	19–19–5–5
49 	T 	January 22, 2003 	2–2 OT 	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 	19–19–6–5
50 	T 	January 25, 2003 	1–1 OT 	Washington Capitals (2002–03) 	19–19–7–5
51 	W 	January 26, 2003 	4–3 	Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03) 	20–19–7–5
52 	W 	January 28, 2003 	6–3 	Florida Panthers (2002–03) 	21–19–7–5
53 	L 	January 30, 2003 	1–3 	@ New York Islanders (2002–03) 	21–20–7–5
54 	L 	February 4, 2003 	3–4 	Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 	21–21–7–5
55 	L 	February 6, 2003 	3–6 	@ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 	21–22–7–5
56 	L 	February 8, 2003 	1–3 	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 	21–23–7–5
57 	W 	February 9, 2003 	2–0 	@ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 	22–23–7–5
58 	W 	February 11, 2003 	3–1 	Boston Bruins (2002–03) 	23–23–7–5
59 	L 	February 13, 2003 	1–2 OT 	Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) 	23–23–7–6
60 	W 	February 15, 2003 	3–2 	Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) 	24–23–7–6
61 	L 	February 18, 2003 	0–3 	Florida Panthers (2002–03) 	24–24–7–6
62 	L 	February 19, 2003 	1–2 OT 	@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 	24–24–7–7
63 	L 	February 22, 2003 	3–5 	Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 	24–25–7–7
64 	L 	February 24, 2003 	1–4 	@ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 	24–26–7–7
65 	L 	February 27, 2003 	3–6 	Minnesota Wild (2002–03) 	24–27–7–7
66 	T 	March 1, 2003 	1–1 OT 	Vancouver Canucks (2002–03) 	24–27–8–7
67 	L 	March 5, 2003 	1–3 	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03)	24–28–8–7
68 	L 	March 6, 2003 	3–4 OT 	@ San Jose Sharks (2002–03) 	24–28–8–8
69 	L 	March 8, 2003 	1–2 	@ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) 	24–29–8–8
70 	W 	March 10, 2003 	3–1 	@ Nashville Predators (2002–03) 	25–29–8–8
71 	W 	March 12, 2003 	4–0 	@ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 	26–29–8–8
72 	W 	March 13, 2003 	4–2 	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2002–03) 	27–29–8–8
73 	L 	March 15, 2003 	1–2 	Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 	27–30–8–8
74 	L 	March 18, 2003 	0–1 	New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 	27–31–8–8
75 	L 	March 20, 2003 	3–6 	New York Islanders (2002–03) 	27–32–8–8
76 	W 	March 22, 2003 	5–3 	Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 	28–32–8–8
77 	L 	March 25, 2003 	3–4 OT 	Washington Capitals (2002–03) 	28–32–8–9
78 	L 	March 28, 2003 	1–4 	@ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 	28–33–8–9
79 	L 	March 29, 2003 	1–3 	Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 	28–34–8–9
80 	W 	March 31, 2003 	4–0 	@ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 	29–34–8–9
81 	L 	April 2, 2003 	1–2 	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 	29–35–8–9
82 	W 	April 5, 2003 	5–4 	New York Rangers (2002–03) 	30–35–8–9
==Player stats==
===Regular season===
Before the start of the season many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens due to the team possessing a healthy Saku Koivu as well as last seasons Hart Trophy winner in Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and show very little improvement in December.Players like Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette are slow to produce offense. The two forwards are both sent down for brief stints in the minors. For his part, Jose Theodore’s performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier. Despite the strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in Mid- January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Serge Savard to fire head coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien,who filled the same role behind the bench of Habs’ AHL affiliate in Hamilton.Despite Julien’s arrival as head coach, the team is unable to improve its situation. The Habs see their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ends in early March. Even with Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in 5 seasons. 
;Scoring
Player	Pos	GP	G 	A 	Pts	PIM	+/-	PPG	SHG	GWG
 	C 	82	21	50	71 	72 	5 	5 	1 	5
 	RW 	80	31	19	50 	79 	4 	9 	0 	2
 	C 	73	24	22	46 	30 	-11	7 	0 	4
 	C 	82	16	24	40 	30 	9 	0 	0 	2
 	D 	79	13	24	37 	34 	13 	3 	0 	2
 	C 	61	11	19	30 	36 	-6 	3 	0 	0
 	D 	73	4 	25	29 	32 	-14	1 	0 	1
 	RW 	73	7 	18	25 	24 	-5 	0 	0 	1
 	RW 	54	11	12	23 	19 	-7 	4 	0 	4
 	RW 	53	7 	16	23 	16 	-2 	2 	0 	2
 	D 	82	7 	15	22 	71 	1 	3 	0 	2
 	C 	72	6 	16	22 	20 	-10	0 	0 	2
 	RW 	75	6 	13	19 	72 	-14	2 	0 	0
 	C 	52	5 	12	17 	6 	-3 	2 	0 	0
 	LW 	60	9 	7 	16 	21 	-4 	0 	0 	1
 	RW 	43	5 	9 	14 	16 	-7 	1 	0 	0
 	RW 	33	5 	9 	14 	8 	3 	0 	0 	1
 	LW 	34	6 	7 	13 	14 	3 	2 	0 	1
 	D 	65	0 	13	13 	24 	-9 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	67	5 	5 	10 	70 	-4 	0 	0 	0
 	RW 	8 	3 	2 	5 	0 	3 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	65	1 	4 	5 	34 	-5 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	20	3 	1 	4 	2 	-1 	0 	1 	0
 	RW 	19	0 	2 	2 	23 	-1 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	57	0 	2 	2 	6 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	21	0 	1 	1 	28 	-6 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	-1 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	17	0 	0 	0 	43 	-3 	0 	0 	0
 	LW 	11	0 	0 	0 	46 	-2 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	8 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	G 	18	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	D 	21	0 	0 	0 	2 	-1 	0 	0 	0
;Goaltending
Player	MIN 	GP	W 	L 	T/OT	GA 	GAA 	SO	SA 	SV 	SV%
 	3419	57	20	31	6 	165	2.90	2 	1797	1632	.908
 	1063	18	7 	8 	2 	45 	2.54	0 	606 	561 	.926
 	482 	8 	3 	5 	0 	16 	1.99	2 	267 	251 	.940
Team: 	4964	82	30	44	8 	226	2.73	4 	2670	2444	.915
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; PPG=Power-play goals; SHG=Short-handed goals; GWG=Game-winning goals
      MIN=Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/OT = Ties/Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SO = Shutouts; SA=Shots Against; SV=Shots saved; SV% = Save Percentage; 
==Awards and records==
==Transactions==
==Roster==
==Draft picks==
==Farm teams==
==See also==
* 2002–03 NHL season
==References==
*Canadiens on Hockey Database
*Canadiens on NHL Reference
</div>
Category:Montreal Canadiens seasons
Montreal Canadiens season, 2002–03
Montreal Canadiens season, 2002–03