The 2002–03 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 9th season since the founding of the (German Ice Hockey League). The
Krefeld Pinguine
The Krefeld Pinguine (Krefeld Penguins) are an ice hockey team in the DEL2. Their home ice is in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany at the König Palast. Founded first in 1936 by Willi Münstermann, the pro team became a limited liabil ...
became German Champions. The
Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings lost their license due to insolvency proceedings and the
Frankfurt Lions were granted a stay in the league.
Regular season
The eight best-placed teams in the regular season would enter playoffs, while the last two teams would have to fight relegation in a playdown series.
GP = Games played, W = Win, SOW = Shootout win, SOL = Shootout loss, L = Loss
= Qualified for playoffs = Season ended = Relegation playdown
Playdown
The two last-placed teams, the Frankfurt Lions and Schwenninger ERC Wild Wings played a playdown
best-of-seven
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly k ...
series against relegation.
Despite the Lions having a 25-point advantage in the regular season, the Wild Wings won the playdown series. However, as insolvency proceedings against the Wild Wings opened, the DEL canceled their license and the Lions were allowed to stay in the league.
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Starting March 12, 2003, the quarterfinals were played in a
best-of-seven
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly k ...
series.
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout
Semifinals
On March 28, 2003, the quarterfinals
best-of-five series opened.
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout
The big surprise was the loss of (Berlin Polar Bears) to the (Krefeld Penguins). The Eisbären were considered a strong favorite as they finished the regular season with 109 points vs. the Penguins 78.
Finals
The final series started April 11, 2003 with a homegame for the Kölner Haie who were the higher placed team after the regular season.
OT = Overtime; SO = Shootout
With this, the won the German title for the second time in their history. They almost accomplished this feat with a playoff sweep; this was somewhat unexpected, as their regular season record was not indicative of the playoff performance.
Top players
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 Deutsche Eishockey Liga Season
1
Ger
Deutsche Eishockey Liga seasons