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The 2001–02 NHL season was the 85th regular season of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
. 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 The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
defeating the
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...
in the
Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...
in five games, winning their tenth
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in franchise history.


League business


Pittsburgh financial troubles

The cash-strapped
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
, desperate to dump payroll, could no longer afford perennial superstar Jaromir Jagr. He would be traded, along with Frantisek Kucera, to the
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
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 2007 after they drafted Sidney Crosby 2 years prior.


Entry draft

The 2001 NHL entry draft was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in
Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. The population was 97,335 at the time of the 2020 census. History Early history In ...
.
Ilya Kovalchuk Ilya Valeryevich Kovalchuk (; born 15 April 1983) is a Russian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), winger. He played for the Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals in ...
was selected first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.


Preseason game in Europe

As part of the NHL Challenge, the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
played a preseason game against Swedish team Brynäs Gävle on September 16, 2001 at Stockholm Globe Arena in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
.


Remembrances of September 11, 2001, attacks

The 2001–02 regular season began less than one month after the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
. 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 The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
and
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
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 George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
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.


Uniform changes

*
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
: In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Sabres, in a sign of solidarity, took to the ice at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
on October 7 wearing jerseys reading "New York" on the front. Like the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
, their opponents in that game, the Sabres, play their home games in the state of New York. *
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
: 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 Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
: The numbers become more narrow and the names on the back shrink slightly. *
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
: 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 Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
: 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 United Airlines Flight 175 was a domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as ...
in the September 11 attacks. *
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
: 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 The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
: 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 Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
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 Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
: 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 San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
: 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 The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
: 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 The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
: 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 Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
: The Capitals wore a patch in memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks.


Arena changes

* The Dallas Stars moved from Reunion Arena to the
American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...
, with
American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
acquiring the naming rights. * The
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...
' home arena, San Jose Arena, was renamed the Compaq Center as part of new naming rights agreement with
Compaq Compaq Computer Corporation was an American information technology, information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced some of the first IBM PC compati ...
.


Regular season


All-Star Game

The
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...
was played on February 2, 2002, at the Staples Center in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, the home of the
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
. It was the last NHL All-Star Game to have the North America vs. World All-Star format.


Olympics

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 The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
.


Death of Brittanie Cecil

During the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
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. As a result of the tragedy, the NHL made it mandatory the following season to install protective nets above the glass behind both goals.


Scoring

For the second time in three seasons, no player reached the 100-point plateau. In addition, for the first time since
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
, 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

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

''Teams in bold qualified for the playoffs.''


Western Conference

''Teams in bold qualified for the playoffs.''


Playoffs


Bracket

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.


Awards

The NHL Awards presentation took place in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.


All-Star teams


Player statistics


Scoring leaders

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


Leading goaltenders

''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'' ''Source: 2003 NHL Yearbook''


Coaches


Eastern Conference

*Atlanta Thrashers: Curt Fraser *Boston Bruins: Robbie Ftorek *Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff *Carolina Hurricanes: Paul Maurice *Florida Panthers: Duane Sutter and Mike Keenan *Montreal Canadiens: Michel Therrien *New Jersey Devils: Larry Robinson and Kevin Constantine *New York Islanders: Peter Laviolette *New York Rangers: Ron Low *Ottawa Senators: Jacques Martin *Philadelphia Flyers: Bill Barber *Pittsburgh Penguins: Ivan Hlinka and Rick Kehoe *Tampa Bay Lightning: John Tortorella *Toronto Maple Leafs: Pat Quinn *Washington Capitals: Ron Wilson


Western Conference

*Mighty Ducks of Anaheim: Brian Murray *Calgary Flames: Greg Gilbert *Chicago Blackhawks: Brian Sutter *Colorado Avalanche: Bob Hartley *Columbus Blue Jackets: Dave King *Dallas Stars: Ken Hitchcock and Rick Wilson *Detroit Red Wings:
Scotty Bowman William Scott Bowman (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach. He holds the record for most wins in National Hockey League (NHL) history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup ...
*Edmonton Oilers: Craig MacTavish *Los Angeles Kings:
Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...
*Minnesota Wild: Jacques Lemaire *Nashville Predators: Barry Trotz *Phoenix Coyotes: Bobby Francis *San Jose Sharks: Darryl Sutter *St. Louis Blues: Joel Quenneville *Vancouver Canucks: Marc Crawford


Milestones


Debuts

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): * Ilya Bryzgalov, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim * Dany Heatley, Atlanta Thrashers *
Ilya Kovalchuk Ilya Valeryevich Kovalchuk (; born 15 April 1983) is a Russian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), winger. He played for the Atlanta Thrashers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals in ...
, Atlanta Thrashers * Ales Kotalik, Buffalo Sabres * Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres * Erik Cole, Carolina Hurricanes * Tyler Arnason, Chicago Blackhawks * Radim Vrbata, Colorado Avalanche * Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings * Sean Avery, Detroit Red Wings * Kristian Huselius, Florida Panthers * Stephen Weiss, Florida Panthers * Nick Schultz, Minnesota Wild * Martin Erat, Nashville Predators * Brian Gionta, New Jersey Devils * Raffi Torres, New York Islanders * Trent Hunter*, New York Islanders * Chris Neil, Ottawa Senators * Vesa Toskala, San Jose Sharks * Barret Jackman, St. Louis Blues * Alex Auld, Vancouver Canucks


Last games

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): * Steve Duchesne, Detroit Red Wings * Ray Ferraro, St. Louis Blues * Grant Ledyard, Tampa Bay Lightning * John MacLean, Dallas Stars * Dave Manson, Dallas Stars * Stephane Richer, New Jersey Devils * Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins * Gary Suter, San Jose Sharks * Rick Tocchet, Philadelphia Flyers * John Vanbiesbrouck, New Jersey Devils * Pat Verbeek, Dallas Stars * Mike Vernon, Calgary Flames


Broadcasting


Canada

This was the fourth and final season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language Discretionary service, discretionary sports broadcasting, sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture betw ...
. 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

This was the third year of the league's five-year U.S. national broadcast rights deal with
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
and ABC. ESPN and
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
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

*
List of Stanley Cup champions The Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the Season structure of the NHL, playoff champion club of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was donated by the Governor General of Canada Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley of Pr ...
* 2001 NHL entry draft * 2001-02 NHL transactions * 52nd National Hockey League All-Star Game * NHL All-Star Game * NHL All-Rookie Team * Lester Patrick Trophy * Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics *
2001 in sports 2001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport. Alpine skiing * 2000–01 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Alpine Skiing World Cup ** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria ** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, ...
* 2002 in sports


References

* * ;Notes


External links


Hockey Database
*http://nhl.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 NHL season 1 1