The 2003–04

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 ...

season was the 78th

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 ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Despite multiple injuries to key players, the Wings found themselves once again winning the

Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy () is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e., best overall record) during the regular season. If two teams are tied for the most points, then the Trophy ...

for having the best regular season record in the NHL, scoring 109 points. In the post-season, they advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals, where they were eliminated by the eventual Western Conference champion

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 ...

in six games. Two Red Wings were named to the roster for the 2004 All-Star Game: defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and center

Pavel Datsyuk Pavel Valeryevich Datsyuk (, ; born 20 July 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player, who played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2001 to 2016. Nicknamed the "Magic Man", Datsyuk was named one ...

. Lidstrom was voted into his eighth appearance at the All-Star game by fans, and Datsyuk was selected to the roster for his first appearance. The Red Wings sold out all 41 home games in 2003–04 as 20,066 fans packed

Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...

for every regular season and playoff game played in

Goaltending controversy

Detroit's early exit from the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs left

Curtis Joseph Curtis Shayne Joseph (né Munro; born April 29, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional player. Nicknamed "Cujo", Joseph was immediately recognizable on the ice for his masks featuring a snarling dog, drawing inspiration from ...

to be heavily scrutinized by the media as to whether or not he was up to task to start for Detroit. During the subsequent offseason, Dominik Hasek shocked the hockey world when he announced he was coming out of retirement and fulfilling his contractual obligation to the Red Wings. Given their previous success with Hasek, the Red Wings welcomed him back to the team. With the Wings appearing to favor Hasek as their starting goaltender, Joseph opted to have surgery to repair his ankle prior to the start of the season, resulting with the Red Wings using Hasek and

Manny Legace Emmanuel Legace (born February 4, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender, who played most notably in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, and later the St. Louis Blues between 1998 and 2010. Legace also e ...

as their goaltending tandem. When Joseph returned from injury and subsequent conditioning assignment in the minors, anger quickly grew on and off the ice between Hasek and Joseph. General Manager

Ken Holland Kenneth Mark Holland (born November 10, 1955) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former goaltender, and is currently serving as the vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. Holland most not ...

attempted to move Joseph to alleviate the situation, but Holland was not able to find a trade partner nor give Joseph up via the waiver wire due to the hefty terms of his contract (the contract had two years remaining with an annual salary of US$8 million and a no-trade clause). Unable to continue holding three goaltenders on roster, Detroit elected to send Joseph to Detroit's minor league affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

, on a permanent basis following a poor performance against 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 ...

. While Hasek assumed the starting role, he did not do so with ease. Hasek was not conditioned properly to handle the competition at the NHL level and was wrought with inconsistent play and injuries. By December 2003, both Hasek and Legace went down with injuries and Joseph was recalled from the minors, along with Joey MacDonald. While MacDonald was returned to the minors when Legace returned from injury, Joseph remained with the Red Wings as Hasek opted to remain on the injured reserve and did not return for the remainder of the season. Joseph and Legace would find themselves in a platoon situation until Joseph injured his ankle in a contest against 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 ...

. The Red Wings recalled Marc Lamothe from the Griffins to support Legace. Lamothe would appear in two games during his time with Detroit, making him the fifth goaltender to dress for Detroit and the fourth to play for them that season (MacDonald did not play in any games while on roster). Lamothe was returned to the minors once Joseph returned from injury. Despite being viewed by many as Detroit's "third" goaltender, Manny Legace ended up the de facto starting goaltender for the season, leading the other goaltenders on the team in games played, wins and

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...

. (At the time, those were also career records for Legace.) Legace also had a better

save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various Goal (sports), goal-scoring sports that track Save (goaltender), saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse and association football, it is a sta ...

and

goals against average Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...

(GAA) than either Hasek or Joseph. Based on his regular season play, Legace was named the starting goaltender going into the playoffs. During the opening round against the

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 ...

, Legace won the first two games, but was pulled after the fourth game following consecutive three-goal losses. Joseph took over the starting duties and responded admirably, posting a .300 GAA, .977 save percentage and one shutout for the remainder of the series. While Joseph had a strong performance against Calgary (1.83 GAA and .928 SV%), Detroit suffered an offensive drought and, with the series tied at two games a piece, were shut-out the final two games of the series, eliminating Detroit from the playoffs. Joseph never appeared for the Red Wings again, as the last year of his contract was nullified by the

2004–05 NHL lockout The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play. The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...

. Instead, Joseph signed with the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...

once the lockout was resolved. Legace went on to assume the starting role for Detroit, but was released after the season following another disappointing playoff exit. Hasek appeared with the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

during the 2005–06 season, but later returned to Detroit for what would be his last two seasons as an NHL goaltender.

Regular season

The Red Wings tied the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

for most short-handed goals scored in the NHL, with 15, and had the best penalty-kill percentage in the League (86.75%).

Season standings

''For complete final standings, see

2003–04 NHL season The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series four games to three against the Calgary Flames. For the fourth time in ...

Playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings ended the 2003–04 regular season as the Western Conference's first seed and played the

in the first round. They defeated Nashville in six games and met the

in the second round. Calgary would go on to defeat Detroit and reach the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in Game 7 to the

Schedule and results

Regular season

, - , 1 , , October 9 , ,

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, ...

, , 2 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Hasek , , 20,066 , , 1–0–0–0 , , 2 , , , - , 2 , , October 11 , , Detroit , , 3 – 2 , ,

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, , OT , , Hasek , , 18,500 , , 2–0–0–0 , , 4 , , , - , 3 , , October 16 , ,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, , 2 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Hasek , , 20,066 , , 3–0–0–0 , , 6 , , , - , 4 , , October 18 , , Detroit , , 3 – 4 , ,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, , , , Hasek , , 13,421 , , 3–1–0–0 , , 6 , , , - , 5 , , October 20 , , Detroit , , 1 – 2 , ,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, , , , Hasek , , 19,407 , , 3–2–0–0 , , 6 , , , - , 6 , , October 22 , , Columbus , , 1 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 4–2–0–0 , , 8 , , , - , 7 , , October 24 , ,

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, , 0 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Hasek , , 20,066 , , 5–2–0–0 , , 10 , , , - , 8 , , October 25 , , Detroit , , 1 – 3 , , NY Rangers , , , , Hasek , , 18,200 , , 5–3–0–0 , , 10 , , , - , 9 , , October 29 , ,

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, , 6 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 5–4–0–0 , , 10 , , , - , 10 , , October 30 , , Detroit , , 3 – 5 , ,

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, , , ,

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, , 12,322 , , 5–5–0–0 , , 10 , , , - , - , 11 , , November 1 , , Detroit , , 4 – 4 , ,

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, , OT , , Legace , , 16,839 , , 5–5–1–0 , , 11 , , , - , 12 , , November 3 , , Detroit , , 1 – 5 , ,

, , , , Legace , , 18,630 , , 5–6–1–0 , , 11 , , , - , 13 , , November 4 , , Detroit , , 3 – 0 , ,

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, , , , Joseph , , 15,259 , , 6–6–1–0 , , 13 , , , - , 14 , , November 8 , , Nashville , , 4 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 6–7–1–0 , , 13 , , , - , 15 , , November 10 , ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, , 0 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Hasek , , 20,066 , , 7–7–1–0 , , 15 , , , - , 16 , , November 12 , , Detroit , , 6 – 2 , , Dallas , , , , Hasek , , 18,532 , , 8–7–1–0 , , 17 , , , - , 17 , , November 14 , , Detroit , , 4 – 3 , , Chicago , , OT , , Hasek , , 21,856 , , 9–7–1–0 , , 19 , , , - , 18 , , November 15 , , Detroit , , 1 – 1 , ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, , OT , , Hasek , , 18,568 , , 9–7–2–0 , , 20 , , , - , 19 , , November 19 , , Columbus , , 1 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 10–7–2–0 , , 22 , , , - , 20 , , November 20 , , Detroit , , 0 – 3 , , Columbus , , , , Legace , , 18,136 , , 10–8–2–0 , , 22 , , , - , 21 , , November 22 , , Detroit , , 5 – 2 , , Minnesota , , , , Joseph , , 18,568 , , 11–8–2–0 , , 24 , , , - , 22 , , November 24 , ,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, , 4 – 1 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 11–9–2–0 , , 24 , , , - , 23 , , November 26 , , Edmonton , , 1 – 7 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 12–9–2–0 , , 26 , , , - , 24 , , November 28 , , NY Islanders , , 0 – 6 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 13–9–2–0 , , 28 , , , - , 25 , , November 29 , , Detroit , , 2 – 1 , , St. Louis , , , , Legace , , 20,006 , , 14–9–2–0 , , 30 , , , - , - , 26 , , December 3 , ,

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

, , 2 – 7 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 15–9–2–0 , , 32 , , , - , 27 , , December 4 , , Detroit , , 4 – 4 , , St. Louis , , OT , , Hasek , , 18,504 , , 15–9–3–0 , , 33 , , , - , 28 , , December 6 , , Detroit , , 2 – 5 , , Toronto , , , , Legace , , 19,470 , , 15–10–3–0 , , 33 , , , - , 29 , , December 8 , , Los Angeles , , 2 – 3 , , Detroit , , OT , , Hasek , , 20,066 , , 16–10–3–0 , , 35 , , , - , 30 , , December 10 , , Detroit , , 7 – 2 , , Buffalo , , , , Joseph , , 16,283 , , 17–10–3–0 , , 37 , , , - , 31 , , December 11 , , Detroit , , 3 – 4 , , Chicago , , OT , , Joseph , , 18,489 , , 17–10–3–1 , , 38 , , , - , 32 , , December 13 , , Detroit , , 5 – 1 , , Washington , , , , Joseph , , 18,277 , , 18–10–3–1 , , 40 , , , - , 33 , , December 15 , ,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, , 1 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 19–10–3–1 , , 42 , , , - , 34 , , December 17 , , San Jose , , 2 – 2 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 20–10–3–1 , , 44 , , , - , 35 , , December 19 , , Chicago , , 2 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 21–10–3–1 , , 46 , , , - , 36 , , December 20 , , Detroit , , 0 – 1 , , Nashville , , , , Joseph , , 17,113 , , 21–11–3–1 , , 46 , , , - , 37 , , December 22 , , St. Louis , , 1 – 2 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 22–11–3–1 , , 48 , , , - , 38 , , December 26 , , Minnesota , , 2 – 2 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 22–11–4–1 , , 49 , , , - , 39 , , December 28 , , Detroit , , 0 – 3 , , Chicago , , , , Legace , , 21,122 , , 22–12–4–1 , , 49 , , , - , 40 , , December 31 , ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, , 5 – 6 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 23–12–4–1 , , 51 , , , - , - , 41 , , January 2 , , Detroit , , 4 – 1 , , Carolina , , , , Joseph , , 17,053 , , 24–12–4–1 , , 53 , , , - , 42 , , January 3 , , Anaheim , , 1 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 25–12–4–1 , , 55 , , , - , 43 , , January 5 , , Nashville , , 0 – 6 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 26–12–4–1 , , 57 , , , - , 44 , , January 7 , ,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, , 3 – 0 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 26–13–4–1 , , 57 , , , - , 45 , , January 10 , , Detroit , , 1 – 2 , , Boston , , OT , , Joseph , , 17,565 , , 26–13–4–2 , , 58 , , , - , 46 , , January 14 , , Chicago , , 2 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 27–13–4–2 , , 60 , , , - , 47 , , January 16 , , Phoenix , , 3 – 3 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 27–13–5–2 , , 61 , , , - , 48 , , January 19 , , Detroit , , 1 – 2 , , San Jose , , , , Joseph , , 17,361 , , 27–14–5–2 , , 61 , , , - , 49 , , January 21 , , Detroit , , 2 – 2 , , Anaheim , , OT , , Legace , , 17,174 , , 27–14–6–2 , , 62 , , , - , 50 , , January 22 , , Detroit , , 5 – 4 , , Los Angeles , , , , Joseph , , 18,118 , , 28–14–6–2 , , 64 , , , - , 51 , , January 24 , , Detroit , , 2 – 5 , , Phoenix , , , , Joseph , , 19,019 , , 28–15–6–2 , , 64 , , , - , 52 , , January 26 , , Detroit , , 2 – 2 , , Dallas , , OT , , Legace , , 18,532 , , 28–15–7–2 , , 65 , , , - , 53 , , January 29 , ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, , 2 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 29–15–7–2 , , 67 , , , - , 54 , , January 31 , , Carolina , , 4 – 4 , , Detroit , , OT , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 30–15–8–2 , , 68 , , , - , - , 55 , , February 3 , , Detroit , , 4 – 1 , , Nashville , , , , Legace , , 15,134 , , 30–15–8–2 , , 70 , , , - , 56 , , February 5 , , Detroit , , 3 – 2 , , Colorado , , OT , , Joseph , , 18,007 , , 31–15–8–2 , , 72 , , , - , 57 , , February 11 , , San Jose , , 2 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 32–15–8–2 , , 74 , , , - , 58 , , February 14 , , Colorado , , 5 – 2 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 32–16–8–2 , , 74 , , , - , 59 , , February 16 , , Edmonton , , 1 – 2 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 33–16–8–2 , , 76 , , , - , 60 , , February 18 , , Phoenix , , 2 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 34–16–8–2 , , 78 , , , - , 61 , , February 20 , , St. Louis , , 1 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 35–16–8–2 , , 80 , , , - , 62 , , February 23 , , Detroit , , 1 – 1 , , Edmonton , , OT , , Lamothe , , 16,839 , , 35–16–9–2 , , 81 , , , - , 63 , , February 24 , , Detroit , , 2 – 4 , , Vancouver , , , , Legace , , 18,630 , , 35–17–9–2 , , 81 , , , - , 64 , , February 26 , , Detroit , , 2 – 1 , , Calgary , , , , Legace , , 17,862 , , 36–17–9–2 , , 83 , , , - , 65 , , February 29 , ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, , 2 – 4 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 37–17–9–2 , , 85 , , , - , - , 66 , , March 3 , , Calgary , , 1 – 2 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 38–17–9–2 , , 87 , , , - , 67 , , March 5 , , Vancouver , , 1 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 39–17–9–2 , , 89 , , , - , 68 , , March 8 , ,

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

, , 1 – 1 , , Detroit , , OT , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 39–17–10–2 , , 90 , , , - , 69 , , March 11 , , Detroit , , 4 – 2 , , Columbus , , , , Joseph , , 18,136 , , 40–17–10–2 , , 92 , , , - , 70 , , March 13 , , Dallas , , 0 – 3 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 41–17–10–2 , , 94 , , , - , 71 , , March 14 , , Nashville , , 2 – 3 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , 42–17–10–2 , , 96 , , , - , 72 , , March 16 , , Calgary , , 4 – 1 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 42–18–10–2 , , 96 , , , - , 73 , , March 18 , , Detroit , , 1 – 1 , , Phoenix , , OT , , Joseph , , 18,704 , , 42–18–11–2 , , 97 , , , - , 74 , , March 20 , , Detroit , , 4 – 2 , , Los Angeles , , , , Joseph , , 18,118 , , 43–18–11–2 , , 99 , , , - , 75 , , March 21 , , Detroit , , 6 – 8 , , Anaheim , , , , Joseph , , 17,174 , , 43–19–11–2 , , 99 , , , - , 76 , , March 23 , , Detroit , , 2 – 5 , , San Jose , , , , Legace , , 17,496 , , 43–20–11–2 , , 99 , , , - , 77 , , March 25 , , Detroit , , 3 – 1 , , Colorado , , , , Legace , , 18,007 , , 44–20–11–2 , , 101 , , , - , 78 , , March 27 , , Colorado , , 0 – 2 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 45–20–11–2 , , 103 , , , - , 79 , , March 29 , , Minnesota , , 3 – 5 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 46–20–11–2 , , 105 , , , - , 80 , , March 31 , , Detroit , , 3 – 2 , , Columbus , , , , Legace , , 18,136 , , 47–20–11–2 , , 107 , , , - , - , 81 , , April 1 , , Detroit , , 3 – 2 , , St. Louis , , , , Lamothe , , 20,018 , , 48–20–11–2 , , 109 , , , - , 82 , , April 3 , , Columbus , , 4 – 1 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , 48–21–11–2 , , 109 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Playoffs

, - , 1 , , April 7 , , Nashville , , 1–3 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , Red Wings lead 1–0 , , , - , 2 , , April 10 , , Nashville , , 1–2 , , Detroit , , , , Legace , , 20,066 , , Red Wings lead 2–0 , , , - , 3 , , April 11 , , Detroit , , 1–3 , , Nashville , , , , Legace , , 17,113 , , Red Wings lead 2–1 , , , - , 4 , , April 13 , , Detroit , , 0–3 , , Nashville , , , , Legace , , 17,113 , , Series tied 2–2 , , , - , 5 , , April 15 , , Nashville , , 1–4 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , Red Wings lead 3–2 , , , - , 6 , , April 17 , , Detroit , , 2–0 , , Nashville , , , , Joseph , , 17,329 , , Red Wings win 4–2 , , , - , - , 1 , , April 22 , , Calgary , , 2–1 , , Detroit , , OT , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , Flames lead 1–0 , , , - , 2 , , April 24 , , Calgary , , 2–5 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , Series tied 1–1 , , , - , 3 , , April 27 , , Detroit , , 2–3 , , Calgary , , , , Joseph , , 19,289 , , Flames lead 2–1 , , , - , 4 , , April 29 , , Detroit , , 4–2 , , Calgary , , , , Joseph , , 19,289 , , Series tied 2–2 , , , - , 5 , , May 1 , , Calgary , , 1–0 , , Detroit , , , , Joseph , , 20,066 , , Flames lead 3–2 , , , - , 6 , , May 3 , , Detroit , , 0–1 , , Calgary , , OT , , Joseph , , 19,289 , , Flames win 4–2 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Player statistics

Scoring

* ''Position abbreviations: C = Center; D =

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

; G =

Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

; LW =

Left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

; RW =

Right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

'' * '' = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Red Wings only.''

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

The Red Wings were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the

2003 Stanley Cup Finals The 2003 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2002–03 season, and the culmination of the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs. The second-seeded Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils defeated th ...

, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the

2004 Stanley Cup Finals The 2004 Stanley Cup Finals was the Stanley Cup Finals, championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2003–04 NHL season, 2003–04 season, and the culmination of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference (NHL), Easter ...

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Signings

Draft picks

Detroit's draft picks at the 2003 NHL entry draft held at the

Gaylord Entertainment Center Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena, and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predat ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. The Red Wings were slated to pick 27th overall but traded their first pick to 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. ...

at the 2003 trade deadline.

Farm teams

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

The Griffins were Detroit's top affiliate in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

in 2003–04.

Toledo Storm The Toledo Storm were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena along the eastern banks of the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The team colors w ...

The Storm were the Red Wings'

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

affiliate for the 2003–04 season.

Notes

References

* Player stats:''
Detroit Red Wings player stats
on espn.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Detroit Red Wings season Detroit Red Wings seasons

Presidents' Trophy seasons

2003 in Detroit 2004 in Detroit

Goaltending controversy

Regular season

Season standings

Playoffs

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Milestones

Transactions

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Signings

Draft picks

Farm teams

Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing their home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of t ...

Toledo Storm The Toledo Storm were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena along the eastern banks of the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The team colors w ...

See also

Notes

References