2003–04 Tampa Bay Lightning season facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2003–04 Tampa Bay Lightning |
|
|---|---|
| Stanley Cup Champions | |
| Eastern Conference Champions | |
| Southeast Division Champions | |
| Division | 1st Southeast |
| Conference | 1st Eastern |
| 2003–04 record | 46–22–8–6 |
| Home record | 24–10–4–3 |
| Road record | 22–12–4–3 |
| Goals for | 245 |
| Goals against | 192 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Jay Feaster |
| Coach | John Tortorella |
| Captain | Dave Andreychuk |
| Alternate captains | Vincent Lecavalier Fredrik Modin |
| Arena | St. Pete Times Forum |
| Average attendance | 17,820 (92.79%) |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Martin St. Louis (38) |
| Assists | Martin St. Louis (56) |
| Points | Martin St. Louis (94) |
| Penalties in minutes | Chris Dingman (140) |
| Wins | Nikolai Khabibulin (28) |
| Goals against average | John Grahame (2.06) |
The 2003–04 Tampa Bay Lightning season was a super exciting time for the National Hockey League team in Tampa, Florida. This year, the Lightning made history by winning their very first Stanley Cup! It was a huge achievement for the team and their fans.
Becoming Champions: The 2003–04 Season
The 2003–04 season was the 12th time the Tampa Bay Lightning played in the NHL. They had an amazing year, showing everyone how strong they were.
How the Lightning Prepared: The Offseason
Before the season started, teams pick new players in the NHL Entry Draft. The Lightning didn't have a first-round pick that year. Their first player chosen was Mike Egener, a defenseman, in the second round.
Playing Strong: The Regular Season
The Lightning played really well during the regular season. They even tied with the Detroit Red Wings for scoring the most "short-handed goals" (goals scored when their team had fewer players on the ice) with 15. One cool moment was on December 27, 2003, when they scored three short-handed goals in one game against the Boston Bruins, winning 4-2!
The team finished at the top of their group, called the Southeast Division. They also finished first in the entire Eastern Conference. This meant they were one of the best teams in the league!
| No. | CR | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
| 2 | 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
| 3 | 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
| 4 | 12 | Florida Panthers | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
| 5 | 14 | Washington Capitals | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
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.
| R | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Z- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 46 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 245 | 192 | 106 |
| 2 | Y- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 41 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 209 | 188 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 40 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 209 | 188 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 242 | 204 | 103 |
| 5 | X- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 43 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 262 | 189 | 102 |
| 6 | X- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 213 | 164 | 100 |
| 7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 41 | 30 | 7 | 4 | 208 | 192 | 93 |
| 8 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 237 | 210 | 91 |
| 8.5 | ||||||||||
| 9 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 220 | 221 | 85 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 33 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 214 | 243 | 78 |
| 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 28 | 34 | 14 | 6 | 172 | 209 | 76 |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 28 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 188 | 221 | 75 |
| 13 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 27 | 40 | 7 | 8 | 206 | 250 | 69 |
| 14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 23 | 46 | 10 | 3 | 186 | 253 | 59 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 23 | 47 | 8 | 4 | 190 | 303 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot
Key Players and Their Stats
Let's look at some of the top players and how they performed during this championship season.
Forwards: Scoring Goals and Making Plays
These players were responsible for scoring goals and setting up plays for their teammates.
| Player | Games Played (GP) | Goals (G) | Assists (A) | Total Points (PTS) | Penalty Minutes (PIM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin St. Louis | 82 | 38 | 56 | 94 | 24 |
| Cory Stillman | 81 | 25 | 55 | 80 | 36 |
| Brad Richards | 82 | 26 | 53 | 79 | 12 |
| Vincent Lecavalier | 81 | 32 | 34 | 66 | 52 |
| Fredrik Modin | 82 | 29 | 28 | 57 | 32 |
| Dave Andreychuk | 82 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 42 |
| Ruslan Fedotenko | 77 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 30 |
| Tim Taylor | 82 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 25 |
| Dmitry Afanasenkov | 71 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 12 |
| Martin Cibak | 63 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| Chris Dingman | 74 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 140 |
Defensemen: Protecting the Net
These players helped stop the other team from scoring and also contributed to the offense.
| Player | Games Played (GP) | Goals (G) | Assists (A) | Total Points (PTS) | Penalty Minutes (PIM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Boyle | 78 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 60 |
| Pavel Kubina | 81 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 85 |
| Brad Lukowich | 79 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 24 |
| Cory Sarich | 82 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 89 |
| Ben Clymer | 66 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 50 |
| Jassen Cullimore | 79 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 58 |
| Darryl Sydor | 31 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Nolan Pratt | 58 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 42 |
Goaltenders: The Last Line of Defense
The goalies were crucial in stopping pucks and keeping the team in games.
| Player | Games Played (GP) | Wins (W) | Losses (L) | Ties (T) | Shutouts (SO) | Goals Against Average (GAA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikolai Khabibulin | 55 | 28 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 2.33 |
| John Grahame | 29 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2.06 |
Winning Big: Awards and Records
The 2003–04 season was so successful that many Lightning players and their coach won special awards!
- Brad Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player in the playoffs. He also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for being a very sportsmanlike player.
- Martin St. Louis won several big awards:
- The Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in points.
- The Hart Memorial Trophy for being the league's most valuable player.
- The Lester B. Pearson Award (now called the Ted Lindsay Award) for being the most outstanding player, as voted by other players.
- The NHL Plus/Minus Award, which he shared with another player, for being on the ice for more goals scored by his team than against them.
- John Tortorella, the coach, won the Jack Adams Award for being the best coach in the NHL.
