2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes season

The 2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Hockey League and seventh as the Hurricanes.

2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes
Division	3rd Southeast
2003–04 record	28–34–14-6
Goals for	172
Goals against	209
Team information
General manager	Jim Rutherford
Coach	Paul Maurice, Peter Laviolette
Captain	Ron Francis (Oct-Mar) Vacant (Mar-Apr)
Team leaders
Goals	Josef Vasicek (19)
Assists	Josef Vasicek, Rod Brind'Amour, Sean Hill (26)
Points	Josef Vasicek (45)
Penalty minutes	Jesse Boulerice (127)
Plus/minus	Glen Wesley (+18)
Wins	Kevin Weekes (23)
Goals against average	Kevin Weekes (2.33)

Regular season

The Hurricanes finished 30th overall in the NHL in scoring for the second consecutive season, with just 172 goals for. They also struggled on the power-play, finishing 30th overall in power-play goals scored, with 41, and 30th overall in power-play percentage, at 10.68% (41 for 384).[1]

Final standings

Southeast Division[2]

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.

Eastern Conference[3]

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

Schedule and results

October

Record for the month 2-3-4-0 (Home 1-1-1-0 Away 1-2-3-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
1	L	October 9, 2003	1–3	@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)	0–1–0–0
2	L	October 11, 2003	1–2	New Jersey Devils (2003–04)	0–2–0–0
3	T	October 13, 2003	2–2 OT	Florida Panthers (2003–04)	0–2–1–0
4	T	October 18, 2003	2–2 OT	@ New York Rangers (2003–04)	0–2–2–0
5	T	October 22, 2003	1–1 OT	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)	0–2–3–0
6	W	October 23, 2003	2–0	@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)	1–2–3–0
7	T	October 25, 2003	4–4 OT	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)	1–2–4–0
8	W	October 28, 2003	3–0	San Jose Sharks (2003–04)	2–2–4–0
9	L	October 30, 2003	1–4	@ New York Rangers (2003–04)	2–3–4–0

November

Record for the month 5-7-3-0 (Home 4-2-3-0 Away 1-5-0-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
10	L	November 1, 2003	3–4	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	2–4–4–0
11	L	November 2, 2003	1–2	Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)	2–5–4–0
12	W	November 6, 2003	6–3	New York Rangers (2003–04)	3–5–4–0
13	W	November 8, 2003	3–2 OT	Los Angeles Kings (2003–04)	4–5–4–0
14	T	November 9, 2003	1–1 OT	Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	4–5–5–0
15	L	November 12, 2003	1–7	@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)	4–6–5–0
16	W	November 13, 2003	5–1	Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	5–6–5–0
17	L	November 15, 2003	1–2	Washington Capitals (2003–04)	5–7–5–0
18	T	November 18, 2003	2–2 OT	Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)	5–7–6–0
19	L	November 20, 2003	1–6	@ Ottawa Senators (2003–04)	5–8–6–0
20	L	November 21, 2003	0–5	@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)	5–9–6–0
21	T	November 23, 2003	0–0 OT	Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	5–9–7–0
22	W	November 26, 2003	2–0	@ New York Islanders (2003–04)	6–9–7–0
23	L	November 28, 2003	2–4	@ Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)	6–10–7–0
24	W	November 29, 2003	4–3	Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)	7–10–7–0

December

Record for the month 5-5-1-2 (Home 3-2-1-1 Away 2-3-0-1)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
25	OTL	December 3, 2003	1–2 OT	Nashville Predators (2003–04)	7–10–7–1
26	T	December 5, 2003	1–1 OT	Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)	7–10–8–1
27	L	December 6, 2003	1–3	@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)	7–11–8–1
28	W	December 9, 2003	3–2	@ Edmonton Oilers (2003–04)	8–11–8–1
29	L	December 11, 2003	0–1	@ Calgary Flames (2003–04)	8–12–8–1
30	OTL	December 14, 2003	1–2 OT	@ Vancouver Canucks (2003–04)	8–12–8–2
31	W	December 18, 2003	2–1 OT	Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)	9–12–8–2
32	W	December 20, 2003	2–1	@ Boston Bruins (2003–04)	10–12–8–2
33	L	December 22, 2003	1–3	Dallas Stars (2003–04)	10–13–8–2
34	L	December 26, 2003	1–3	@ Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)	10–14–8–2
35	W	December 27, 2003	2–1 OT	Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)	11–14–8–2
36	W	December 29, 2003	2–1	Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)	12–14–8–2
37	L	December 31, 2003	1–3	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)	12–15–8–2

January

Record for the month 5-9-2-0 (Home 2-7-1-0 Away 3-2-1-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
38	L	January 2, 2004	1–4	Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)	12–16–8–2
39	L	January 4, 2004	0–3	Phoenix Coyotes (2003–04)	12–17–8–2
40	W	January 6, 2004	2–0	St. Louis Blues (2003–04)	13–17–8–2
41	W	January 8, 2004	3–2	New York Rangers (2003–04)	14–17–8–2
42	L	January 9, 2004	1–4	@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)	14–18–8–2
43	T	January 11, 2004	2–2 OT	Ottawa Senators (2003–04)	14–18–9–2
44	L	January 15, 2004	4–5	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	14–19–9–2
45	W	January 16, 2004	4–3	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	15–19–9–2
46	L	January 18, 2004	2–5	Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	15–20–9–2
47	L	January 20, 2004	1–3	Ottawa Senators (2003–04)	15–21–9–2
48	W	January 21, 2004	2–1	@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)	16–21–9–2
49	L	January 23, 2004	2–3	New York Islanders (2003–04)	16–22–9–2
50	L	January 25, 2004	2–4	Buffalo Sabres (2003–04)	16–23–9–2
51	W	January 27, 2004	2–0	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)	17–23–9–2
52	L	January 29, 2004	3–5	Washington Capitals (2003–04)	17–24–9–2
53	T	January 31, 2004	4–4 OT	@ Detroit Red Wings (2003–04)	17–24–10–2

February

Record for the month 3-3-3-2 (Home 1-0-2-1 Away 2-3-1-1)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
54	L	February 3, 2004	1–3	@ Colorado Avalanche (2003–04)	17–25–10–2
55	L	February 4, 2004	2–3	@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2003–04)	17–26–10–2
56	T	February 12, 2004	3–3 OT	Washington Capitals (2003–04)	17–26–11–2
57	L	February 14, 2004	1–4	@ New Jersey Devils (2003–04)	17–27–11–2
58	W	February 16, 2004	3–1	Florida Panthers (2003–04)	18–27–11–2
59	OTL	February 19, 2004	1–2 OT	Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)	18–27–11–3
60	T	February 21, 2004	3–3 OT	Boston Bruins (2003–04)	18–27–12–3
61	W	February 23, 2004	2–1	@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2003–04)	19–27–12–3
62	W	February 25, 2004	2–1	@ Washington Capitals (2003–04)	20–27–12–3
63	OTL	February 28, 2004	0–1 OT	@ Montreal Canadiens (2003–04)	20–27–12–4
64	T	February 29, 2004	3–3 OT	@ Minnesota Wild (2003–04)	20–27–13–4

March

Record for the month 8-6-0-2 (Home 2-5-0-0 Away 6-1-0-2)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
65	L	March 2, 2004	0–3	Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)	20–28–13–4
66	W	March 5, 2004	3–2 OT	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	21–28–13–4
67	L	March 6, 2004	1–4	New Jersey Devils (2003–04)	21–29–13–4
68	W	March 8, 2004	4–1	@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2003–04)	22–29–13–4
69	L	March 10, 2004	2–4	Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	22–30–13–4
70	W	March 12, 2004	4–2	Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	23–30–13–4
71	W	March 13, 2004	5–1	@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2003–04)	24–30–13–4
72	OTL	March 15, 2004	0–1 OT	@ Atlanta Thrashers (2003–04)	24–30–13–5
73	W	March 17, 2004	3–2	@ Chicago Blackhawks (2003–04)	25–30–13–5
74	OTL	March 19, 2004	3–4 OT	@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–04)	25–30–13–6
75	W	March 20, 2004	3–2 OT	@ Ottawa Senators (2003–04)	26–30–13–6
76	L	March 23, 2004	2–4	Philadelphia Flyers (2003–04)	26–31–13–6
77	W	March 25, 2004	3–2	Florida Panthers (2003–04)	27–31–13–6
78	W	March 27, 2004	3–2	@ New York Islanders (2003–04)	28–31–13–6
79	L	March 29, 2004	1–3	@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)	28–32–13–6
80	L	March 30, 2004	2–3	Boston Bruins (2003–04)	28–33–13–6

April

Record for the month 0-1-1-0 (Home 0-1-0-0 Away 0-0-1-0)

No.	R	Date	Score	Opponent	Record
81	L	April 2, 2004	4–6	New York Islanders (2003–04)	28–34–13–6
82	T	April 4, 2004	6–6 OT	@ Florida Panthers (2003–04)	28–34–14–6

Playoffs

The Hurricanes missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Player statistics

Forwards

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Josef Vasicek	82	19	26	45	-3	60
Erik Cole	80	18	24	42	-4	93
Rod Brind'Amour	78	12	26	38	0	28
Jeff O'Neill	67	14	20	34	-12	60
Eric Staal	81	11	20	31	-6	40
Ron Francis	68	10	20	30	-12	14
Radim Vrbata	80	12	13	25	-10	24
Kevyn Adams	73	10	12	22	6	43
Justin Williams	32	5	13	18	2	32
Craig Adams	80	7	10	17	-5	69
Marty Murray	66	5	7	12	6	8
Pavel Brendl	18	5	3	8	0	8
Jesse Boulerice	76	6	1	7	-5	127
Ryan Bayda	44	3	3	6	-14	22
Jaroslav Svoboda	33	3	1	4	3	6
Michael Zigomanis	17	0	3	3	-1	2
Damian Surma	1	0	1	1	1	0
Joey Tetarenko	2	0	0	0	0	0
Brett Lysak	2	0	0	0	0	2
Tomas Kurka	3	0	0	0	0	0

Defensemen

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Sean Hill	80	13	26	29	-2	84
Bret Hedican	81	7	17	24	-10	64
Danny Markov	44	4	10	14	-6	37
Niclas Wallin	57	3	7	10	-8	51
Aaron Ward	49	3	5	8	1	37
Glen Wesley	74	0	6	6	18	32
Bob Boughner	43	0	5	5	-9	80
Allan Rourke	25	1	2	3	4	22
Bruno St. Jacques	35	0	2	2	-7	31
Brad Fast	1	1	0	1	1	0
Tomas Malec	2	0	0	0	-1	2

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SO	GAA
Kevin Weekes	66	23	30	5	6	2.33
Jamie Storr	14	0	8	1	0	2.91
Arturs Irbe	10	5	2	0	0	2.45

Draft picks

Carolina's picks at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in Nashville, Tennessee. The Hurricanes have the 2nd overall pick.

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	2	Eric Staal	C	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
2	31	Danny Richmond	RW	United States	University of Michigan (NCAA)
4	102	Aaron Dawson	D	United States	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
4	126	Kevin Nastiuk	G	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (OHL)
4	130	Matej Trojovsky	D	Czech Republic	Regina Pats (WHL)
5	137	Tyson Strachan	D	Canada	Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
7	198	Shay Stephenson	LW	Canada	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
8	230	Jamie Hoffmann	C	United States	Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
9	262	Ryan Rorabeck	C	Canada	Toronto St. Michael's Majors (OHL)

Farm teams

American Hockey League

The Lowell Lock Monsters are the Hurricanes American Hockey League affiliate for the 2003–04 AHL season.

ECHL

The Florida Everblades are the Hurricanes ECHL affiliate.

References

1. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2004.html
2. "2003-2004 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
3. "2003–2004 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.

• "2003–04 Carolina Hurricanes Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-05-06.

External links