2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season
| 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Northeast |
| Conference | 9th Eastern |
| 2002–03 record | 30–35–8–9 |
| Home record | 16–16–5–4 |
| Road record | 14–19–3–5 |
| Goals for | 206 |
| Goals against | 234 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Andre Savard |
| Coach |
Michel Therrien (Oct–Jan) Claude Julien (Jan–Apr) |
| Captain | Saku Koivu |
| Arena | Bell Centre |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Richard Zednik (31) |
| Assists | Saku Koivu (50) |
| Points | Saku Koivu (71) |
| Penalties in minutes | Richard Zednik (79) |
| Plus/minus | Andrei Markov (+13) |
| Wins | Jose Theodore (20) |
| Goals against average | Mathieu Garon (1.99) |
The 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 94th season of play. The club struggled through the season, made a coaching change and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Before the start of the season, many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens due to the team possessing a healthy Saku Koivu as well as last season's Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and showed little improvement in December. Players such as Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette were slow to produce offence for the team, and the two forwards were both sent down for brief stints in the minors. For his part, Jose Theodore’s performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier. Despite the strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire Head Coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of the Habs’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite Julien’s arrival as head coach, the team was unable to improve its situation. The Habs saw their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ended in early March. Despite Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals, the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. The Canadiens ended with a record of 30–35–9–8, and former MVP Theodore had a disappointing season with a record of 20–31–6.
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