2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season
| 2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
|
Atlantic Division champions
|
|
| Division | 1st Atlantic |
| Conference | 3rd Eastern |
| 2003–04 record | 40–21–15–6 |
| Home record | 24–11–3–3 |
| Road record | 16–10–12–3 |
| Goals for | 229 |
| Goals against | 186 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Bob Clarke |
| Coach | Ken Hitchcock |
| Captain | Keith Primeau |
| Alternate captains |
John LeClair Mark Recchi |
| Arena | Wachovia Center |
| Average attendance | 19,375 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Mark Recchi (26) |
| Assists | Mark Recchi (49) |
| Points | Mark Recchi (75) |
| Penalties in minutes | Donald Brashear (212) |
| Plus/minus | John LeClair (+20) |
| Wins | Robert Esche (21) |
| Goals against average | Robert Esche (2.04) |
The 2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 37th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Free-agent goaltender Jeff Hackett was signed from the Boston Bruins to replace Roman Cechmanek and challenge backup Robert Esche for the number one spot in 2003–04, but Hackett was forced to retire in February due to vertigo. During the course of the season, serious injuries suffered by both Jeremy Roenick (broken jaw) and Keith Primeau (concussion) in February forced the Flyers to trade for the Chicago Blackhawks' Alexei Zhamnov, who filled in well and kept the Flyers afloat. Esche entrenched himself as starter and remained in that position even after the Flyers re-acquired Sean Burke from the Phoenix Coyotes, as the Flyers clinched the Atlantic Division title over the New Jersey Devils on the last day of the season.
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.
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z- Clinched Conference; Y- Clinched Division; X- Clinched Playoff spot
Though solid in net, Esche's performance was over-shadowed by the play of captain Keith Primeau in the playoffs. Primeau led the Flyers past the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils in five, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in six on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals and a match-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite winning Game 6 on the late-game heroics of Primeau and winger Simon Gagne, the Flyers would come up short once again losing Game 7 in Tampa, 2–1.
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