2002–03 Edmonton Oilers season

The 2002–03 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 24th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 38–28–12–4 record in 2001–02, earning 92 points, however, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996, finishing in 9th place in the Western Conference.

2002–03 Edmonton Oilers
Division	4th Northwest
Conference	8th Western
2002–03 record	36–26–11–9
Home record	20–12–5–4
Road record	16–14–6–5
Goals for	231
Goals against	230
Team information
General manager	Kevin Lowe
Coach	Craig MacTavish
Captain	Jason Smith
Alternate captains	Todd Marchant Janne Niinimaa (Oct.–Mar.) Ryan Smyth
Arena	Skyreach Centre
Average attendance	16,657 (98.9%)
Minor league affiliate(s)	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Columbus Cottonmouths (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Ryan Smyth (27)
Assists	Todd Marchant (40)
Points	Ryan Smyth (61)
Penalty minutes	Scott Ferguson (120)
Plus/minus	Marty Reasoner (+19)
Wins	Tommy Salo (29)
Goals against average	Jussi Markkanen (2.59)
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

The Oilers got off to a slow start, winning only 1 of their first 7 games, going 1–4–2, however, the club turned around the tough start and move above the .500 mark on November 25 and never go below again for the remainder of the season. As the trade deadline approached in mid-March, and the club comfortably in a playoff position, Edmonton made a couple of deals, trading defenceman Janne Niinimaa and a second-round draft pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Islanders in exchange for Brad Isbister and prospect Raffi Torres. The Oilers also traded Anson Carter and Aleš Píša to the New York Rangers for Radek Dvořák and Cory Cross. Edmonton finished the season with a 36–26–11–9 record, earning 92 points, the same amount as the previous season, and clinch the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Offensively, Ryan Smyth led the club with 27 goals and 61 points, while Todd Marchant had a breakout season, earning 40 assists and 60 points. Anson Carter had 25 goals and 55 points in 68 games before being dealt to the New York Rangers. Mike York and Mike Comrie each broke the 20 goal plateau, with 22 and 20 goals respectively. Eric Brewer led the Oilers defense with eight goals and 29 points, while Scott Ferguson had a team high 120 penalty minutes.

In goal, Tommy Salo once again got a majority of the playing time, winning 29 games, while posting a 2.71 goals against average (GAA) and earning four shutouts. Backup Jussi Markkanen had a very solid season, winning seven games, had a team-high 2.59 GAA and posted three shutouts.

The Oilers finished first overall in the NHL in short-handed goals scored, with 13.^[1]

After a year of absence, Edmonton returned to the post-season and would face their old rivals, the Dallas Stars, who finished with 111 points in the regular season. This was the sixth playoff meeting between the clubs in the past seven years, with Dallas winning four series in a row. Edmonton started the series on the right note, defeating the Stars 2–1 on the road. Dallas, however, routed the Oilers in Game 2 to even the series as it shifted to Edmonton The Oilers took a 2–1 series lead with a solid 3–2 victory in Game 3, but Dallas rebound in Game 4 to tie the series up at two games apiece. The Stars took control of the series, winning Game 5, 5–2, and end the series in Game 6, beating Edmonton 3–2, thereby eliminating the Oilers for the fifth time in the past six seasons.

Season standings

Northwest Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	3	Colorado Avalanche	82	42	19	13	8	251	194	105
2	4	Vancouver Canucks	82	45	23	13	1	264	208	104
3	6	Minnesota Wild	82	42	29	10	1	198	178	95
4	8	Edmonton Oilers	82	36	26	11	9	231	230	92
5	12	Calgary Flames	82	29	36	13	4	186	228	75

^[2]

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.

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	Z- Dallas Stars	PA	82	46	17	15	4	245	169	111
2	Y- Detroit Red Wings	CE	82	48	20	10	4	269	203	110
3	Y- Colorado Avalanche	NW	82	42	19	13	8	251	194	105
4	X- Vancouver Canucks	NW	82	45	23	13	1	264	208	104
5	X- St. Louis Blues	CE	82	41	24	11	6	253	222	99
6	X- Minnesota Wild	NW	82	42	29	10	1	198	178	95
7	X- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PA	82	40	27	9	6	203	193	95
8	X- Edmonton Oilers	NW	82	36	26	11	9	231	230	92
8.5
9	Chicago Blackhawks	CE	82	30	33	13	6	207	226	79
10	Los Angeles Kings	PA	82	33	37	6	6	203	221	78
11	Phoenix Coyotes	PA	82	31	35	11	5	204	230	78
12	Calgary Flames	NW	82	29	36	13	4	186	228	75
13	Nashville Predators	CE	82	27	35	13	7	183	206	74
14	San Jose Sharks	PA	82	28	37	9	8	214	239	73
15	Columbus Blue Jackets	CE	82	29	42	8	3	213	263	69

Divisions: PA – Pacific, CE – Central, NW – Northwest

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results

Regular season

2002–03 regular season[3]
October: 2–4–2–1 (home: 1–2–1–1 ; road: 1–2–1–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 10 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 0–0–1–0 1 Recap 2 October 12 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Nashville Predators Salo 17,113 1–0–1–0 3 Recap 3 October 15 Edmonton Oilers 0–3 Dallas Stars Salo 18,532 1–1–1–0 3 Recap 4 October 17 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 San Jose Sharks Salo 17,017 1–2–1–0 3 Recap 5 October 19 Boston Bruins 4–3 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 1–3–1–0 3 Recap 6 October 22 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 Colorado Avalanche OT Salo 18,007 1–3–2–0 4 Recap 7 October 24 St. Louis Blues 2–1 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,033 1–4–2–0 4 Recap 8 October 26 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,357 2–4–2–0 6 Recap 9 October 28 Dallas Stars 4–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,260 2–4–2–1 7 Recap
November: 9–4–2–0 (home: 3–1–2–0 ; road: 6–3–0–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 10 November 1 Buffalo Sabres 1–1 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,201 2–4–3–1 8 Recap 11 November 3 Edmonton Oilers 4–1 Chicago Blackhawks Salo 12,531 3–4–3–1 10 Recap 12 November 5 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 New York Rangers Salo 18,086 3–5–3–1 10 Recap 13 November 8 Edmonton Oilers 2–4 New York Islanders Salo 14,093 3–6–3–1 10 Recap 14 November 9 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 New Jersey Devils Markkanen 15,095 4–6–3–1 12 Recap 15 November 11 Edmonton Oilers 1–6 Boston Bruins Markkanen 11,123 4–7–3–1 12 Recap 16 November 12 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Minnesota Wild Salo 18,064 5–7–3–1 14 Recap 17 November 15 St. Louis Blues 0–5 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,301 6–7–3–1 16 Recap 18 November 16 Los Angeles Kings 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,461 6–8–3–1 16 Recap 19 November 19 Chicago Blackhawks 1–3 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,033 7–8–3–1 18 Recap 20 November 21 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Calgary Flames Salo 17,660 8–8–3–1 20 Recap 21 November 23 Detroit Red Wings 1–1 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 8–8–4–1 21 Recap 22 November 25 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Detroit Red Wings OT Markkanen 20,058 9–8–4–1 23 Recap 23 November 27 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Columbus Blue Jackets Salo 17,745 10–8–4–1 25 Recap 24 November 30 Colorado Avalanche 0–1 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 11–8–4–1 27 Recap
December: 6–5–0–3 (home: 4–2–0–0 ; road: 2–3–0–3) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 3 Minnesota Wild 1–2 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 15,527 12–8–4–1 29 Recap 26 December 5 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 Tampa Bay Lightning Salo 13,454 12–9–4–1 29 Recap 27 December 7 Edmonton Oilers 4–0 Florida Panthers Markkanen 14,144 13–9–4–1 31 Recap 28 December 8 Edmonton Oilers 3–0 Atlanta Thrashers Salo 12,179 14–9–4–1 33 Recap 29 December 11 Carolina Hurricanes 1–4 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,091 15–9–4–1 35 Recap 30 December 13 Colorado Avalanche 3–4 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 16–9–4–1 37 Recap 31 December 14 Vancouver Canucks 6–3 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 16–10–4–1 37 Recap 32 December 17 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Minnesota Wild OT Markkanen 18,568 16–10–4–2 38 Recap 33 December 19 Edmonton Oilers 1–2 Colorado Avalanche Salo 18,007 16–11–4–2 38 Recap 34 December 21 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Vancouver Canucks OT Salo 18,422 16–11–4–3 39 Recap 35 December 26 Vancouver Canucks 4–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 16–12–4–3 39 Recap 36 December 28 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 17–12–4–3 41 Recap 37 December 30 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Phoenix Coyotes OT Salo 15,589 17–12–4–4 42 Recap 38 December 31 Edmonton Oilers 1–4 Dallas Stars Markkanen 18,532 17–13–4–4 42 Recap
January: 7–3–2–2 (home: 5–2–0–2 ; road: 2–1–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 Minnesota Wild 2–1 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 17–13–4–5 43 Recap 40 January 4 Montreal Canadiens 4–5 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 18–13–4–5 45 Recap 41 January 6 Edmonton Oilers 5–5 San Jose Sharks OT Salo 16,648 18–13–5–5 46 Recap 42 January 8 Edmonton Oilers 1–0 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Markkanen 12,390 19–13–5–5 48 Recap 43 January 9 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Los Angeles Kings Salo 15,783 20–13–5–5 50 Recap 44 January 11 Ottawa Senators 2–0 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 20–14–5–5 50 Recap 45 January 13 Columbus Blue Jackets 5–8 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,057 21–14–5–5 52 Recap 46 January 16 Los Angeles Kings 0–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 22–14–5–5 54 Recap 47 January 18 Nashville Predators 3–2 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 22–14–5–6 55 Recap 48 January 20 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Calgary Flames Salo 17,832 22–15–5–6 55 Recap 49 January 22 Detroit Red Wings 3–4 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 23–15–5–6 57 Recap 50 January 24 Phoenix Coyotes 5–1 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 23–16–5–6 57 Recap 51 January 29 Minnesota Wild 1–5 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,469 24–16–5–6 59 Recap 52 January 30 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 Vancouver Canucks OT Salo 18,422 24–16–6–6 60 Recap
February: 2–7–1–2 (home: 1–2–1–1; road: 1–5–0–1) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 53 February 5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 1–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 25–16–6–6 62 Recap 54 February 7 Calgary Flames 4–3 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 25–17–6–6 62 Recap 55 February 8 Chicago Blackhawks 3–0 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 25–18–6–6 62 Recap 56 February 11 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Salo 19,399 26–18–6–6 64 Recap 57 February 13 Edmonton Oilers 0–2 Ottawa Senators Salo 18,115 26–19–6–6 64 Recap 58 February 15 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 Montreal Canadiens Salo 21,273 26–20–6–6 64 Recap 59 February 18 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins OT Salo 13,552 26–20–6–7 65 Recap 60 February 20 Edmonton Oilers 2–6 Detroit Red Wings Salo 20,058 26–21–6–7 65 Recap 61 February 22 Vancouver Canucks 3–2 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 26–21–6–8 66 Recap 62 February 23 Atlanta Thrashers 3–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 26–21–7–8 67 Recap 63 February 25 Edmonton Oilers 2–4 Colorado Avalanche Salo 18,007 26–22–7–8 67 Recap 64 February 27 Edmonton Oilers 1–4 St. Louis Blues Markkanen 19,255 26–23–7–8 67 Recap
March: 10–2–3–1 (home: 6–2–0–0; road: 4–0–3–1) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 65 March 1 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 Columbus Blue Jackets OT Markkanen 18,136 26–23–8–8 68 Recap 66 March 4 San Jose Sharks 1–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 27–23–8–8 70 Recap 67 March 6 Edmonton Oilers 2–1 Los Angeles Kings Salo 18,118 28–23–8–8 72 Recap 68 March 7 Edmonton Oilers 4–1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Salo 15,818 29–23–8–8 74 Recap 69 March 10 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 29–24–8–8 74 Recap 70 March 11 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Calgary Flames Salo 17,714 30–24–8–8 76 Recap 71 March 13 New York Islanders 5–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 30–25–8–8 76 Recap 72 March 15 Dallas Stars 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 31–25–8–8 78 Recap 73 March 17 Edmonton Oilers 5–3 Nashville Predators Salo 15,334 32–25–8–8 80 Recap 74 March 20 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 Phoenix Coyotes OT Salo 13,221 32–25–8–9 81 Recap 75 March 22 Washington Capitals 3–5 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 33–25–8–9 83 Recap 76 March 23 Nashville Predators 2–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Salo 16,839 34–25–8–9 85 Recap 77 March 26 Phoenix Coyotes 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 35–25–8–9 87 Recap 78 March 28 Columbus Blue Jackets 0–4 Edmonton Oilers Markkanen 16,839 36–25–8–9 89 Recap 79 March 30 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Chicago Blackhawks OT Salo 14,592 36–25–9–9 90 Recap 80 March 31 Edmonton Oilers 5–5 St. Louis Blues OT Markkanen 18,503 36–25–10–9 91 Recap
April: 0–1–1–0 (home: 0–1–1–0 ; road: 0–0–0–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 81 April 3 San Jose Sharks 3–3 Edmonton Oilers OT Markkanen 16,839 36–25–11–9 92 Recap 82 April 5 Calgary Flames 4–1 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 36–26–11–9 92 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Playoffs

2003 Stanley Cup playoffs[3]
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (1) Dallas Stars – Stars win 4–2 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 9 Edmonton Oilers 2–1 Dallas Stars Salo 18,532 1–0 Recap 2 April 11 Edmonton Oilers 1–6 Dallas Stars Salo 18,532 1–1 Recap 3 April 13 Dallas Stars 2–3 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 2–1 Recap 4 April 15 Dallas Stars 3–1 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 2–2 Recap 5 April 17 Edmonton Oilers 2–5 Dallas Stars Salo 18,532 2–3 Recap 6 April 19 Dallas Stars 3–2 Edmonton Oilers Salo 16,839 2–4 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
94	Ryan Smyth	LW	66	27	34	61	5	67	6	2	0	2	−1	16
26	Todd Marchant	LW	77	20	40	60	13	48	6	0	2	2	−1	2
22	Anson Carter‡	C	68	25	30	55	−11	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
16	Mike York	C	71	22	29	51	−8	10	6	0	2	2	2	2
89	Mike Comrie	C	69	20	31	51	−18	90	6	1	0	1	−1	10
10	Shawn Horcoff	C	78	12	21	33	10	55	6	3	1	4	1	6
18	Ethan Moreau	LW	78	14	17	31	−7	112	6	0	1	1	−4	16
19	Marty Reasoner	C	70	11	20	31	19	28	6	1	0	1	−2	2
83	Ales Hemsky	RW	59	6	24	30	5	14	6	0	0	0	−5	0
2	Eric Brewer	D	80	8	21	29	−11	45	6	1	3	4	1	6
44	Janne Niinimaa‡	D	63	4	24	28	−7	66	—	—	—	—	—	—
24	Steve Staios	RW	76	5	21	26	13	96	6	0	0	0	0	4
28	Jason Chimera	LW	66	14	9	23	−2	36	2	0	2	2	2	0
7	Daniel Cleary	RW	57	4	13	17	5	31	—	—	—	—	—	—
34	Fernando Pisani	RW	35	8	5	13	9	10	6	1	0	1	−2	2
27	Georges Laraque	LW	64	6	7	13	−4	110	6	1	3	4	2	4
21	Jason Smith	D	68	4	8	12	5	64	6	0	0	0	−2	19
37	Brian Swanson	C	44	2	10	12	−7	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
20	Radek Dvorak†	RW	12	4	4	8	−3	14	4	1	0	1	0	0
32	Scott Ferguson	D	78	3	5	8	11	120	5	0	0	0	0	8
5	Alexei Semenov	D	46	1	6	7	−7	58	6	0	0	0	−1	0
33	Jiri Dopita‡	C	21	1	5	6	−4	11	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Brad Isbister†	LW	13	3	2	5	0	9	6	0	1	1	−1	12
23	Cory Cross†	D	11	2	3	5	3	8	6	0	1	1	−3	20
14	Jani Rita	LW	12	3	1	4	2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Ales Pisa‡	D	48	1	3	4	11	24	—	—	—	—	—	—
47[lower-alpha 1]	Marc-Andre Bergeron	D	5	1	1	2	2	9	1	0	1	1	−1	0
12	Josh Green‡	C	20	0	2	2	−3	12	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Jarret Stoll	C	4	0	1	1	−3	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Jussi Markkanen	G	22	0	1	1		2	1	0	0	0		0
12	Bobby Allen	D	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
55	Alex Henry‡	D	3	0	0	0	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Kari Haakana	D	13	0	0	0	−2	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Tommy Salo	G	65	0	0	0		4	6	0	1	1		0

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
35	Tommy Salo	65	29	27	8	1708	172	2.71	.899	4	3814	6	2	4	161	18	3.15	.888	0	343
30	Jussi Markkanen	22	7	8	3	533	51	2.59	.904	3	1180	1	0	0	12	1	4.30	.917	0	14

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Eric Brewer	[4]
	NHL Player of the Week	Tommy Salo (March 10)	[5]
	NHL Rookie of the Month	Ales Hemsky (March)	[6]
	NHL YoungStars Game selection	Ales Hemsky[lower-alpha 2]	[7]
		Shawn Horcoff
Team	Community Service Award	Georges Laraque	[8]
	Defenceman of the Year	Steve Staios	[8]
	Molson Cup	Tommy Salo	[8]
	Most Popular Player	Ryan Smyth	[8]
	Top Defensive Forward	Todd Marchant	[8]
	Top First Year Oiler	Ales Hemsky	[8]
	Unsung Hero	Ethan Moreau	[8]
	Zane Feldman Trophy	Todd Marchant	[8]
		Tommy Salo

Milestones

Regular season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL game	October 10, 2002
Alex Henry
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	October 12, 2002
Kari Haakana	1st NHL game	October 17, 2002
Steve Staios	600th NHL PIM	October 26, 2002
Jason Smith	100th NHL point	October 28, 2002
Ales Pisa	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	November 3, 2002
Georges Laraque	300th NHL game	November 5, 2002
Ethan Moreau	2nd NHL Gordie Howe hat trick	November 9, 2002
Janne Niinimaa	500th NHL PIM
Mike Comrie	100th NHL point	November 15, 2002
Ryan Smyth	400th NHL PIM	November 16, 2002
Janne Niinimaa	500th NHL game	November 23, 2002
Steve Staios	400th NHL game
Scott Ferguson	100th NHL PIM	November 27, 2002
Jason Smith	600th NHL game	December 5, 2002
Anson Carter	400th NHL game	December 7, 2002
Scott Ferguson	100th NHL game
Jason Chimera	1st NHL assist	December 8, 2002
Mike Comrie	100th NHL PIM
Alexei Semenov	1st NHL game	December 30, 2002
Bobby Allen	1st NHL game	December 31, 2002
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL goal	January 4, 2003
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL game	January 8, 2003
Georges Laraque	600th NHL PIM	January 13, 2003
Mike York	100th NHL assist
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	January 20, 2003
Alexei Semenov
Jani Rita	1st NHL goal 1st NHL point	January 22, 2003
Jarret Stoll	1st NHL game 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	January 29, 2003
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL goal	February 5, 2003
Alexei Semenov	1st NHL goal	February 7, 2003
Eric Brewer	300th NHL game	February 8, 2003
Ethan Moreau	600th NHL PIM 500th NHL game	February 13, 2003
Anson Carter	300th NHL point	February 18, 2003
Jani Rita	1st NHL assist
Mike York	300th NHL game	February 20, 2003
Ales Pisa	1st NHL goal	February 22, 2003
Marty Reasoner	100th NHL PIM
Todd Marchant	200th NHL assist	February 23, 2003
Marty Reasoner	200th NHL game	February 27, 2003
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL game	March 11, 2003
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL hat-trick	March 22, 2003
Cory Cross	100th NHL point	March 26, 2003
Scott Ferguson	1st NHL Gordie Howe hat trick
Radek Dvorak	600th NHL game	March 28, 2003
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL goal 1st NHL point	March 31, 2003
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL assist	April 5, 2003
Scott Ferguson	100th NHL game
Jussi Markkanen	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	TBD

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
Ales Hemsky	1st NHL game	April 9, 2003
Fernando Pisani
Alexei Semenov
Mike York
Shawn Horcoff	1st NHL goal 1st NHL point
Cory Cross	50th NHL PIM	April 11, 2003
Ryan Smyth
Jussi Markkanen	1st NHL game
Fernando Pisani	1st NHL goal 1st NHL point	April 13, 2003
Tommy Salo	1st NHL assist 1st NHL point
Mike York
Jason Chimera	1st NHL game 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	April 17, 2003
Shawn Horcoff	1st NHL assist
Marc-Andre Bergeron	1st NHL game 1st NHL assist 1st NHL point	April 19, 2003

Transactions

The Oilers were involved in the following transactions from June 14, 2002, the day after the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2003, the day of the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals.^[9]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 18, 2002 (2002-06-18)	To Philadelphia Flyers 3rd-round pick in 2003 Conditional 5th-round pick in 2004[lower-alpha 3]	To Edmonton Oilers Jiri Dopita	[11]
June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)	To Montreal Canadiens 1st-round pick in 2002	To Edmonton Oilers 1st-round pick in 2002 8th-round pick in 2002	[12]
	To Buffalo Sabres Jochen Hecht	To Edmonton Oilers Atlanta’s 2nd-round pick in 2002 Nashville’s 2nd-round pick in 2002	[13]
June 30, 2002 (2002-06-30)	To New York Rangers 4th-round pick in 2003	To Edmonton Oilers Rights to Mike Richter	[14]
October 7, 2002 (2002-10-07)	To Washington Capitals Mike Grier	To Edmonton Oilers 2nd-round pick in 2003 Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in 2003	[15]
December 12, 2002 (2002-12-12)	To New York Rangers Josh Green	To Edmonton Oilers Conditional draft pick in 2004	[16]
January 17, 2003 (2003-01-17)[lower-alpha 4]	To Montreal Canadiens Claude Julien	To Edmonton Oilers Conditional 5th-round pick in 2003[lower-alpha 5]	[17]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)	To New York Islanders Janne Niinimaa 2nd-round pick in 2003	To Edmonton Oilers Brad Isbister Raffi Torres	[18]
	To New York Rangers Anson Carter Ales Pisa	To Edmonton Oilers Cory Cross Radek Dvorak	[19]

Players acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Term	Via	Ref
August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19)	J. J. Hunter	Columbus Cottonmouths (ECHL)	2-year	Free agency	[20]

Players lost

Date	Player	New team	Via[lower-alpha 6]	Ref
July 4, 2002 (2002-07-04)	Mike Richter	New York Rangers	Free agency (III)	[22]
July 9, 2002 (2002-07-09)	Sven Butenschon	Florida Panthers	Free agency (VI)	[23]
July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23)	Alexander Fomichev	Amur Khabarovsk (RSL)	Free agency (UFA)	[24]
	Chris Hajt	Washington Capitals	Free agency (UFA)	[25]
July 24, 2002 (2002-07-24)	Greg Leeb	Augsburger Panther (DEL)	Free agency (VI)	[26]
	Domenic Pittis	Nashville Predators	Free agency (UFA)	[27]
August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05)	Marc Lamothe	Detroit Red Wings	Free agency (UFA)
August 22, 2002 (2002-08-22)	Kevin McDonald	Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)	Free agency (UFA)	[28]
September 6, 2002 (2002-09-06)	Alain Nasreddine	New York Islanders	Free agency (VI)	[29]
October 11, 2002 (2002-10-11)	Peter Sarno	Espoo Blues (Liiga)	Free agency (II)[lower-alpha 7]	[31]
October 24, 2002 (2002-10-24)	Alex Henry	Washington Capitals	Waivers	[32]
December 28, 2002 (2002-12-28)	Jiri Dopita	HC Olomouc (CZE-1)[lower-alpha 8]	Release	[34]

Signings

Date	Player	Term	Contract type	Ref
July 15, 2002 (2002-07-15)	Kristian Antila	2-year	Entry-level	[35]
	Kari Haakana	1-year	Re-signing	[35]
	Todd Marchant	1-year	Re-signing	[36]
	Ales Pisa	1-year	Re-signing	[35]
July 27, 2002 (2002-07-27)	Scott Ferguson	2-year	Re-signing	[37]
July 30, 2002 (2002-07-30)	Mike Grier	1-year	Re-signing	[38]
	Alex Henry	1-year	Re-signing	[38]
August 2, 2002 (2002-08-02)	Jason Chimera	2-year	Re-signing	[39]
	Josh Green	1-year	Re-signing	[39]
August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05)	Anson Carter	1-year	Re-signing	[40]
August 12, 2002 (2002-08-12)	Jason Smith	1-year	Arbitration award	[41]
August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19)	Mike Morrison	2-year	Entry-level	[20]
September 3, 2002 (2002-09-03)	Jarret Stoll	3-year	Entry-level	[42]
September 4, 2002 (2002-09-04)	Fernando Pisani	1-year	Re-signing	[43]
September 9, 2002 (2002-09-09)	Mike York	3-year	Re-signing	[44]
September 12, 2002 (2002-09-12)	Eric Brewer	2-year	Re-signing	[45]
September 25, 2002 (2002-09-25)	Ales Hemsky	3-year	Entry-level	[46]
May 28, 2003 (2003-05-28)	Dan Baum	3-year	Entry-level	[47]
	Doug Lynch	3-year	Entry-level	[47]

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 2002 NHL entry draft at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.^[48] The Oilers selection of Robin Kovar at 123rd overall in the fourth round was ruled invalid since Kovar wasn’t eligible for the draft.^[49]

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	15	Jesse Niinimaki	Finland	Ilves (SM-liiga)
2	31	Jeff Deslauriers	Canada	Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)
2	36	Jarret Stoll	Canada	Kootenay Ice (WHL)
2	44	Matt Greene	United States	Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
3	79	Brock Radunske	Canada	Michigan State University (NCAA)
4	106	Ivan Koltsov	Russia	Severstal Cherepovets (RSL)
4	111	Jonas Almtorp	Sweden	Modo Hockey (Elitserien)
4	123	Robin Kovar	Czech Republic	HC Vsetin (Czech Extraliga)
5	148	Glenn Fisher	Canada	Fort Saskatchewan Traders (AJHL)
6	181	Mikko Luoma	Finland	Tappara (SM-liiga)
7	205	Jean-Francois Dufort	Canada	Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
7	211	Patrick Murphy	Canada	Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL)
8	244	Dwight Helminen	United States	University of Michigan (NCAA)
8	245	Tomas Micka	Czech Republic	Slavia Praha (Czech Extraliga)
9	274	Fredrik Johansson	Sweden	Frolunda HC (Elitserien)

Notes

1. Bergeron wore number 20 in his first game.
2. Hemsky did not play and was replaced by Horcoff.
3. Condition not met. The Flyers would have received the Oilers' 2004 fifth-round pick if Dopita re-signed with Edmonton for the 2003–04 season.^[10]
4. Compensation due to Montreal hiring Julien as their head coach.
5. The pick would have improved to a 4th-rounder if Montreal had made the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs.
6. In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.^[21]
7. Edmonton retained Sarno’s NHL rights and re-signed him on September 2, 2003.^[30]
8. Dopita signed with HC Olomouc on February 3, 2003.^[33]

References

• "Edmonton Oilers 2002-03 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
• "2002-03 Edmonton Oilers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007

1. "2002-03 NHL Summary".
2. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
3. "2002-03 Edmonton Oilers Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
4. "2003 NHL All-Star Game Rosters". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
5. "Oilers' Salo earns NHL weekly honor". TSN.ca. March 10, 2003. Archived from the original on April 26, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
6. "Hemsky named Rookie of the Month". TSN.ca. April 1, 2003. Archived from the original on April 2, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
7. "NHL - 2003 YoungStars Rosters". ESPN.com. January 18, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
8. 2014–15 Edmonton Oilers Media Guide, p.173
9. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". www.prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
10. Panaccio, Tim (June 19, 2002). "Flyers send Dopita to Edmonton for third-round pick". Philly.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2022. a conditional pick in 2004, based on whether Dopita re-signs with Edmonton.
11. "Oilers acquire Dopita from Flyers". Edmonton Oilers. June 18, 2002. Archived from the original on August 15, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
12. "Draft Day Transactions". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on August 8, 2002. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
13. "Oilers send Hecht to Buffalo". TSN.ca. June 22, 2002. Archived from the original on August 15, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
14. "Rangers Trade Richter's Rights to Edmonton". New York Rangers. June 30, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
15. "OILERS SEND GRIER TO WASHINGTON". Edmonton Oilers. October 7, 2002. Archived from the original on December 27, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
16. "GREEN DEALT TO NY RANGERS". Edmonton Oilers. December 12, 2002. Archived from the original on December 27, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
17. "GEOFF WARD NAMED INTERIM HAMILTON BENCH BOSS". Edmonton Oilers. January 17, 2003. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
18. "ISLANDERS ACQUIRE JANNE NIINIMAA AND 2ND ROUND PICK FOR ISBISTER, TORRES". New York Islanders. March 11, 2003. Archived from the original on April 13, 2003. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
19. "OILERS OBTAIN RADEK DVORAK AND CORY CROSS FROM NEW YORK RANGERS". Edmonton Oilers. March 11, 2003. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
20. "OILERS INK TWO PROSPECTS". Hamilton Bulldogs. August 19, 2002. Archived from the original on December 30, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
21. "NHL FREE-AGENT LIST". Daily Herald. July 2, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
22. Brooks, Larry (July 5, 2002). "RICHTER SIGNS WITH RANGERS". New York Post. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
23. "SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR TUESDAY, JULY 9+". UPI. July 9, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022. Florida Panthers… signed free agent defenseman Sven Butenschon, who had been with the Edmonton Oilers.
24. "ALEXANDRE FOMITCHEV". NHL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2022. Signed as a free agent by Khabarovsk (Russia), July 23, 2002.
25. "Capitals re-sign Ciernik, Whitfield". UPI. July 23, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
26. "GREG LEEB". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on January 5, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022. 24-Jul-02: Signed with the Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (Germany).
27. "Predators sign two free agents". UPI. July 24, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
28. "Wolf Pack Add Grit, Toughness". OurSports Central. August 22, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
29. Alain Nasreddine at Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved November 26, 2022
30. "Oilers sign Sarno, Wright". TSN.ca. September 2, 2003. Archived from the original on December 23, 2003. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
31. "Peter Sarno Bluesiin". Jatkoaika.com - Kaikki jääkiekosta (in Finnish). October 11, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
32. "ALEX HENRY CLAIMED BY WASHINGTON". Edmonton Oilers. October 24, 2002. Archived from the original on November 19, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
33. "JIRI DOPITA". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on May 10, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022. 03-Feb-03: Signed with the HC Olomouc (Czech).
34. "DOPITA TO LEAVE OILERS". Edmonton Oilers. December 28, 2002. Archived from the original on February 13, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
35. "Oilers sign three prospects". TSN.ca. July 15, 2002. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
36. "Oilers sign Marchant for a year". TSN.ca. July 15, 2002. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
37. "SCOTT FERGUSON". TSN.ca. Archived from the original on November 28, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022. 27-Jul-02: Re-signed by the Edmonton Oilers to a two-year contract.
38. "ACTIVITY". The Globe and Mail. July 31, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022. Edmonton Oilers re-signed forward Mike Grier and defenceman Alex Henry to one-year contracts.
39. "ALBERTANS INK DEALS WITH OILERS". Edmonton Oilers. August 2, 2002. Archived from the original on August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
40. "CARTER SIGNS ONE-YEAR DEAL". Edmonton Oilers. August 5, 2002. Archived from the original on August 11, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
41. "Oilers' Smith awarded $2.3 million". TSN.ca. August 12, 2002. Archived from the original on August 25, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
42. "STOLL ON BOARD". Edmonton Oilers. September 3, 2002. Archived from the original on November 19, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
43. "PISANI SIGNS WITH OILERS". Hamilton Bulldogs. September 4, 2002. Archived from the original on December 28, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
44. "MIKE YORK SIGNS THREE YEAR CONTRACT". Edmonton Oilers. September 9, 2002. Archived from the original on November 19, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
45. "BREW JOINS THE CREW". Edmonton Oilers. September 12, 2002. Archived from the original on December 27, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
46. "OILERS SIGN ALES HEMSKY". Edmonton Oilers. September 25, 2002. Archived from the original on November 19, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
47. "OILERS SIGN TWO PROSPECTS". Edmonton Oilers. May 28, 2003. Archived from the original on June 23, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
48. "2002 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
49. "Glitch costs Oilers draft pick". TSN.ca. June 23, 2002. Archived from the original on August 15, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2022.