2001–02 AHL season
The 2001–02 AHL season was the 66th season of the American Hockey League. It was the season of the biggest growth in the AHL's history, as it accepted eight new teams. The demise of the International Hockey League brought six teams transferring from the defunct league, in addition to two expansion teams.
The AHL realigns divisions again. The Eastern conference consists of the East, North and Canadian divisions. The Western conference consists of the Central, South and West divisions. The league also announces three additional trophies. Two of which are to be awarded for the regular season champions of the new divisions. The Norman R. "Bud" Poile Trophy goes to the West division, and the Emile Francis Trophy goes to the North division. The third trophy, the Michael Condon Memorial Award is first awarded for outstanding service by an on-ice official in the AHL.
Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers finished first overall in the regular season. The Chicago Wolves won their first Calder Cup championship, in their inaugural AHL season.
Team changes
- The Louisville Panthers suspend operations, becoming dormant.
- The Kentucky Thoroughblades move to Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the second incarnation of the Cleveland Barons.
- The Bridgeport Sound Tigers join the AHL as an expansion team, based in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
- The Manchester Monarchs join the AHL as an expansion team, based in Manchester, New Hampshire.
- Teams from the International Hockey League
Six teams transferred to the American Hockey League, when the International Hockey League ceased operations.
- The Chicago Wolves based in Rosemont, Illinois.
- The Grand Rapids Griffins based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- The Houston Aeros based in Houston, Texas.
- The Manitoba Moose based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
- The Milwaukee Admirals based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- The Utah Grizzlies based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points;
Eastern Conference
| Canadian | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec Citadelles (MTL) | 80 | 35 | 27 | 15 | 3 | 88 | 257 | 254 |
| Hamilton Bulldogs (EDM) | 80 | 37 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 87 | 247 | 205 |
| St. John's Maple Leafs (TOR) | 80 | 34 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 87 | 256 | 240 |
| Manitoba Moose (VAN) | 80 | 39 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 86 | 270 | 260 |
| Saint John Flames (CGY) | 80 | 29 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 75 | 182 | 202 |
| North | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Lock Monsters (CAR) | 80 | 41 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 96 | 229 | 209 |
| Manchester Monarchs (LA) | 80 | 38 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 90 | 236 | 225 |
| Worcester IceCats (STL) | 80 | 39 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 86 | 245 | 218 |
| Portland Pirates (WSH) | 80 | 30 | 31 | 15 | 4 | 79 | 220 | 225 |
| Springfield Falcons (TB/PHX) | 80 | 35 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 74 | 213 | 237 |
| East | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI) | 80 | 43 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 98 | 240 | 192 |
| Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) | 80 | 41 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 95 | 249 | 243 |
| Providence Bruins (BOS) | 80 | 35 | 33 | 8 | 4 | 82 | 190 | 223 |
| Albany River Rats (NJ) | 80 | 14 | 42 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 172 | 271 |
Western Conference
| Central | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Crunch (CBJ) | 80 | 39 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 96 | 228 | 193 |
| Rochester Americans (BUF) | 80 | 32 | 30 | 15 | 3 | 82 | 206 | 211 |
| Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (ANA/DET) | 80 | 33 | 33 | 11 | 3 | 80 | 216 | 211 |
| Cleveland Barons (SJ) | 80 | 29 | 40 | 7 | 4 | 69 | 223 | 268 |
| West | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Griffins (OTT) | 80 | 42 | 27 | 11 | 0 | 95 | 217 | 178 |
| Houston Aeros (MIN) | 80 | 39 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 93 | 234 | 232 |
| Utah Grizzlies (DAL/FLA) | 80 | 40 | 29 | 6 | 5 | 91 | 240 | 225 |
| Chicago Wolves (ATL) | 80 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 86 | 250 | 236 |
| Milwaukee Admirals (NAS) | 80 | 30 | 35 | 10 | 5 | 75 | 198 | 207 |
| South | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk Admirals (CHI) | 80 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 92 | 222 | 205 |
| Hershey Bears (COL) | 80 | 36 | 27 | 11 | 6 | 89 | 200 | 193 |
| Philadelphia Phantoms (PHI) | 80 | 33 | 27 | 15 | 5 | 86 | 206 | 210 |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) | 80 | 20 | 44 | 13 | 3 | 56 | 201 | 274 |
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald MacLean | St. John's Maple Leafs | 75 | 33 | 54 | 87 | 49 |
| Eric Boguniecki | Worcester IceCats | 45 | 38 | 46 | 84 | 100 |
| Rob Brown | Chicago Wolves | 80 | 29 | 54 | 83 | 103 |
| Brad Smyth | Hartford Wolf Pack | 79 | 34 | 48 | 82 | 90 |
| Jason Chimera | Hamilton Bulldogs | 77 | 26 | 51 | 77 | 158 |
| Justin Papineau | Worcester IceCats | 75 | 38 | 38 | 76 | 86 |
| Eric Landry | Quebec Citadelles | 73 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 119 |
| Brian Swanson | Hamilton Bulldogs | 65 | 34 | 39 | 73 | 26 |
| Bob Wren | St. John's Maple Leafs | 69 | 24 | 49 | 73 | 83 |
Calder Cup Playoffs
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All Star Classic
The 15th AHL All-Star Game was played on February 14, 2002 at the Mile One Stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Team Canada defeated Team PlanetUSA 13-11. In the skills competition held the day before the All-Star Game, Team Canada won 21-9 over Team PlanetUSA. [1]
Trophy and award winners
Team awards
| Calder Cup Playoff champions: |
Chicago Wolves |
| Richard F. Canning Trophy Eastern Conference playoff champions: |
Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
| Robert W. Clarke Trophy Western Conference playoff champions: |
Chicago Wolves |
| Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy Regular season champions, league: |
Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
| Frank Mathers Trophy Regular season champions, South Division: |
Norfolk Admirals |
| Norman R. "Bud" Poile Trophy Regular season champions, West Division: |
Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Emile Francis Trophy Regular season champions, North Division: |
Lowell Lock Monsters |
| F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy Regular season champions, East Division: |
Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
| Sam Pollock Trophy Regular season champions, Canadian Division: |
Quebec Citadelles |
| John D. Chick Trophy Regular season champions, Central Division: |
Syracuse Crunch |
Individual Awards
| Les Cunningham Award Most valuable player: |
Eric Boguniecki - Worcester IceCats |
| John B. Sollenberger Trophy Top point scorer: |
Donald MacLean - St. John's Maple Leafs |
| Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award Rookie of the year: |
Tyler Arnason - Norfolk Admirals |
| Eddie Shore Award Defenceman of the year: |
John Slaney - Philadelphia Phantoms |
| Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award Best goaltender: |
Martin Prusek - Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award Lowest goals against average: |
Martin Prusek, Simon Lajeunesse & Mathieu Chouinard - Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award Coach of the year: |
Bruce Cassidy - Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award Sportsmanship / Perseverance: |
Nathan Dempsey - St. John's Maple Leafs |
| Yanick Dupre Memorial Award Community Service Award: |
Travis Roche - Houston Aeros |
| Jack A. Butterfield Trophy MVP of the playoffs: |
Pasi Nurminen - Chicago Wolves |
Other awards
| James C. Hendy Memorial Award Most outstanding executive: |
Glenn Stanford, St. John's Maple Leafs |
| Thomas Ebright Memorial Award Career contributions: |
Bruce Landon |
| James H. Ellery Memorial Awards Outstanding media coverage: |
Garry McKay, Hamilton, (newspaper) WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, (radio) Tom Grace, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, (television) |
| Ken McKenzie Award Outstanding marketing executive: |
Jim Sarosy, Syracuse Crunch |
| Michael Condon Memorial Award Outstanding service, on-ice official: |
Jim Doyle |