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2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season

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2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers
Division3rd Southeast
Conference11th Eastern
2002–03 record31–39–7–5
Home record15–19–4–3
Road record16–20–3–2
Goals for226
Goals against284
Team information
General managerDon Waddell
CoachCurt Fraser (Oct-Dec)
Don Waddell (Dec-Jan)
Bob Hartley (Jan-Apr)
CaptainRotating (Oct-Jan)
Shawn McEachern (Jan-Apr)
Alternate captainsDany Heatley (Jan-Apr)
Tony Hrkac (Jan-Apr)
Vyacheslav Kozlov (Jan-Apr)
Jeff Odgers (Jan-Apr)
ArenaPhilips Arena
Average attendance13,476
Minor league affiliate(s)Chicago Wolves
Greenville Grrrowl
Team leaders
GoalsDany Heatley (41)
AssistsVyacheslav Kozlov (49)
PointsDany Heatley (89)
Penalty minutesJeff Odgers (171)
Plus/minusLubos Bartecko (+3)
WinsPasi Nurminen (21)
Goals against averagePasi Nurminen (2.88)

The 2002–03 Atlanta Thrashers season was the Thrashers' fourth season. The Thrashers placed third in the Southeast, and eleventh in the East to miss the playoffs.

Offseason

The Thrashers initially rotated the team captaincy among four players — Vyacheslav Kozlov, Uwe Krupp, Shawn McEachern, and Jeff Odgers.[1]

Regular season

After a poor start to the season saw the Thrashers with the worst record in the league, head coach Curt Fraser was fired on December 26.[2] Recently fired Colorado Avalanche head coach Bob Hartley was named his replacement on January 15.[3] The rotating captaincy was discontinued two days later when McEachern was named permanent captain.[4]

The Thrashers struggled defensively, allowing the most goals (284) and the most short-handed goals (14) of any team in the league.[5]

Final standings

Southeast Division
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 3 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 36 25 16 5 219 210 93
2 6 Washington Capitals 82 39 29 8 6 224 220 92
3 11 Atlanta Thrashers 82 31 39 7 5 226 284 74
4 13 Florida Panthers 82 24 36 13 9 176 237 70
5 15 Carolina Hurricanes 82 22 43 11 6 171 240 61

[6]

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[7]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 P- Ottawa Senators NE 82 52 21 8 1 263 182 113
2 Y- New Jersey Devils AT 82 46 20 10 6 216 166 108
3 Y- Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 36 25 16 5 219 210 93
4 X- Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 45 20 13 4 211 166 107
5 X- Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 44 28 7 3 236 208 98
6 X- Washington Capitals SE 82 39 29 8 6 224 220 92
7 X- Boston Bruins NE 82 36 31 11 4 245 237 87
8 X- New York Islanders AT 82 35 34 11 2 224 231 83
8.5
9 New York Rangers AT 82 32 36 10 4 210 231 78
10 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 30 35 8 9 206 234 77
11 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 31 39 7 5 226 284 74
12 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 27 37 10 8 190 219 72
13 Florida Panthers SE 82 24 36 13 9 176 237 70
14 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 27 44 6 5 189 255 65
15 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 22 43 11 6 171 240 61

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot


Schedule and results

2002–03 regular season[8]
October: 0–8–1–1 (home: 0–3–0–1; road: 0–5–1–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 11, 2002 3–5 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 0–1–0–0 Recap
2 OTL October 12, 2002 4–5 OT Florida Panthers (2002–03) 0–1–0–1 Recap
3 L October 16, 2002 2–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 0–2–0–1 Recap
4 L October 18, 2002 5–8 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 0–3–0–1 Recap
5 L October 19, 2002 4–5 New York Islanders (2002–03) 0–4–0–1 Recap
6 L October 21, 2002 2–3 @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 0–5–0–1 Recap
7 L October 23, 2002 1–2 New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 0–6–0–1 Recap
8 L October 26, 2002 3–4 @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 0–7–0–1 Recap
9 L October 29, 2002 0–4 Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) 0–8–0–1 Recap
10 T October 31, 2002 3–3 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 0–8–1–1 Recap
November: 6–6–0–0 (home: 4–3–0–0; road: 2–3–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
11 W November 2, 2002 3–1 @ Florida Panthers (2002–03) 1–8–1–1 Recap
12 L November 7, 2002 0–5 @ Chicago Blackhawks (2002–03) 1–9–1–1 Recap
13 W November 9, 2002 6–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 2–9–1–1 Recap
14 W November 11, 2002 2–1 Calgary Flames (2002–03) 3–9–1–1 Recap
15 W November 13, 2002 3–2 OT San Jose Sharks (2002–03) 4–9–1–1 Recap
16 L November 15, 2002 1–5 Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) 4–10–1–1 Recap
17 L November 17, 2002 1–5 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) 4–11–1–1 Recap
18 W November 19, 2002 4–3 OT Florida Panthers (2002–03) 5–11–1–1 Recap
19 L November 22, 2002 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 5–12–1–1 Recap
20 L November 23, 2002 3–6 @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 5–13–1–1 Recap
21 L November 26, 2002 2–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 5–14–1–1 Recap
22 W November 28, 2002 7–4 New York Rangers (2002–03) 6–14–1–1 Recap
December: 4–7–0–3 (home: 2–3–0–1; road: 2–4–0–2)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
23 W December 1, 2002 5–4 Washington Capitals (2002–03) 7–14–1–1 Recap
24 OTL December 5, 2002 3–4 OT @ Boston Bruins (2002–03) 7–14–1–2 Recap
25 OTL December 6, 2002 6–7 OT @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 7–14–1–3 Recap
26 L December 8, 2002 0–3 Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) 7–15–1–3 Recap
27 L December 11, 2002 2–4 @ Phoenix Coyotes (2002–03) 7–16–1–3 Recap
28 L December 13, 2002 1–3 @ Dallas Stars (2002–03) 7–17–1–3 Recap
29 L December 14, 2002 0–4 @ St. Louis Blues (2002–03) 7–18–1–3 Recap
30 W December 16, 2002 1–0 Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 8–18–1–3 Recap
31 L December 18, 2002 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 8–19–1–3 Recap
32 OTL December 20, 2002 2–3 OT Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 8–19–1–4 Recap
33 L December 23, 2002 1–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 8–20–1–4 Recap
34 W December 27, 2002 5–3 @ Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 9–20–1–4 Recap
35 L December 28, 2002 0–1 Boston Bruins (2002–03) 9–21–1–4 Recap
36 W December 30, 2002 3–2 OT @ Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 10–21–1–4 Recap
January: 7–6–2–0 (home: 4–4–2–0; road: 3–2–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
37 L January 2, 2003 1–8 @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 10–22–1–4 Recap
38 L January 3, 2003 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (2002–03) 10–23–1–4 Recap
39 L January 5, 2003 4–5 Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 10–24–1–4 Recap
40 T January 7, 2003 3–3 OT Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 10–24–2–4 Recap
41 W January 9, 2003 3–2 OT @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 11–24–2–4 Recap
42 L January 11, 2003 3–7 @ New York Islanders (2002–03) 11–25–2–4 Recap
43 W January 13, 2003 7–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 12–25–2–4 Recap
44 W January 15, 2003 1–0 Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 13–25–2–4 Recap
45 W January 17, 2003 3–1 Boston Bruins (2002–03) 14–25–2–4 Recap
46 L January 19, 2003 1–4 New York Islanders (2002–03) 14–26–2–4 Recap
47 W January 21, 2003 8–4 St. Louis Blues (2002–03) 15–26–2–4 Recap
48 T January 23, 2003 3–3 OT Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 15–26–3–4 Recap
49 W January 25, 2003 4–1 @ New York Rangers (2002–03) 16–26–3–4 Recap
50 W January 28, 2003 5–2 New York Rangers (2002–03) 17–26–3–4 Recap
51 L January 30, 2003 2–5 Toronto Maple Leafs (2002–03) 17–27–3–4 Recap
February: 4–5–2–0 (home: 1–2–1–0; road: 3–3–1–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
52 W February 4, 2003 4–3 @ Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 18–27–3–4 Recap
53 W February 7, 2003 4–2 @ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 19–27–3–4 Recap
54 L February 8, 2003 1–3 @ Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 19–28–3–4 Recap
55 L February 12, 2003 1–5 Washington Capitals (2002–03) 19–29–3–4 Recap
56 T February 14, 2003 2–2 OT Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 19–29–4–4 Recap
57 L February 15, 2003 2–6 Detroit Red Wings (2002–03) 19–30–4–4 Recap
58 W February 17, 2003 4–3 OT Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 20–30–4–4 Recap
59 L February 19, 2003 0–2 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 20–31–4–4 Recap
60 T February 23, 2003 3–3 OT @ Edmonton Oilers (2002–03) 20–31–5–4 Recap
61 L February 25, 2003 0–8 @ Vancouver Canucks (2002–03) 20–32–5–4 Recap
62 W February 27, 2003 4–3 OT @ Colorado Avalanche (2002–03) 21–32–5–4 Recap
March: 8–6–2–1 (home: 3–4–1–1; road: 5–2–1–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
63 L March 1, 2003 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (2002–03) 21–33–5–4 Recap
64 W March 2, 2003 4–1 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002–03) 22–33–5–4 Recap
65 T March 6, 2003 4–4 OT @ Washington Capitals (2002–03) 22–33–6–4 Recap
66 L March 7, 2003 1–2 Florida Panthers (2002–03) 22–34–6–4 Recap
67 L March 9, 2003 4–6 Minnesota Wild (2002–03) 22–35–6–4 Recap
68 W March 11, 2003 3–2 @ New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 23–35–6–4 Recap
69 L March 13, 2003 2–4 Montreal Canadiens (2002–03) 23–36–6–4 Recap
70 W March 15, 2003 5–3 Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 24–36–6–4 Recap
71 W March 17, 2003 3–2 Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) 25–36–6–4 Recap
72 OTL March 19, 2003 4–5 OT Dallas Stars (2002–03) 25–36–6–5 Recap
73 L March 21, 2003 1–5 Ottawa Senators (2002–03) 25–37–6–5 Recap
74 W March 22, 2003 3–2 @ Columbus Blue Jackets (2002–03) 26–37–6–5 Recap
75 L March 24, 2003 2–6 @ Philadelphia Flyers (2002–03) 26–38–6–5 Recap
76 W March 26, 2003 5–1 Carolina Hurricanes (2002–03) 27–38–6–5 Recap
77 T March 28, 2003 1–1 OT New Jersey Devils (2002–03) 27–38–7–5 Recap
78 W March 29, 2003 3–2 @ Nashville Predators (2002–03) 28–38–7–5 Recap
79 W March 31, 2003 4–3 OT @ New York Rangers (2002–03) 29–38–7–5 Recap
April: 2–1–0–0 (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 1–1–0–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
80 L April 2, 2003 3–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (2002–03) 29–39–7–5 Recap
81 W April 5, 2003 3–2 @ New York Islanders (2002–03) 30–39–7–5 Recap
82 W April 6, 2003 6–2 Tampa Bay Lightning (2002–03) 31–39–7–5 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)   Overtime loss (1 point)

Player statistics

Scoring

  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; 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 Thrashers only.
  • ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Thrashers only.
Regular season
No. Player Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM
15 Dany Heatley LW 77 41 48 89 −8 58
13 Vyacheslav Kozlov LW 79 21 49 70 −10 66
17 Ilya Kovalchuk LW 81 38 29 67 −24 57
9 Marc Savard C 57 16 31 47 −11 77
27 Patrik Stefan C 71 13 21 34 −10 12
38 Yannick Tremblay D 75 8 22 30 −27 32
19 Shawn McEachern RW 46 10 16 26 −27 28
12 Tony Hrkac C 80 9 17 26 −16 14
8 Frantisek Kaberle D 79 7 19 26 −19 32
25 Andy Sutton D 53 3 18 21 −8 114
23 Lubos Bartecko LW 37 7 9 16 3 8
36 Daniel Tjarnqvist D 75 3 12 15 −20 26
37 Dan Snyder C 36 10 4 14 −4 34
18 Brad Tapper RW 35 10 4 14 2 23
26 Pascal Rheaume C 56 4 9 13 −8 24
42 Richard Smehlik D 43 2 9 11 −4 16
4 Chris Tamer D 72 1 9 10 −10 118
16 Jeff Cowan LW 66 3 5 8 −15 115
39 Per Svartvadet C 62 1 7 8 −11 8
3 Mark Hartigan C 23 5 2 7 −8 6
20 Jeff Odgers RW 74 2 4 6 −13 171
7 Chris Herperger C 27 4 1 5 −11 7
22 Kamil Piros C 3 3 2 5 4 2
43 Mike Weaver D 40 0 5 5 −5 20
29 Kirill Safronov D 32 2 2 4 −10 14
31 Pasi Nurminen G 52 0 3 3 4
10 Yuri Butsayev LW 16 2 0 2 −5 8
50 Joe DiPenta D 3 1 1 2 3 0
2 Garnet Exelby D 15 0 2 2 0 41
14 Tomi Kallio LW 5 0 2 2 −2 4
6 Francis Lessard RW 18 0 2 2 1 61
45 Ben Simon LW 10 0 1 1 0 9
49 Zdenek Blatny LW 4 0 0 0 −1 0
35 Frederic Cassivi G 2 0 0 0 0
34 Byron Dafoe G 17 0 0 0 0
28 Jeff Farkas RW 3 0 0 0 −1 0
47 Kurtis Foster D 2 0 0 0 −2 0
41 Simon Gamache C 2 0 0 0 −1 2
33 Milan Hnilicka G 21 0 0 0 2
44 Uwe Krupp D 4 0 0 0 −2 10
11 J. P. Vigier RW 13 0 0 0 −13 4

Goaltending

  • † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Thrashers only.
Regular season
No. Player GP W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
31 Pasi Nurminen 52 21 19 5 1452 137 2.88 .906 2 2856
34 Byron Dafoe 17 5 11 1 472 65 4.36 .862 0 895
33 Milan Hnilicka 21 4 13 1 605 65 3.56 .893 0 1097
35 Frederic Cassivi 2 1 1 0 58 11 5.37 .810 0 123

Awards and records

Awards

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selection Dany Heatley[a] [10]
NHL Player of the Week Dany Heatley (March 31) [11]
Team Community Service Award Chris Tamer [12]
Players' Player Award Jeff Odgers [13]
Team MVP Dany Heatley [13]
Three Stars of the Game Award Dany Heatley [13]

Transactions

The Thrashers 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.[14]

Trades

Date Details Ref
June 22, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in 2002
NY Rangers’ 4th-round pick in 2003
To Florida Panthers
Future considerations[b]
[15]
June 22, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Vyacheslav Kozlov
2nd-round pick in 2002
To Buffalo Sabres
2nd-round pick in 2002
Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in 2002
[15]
June 22, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Detroit’s 1st-round pick in 2002
To Columbus Blue Jackets
Buffalo’s 2nd-round pick in 2002
Detroit’s 3rd-round pick in 2002
[15]
June 23, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
8th-round pick in 2002
7th-round pick in 2003
To San Jose Sharks
New Jersey’s 7th-round pick in 2002
[15]
June 29, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Shawn McEachern
6th-round pick in 2004
To Ottawa Senators
Brian Pothier
[16]
October 4, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Future considerations[c]
To Dallas Stars
Stephane Robidas
[17]
November 15, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Marc Savard
To Calgary Flames
Rights to Ruslan Zainullin
[18]
December 2, 2002 To Atlanta Thrashers
Chris Nielsen
Petteri Nummelin
To Columbus Blue Jackets
Tomi Kallio
Pauli Levokari
[19]
January 20, 2003 To Atlanta Thrashers
Jeff Farkas
To Vancouver Canucks
Chris Herperger
Chris Nielsen
[20]
February 24, 2003 To Atlanta Thrashers
Conditional draft pick in 2004
To New Jersey Devils
Pascal Rheaume
[21]
March 10, 2003 To Atlanta Thrashers
4th-round pick in 2003
To New Jersey Devils
Richard Smehlik
Conditional draft pick in 2004
[22]
March 11, 2003 To Atlanta Thrashers
Rights to Anthony Aquino
To Dallas Stars
Dallas’ 6th-round pick in 2003
Future considerations
[23]

Players acquired

Date Player Former team Term Via Ref
July 10, 2002 (2002-07-10) Richard Smehlik Buffalo Sabres Free agency [24]
July 19, 2002 (2002-07-19) Uwe Krupp Detroit Red Wings Free agency [25]
July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) Dallas Eakins Calgary Flames Free agency [26]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) Chris Herperger Ottawa Senators Free agency [27]
October 4, 2002 (2002-10-04) Stephane Robidas Montreal Canadiens Waiver draft [28]
November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) Byron Dafoe Boston Bruins Free agency [29]
March 28, 2003 (2003-03-28) Brian Maloney Michigan State University (CCHA) Free agency [30]

Players lost

Date Player New team Via[d] Ref
July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01) Damian Rhodes Buyout[e] [35]
July 17, 2002 (2002-07-17) Todd Reirden Anaheim Mighty Ducks Free agency (UFA) [36]
August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05) Bryan Adams Detroit Red Wings Free agency (VI) [37]
August 21, 2002 (2002-08-21) Scott Fankhouser Reading Royals (ECHL) Free agency (VI) [38]
August 30, 2002 (2002-08-30) Adam Burt Retirement (III) [39]
N/A Jeff Dessner Iserlohn Roosters (DEL) Free agency (UFA) [40]
April 27, 2003 (2003-04-27) Uwe Krupp Retirement [41]
June 8, 2003 (2003-06-08) Norm Maracle Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RSL) Free agency [42]

Signings

Date Player Term Contract type Ref
June 27, 2002 (2002-06-27) Jeff Cowan Re-signing [43]
Andy Sutton Re-signing [43]
July 11, 2002 (2002-07-11) Pauli Levokari Entry-level [44]
July 18, 2002 (2002-07-18) Pascal Rheaume Re-signing [45]
Brad Tapper Re-signing [45]
Mike Weaver Re-signing [45]
July 23, 2002 (2002-07-23) Paul Flache Entry-level [26]
Michael Garnett Entry-level [26]
July 25, 2002 (2002-07-25) Patrik Stefan 2-year Re-signing [46]
August 1, 2002 (2002-08-01) Tomi Kallio Re-signing [27]
Vyacheslav Kozlov 1-year Re-signing [27]
Ben Simon Re-signing [27]
August 8, 2002 (2002-08-08) Yannick Tremblay Re-signing [47]
August 9, 2002 (2002-08-09) Mark Hartigan Re-signing [48]
August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19) Francis Lessard Re-signing [49]
August 27, 2002 (2002-08-27) Dan Snyder Re-signing [50]
Daniel Tjarnqvist Re-signing [50]
September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10) Yuri Butsayev Re-signing [51]
September 11, 2002 (2002-09-11) Milan Hnilicka Re-signing [52]
March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11) Shawn McEachern multi-year Extension [53]
June 4, 2003 (2003-06-04) Kari Lehtonen Entry-level [54]

Draft picks

Atlanta's draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.[55]

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 2 Kari Lehtonen  Finland Jokerit (Finland)
1 30 Jim Slater  United States Michigan State University (CCHA)
4 116 Patrick Dwyer  United States Western Michigan University (CCHA)
4 124 Lane Manson  Canada Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
5 144 Paul Flache  Canada Brampton Battalion (OHL)
6 167 Brad Schell  Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
7 198 Nathan Oystrick  Canada Northern Michigan University (CCHA)
8 230 Colton Fretter  Canada Chatham Maroons (WOHL)
8 236 Tyler Boldt  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
8 257 Pauli Levokari  Finland HIFK (Finland)

Notes

  1. ^ Heatley was voted the All-Star Game MVP.[9]
  2. ^ The Thrashers promised not to pick defenseman Jay Bouwmeester with the second overall selection in the draft.
  3. ^ 6th-round pick in 2003
  4. ^ In parentheses is the player's free agency group on July 1 if applicable.[31]
  5. ^ The buyout was later cancelled with Atlanta being held liable for Rhodes’ full 2002–03 salary since Rhodes was unable to pass a physical with another NHL team.[32] Atlanta first loaned Rhodes to the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters and later in the season re-assigned him to the ECHL’s Greenville Grrrowl.[33][34]

References

  • "Atlanta Thrashers 2002-03 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  • "2002-03 Atlanta Thrashers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  1. ^ "Thrashers to Rotate Team Captaincy Among Four Players". Atlanta Thrashers. October 10, 2002. Archived from the original on December 20, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Thrashers fire Fraser". UPI. December 26, 2002. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "In Sports from United Press International". UPI. January 15, 2003. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Atlanta Thrashers Name Shawn McEachern Team Captain Jeff Odgers, Dany Heatley, Yyacheslav Kozlov and Tony Hrkac Named Assistant Captains". Atlanta Thrashers. January 17, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "2002-03 NHL Summary".
  6. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 163.
  7. ^ "2002–2003 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  8. ^ "2002-03 Atlanta Thrashers Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  9. ^ McCormack, Kevin (February 2, 2003). "Heatley Steals The Show At NHL All-Star Game". Atlanta Thrashers. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  10. ^ "NHL All-Star Game Historical Summaries - 2003". NHL.com. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dany Heatley Named NHL Player Of The Week". Atlanta Thrashers. March 31, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Thrashers Present Gilner-Reeves Community Service Award to Defenseman Chris Tamer". Atlanta Thrashers. March 28, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Thrashers Forward Dany Heatley Wins Bud Light 3 Stars Award And Chevrolet MVP Award". Atlanta Thrashers. April 6, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". www.prosportstransactions.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d "THRASHERS PICK UP 10 PLAYERS IN DRAFT; ACQUIRE KOZLOV". Atlanta Thrashers. June 23, 2002. Archived from the original on October 4, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "McEachern traded to Thrashers". UPI. June 29, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "+SPORTS TRANSACTIONS FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4+". UPI. October 4, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022. Dallas Stars - Acquired defenseman Stephane Robidas from the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations.
  18. ^ "Thrashers Acquire Forward Marc Savard from Calgary in Exchange for Forward Ruslan Zainullen". Atlanta Thrashers. November 15, 2002. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "Thrashers Acquire Chris Nielsen and Petteri Nummelin from Columbus in Exchange for Tomi Kallio and Pauli Levokari". Atlanta Thrashers. December 2, 2002. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Thrashers Acquire Forward Jeff Farkas from Vancouver in Exchange for Forwards Chris Herperger, Chris Nielsen". Atlanta Thrashers. January 20, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "Thrashers Trade Forward Pascal Rheaume to New Jersey in Exchange for a 2004 Conditional Draft Pick". Atlanta Thrashers. February 24, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  22. ^ "Thrashers Trade Smehlik and a 2004 Draft Pick to New Jersey for Fourth-Round Selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft; Reassign Gamache to Chicago (AHL)". Atlanta Thrashers. March 10, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "Thrashers Acquire Forward Anthony Aquino From Dallas". Atlanta Thrashers. March 11, 2003. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  24. ^ "Thrashers pick up Smehlik". CBC.ca. July 10, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "Atlanta Thrashers Sign Unrestricted Free Agent Defenseman Uwe Krupp". Atlanta Thrashers. July 19, 2002. Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  26. ^ a b c "Thrashers Agree to Terms with Michael Garnett, Paul Flache and Dallas Eakins". Atlanta Thrashers. July 23, 2002. Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
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