2003-2004 Season - Description, pictures, highlights and more | Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens

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2003-2004

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season card

Coach

Claude
Julien

Captain

Saku
Koivu

northeast

TEAM	GP Games played - Number of games the team has played	W Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime	L Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation	T Ties - Games that have ended in a tie	OTL Overtime losses - Games lost in overtime	PTS Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings	GF Goals for - Number of goals the team has scored	GA Goals against - Number of goals scored against the team
Boston Bruins	82	41	19	15	7	104	209	188
Toronto Maple Leafs	82	45	24	10	3	103	242	204
Ottawa Senators	82	43	23	10	6	102	262	189
Montreal Canadiens	82	41	30	7	4	93	208	192
Buffalo Sabres	82	37	34	7	4	85	220	221

Roster 34 PLAYERS

STEVE
BÉGIN

ANDREI
MARKOV

PATRICE
BRISEBOIS

RICHARD
ZEDNIK

CHAD
KILGER

SHELDON
SOURAY

Season's leaders see the complete stats

#	SKATERS	GP Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice	G Goals - Number of goals the player has scored	A Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in	PTS Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
71	Mike Ribeiro	81	20	45	65
73	Michael Ryder	81	25	38	63
11	Saku Koivu	68	14	41	55
20	Richard Zednik	81	26	24	50
44	Sheldon Souray	63	15	20	35

#	#1 GOALIE	GP Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice	RECORD Record - Goalie record (W-L-T)	SO Shutouts - Number of games where the goaltender has not allowed a goal	GAA Goals against average - Mean goals-per-game scored on the goaltender
60	José Théodore	67	33-28-5	6	2.27

Season results

DATE	AWAY		HOME

9/10/2003	MTL 2	vs	OTT 5
11/10/2003	MTL 4	vs	TOR 0
14/10/2003	WAS 1	vs	MTL 5
16/10/2003	PIT 1	vs	MTL 4
18/10/2003	TOR 1	vs	MTL 0
20/10/2003	DET 1	vs	MTL 2
23/10/2003	NYI 0	vs	MTL 3
25/10/2003	OTT 6	vs	MTL 2
27/10/2003	MTL 0	vs	PHI 5
28/10/2003	BOS 2	vs	MTL 0
30/10/2003	MTL 1	vs	BOS 0
1/11/2003	NYR 5	vs	MTL 1
4/11/2003	EDM 4	vs	MTL 2
7/11/2003	MTL 1	vs	BUF 2
8/11/2003	BUF 0	vs	MTL 3
11/11/2003	CBJ 1	vs	MTL 1
13/11/2003	MTL 1	vs	NYI 3
15/11/2003	MTL 3	vs	OTT 2
18/11/2003	MTL 4	vs	VAN 5
20/11/2003	MTL 1	vs	CGY 2
22/11/2003	MTL 4	vs	EDM 3
25/11/2003	VAN 5	vs	MTL 2
28/11/2003	MTL 5	vs	WAS 3
29/11/2003	FLA 1	vs	MTL 1
2/12/2003	TB 2	vs	MTL 3
5/12/2003	MTL 1	vs	CAR 1
6/12/2003	CAR 1	vs	MTL 3
8/12/2003	PHI 3	vs	MTL 2
10/12/2003	MTL 2	vs	NYR 1
12/12/2003	MTL 2	vs	FLA 4
13/12/2003	MTL 5	vs	TB 2
16/12/2003	BOS 1	vs	MTL 1
18/12/2003	NSH 4	vs	MTL 5
20/12/2003	MTL 2	vs	TOR 4
22/12/2003	PIT 1	vs	MTL 4
23/12/2003	MTL 2	vs	WAS 3
27/12/2003	MTL 1	vs	CAR 2
29/12/2003	MTL 2	vs	ATL 1
31/12/2003	MTL 1	vs	DAL 1
3/01/2004	ATL 1	vs	MTL 5
4/01/2004	WAS 1	vs	MTL 4
6/01/2004	BUF 1	vs	MTL 3
8/01/2004	TB 4	vs	MTL 1
10/01/2004	MTL 8	vs	PIT 0
13/01/2004	STL 2	vs	MTL 5
14/01/2004	MTL 2	vs	ATL 1
17/01/2004	NYR 2	vs	MTL 2
20/01/2004	MTL 4	vs	PHI 1
23/01/2004	MTL 0	vs	NJ 2
24/01/2004	TOR 4	vs	MTL 1
27/01/2004	MTL 1	vs	BUF 4
29/01/2004	MTL 3	vs	MIN 2
31/01/2004	BOS 1	vs	MTL 0
1/02/2004	CHI 4	vs	MTL 6
3/02/2004	MTL 4	vs	PIT 3
5/02/2004	NYI 1	vs	MTL 2
10/02/2004	MTL 1	vs	FLA 2
12/02/2004	MTL 3	vs	TB 5
14/02/2004	MTL 2	vs	OTT 5
17/02/2004	ATL 4	vs	MTL 1
19/02/2004	CGY 1	vs	MTL 4
21/02/2004	MTL 4	vs	TOR 5
23/02/2004	MTL 4	vs	NYR 1
24/02/2004	OTT 2	vs	MTL 4
26/02/2004	MTL 3	vs	BOS 2
28/02/2004	CAR 0	vs	MTL 1
1/03/2004	NJ 1	vs	MTL 2
3/03/2004	MTL 3	vs	SJ 4
5/03/2004	MTL 4	vs	PHO 3
6/03/2004	MTL 4	vs	LA 2
8/03/2004	MTL 5	vs	ANA 2
11/03/2004	FLA 3	vs	MTL 2
13/03/2004	TOR 3	vs	MTL 4
16/03/2004	COL 2	vs	MTL 4
19/03/2004	MTL 1	vs	NJ 1
20/03/2004	NJ 2	vs	MTL 3
24/03/2004	MTL 1	vs	BUF 2
25/03/2004	OTT 4	vs	MTL 0
27/03/2004	MTL 2	vs	BOS 3
31/03/2004	MTL 1	vs	NYI 5
1/04/2004	PHI 2	vs	MTL 0
3/04/2004	BUF 3	vs	MTL 6

THE REGULAR SEASON

During the offseason, Andre Savard yields the general manager’s position to Bob Gainey, the team’s former captain. Gainey spent 12 years in the Dallas Stars’ organization after playing his entire 16-year NHL career with the Canadiens.

Gainey makes just a few changes over the course of the summer, signing Steve Begin and enforcer Darren Langdon.

The team gets off to a slow start. In mid-November, the Habs are sitting in eighth place overall in the Eastern Conference.

On November 22, the team takes part in the first outdoor game in NHL history. Played in frigid minus-20 degree Celsius weather at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Claude Julien’s team claims a 4-3 win over the Oilers in the Heritage Classic. The game is preceded by an exhibition game between legendary players from the two teams, including the likes of Guy Lafleur and Wayne Gretzky.

The outdoor victory is the turning point in the first half of the season. The team claims 25 points in its next 20 games and climbs to fifth place in the East.

In mid-January, Gainey puts Donald Audette on waivers and the right winger is claimed by the Florida Panthers.

Jose Theodore, for the second time in three years, and Sheldon Souray represent the Habs in the All-Star Game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of the Wild. Souray becomes the first Canadiens skater to take part in the All-Star Game since Martin Rucinsky in 2000.

The Habs continue their winning ways in February and secure their grip on eighth place in the conference. Despite that, Gainey doesn’t hesitate to make a lineup change prior to the trading deadline. On March 2, he pulls off one of the team’s biggest trades since Pierre Turgeon was acquired in April 1995 when he nabs Alex Kovalev from the New York Rangers in exchange for prospect Jozef Balej.

Three days later, the team begins a run of five wins in six games to clinch a spot in the postseason.

THE PLAYOFFS

The Habs begin the playoffs against the Boston Bruins. Few observers favor the Canadiens to win the series. Julien’s team lives up to the prognosticators’ predictions by losing the first two games.

After cutting the Bruins’ series lead to 2-1, the Habs drop the fourth game at the Bell Centre. While the team’s elimination seems a foregone conclusion, the Canadiens roar back, led by the line of Koivu, Kovalev and Richard Zednik, winning the next two games and forcing a seventh and deciding game in Boston.

To the surprise of all, the Habs accomplish the unthinkable. Zednik scores twice in the third period to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win and complete for the first time in franchise history a comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series.

In the second round, things are much different. Facing Vincent Lecavalier and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Habs are unable to win a game and are swept in four straight. Tampa Bay will go on to celebrate its first Stanley Cup one month later.

The playoffs roadmap

Conference quarter-finals - Boston Bruins
Date	AWAY	HOME
April 7th, 2004	MTL 0	BOS 3
April 9th, 2004	MTL 1	BOS 2
April 11th, 2004	BOS 2	MTL 3
April 13th, 2004	BOS 4	MTL 3
April 15th, 2004	MTL 5	BOS 1
April 17th, 2004	BOS 2	MTL 5
April 19th, 2004	MTL 2	BOS 0
Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-3

Conference semi-finals - Tampa Bay Lightning
Date	AWAY	HOME
April 23rd, 2004	MTL 0	TB 4
April 25th, 2004	MTL 1	TB 3
April 27th, 2004	TB 4	MTL 3
April 29th, 2004	TB 3	MTL 1
Tampa Bay won best-of-seven series 4-0

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Roster 34 PLAYERS