2003–04 Columbus Blue Jackets season

The 2003–04 Columbus Blue Jackets season was the Blue Jackets' fourth season in the NHL, as the team was coming off of a 29–42–8–3 record in the 2002–03 season, earning 69 points to finish in last place in the Western Conference for the second-straight year.

2003–04 Columbus Blue Jackets
Division4th Central
Conference14th Western
2003–04 record25–45–8–4
Home record17–18–4–2
Road record8–27–4–2
Goals for177
Goals against238
Team information
General ManagerDoug MacLean
CoachDoug MacLean (Oct-Jan)
Gerard Gallant (Jan-Apr)
CaptainLuke Richardson
ArenaNationwide Arena
Average attendance17,369
Team leaders
GoalsRick Nash (41)
AssistsDavid Vyborny (31)
PointsRich Nash (57)
Penalty minutesJody Shelley (228)
WinsMarc Denis (21)
Goals against averageMarc Denis (2.56)

Off-season

Columbus would undergo some changes during the off-season, as leading scorer and team captain Ray Whitney would leave to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. The Blue Jackets would name veteran defenceman Luke Richardson the third captain in franchise history.

Regular season

The Blue Jackets would get off to a solid start in 2003–04, winning three of their first four games, though the club would eventually go on a seven-game losing streak to quickly fall out of playoff contention. Columbus would continue to struggle, and General Manager and Head Coach Doug MacLean announced on January 1, 2004, that he would step down from head coaching duties, naming Blue Jackets assistant coach and former NHL player Gerard Gallant as his replacement. Columbus posted a 9–21–4–3 record under MacLean. While the Blue Jackets would play better hockey with Gallant behind the bench, the team would fail once again to earn a playoff spot, as they finished the season with a 25–45–8–4 record for 62 points—seven fewer than the previous season—and finish 29 points the Nashville Predators for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Columbus, however, climbed out of the basement in the Central Division for the first time in franchise history after finishing ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rick Nash had a memorable season, finishing in a three-way tie with Ilya Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers and Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the League's highest goal-scorer; he scored a club-record 41 goals and finished with a team-best 57 points. David Vyborny led the Blue Jackets with 31 assists and finished second to Nash with 53 points. Rookie Nikolai Zherdev also contributed a solid 34 points in 57 games. On defense, Anders Eriksson led the Jackets with 27 points, while Jaroslav Spacek contributed with 22 points in just 58 games. Jody Shelley provided the team toughness, earning a team-high 228 penalty minutes.

In goal, Marc Denis was the team's number one, playing a team-high 66 games, winning 21 of them, posting a team best 2.56 goals against average (GAA) and earning five shutouts.

The Blue Jackets would finish the season having tied the Dallas Stars for most times shut-out, with 11.[1]

Season standings
Central Division[2]
No. CR GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
11Detroit Red Wings824821112255189109
27St. Louis Blues82393011219119891
38Nashville Predators82382911421621791
414Columbus Blue Jackets8225458417723862
515Chicago Blackhawks82204311818825959

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[3]
R Div GP W L T OTL GF GA Pts
1 P- Detroit Red WingsCE824821112255189109
2 Y- San Jose SharksPA824321126255183104
3 Y- Vancouver CanucksNW824324105235194101
4 X- Colorado AvalancheNW824022137236198100
5 X- Dallas StarsPA82412613219417597
6 X- Calgary FlamesNW8242307320017694
7 X- St. Louis BluesCE82393011219119891
8 X- Nashville PredatorsCE82382911421621791
8.5
9 Edmonton OilersNW82362912522120889
10 Minnesota WildNW82302920318818383
11 Los Angeles KingsPA82282916920521781
12 Mighty Ducks of AnaheimPA82293510818421376
13 Phoenix CoyotesPA82223618618824568
14 Columbus Blue JacketsCE8225458417723862
15 Chicago BlackhawksCE82204311818825959

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

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

Schedule and results
#DateVisitorScoreHomeRecordPts
1October 9Columbus Blue Jackets1–2Atlanta Thrashers0–1–0–00
2October 11New York Rangers0–5Columbus Blue Jackets1–1–0–02
3October 13Vancouver Canucks2–3Columbus Blue Jackets2–1–0–04
4October 16Chicago Blackhawks1–2Columbus Blue Jackets3–1–0–06
5October 18Columbus Blue Jackets2–3Nashville Predators3–2–0–06
6October 22Columbus Blue Jackets1–4Detroit Red Wings3–3–0–06
7October 23Tampa Bay Lightning1–0Columbus Blue Jackets3–4–0–06
8October 25Dallas Stars3–2Columbus Blue Jackets3–5–0–06
9October 28Columbus Blue Jackets3–6Vancouver Canucks3–6–0–06
10October 30Columbus Blue Jackets3–4Edmonton Oilers3–6–0–17
11November 1Columbus Blue Jackets0–3Calgary Flames3–7–0–17
12November 7Atlanta Thrashers2–4Columbus Blue Jackets4–7–0–19
13November 9Calgary Flames3–4Columbus Blue Jackets5–7–0–111
14November 11Columbus Blue Jackets1–1Montreal Canadiens5–7–1–112
15November 13Columbus Blue Jackets2–5Ottawa Senators5–8–1–112
16November 14Boston Bruins4–0Columbus Blue Jackets5–9–1–112
17November 16Phoenix Coyotes2–2Columbus Blue Jackets5–9–2–113
18November 19Columbus Blue Jackets1–5Detroit Red Wings5–10–2–113
19November 20Detroit Red Wings0–3Columbus Blue Jackets6–10–2–115
20November 22New York Islanders1–2Columbus Blue Jackets7–10–2–117
21November 25Edmonton Oilers3–3Columbus Blue Jackets7–10–3–118
22November 26Columbus Blue Jackets2–4Nashville Predators7–11–3–118
23November 29Washington Capitals5–3Columbus Blue Jackets7–12–3–118
24December 2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim1–2Columbus Blue Jackets8–12–3–120
25December 4Nashville Predators4–2Columbus Blue Jackets8–13–3–120
26December 6Columbus Blue Jackets1–5Colorado Avalanche8–14–3–120
27December 10Philadelphia Flyers1–1Columbus Blue Jackets8–14–4–121
28December 12St. Louis Blues3–2Columbus Blue Jackets8–14–4–222
29December 13Columbus Blue Jackets3–5Pittsburgh Penguins8–15–4–222
30December 16Columbus Blue Jackets1–2St. Louis Blues8–15–4–323
31December 19Calgary Flames2–1Columbus Blue Jackets8–16–4–323
32December 20Columbus Blue Jackets2–5Minnesota Wild8–17–4–323
33December 23Phoenix Coyotes2–1Columbus Blue Jackets8–18–4–323
34December 26Columbus Blue Jackets4–1Chicago Blackhawks9–18–4–325
35December 27Dallas Stars4–3Columbus Blue Jackets9–19–4–325
36December 29St. Louis Blues3–2Columbus Blue Jackets9–20–4–325
37December 31San Jose Sharks1–0Columbus Blue Jackets9–21–4–325
38January 2Columbus Blue Jackets2–0Tampa Bay Lightning10–21–4–327
39January 3Columbus Blue Jackets0–1Florida Panthers10–22–4–327
40January 6Columbus Blue Jackets0–6Colorado Avalanche10–23–4–327
41January 8Columbus Blue Jackets3–2San Jose Sharks11–23–4–329
42January 10Columbus Blue Jackets2–2Los Angeles Kings11–23–5–330
43January 11Columbus Blue Jackets2–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim11–23–6–331
44January 15Columbus Blue Jackets3–5St. Louis Blues11–24–6–331
45January 16Los Angeles Kings2–3Columbus Blue Jackets12–24–6–333
46January 18Edmonton Oilers4–4Columbus Blue Jackets12–24–7–334
47January 21St. Louis Blues1–3Columbus Blue Jackets13–24–7–336
48January 22Columbus Blue Jackets0–7Chicago Blackhawks13–25–7–336
49January 24Chicago Blackhawks3–4Columbus Blue Jackets14–25–7–338
50January 27New Jersey Devils4–3Columbus Blue Jackets14–26–7–338
51January 29Nashville Predators6–4Columbus Blue Jackets14–27–7–338
52January 31Minnesota Wild1–2Columbus Blue Jackets15–27–7–340
53February 2Columbus Blue Jackets3–3Phoenix Coyotes15–27–8–341
54February 4Columbus Blue Jackets0–1Dallas Stars15–28–8–341
55February 11Los Angeles Kings2–3Columbus Blue Jackets16–28–8–343
56February 12Columbus Blue Jackets1–4Toronto Maple Leafs16–29–8–343
57February 14San Jose Sharks2–1Columbus Blue Jackets16–29–8–444
58February 16Nashville Predators2–4Columbus Blue Jackets17–29–8–446
59February 18Columbus Blue Jackets1–3Mighty Ducks of Anaheim17–30–8–446
60February 20Columbus Blue Jackets2–3Phoenix Coyotes17–31–8–446
61February 21Columbus Blue Jackets3–4Los Angeles Kings17–32–8–446
62February 23Columbus Blue Jackets2–4San Jose Sharks17–33–8–446
63February 25Chicago Blackhawks4–3Columbus Blue Jackets17–34–8–446
64February 27Columbus Blue Jackets4–3Chicago Blackhawks18–34–8–448
65February 28Colorado Avalanche4–5Columbus Blue Jackets19–34–8–450
66March 2Columbus Blue Jackets3–0Carolina Hurricanes20–34–8–452
67March 3Columbus Blue Jackets2–4Dallas Stars20–35–8–452
68March 6Vancouver Canucks4–0Columbus Blue Jackets20–36–8–452
69March 8Carolina Hurricanes4–1Columbus Blue Jackets20–37–8–452
70March 11Detroit Red Wings4–2Columbus Blue Jackets20–38–8–452
71March 13Columbus Blue Jackets3–5St. Louis Blues20–39–8–452
72March 14Columbus Blue Jackets2–3Minnesota Wild20–40–8–452
73March 16Columbus Blue Jackets2–3Edmonton Oilers20–41–8–452
74March 18Columbus Blue Jackets0–2Calgary Flames20–42–8–452
75March 21Columbus Blue Jackets5–4Vancouver Canucks21–42–8–454
76March 24Minnesota Wild0–2Columbus Blue Jackets22–42–8–456
77March 26Mighty Ducks of Anaheim1–3Columbus Blue Jackets23–42–8–458
78March 27Columbus Blue Jackets3–2Nashville Predators24–42–8–460
79March 29Columbus Blue Jackets0–6Buffalo Sabres24–43–8–460
80March 31Detroit Red Wings3–2Columbus Blue Jackets24–44–8–460
81April 2Colorado Avalanche4–2Columbus Blue Jackets24–45–8–460
82April 3Columbus Blue Jackets4–1Detroit Red Wings25–45–8–462
  • Green background indicates a win.
  • Red background indicates a regulation loss.
  • Yellow background indicates an overtime loss.
  • White background indicates a tie.

Player statistics

Regular season
Scoring
Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG
Rick NashLW8041165787-351907
David VybornyRW8222315340-26842
Nikolai ZherdevW5713213454-11501
Todd MarchantC779253434-17402
Trevor LetowskiRW7315173216-12401
Geoff SandersonLW6713162934-9501
Anders ErikssonD667202718-6201
Andrew CasselsC586202626-24200
Manny MalhotraC5612132524-5102
Jaroslav SpacekD585172245-13212
Tyler WrightC68991863-19203
Darryl SydorD492131526-19100
Rostislav KleslaD472111327-16001
Lasse PirjetaC57281020-6000
Derrick WalserD2718922-6100
Aaron JohnsonD2926832-2001
Alexander SvitovC2926816-8000
Duvie WestcottD3407739-15000
Jody ShelleyLW76336228-10100
Luke RichardsonD6415648-11001
Mark HartiganC91346-2100
Espen KnutsenC140442-5000
Scott LachanceD7704444-23000
Tim JackmanRW1912316-7000
David LingRW5012398-3000
Kent McDonellRW2912336-7000
Andrej NedorostLW920260000
Brad MoranC21122-1000
Marc DenisG66022100000
Todd RohloffD240228-12000
Dan FritscheC1910112-5000
Brian HolzingerC131012-4000
Don MacLeanC41010-1000
Jeremy ReichLW901120-3000
Darrel ScovilleD80116-4000
Fred BrathwaiteG2100020000
Jean-Luc Grand-PierreD1600012-3000
Zenith KomarniskiD200000000
Pascal LeclaireG200000000
Greg MauldinC60004-2000
Joe MotzkoRW200000000
Mike PandolfoLW30000-2000
Jamie PushorD70002-2000
Goaltending
Player MIN GP W L T/OT GA GAA SO SA SV SV%
Marc Denis379666213671622.56519701808.918
Fred Brathwaite1050214111593.370574515.897
Pascal Leclaire119202073.5306962.899
Team:496582254982282.76526132385.913

[4]

Note:
Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Draft picks

Columbus' draft picks at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft:

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
14Nikolai Zherdev RussiaCSKA Moscow (Russia)
246Dan Fritsche United StatesSarnia Sting (OHL)
371Dmitri Kosmachev RussiaCSKA Moscow (Russia)
4103Kevin Jarman CanadaStouffville Spirit (OPJHL)
4104Philippe Dupuis CanadaHull Olympiques (QMJHL)
5138Arsi Piispanen FinlandJokerit (Finland)
6168Marc Methot CanadaLondon Knights (OHL)
7200Alexander Guskov RussiaLokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia)
8233Mathieu Gravel CanadaShawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
9283Trevor Hendrikx CanadaPeterborough Petes (OHL)
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References
  1. "2003-04 NHL Schedule and Results | Hockey-Reference.com". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  2. "2003-2004 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  3. "2003–2004 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  4. "2003-04 Columbus Blue Jackets Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
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