2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season



The 2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the Ducks' ninth season in franchise history. The club qualified for the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in franchise history.

Game log
{| class="toccolours" width=90% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;" ! colspan=2 style="background:#166D5F; color:#EEE1C5" | 2002–03 Game log November December January
 * Green background indicates win (2 points).
 * Red background indicates regulation loss (0 points).
 * White background indicates overtime/shootout loss (1 point).
 * - valign="top"

February March

April ! colspan=2 style="color:#8E8E91" | 2002–03 schedule
 * }

Conference Quarter-finals
The series opened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, and a thrilling triple-overtime battle ensued, with the Ducks taking Game 1, 2–1, on a goal by Paul Kariya 3:18 in. Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere faced 64 shots in Game 1. Game 2 featured another close game, but Anaheim pulled out another close victory, this time by a 3–2 count, scoring two third-period goals to erase a 2–1 deficit. Second-seeded Detroit was in trouble, inexplicably struggling with a seventh-seeded but tough Anaheim team. Game 3, at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, was a must-win for the Red Wings, but they dropped another one-goal game, 2–1. The Ducks completed the stunning four-game sweep of the Red Wings, who had missed the top seed in the West by one point, with another one-goal game in Game 4, a 3–2 overtime victory with Steve Rucchin delivering the knockout goal 6:53 into overtime.

Conference semi-finals
The series opened at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where the heavily-favored Stars and underdog Ducks engaged in an epic battle that took over 140 minutes and four overtimes to decide before Anaheim's Petr Sykora scored the game-winner 47 seconds into the fifth overtime, winning the game for the Ducks, 4–3. Dallas goalie Marty Turco saw 54 shots while Anaheim's goalie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, saw 63. Game 2 saw another game tied after 60 minutes, but this time, Anaheim needed only 1:44 to win the game in the first overtime, 3–2, on a goal by Mike Leclerc. Dallas, much like Detroit in its first-round series against the Ducks, faced a 2–0 deficit headed to Anaheim.

Game 3 at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was a must-win for the Stars, and they came through, winning the game, 2–1, getting two clutch goals from Jere Lehtinen. But the Ducks refused to let the Stars back in the series, winning Game 4, 1–0, behind a 28-save shutout from Giguere. Not wanting to be eliminated in front of their home fans, a motivated Dallas team captured Game 5, 4–1. Unfortunately for the Stars, their bid to take the series to a Game 7 was denied when they were edged in Game 6, 4–3.

Conference finals
The series opened at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota, and both teams ground it out down to the game-winning score, which came from Petr Sykora 8:06 into double-overtime in a 1–0 Mighty Ducks victory. Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned in a stellar performance in net for Anaheim, stopping all 39 shots he faced. With Dwayne Roloson replacing Manny Fernandez in net for the Wild, Game 2 was just as close, but the Ducks pulled out a 2–0 victory, both goals short-handed, as Giguere stopped all 24 shots he faced, making him 63-for-63 in the series. Minnesota was in trouble; not only were they down in the series, 2–0, headed to Anaheim, but they had yet to score a goal.

Out at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim for Game 3, Giguere continued his goaltending excellency, stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4–0 Mighty Ducks victory that pushed the Wild to the brink. Giguere had now stopped the first 98 shots he saw in the series. In Game 3, Paul Kariya tallied two goals to help the Anaheim attack. Minnesota, demoralized at their offensive impotence, lost Game 4, 2–1, but at least they avoided a fourth consecutive shutout, as Andrew Brunette scored the first Minnesota goal of the series 4:37 into the game. Still, Giguere was 122-for-123 in the series, a robust .992 save percentage. Adam Oates scored both Anaheim goals, the decisive one coming midway through the second period.

Regular season

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Playoffs

 * Scoring
 * Goaltending

Awards and records

 * Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
 * Paul Kariya, left wing, NHL Second Team All-Star
 * Jean Sebastien Giguere, Conn Smythe Trophy Winner

Draft picks
The Ducks picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in Toronto, Ontario.

Farm teams

 * The Mighty Ducks farm team was the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League. The team finished third in the Central Division with a record of 26-35-13-6.