2003-04 Regular Season

When the Boston Bulldogs opened their training camp in September, 2003, captain Scott Rose was conspicuously missing. By the time the season opened on October 10, Rose was still without a new deal. Without him, the Bulldogs did manage to go 5-3-0 in their first eight games when on October 27, a blockbuster trade was announced that rocked the hockey world. Rose was dealt to the Minnesota Lumberjacks in exchange for Brendan Marlo. Marlo had proven to be a budding superstar with the ‘Jacks but was growing unhappy with his role on a deep team. Rose, on the other hand, was looking for a new contract in the $10-12 Million range and Boston was unwilling to part with it. With Marlo’s contract gone, the Lumberjacks had the cap room to sign Rose to a six-year deal at $9 Million/year. Rose agreed to a discount when faced with the very real possibility of winning a Lewis Cup in Minnesota.

It would be Boston, however, who would come out as the big winners in the deal. One of the oddest things about the deal was that both players wore number 2. In Boston, Marlo essentially just wore Rose’s jersey as it retained the “C” as well. ‘Dogs coach Max St. Beaudoin had seen Marlo play plenty of times in the Maritime Junior league and was impressed with his leadership. Marlo led the team in scoring as the Bulldogs led the division for most of the year, until a late-season surge by their arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Redshirts, pushed them into fourth place. The Redshirts were enjoying another strong season as Jared Baxter and Alexei Ivanov formed one of the deadliest duos in the league, combining for 192 points.

Quebec returned to the playoffs, while Montreal, plagued by injuries nearly missed for the first time since 1989. For the second consecutive year, a dramatic playoff race formed in the South Division with three teams chasing the division title and final playoff spot. Throughout the year, Atlanta, Carolina, Miami, and New Orleans all took turns holding down the top spot. The Sound, despite a historically embarrassing off-season, came together to make a strong push for the division lead. 29-year old Kevin Jones, with a lot of help from newly acquired veteran Lamar Jackson, proved to be a surprising success behind the bench, despite no professional coaching experience. However, it would all come crashing down in March of 2004, it was revealed that Sam Bendt, who had been in a rehab facility since September, was broke. The league was forced to take over ownership of the Sound and there was no guarantee the franchise would even survive the remainder of the year without folding. The mandate to GM Bill Draper from the league was to shed salary to keep the team afloat. Since coming over from New York in the summer, Lamar Jackson had handled the entire situation with the Sound with tremendous grace. To thank him, Draper ensured that Jackson went to a contender, sending him to Dallas just days before the trade deadline. The final nail went into the coffin of the Sound’s 2003-04 season on deadline day, March 7, when superstar Brad McNair and his $12 Million salary was dealt to Milwaukee in a blockbuster, three-team deal that saw the Choppers send Peter Lundholm to Atlanta while the Sound received a first-round pick directly from Milwaukee and prospect Alex Andreyev from the Copperheads. In all, New Orleans unloaded $17 Million in payroll, and also knocked themselves out of the playoff race.

The disaster in New Orleans opened up the South Division playoff race considerably. Atlanta, now boosted by the addition of Lundholm, Miami, and Carolina were left gunning for the final spot. It would come down to the Copperheads and Raiders in the final days of the season, when it was Atlanta, when disaster struck, this time in Atlanta. With two games to go in the season, Copperheads’ forward Jason Ferland was arrested on assault charges after an incident at a Miami nightclub. The league suspended Ferland, who was not released from custody until the season ended anyway. The Carolina Raiders won their final two games and clinched a playoff spot for the first time in four years. “In the end, the team with the least amount of drama won out” said writer Bill Wentworth.

There was not quite as much drama in the Western Conference, where the Holiday Classic was played out west for the first time ever as Minnesota took on St. Louis Christmas Day. The game went to overtime where the Lumberjacks won 3-2, but it was the Spirits who created a stir, choosing to wear their classic white uniforms from the dynasty years. The league announced after the game that special retro jerseys would be worn at each Holiday Classic from that point on.

Seattle, generally regarded as the PHL’s deepest team, dominated the league. Former Washington Generals captain Rob Wentzel had taken a huge pay cut to come to Seattle in the hopes of winning a ring, but Wentzel was no passenger, finishing second in Wolves’ scoring. Chicago clinched the Central Division, making it 35 consecutive seasons in the post-season, while Edmonton finally broke out and won the North Division as Kris Nazarenko became the first player in PHL history to begin his career with two straight 50-goal seasons.

The Kansas City Twisters and Dallas Desperados both had all but lost the battle for the Central Division to Chicago when the trade deadline arrived on March 7, but both teams were busy as they continued to battle each other for home ice advantage in what appeared to be an inevitable first-round meeting. Dallas rescued Lamar Jackson from the sinking New Orleans Sound, while Kansas City acquired veteran Shannon Michaels from Calgary. Michaels had served as the Wranglers captain since the early 90s and would be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Twisters would ultimately edge out the Desperados for fourth place and home-ice advantage in what promised to be a very entertaining series.

In Milwaukee, the Choppers struggled throughout the year, hovering around .500, until pulling off a huge three-way deal in March where for the price of Peter Lunholm and a first-round pick, the Choppers received Brad McNair from New Orleans. With the horrible situation in Louisiana behind him, McNair exploded for 12 points in the final ten games as the Choppers won nine out of ten to pull away from Winnipeg and secure the final playoff spot. It spelled the end of a very promising season for Dan Crow, Jamie Moore, and a Winnipeg team that had finally shown signs of life for the first time since reaching the Lewis Cup Final in 1999. “It’s disappointing, but I think we’re on the right track” said Crow.

There was also some improvement in Denver and St. Louis, as both teams remained in playoff contention fairly late in the season. Sad news hit St. Louis in February, as long time team owner Frank Wells passed away at 82. Wells was beloved by the Spirits’ players and the fans in St. Louis as he built one of hockey’s all-time greatest dynasties. The Spirits wore a special patch with Wells’ initials on it for the remainder of one of the most eventful seasons in PHL history.  

2003 Off-Season

2003 Entry Draft

Though not as deep as the 2002 draft, there were still a few gems in 2003. Big defenseman Noah Brewer went first overall to Cleveland. As a 19-year-old, Brewer had been eligible in 2002 but was passed over. Brewer enrolled at Minnesota State, where he helped the Screaming Eagles to a Frozen Four appearance and the whole league took notice. “I’ve never seen a kid mature so much both physically and mentally” said Cosmos GM Bill Kelly. “He did a lot of growing up this year.” In general, the draft was rich with defensemen, with ten D-men going in the first round. Goaltender Jussi Miettinen went second overall to St. Louis, while another defenseman, Evan Long, went third to Quebec. Pittsburgh took an important step in their rebuild. After selecting Swedish defenseman Tomas Sandberg, the Stingers then dealt veteran defenseman Jared Hawkins to Edmonton in exchange for the 16^th pick, which they used to take Cam Reed.

1.      CLE – Noah Brewer, D, USA

2.      STL – Jussi Miettinen, G, FIN

3.      QUE – Evan Long, D, CAN

4.      WSH – Ryan Quackenbush, F, CAN

5.      PIT – Tomas Sandberg, D, SWE

6.      POR – Kris Lukowich, F, CAN

7.      CAR – Kyle Weatherby, D, CAN

8.      WPG – Jakub Marek, F, CZE

9.      CGY – Jordan Goode, F, CAN

10.   DEN – Shawn Brooks, F, USA

11.   OAK – Ilya Zhinovjev, F, RUS

12.   LA – Kris Griffin, F, CAN

13.   NOS – Peter Ossler, F, SWE

14.   NYC – Adam Stawski, D, CAN

15.   MIA – Ryan Dove, F, CAN

16.   PIT (From EDM) – Cam Reed, F, CAN

17.   KC – Garret Lowendawsky, F, CAN

18.   DET – Eric Cooper, F, CAN

19.   MTL – Devan Meyer, F, USA

20.   LI – Christian Cloutier, F, CAN

21.   BOS – Denis Lapointe, G, CAN

22.   VAN – Colton Brady, D, CAN

23.   MIL – Jonathan Keller, D, USA

24.   CHI – Matt Irvin, D, USA

25.   ATL - Alex Andreyev, F, RUS

26.   SEA - Dominik Kovar, F, CZE

27.   MIN – Marc-Andre Lavoie, D, CAN

28.   TOR – Alex Thibodeau, F, CAN

29.   PHI – Brad Kruek, D, CAN

30.   DAL – Roger Whitfield, F, USA

Notable Retirements:

Jason Radford, F, SEA, 1982-2003

Selected second overall by Seattle in the 1982 entry draft, Jason Radford toiled under the shadow of the Jake Fairbanks/Pete Holloway duo for the first decade of his career. Shortly after Fairbanks and Holloway left, superstars Drake Klausen and Randy McAllen were drafted. The theme of Radford’s career seemed to be that the Grey Wolves would never be his team despite being named captain in 1993. However, McAllen and Klausen struggled to meet their full potential and by the time the team made their big run for the Lewis Cup in 2002, the 39-year-old Radford had put the team on his back and led them to their first-ever title. Radford would play one more season before retiring in 2003.

Jeremy Kitchen, F, NYC, KC, 1985-2003

The son of Toronto Racers legend Bobby Kitchen, Jeremy Kitchen enjoyed a successful career of his own. Kitchen spent most of his 18-year career in New York, playing alongside Aaron Duplacy, where he helped the Civics to the Lewis Cup in 1997. A year later, Kitchen left New York and signed with the Kansas City Twisters, where he won his second and final championship in 2000.

Teppo Sikkanen, D, DEN, CHI, 1986-2003

Sikkanen was one of the most underappreciated players in league history perhaps because he was overshadowed by all the other talent from the historic 1986 draft. It didn’t help that he also spent most of his career on a very weak Denver team, though he did claim the Tom Cooper Award in 1992 as the league’s top defenseman. In 2001, Sikkanen signed with Chicago, where he finally reached the Lewis Cup Finals in his final year, unfortunately coming just one win short.

Jeff Winslow, D, MIN, 1985-2003

While home-grown hero Jason Crowley received much of the credit for Minnesota’s success in the late 1990s, Crowley himself stated in an interview following Jeff Winslow’s retirement announcement that the ‘Jacks two championships in ’96 and ’98 would not have been possible without the steady defenseman’s presence and his ability to kick-start the offence. “Jeff just had that amazing ability to turn the momentum of a game by himself” said Crowley. “He was the reason we won a lot of those big games.”

Dwayne Gibbons, D, WPG, 1983-2003

Another underrated player from a weak team, Dwayne Gibbons had opportunity to leave Winnipeg, but chose to stay through some very lean years. He would ultimately be rewarded with an unexpected Cinderella run to the finals in 1999, but came up short against Vincent Ducharme and the Montreal Royale. Gibbons will remain in Winnipeg as an assistant coach, where he continues to hope to bring a championship to the city.

Notable Trades

New Orleans trades F Darren Reid to Toronto in exchange for F Theo Galvin and a 1^st round pick.

The blockbuster trade of the summer caps off a tough summer for the Sound, who are forced to trade budding superstar Reid to the Racers to get under the cap.

Washington trades F Rob Wentzel to Seattle in exchange for F Nick Spears.

The rebuilding Generals trade their longtime captain to Seattle hoping he can win a championship.

Pittsburgh trades D Jared Hawkins to Edmonton in exchange for 1^st round pick.

Stingers use the pick on winger Cam Reed, Northern Lights get a veteran defenseman to provide leadership to a young team.

Key Free Agents

Resignings:

RFAs:

D Henrik Soderstrum signs new 6-year deal with Cleveland worth $9 Million/year.

D Ricky Wolfe (NOS) signs 6-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $8 Million/year.

Pittsburgh signs Wolfe to an offer sheet and New Orleans lacks the cap space to match it. The Sound will receive Pittsburgh’s first-round draft choice in 2004 as compensation.

F Alexei Suvorov signs new 7-year deal with Denver worth $9 Million/year.

F Brett Reed signs new 5-year deal with Edmonton worth $4 Million/year.

F Jordan Rifkin signs new 4-year deal with Oakland worth $5 Million/year.

D Travis Tearney signs new 4-year deal with Boston worth $4 Million/year.

UFAs:

F Brett Delaney signs new 7-year deal with Kansas City worth $9 Million/year.

The Twisters’ top forward all but ensures he will retire in KC.

D Lamar Jackson (NYC) signs 5-year deal with New Orleans worth $5 Million/year.

After 15 seasons as the heart and soul of the Civics’ blueline, the New York native makes the difficult decision to leave as the Civics embark on a rebuild. Jackson hopes to help the Sound back into the playoffs and into contention.

D Randy Fernandez signs new 2-year deal with Toronto worth $4 Million/year.

After speculation that the 36-year old would sign elsewhere, Fernandez takes a big hometown discount for an opportunity to win more titles with the Racers.

D Kevin Drake (CAR) signs 3-year deal with Minnesota worth $3.5 Million/year.

The aging Lumberjacks add to their blueline depth in an attempt at one last run.

F Kim Brodie (PHI) signs 1-year deal with Kansas City worth $2 Million/year.

Nearing the end of a fairly successful career, Brodie moves to KC with the hopes of winning a championship.

D Elliot Andrews(VAN) signs 1-year deal with Chicago worth $1 Million/year.

Elliot “U-haul” Andrews is on the move again, signing with his 9^th PHL team for what could be his final season.

News

Perhaps no franchise in PHL history completely seemed to come unglued like the New Orleans Sound in the summer of 2003. With rumours of Sam Bendt’s financial struggles and a possible move to either Houston or Ottawa already swirling, disaster struck on July 1. The team was really hoping that emerging star defenseman Ricky Wolfe would accept a hometown discount to save the team cap space, when the Pittsburgh Stingers swooped in, signing Wolfe to an $8 Million offer sheet that the Sound could never hope to match. Infuriated over losing a star player, the increasingly irrational Bendt blamed GM Grant Dunlop, firing him and taking over the position himself. Incredibly, Bendt had Darryl Byrd’s full support in stepping into the role, while others were left scratching their heads. Just 12 hours into his new career as a hockey GM, Bendt excitedly announced the signing of future hall-of-famer Lamar Jackson to a $5 Million deal. The deal was a decent one, the Sound needed to replace Wolfe on their blueline and Jackson like the opportunity to help a young team, But Bendt misunderstood the cap system.

Somewhere he had heard a rumour that the cap would increase to $57 Million per team, an absurd notion, given that it had only been $45 Million in ’02-03. In fact, the cap had increased to $48 Million. But Bendt had fired his GM and would not listen to his advisors. Desperate to get under the cap, the Sound were forced to trade budding superstar Darren Reid, dealing him to Toronto for Theo Galvin and a first rounder. After the trade, head coach Garth Collins abruptly quit his job, calling the Sound “the most disorganized, incompetent, bush league organization I’ve ever seen.” Scrambling to find a new coach, Bendt hired head trainer Kevin Jones, who would be the youngest coach in PHL history at age 29. That was when the league stepped in. Deputy commissioner Neil McCormick ordered Bendt to surrender the GM position to somebody with experience and 70-year-old former NCAA coach Bill Draper was hired. Draper had been a golfing buddy of Bendt’s and was the only hockey person he knew outside the Sound organization. After the fiasco cleared up, it was reported that Bendt had been checked into a rehab facility in Florida. “Unbelievable” said commentator Brian McLeod. “I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anything like this in my 30 years covering the sport.”

After Bendt checked into rehab, Houston billionaire emailed Darryl Byrd. “I’ve still got that 18,000-seat arena if you need a place for the Sound” read the email. Questions were even raised concerning Byrd’s qualifications for his job as he had allowed the fiasco to happen, and it took his assistant to stop it. The owners were already starting to gear up for another labour battle in 2007 and were uncertain if Byrd was the man for the job.

“That Summer” as it would forever be known in hockey circles, proved to be a positive for Grant Dunlop, who returned to coaching as the New York Civics’ new bench boss, as Bruce Irvine focused on the GM duties. “I can’t wait to go back to coaching” said Dunlop. “As crazy as Sam Bendt was, I really do owe him for this.”

The bad news only continued into the 2003 pre-season, this time in Boston, where captain Scott Rose refused to report to training camp after being low-balled in contract negotiations. Rose was seen as the ‘Dogs future franchise player but the team had offered him the same salary he had been receiving so they would have the cap space to sign Chris Haines and goaltender Chad Cohen the following summer. “Scotty just wants to be paid what he’s worth, I think he’s earned that” said Rose’s agent. When training camp ended and Rose still had not signed, Boston fans became nervous. “At this point we have to consider what’s best for this team” said GM Bruce McKinnon.

Wizards Unveil New Logo, League Announces New Uniform Deal

Just prior to the 2003 PHL entry draft, the Los Angeles Wizards unveiled a full new identity, featuring all-new logos, colors, and uniforms. The logo features the bearded face of a wizard in a design inspired by the team's original logo used from 1968 to 1995. The uniforms have also been inspired by the original look, featuring Purple, Orange, and Silver trim. Black has been removed entirely from the team's identity. The nod to the team's old look was no coincidence. Team president and GM Stuart Holly was the driving force behind the rebrand. Holly is regarded as the greatest player in Wizards history and spent nearly his entire career wearing the original Purple and Orange uniforms. "We feel that we're entering an exciting new era and we wanted to come up with a look that both brings us into the future and also reminds our fans of the success this franchise had in the past." said Holly. "Purple and Orange were always Wizards colors, we're excited to get back to that."

Elsewhere in the league, the Kansas City Twisters unveiled their second alternate uniform in franchise history, a blue jersey in a vintage style with color laces and Black, White, and Silver trim. In Dallas and Cleveland, the Desperados and Cosmos both unveiled new logos commemorating the tenth anniversary of their entry into the league. both teams will feature the logos on the corner of their jerseys.

Finally, the league agreed to a ten-year deal that will make Duke Sports the exclusive provider of PHL game uniforms. Duke has promised to "reinvent the hockey uniform" with the development of new tighter-fitting, lightweight jerseys. All 30 teams in the PHL will have new uniforms in the fall of 2005 and a few will take the opportunity to make changes to the designs and introduce new logos. The league has requested that teams who plan to make changes wait until the summer of 2005 to do so, meaning that there will be no changes to any team uniforms for the 2004-05 season. The new uniform system will be seen for the first time at the 2005 all-star game.

2003 Lewis Cup Finals

In a series filled with history, “Canada’s Team”, the Toronto Racers, faced off against “America’s Team”, the Chicago Shamrocks in the 2003 Lewis Cup Finals. The two teams had met just once before in the championship round, in 1942, the first time the Lewis Cup was awarded. Chicago won in ’42 then went on to become one of the most successful teams in PHL history, claiming six titles and appearing in the playoffs an unprecedented 34 consecutive seasons and counting. Meanwhile, the Racers struggled after the PHL/GHL merger, failing to win the Lewis Cup and appearing in the final only once. But Racers fans were filled with hope after a strong year in 2002-03, as Joe Murdock set playoff scoring records, Randy Fernandez returned to his old form, and Rex Hull proved to be a brilliant motivator behind the bench.

The series was fairly high-scoring early on, with each team winning two games. Both Tom Branson and Jake Borman struggled at different times during the first four games, while Murdock and Shamrocks’ rookie Jonathan Wheatley each made a strong case for playoff MVP with three points each.

The series was a best-of-three heading into game five. Once again, it was a high-scoring affair. The lead flipped back-and-forth three different times until the third period, when it seemed to settle at a 4-4 tie. Gustav Mattsen nearly put Chicago ahead late but his shot rang off the post. Moments later, Sean MacDonald of the Racers was given a boarding penalty, giving Chicago a powerplay. What followed was perhaps the most spectacular two minutes of Jake Borman’s career, as the 33-year-old stopped 12 shots to preserve the tie. Just as it looked like the game would go to overtime, Andrew Cox beat Branson to give Toronto the lead. As the clock ticked down, the Shamrocks pushed but the lead held up, the Racers now led the series 3-2 with an opportunity to claim the cup in Chicago.

At the Garfield Center for game six, Chicago knew they needed a big performance from their top players to keep the series alive, but it would be an unexpected hero that would step up in the end. Unlike the rest of the games, game six was tight, with Borman and Branson both shutting the door in net. A Chris Falkner goal early in the third gave Toronto the lead but it was short-lived. Sergei Krayev tied it and the game went into overtime. Overtime didn’t last long, as Shamrocks’ enforcer Cedric Thibault scored with just a minute left in the first OT to send the series to game seven in Toronto.

The Queen Elizabeth Arena was packed on June 10, 2003, as 17000 fans crammed into the 47-year-old building, hoping to see their team end its 39-year drought. Game seven was the closest in the series, as once again, the two goaltenders turned in a solid effort to keep the game scoreless through two periods. In the third, powerplays for each team only resulted in more spectacular play in net. With just 20 seconds left, it appeared that the game would go to overtime when a hard point shot from Randy Fernandez was deflected by Branson high into the air. The puck fell in front of Joe Murdock, who batted it into the net out of mid-air with just 13 seconds left to play. The Racers jumped over the boards and mobbed Murdock as if they forgot there was still time left on the clock.

The referee ordered the players back to the bench to drop the puck for the final seconds. The building shook as the crowd remained on their feet, then it went silent for a second when Wheatley had a wide open net but just missed. Ty McInnis cleared it for the Racers and the team once again charged off their bench and mobbed Jake Borman. Joe Murdock was named playoff MVP and then Darryl Byrd handed the Lewis Cup to Randy Fernandez, who had waited 17 seasons to lift it. For the first time since 1964, the Racers were the Lewis Cup Champions.

2003 Playoffs

Round 1

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia (1) vs Miami (8)

The defending Eastern Conference Champions met the 2003 Eastern Conference regular season champs in what many hoped would be one of the best series in the playoffs. The Redshirts outscored the Stingrays 4-0 in the first two games to take a 2-0 series lead before the Rays finally solved Pierre Noel, eking out two overtime wins to tie the series 2-2. Jared Baxter would be the hero in games five and six as Philadelphia advanced in six games.

Toronto (2) vs Detroit (7)

In one of the most unusual series in PHL history, the Racers and Mustangs skated to overtime in each of the four games. Joe Murdock had the winner in both the first two games at Queen Elizabeth Arena to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. In game three in Detroit, the Mustangs gave up a 2-0 lead late in the third as the Racers sent it to overtime once again, where this time veteran Jason Luna won it to put Detroit on the ropes. In game four, it was captain Randy Fernandez who finally completed the sweep for the Racers in a series that was much closer than it appeared.

Atlanta (3) vs Montreal (6)

After clinching their first-ever playoff spot in only their second season, the Copperheads were full of confidence entering their series with Montreal. However the Royale put a damper on Atlanta right away with a 3-0 win in game one. The Royale then won the next two to lead the series 3-0, but the Copperheads salvaged the series with a big 4-2 victory, the first post-season win in franchise history, thanks to a hat-trick from rookie Jason Ferland. In Atlanta two nights later, the Copperheads’ run finally came to an end, but the Atlanta crowd gave their team a standing ovation as they left the ice.

Boston (4) vs Long Island (5)

It had been eleven years since the last time the once-vicious Boston/Long Island rivalry took place in the post-season. Entering the first round of the 2003 playoffs, only the Concorde’s backup goaltender Geoff Larter had appeared in that last series in 1992. It would not take long for the two teams to rediscover their mutual hatred. The teams split the first four games and it game three, a big hit from Long Island’s Riley Gardiner on Boston’s Mikael Larsson resulted in a fight-filled third period which spilled over into game four, where the two captains, Scott Rose and Ryan Shelton squared off to the delight of the Long Island crowd. The Bulldogs went on to win in overtime as Rose completed a “George Allen Hat-trick” of a goal, an assist and a fight. Boston ultimately won the series in six games.

Western Conference

Dallas (1) vs Edmonton (8)

Edmonton made their first playoff appearance in six seasons while Dallas entered the playoffs for the first time as a true contender. The Northern Lights, led by Super Rookie Kris Nazarenko, stunned the Desperados 4-2 in the opener, but Dallas bounced back to take a 2-1 series lead by game three. Edmonton tied the series in game four to set up a pivotal game five in Texas, where AJ Vernon gave Nazarenko all he could handle physically while earning two points in a Dallas win. The Northern Lights forced a seventh game where they finally ran out of gas, as Dallas took the series with a 5-1 victory.

Minnesota (2) vs Kansas City (7)

After dominating the Western Conference around the turn of the century, the Lumberjacks and Twisters both found themselves struggling to regain their status as top contenders as the 2000s progressed. After a tough season in which they barely made the playoffs, the Twisters stunned the Lumberjacks when they jumped to a 3-1 series lead. The ‘Jacks salvaged the series in game five, but it was too little too late, as the Twisters advanced with a 3-0 win in game six.

Seattle (3) vs Vancouver (6)

In a matchup PHL fans had been waiting for since the 1970s, Pacific Northwest rivals Vancouver and Seattle finally faced off in the playoffs. The teams skated to a tie in the first four games, then things got out of hand. During the regular season, Vancouver’s Jonathan Adams had avoided a suspension after a nasty hit on Seattle’s Olli Heikkinen. With game five already clinched by Seattle, the Wolves took matters into their own hands. Scott Lindsay challenged Adams to a fight, then went after Vancouver forward Andrei Yegorov with a punch to the face, which immediately drew a crowd. In all, over 80 minutes in penalties were handed out in the final seven minutes of play. Lindsay was suspended for game six and the Bighorns won another slugfest 3-0, but in game seven, the Wolves regained their composure and discipline in time to take the series in game seven with a 4-1 win.

Chicago (4) vs Milwaukee (5)

After pulling themselves out of a late-season slump, the Shamrocks used the momentum to immediately take a 2-0 series lead against their northern rivals. But Milwaukee came storming back, as the offensively challenged Choppers relied heavily on the play of goaltender Matt Darwin to tie the series. In game five, Chicago’s offense was too much, as Jonathan Wheatley had two goals including the OT winner in a 3-2 win. The Shamrocks finished the Choppers with a 3-1 win in game six to advance.

Round 2

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia vs Montreal

The Philadelphia Redshirts entered the 2003 playoffs heavily favoured to win the Eastern Conference and as a popular pick to take their second Lewis Cup. Meanwhile, the Montreal Royale were seen as a team in transition, now two years removed from the retirement of legend Vincent Ducharme. Embracing their underdog status, Montreal unexpectedly dominated their “original eight” rivals in the first two games, then took games four and five in overtime at home to complete the upset. “It was a fun series” said Royale forward Aaron Duplacy, I think this team has a lot of confidence after that one.”

Toronto vs Boston

The Boston Bulldogs rebuild appeared to finally be over after advancing to the second round for the second straight year, but the Joe Murdock show awaited them in the second round. After scoring two OT winners in round one against Detroit, Murdock exploded for seven goals including a pair of two-goal performances in a six-game victory over the Bulldogs. There was some controversy after an 8-2 Boston blowout in game five, however. Head coach Rex Hull pulled goaltender Jake Borman after allowing six goals in favour of Jussi Sykko, to which Borman responded by destroying a stick rack in the hallway. Despite speculation that Sykko might start game six, Hull went with Borman, who stopped 42 shots for a shutout. “Jake’s a competitor” said Hull. “He was angrier than anyone about his performance in game five, I had no hesitation putting him back in.”

Western Conference

Dallas vs Kansas City

The Dallas Desperados may have been the best team in the Western Conference during the regular season, but seemed a little tired after a tough 7-game battle with Edmonton. Dallas soon found themselves down 2-1 to Kansas City, before a two-day break due to a concert at KC Sportsplex gave them an opportunity to recharge. The Desperados responded with a pair of wins to lead the series, but disaster struck at the end of game five, when goaltender Alexei Rolonov was injured, forcing backup Jimmy Goren into the net for game six. The Twisters, benefiting from Brett Delaney’s two-goal night forced game seven back in Dallas, where Goren was solid in the net for the home team. Late in the third period, a goal from Shawn Marchinski gave Dallas the lead, and ultimately the win as the Desperados advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history.

Seattle vs Chicago

The Chicago Shamrocks seemed to be well past their late-season struggles in their six-game victory over Milwaukee, but the real test would come in the second round, where they faced the defending champion Seattle Grey Wolves. To the surprise of the entire hockey world, Chicago found themselves up 3-1 after four games. Seattle would force a game six, then took a 2-0 lead in game six before the Shamrocks stormed back to win 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Conference Finals

Toronto vs Montreal

Ever since the PHL began in 1939, Toronto and Montreal battled for the title of “Canada’s Team”. The two rivals met in the first-ever league final in 1940. Toronto won the series that year and dominated the rivalry early on. However, the arrival of Vincent Ducharme in Montreal in the 1980s gave Montreal the edge as they took their turn as the most popular team in the country. By 2003, Ducharme had been retired for two years and a new generational talent was emerging in Southern Ontario. Joe Murdock continued to tear through the playoffs, opening the Conference final series with Montreal with a hat-trick, then scored twice again in game three as the two teams entered game five tied 2-2. Jake Borman stood tall for the Racers in game five, earning a shutout to give the Racers an opportunity to close the series out in Montreal. Game six was close, with both teams exchanging leads until overtime, where Andrew Cox proved to be the hero for Toronto, sending them to the Lewis Cup Finals for the first time since 1979.

Dallas vs Chicago

While the Western Conference Final was packed with historical undertones, the West final may have been the most thrilling series in PHL history. The Chicago Shamrocks, who had been solid throughout the spring, came out flat early on against the Dallas Desperados. Dallas jumped to a commanding 3-0 series lead and the hockey world immediately began preparing for a Lewis Cup Final featuring the Desperados. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram even ran an article speculating on whether the Desperados would face Montreal or Toronto in the next series while analyzing their chances against both. Game four was supposed to be a formality, especially with Dallas up 3-2 with nine seconds left, until Gustav Mattsen tied it, then Martin Vannier won it just 19 seconds into OT. Confident that they would still take the series at home, the Desperados forgot to show up for game five, falling behind 3-0 in the first period. A comeback attempt fell short, as did a desperate attempt to salvage the series in game six. The Chicago Shamrocks had unbelievably brought the series to game seven. Back at TexOil Center for game seven, the Desperados were simply out of gas. With a 6-0 victory, the Shamrocks had pulled off the impossible, becoming the first team in professional sport to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0. “You have to give them credit” said Desperados head coach Willy Rowe. “I think we learned a tough lesson, don’t forget to finish the series before celebrating.”

2002-03 Regular Season

After an eventful off-season, the PHL saw a few major shifts in power in the 2002-03 season. The Edmonton Northern Lights jumped from the basement to the eighth in the west and their first playoff appearance since 1997. Just as predicted, rookie phenom Kris Nazarenko took the league by storm. Nazarenko used his 219-pound frame to power his way to 52 goals and 111 total points to become the first rookie to win the Cleveland Cup as top scorer since the man the trophy was named after did it in 1939-40. Along with Nazarenko, Ilya Rusakivich finally enjoyed a break out season, scoring 42 goals of his own. Another big story out west was the Dallas Desperados, who finished first overall in the league in only their ninth season. The Desperados were one of the most difficult teams to play against, leading the league by a long shot in penalty minutes with tough young power forward AJ Vernon leading the way with 339, coupled with 32 goals. Dallas battled Chicago all season for the Central Division title, as the Shamrocks benefited from the strong play of another talented rookie, Jonathan Wheatley. The teams traded the top spot in the conference back and forth until a late-season losing skid in Chicago allowed the Desperados to jump ahead and take first overall.

The defending champion Seattle Grey Wolves once again took the Pacific Division with the help of a new addition at the trade deadline. The Wolves acquired veteran Scott Lindsay from the Pittsburgh Stingers in exchange for Scott Sherwood and prospect Roman Novatny. Lindsay brought grit and experience to the Wolves as they prepared to try to defend their title. “It’s tough to leave Pittsburgh, this place has become home to myself, my wife and my kids” said an emotional Lindsay. “This is an opportunity, we have a chance to do something really special in Seattle.” The Wolves also got an extra shot of motivation at the end of the regular season when team captain and 21-year veteran Jason Radford announced he would retire after the playoffs.

In the East, the Redshirts once again ruled the Conference, but all the attention was on the big turnaround in Toronto, where the Racers returned to the top thanks largely to star forward Joe Murdock and new head coach Rex Hull. Murdock became the second player of the year to break 50 goals with 51 and battled Kris Nazarenko all year for the scoring title. Meanwhile, Randy Fernandez enjoyed his best season in years, leading all defensemen in plus/minus thanks to a new focus on defense led by Hull, who claimed coach of the year honours. “He’s really made a difference in our locker room” said Fernandez. “Everyone is buying in and the game is really fun again.”

While the Redshirts and Racers dominated, the defending conference champs from Miami battled the New York Civics and New Orleans Sound for the final playoff spot. New Orleans held it for most of the season, while New York and Miami struggled, until a mid-season surge for the Stingrays bumped the Sound and the Civics out. For New York, a team built to win, the failure to reach the post-season was a huge disappointment, but there was still hope for the Sound. Washington once again plummeted to the bottom of the standings, giving way to a tight battle for the South Division. Miami, New Orleans, and the surprise of the year, Atlanta, all battled for the third seed. The Copperheads, spurred by a big rookie year from Jason Ferland, defeated the Sound in the final game of the season, eliminating New Orleans from playoff contention and putting themselves in the playoffs with the division title in only their second season. “We’re a confident team” said captain Alyn Bryant. “We’ve surprised a lot of people this season and I believe we have a few more surprises in store.”

Standings

Playoff Tree

2002 Uniform Updates

2002 saw very little in the way of uniform and logo changes. At the start of training camp, the Quebec Nationale surprised their fans with the reveal of a new home and away uniform set, featuring a return to more classic striping. All the logos remained intact from the look introduced in 1993 as did the black alternate jersey. The team would wear the '93-'02 uniforms throughout the pre-season before officially changing to the new design just in time for the season opener.

In other news, the Edmonton Northern Lights introduced a new era in the team's history with a new alternate logo, which would replace the Alberta map logos worn on the shoulders, while the Oakland Nuggets and Milwaukee Choppers both introduced new third jerseys.

Oakland's new alternate is gold with the team name spelled diagonally down the front, while Milwaukee's uniforms are Silver with the team name in a stylized font on the front, and a new front-view version of the motorcycle logo on the shoulders.