Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in one season, accomplishing the feat in 50 games in 1944–45, and the first to reach 500 career goals. Richard retired in 1960 as the league's all-time leader in goals with 544. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1947, played in 13 All-Star Games and was named to 14 post-season NHL All-Star Teams, eight on the First-Team. In 2017 Richard was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Joseph Steven "Joe" Sakic is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. He played his entire 21-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Named captain of the team in 1992, Sakic is regarded as one of the most capable team leaders in league history and was able to consistently motivate his team to play at a winning level. Sakic led the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, being named the most valuable player of the 1996 playoffs, and honored as the MVP of the NHL in 2001 by the hockey writers and his fellow players. He is one of six players to participate in both of the team's Stanley Cup victories. Sakic was also named to play in 13 NHL All-Star Games and selected to the NHL First All-Star Team at centre three times.
Pavel Kubina is a Czech former ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Thrashers and Philadelphia Flyers.
The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 23–24, 2001, at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida.
The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main (title) sponsor was Barr Construction. The club folded during the 2002–03 season after a move to Braehead Arena.
James Charles Fox is a Canadian retired former professional ice hockey player who played nine seasons in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings.
Ira Gitler was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of liner notes for jazz recordings since the early 1950s and is the author of dozens of books about jazz and ice hockey, two of his passions.
The 2001–02 Colorado Avalanche season was the Avalanche's seventh season. At the end of the regular season, Patrick Roy had a goals against average (GAA) of 1.94 and a save percentage of .925. For his efforts, Roy earned the William M. Jennings Trophy and was a First Team All-Star for the fourth time in his career. The Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in seven games, then San Jose in the second round in seven games, but lost to the higher-seeded Detroit Red Wings in seven games after being up 3–2 in the series and lost game 7, 7–0, against Detroit.
The 2001–02 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the team's 85th season as a franchise, and the 75th season as the Maple Leafs. They finished second in the Northeast Division with a record of 43–25–10–4 for 100 points. Qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, they downed the New York Islanders in seven games in the Conference Quarter-finals and the Ottawa Senators in seven games in the Conference Semi-finals. However, their luck ran out in the Conference Finals, as they were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.
The 2001–02 New York Rangers season was the 76th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). During the regular season, the Rangers finished fourth in the Atlantic Division, compiling a 36–38–4–4 record. Their 11th-place finish in the Eastern Conference kept them out of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fifth straight season. Head coach Ron Low was fired after the season.
The 2000–01 New York Rangers season was the 75th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Rangers compiled a 33–43–5–1 record in the 2000–01 season, finishing in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. New York's 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference left it out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2001–02 Chicago Blackhawks season was the team's 76th season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL). Finishing fifth in the Western Conference, they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 1996–97 season. They would be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues.
The 2001–02 Vancouver Canucks season was the team's 32nd in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The 2001–02 Washington Capitals season was the team's 28th season of play. The team finished second in the Southeast, but ninth-overall in the Eastern Conference to miss the playoffs.
The 2001–02 Boston Bruins season was the Boston Bruins's 78th season of operation. The Bruins qualified for the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 2001–02 New York Islanders season was the 30th season in the franchise's history. This season saw the Islanders finish in second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 42 wins, 28 losses, eight ties and four overtime losses for 96 points. They qualified for the playoffs as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, but lost their first-round playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.
The 2001–02 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 35th year in the National Hockey League. The team played 82 games.
The Quad City Mallards were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa that competed in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. They were named after the Mallards team that played in the United Hockey League from 1995 to 2007, this Mallards franchise marked their debut in 2009 in the International Hockey League. The Mallards played their home games at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.
The 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 5, 2001, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 6, 2002, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This was the 55th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 107th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.
Yesil Petropavl was an ice hockey team in Petropavl, Kazakhstan. They founded in 2000 and participated in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, the top level of ice hockey in Kazakhstan. After three seasons of play, they were operated in 2003.
