The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top "defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is named after James E. Norris, the longtime owner of the Detroit Red Wings. The James Norris Memorial Trophy has been awarded 61 times to 26 different players since its beginnings in 1954. At the end of each season, members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote to determine the player who was the best defenseman during the regular season.
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Wild are the only Minneapolis–Saint Paul area major professional sports league franchise to play in Saint Paul until Minnesota United FC move to their new home, Allianz Field, in 2019. The other three teams play in Minneapolis.
The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other college athletic conferences, Atlantic Hockey has no women's division, though it shares some organizational and administrative roles with the women's-only College Hockey America.
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.
The 2003–04 NHL season was the 87th regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best of seven series four games to three against the Calgary Flames.
The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original International Hockey League, and the second International Hockey League. They have won four post-season championship titles in the original IHL in 1963, 1965, 1973 and 1993, four in the UHL/second IHL in 2003, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one in the CHL in 2012. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets.
Jonathan "Bates" Battaglia is an American former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League with the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished his professional career in 2012 with Karlskrona HK of the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan.
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 Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a series of relocations, the team moved to Hartford in 1997 as the Hartford Wolf Pack. It is one of the oldest professional hockey franchises extant, and the oldest continuously operating minor-league franchise in North America.
HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish Hockey League, the top tier of Swedish ice hockey. The team played in the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League season, and also participates in the new Champions Hockey League tournament since the 2014–15 season. Between 2008 and 2013, HV also participated in the European Trophy tournament.
The 2003–04 Toronto Maple Leafs season, the club's 87th season of existence and 77th as the Maple Leafs, saw the team finish in second place in the Northeast Division with a record of 45 wins, 24 losses, 10 ties and three overtime losses for 103 points. It was the highest point total in franchise history, beating out the 100 points earned by the 1999–2000 team. The Leafs defeated their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, in seven games in the Conference Quarter-finals before falling to the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two in the Conference Semi-finals. The Leafs did not qualify for the playoffs again until the 2012–13 season.
The 2003–04 Boston Bruins season was the Bruins' 80th season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The 2003–04 St. Louis Blues season was the 37th for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri. The Blues qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 25th straight seasons, the team's final playoff appearance until 2009. After finishing the regular season with a record of 39 wins, 30 losses, 11 ties and two overtime losses, the Blues were eliminated in the Western Conference Quarterfinals in five games by the San Jose Sharks.
The 2003–04 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the team's 11th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). After making it to the 2003 Stanley Cup Final and losing in the seventh game, the team placed fourth in the Pacific Division and 12th in the Western Conference, thereby failing to qualify for the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2003–04 Buffalo Sabres season was the 34th season of operation for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.
The 2003–04 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 78th season of operation of the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League.
The 2003–04 Washington Capitals season was the Capitals's 30th season of play. The team finished in fifth and last-place in the Southeast Division, and fourteenth overall in the Eastern Conference to miss the playoffs. They had the shittiest season since 1974-75, and Nate Wright, Teddy Ortiz, Francis Pope, Chad Applewhite, and Jade Wilson only went to 5 wins that season.
The 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 3, 2003 and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on April 10, 2004 at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the 57th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 109th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team. The 2003-04 season was the inaugural year for the Atlantic Hockey Association after the discontinuation of Division I ice hockey sponsorship by the MAAC at the conclusion of the previous season.
Ustinka Ust-Kamenogorsk was an ice hockey team in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. They participated in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship during the 2003–04 season. Ustinka finished in seventh place in the regular season.
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.
