The 2002–03 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 36th season. The team finished fifth and last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second year in a row for the first time since the 1986–87 season and the 1987–88 season.
Regular season The Penguins were shut out an NHL-high ten times, tied with the Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.
Final standings
Schedule and results
| 1 || 10 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 6–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (15309) || 0–1–0–0 || 0 ||
| 2 || 12 || New York Rangers || 0–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14813) || 1–1–0–0 || 2 ||
| 3 || 14 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Air Canada Centre (18843) || 2–1–0–0 || 4 ||
| 4 || 16 || Atlanta Thrashers || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (12161) || 3–1–0–0 || 6 ||
| 5 || 19 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 3–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16106) || 3–1–1–0 || 7 ||
| 6 || 22 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–3 || Montreal Canadiens || Bell Centre (19895) || 3–1–2–0 || 8 ||
| 7 || 25 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–7 || Detroit Red Wings || Joe Louis Arena (20058) || 3–2–2–0 || 8 ||
| 8 || 26 || Buffalo Sabres || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16188) || 4–2–2–0 || 10 ||
| 9 || 28 || Washington Capitals || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14303) || 5–2–2–0 || 12 ||
| 10 || 30 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Ottawa Senators || Canadian Tire Centre (17987) || 6–2–2–0 || 14 ||
| 11 || 2 || Tampa Bay Lightning || 3–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17108) || 7–2–2–0 || 16 ||
| 12 || 6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 OT || Florida Panthers || BB&T Center (14244) || 7–2–2–1 || 17 ||
| 13 || 8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Tampa Bay Lightning || Amalie Arena (18741) || 7–3–2–1 || 17 ||
| 14 || 9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || Carolina Hurricanes || PNC Arena (18730) || 7–4–2–1 || 17 ||
| 15 || 14 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–1 || Minnesota Wild || Xcel Energy Center (18568) || 7–4–3–1 || 18 ||
| 16 || 16 || New York Islanders || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (15723) || 7–5–3–1 || 18 ||
| 17 || 18 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–5 OT || Montreal Canadiens || Bell Centre (21273) || 7–5–3–2 || 19 ||
| 18 || 20 || Montreal Canadiens || 3–2 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13549) || 7–5–3–3 || 20 ||
| 19 || 22 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || Atlanta Thrashers || Philips Arena (17375) || 8–5–3–3 || 22 ||
| 20 || 23 || San Jose Sharks || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16958) || 9–5–3–3 || 24 ||
| 21 || 27 || Philadelphia Flyers || 2–7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16385) || 10–5–3–3 || 26 ||
| 22 || 29 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Buffalo Sabres || First Niagara Center (15733) || 11–5–3–3 || 28 ||
| 23 || 30 || Boston Bruins || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (15111) || 11–6–3–3 || 28 ||
| 24 || 3 || Washington Capitals || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (11640) || 11–7–3–3 || 28 ||
| 25 || 6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–3 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center (16860) || 11–8–3–3 || 28 ||
| 26 || 7 || New York Islanders || 6–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13170) || 11–9–3–3 || 28 ||
| 27 || 10 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Air Canada Centre (19388) || 11–10–3–3 || 28 ||
| 28 || 12 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || San Jose Sharks || SAP Center at San Jose (17496) || 11–11–3–3 || 28 ||
| 29 || 14 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 OT || Los Angeles Kings || Staples Center (18184) || 11–11–3–4 || 29 ||
| 30 || 15 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–5 || Mighty Ducks of Anaheim || Honda Center (16542) || 11–12–3–4 || 29 ||
| 31 || 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || Phoenix Coyotes || America West Arena (13174) || 11–13–3–4 || 29 ||
| 32 || 19 || New Jersey Devils || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14220) || 11–14–3–4 || 29 ||
| 33 || 21 || Calgary Flames || 0–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (12571) || 12–14–3–4 || 31 ||
| 34 || 23 || Buffalo Sabres || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16569) || 13–14–3–4 || 33 ||
| 35 || 26 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–1 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18200) || 14–14–3–4 || 35 ||
| 36 || 28 || Montreal Canadiens || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16109) || 15–14–3–4 || 37 ||
| 37 || 30 || Atlanta Thrashers || 3–2 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16989) || 15–14–3–5 || 38 ||
| 38 || 31 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || Columbus Blue Jackets || Nationwide Arena (18136) || 15–15–3–5 || 38 ||
| 39 || 3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Atlanta Thrashers || Philips Arena (14177) || 16–15–3–5 || 40 ||
| 40 || 4 || New York Islanders || 2–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14331) || 17–15–3–5 || 42 ||
| 41 || 7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || New York Islanders || Nassau Coliseum (14857) || 17–16–3–5 || 42 ||
| 42 || 9 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 4–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13889) || 17–17–3–5 || 42 ||
| 43 || 11 || New York Rangers || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14769) || 17–18–3–5 || 42 ||
| 44 || 13 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–1 || Boston Bruins || TD Garden (15672) || 18–18–3–5 || 44 ||
| 45 || 15 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–0 || Carolina Hurricanes || PNC Arena (15265) || 19–18–3–5 || 46 ||
| 46 || 17 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–2 || Tampa Bay Lightning || Amalie Arena (18202) || 20–18–3–5 || 48 ||
| 47 || 18 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–3 || Florida Panthers || BB&T Center (18313) || 20–19–3–5 || 48 ||
| 48 || 21 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–0 || Buffalo Sabres || First Niagara Center (13858) || 20–19–4–5 || 49 ||
| 49 || 23 || Boston Bruins || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13271) || 20–20–4–5 || 49 ||
| 50 || 25 || Chicago Blackhawks || 3–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16958) || 21–20–4–5 || 51 ||
| 51 || 28 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || New York Islanders || Nassau Coliseum (14246) || 21–21–4–5 || 51 ||
| 52 || 30 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–2 || Washington Capitals || Verizon Center (18277) || 21–22–4–5 || 51 ||
| 53 || 4 || Vancouver Canucks || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13202) || 21–23–4–5 || 51 ||
| 54 || 6 || Florida Panthers || 6–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (12231) || 21–24–4–5 || 51 ||
| 55 || 8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–2 || Boston Bruins || TD Garden (17565) || 22–24–4–5 || 53 ||
| 56 || 12 || Ottawa Senators || 3–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14197) || 22–25–4–5 || 53 ||
| 57 || 14 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–1 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18200) || 22–26–4–5 || 53 ||
| 58 || 15 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center (18235) || 23–26–4–5 || 55 ||
| 59 || 18 || Edmonton Oilers || 3–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13552) || 24–26–4–5 || 57 ||
| 60 || 20 || Colorado Avalanche || 5–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13751) || 24–27–4–5 || 57 ||
| 61 || 22 || St. Louis Blues || 1–2 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14718) || 25–27–4–5 || 59 ||
| 62 || 23 || New Jersey Devils || 4–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17148) || 25–28–4–5 || 59 ||
| 63 || 25 || Los Angeles Kings || 5–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (11736) || 25–29–4–5 || 59 ||
| 64 || 27 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–6 || Nashville Predators || Bridgestone Arena (13581) || 25–30–4–5 || 59 ||
| 65 || 1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Colorado Avalanche || Pepsi Center (18007) || 25–31–4–5 || 59 ||
| 66 || 2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–3 || Dallas Stars || American Airlines Center (18532) || 25–32–4–5 || 59 ||
| 67 || 4 || Phoenix Coyotes || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13686) || 25–33–4–5 || 59 ||
| 68 || 6 || Carolina Hurricanes || 4–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14812) || 25–34–4–5 || 59 ||
| 69 || 8 || Ottawa Senators || 5–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (14354) || 25–35–4–5 || 59 ||
| 70 || 9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Ottawa Senators || Canadian Tire Centre (18500) || 25–36–4–5 || 59 ||
| 71 || 12 || Nashville Predators || 2–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17148) || 25–36–5–5 || 60 ||
| 72 || 15 || Philadelphia Flyers || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17032) || 25–37–5–5 || 60 ||
| 73 || 16 || Florida Panthers || 4–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16958) || 25–38–5–5 || 60 ||
| 74 || 18 || Detroit Red Wings || 5–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (13840) || 25–39–5–5 || 60 ||
| 75 || 20 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Philadelphia Flyers || Wells Fargo Center (19487) || 25–40–5–5 || 60 ||
| 76 || 21 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–3 || New Jersey Devils || Izod Center (15401) || 25–41–5–5 || 60 ||
| 77 || 23 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–1 || Chicago Blackhawks || United Center (16234) || 25–41–6–5 || 61 ||
| 78 || 26 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18200) || 26–41–6–5 || 63 ||
| 79 || 29 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–3 || Philadelphia Flyers || Wells Fargo Center (19654) || 26–42–6–5 || 63 ||
| 80 || 31 || Philadelphia Flyers || 6–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (12505) || 26–43–6–5 || 63 ||
| 81 || 2 || Carolina Hurricanes || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (15718) || 27–43–6–5 || 65 ||
| 82 || 5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–5 || Washington Capitals || Verizon Center (18277) || 27–44–6–5 || 65 ||
Legend:
Player statistics Skaters
Regular season Player 67 28 63 91 -25 43 ‡ 54 27 37 64 -11 50 60 18 28 46 -18 12 61 7 34 41 -11 50 ‡ 57 14 25 39 1 34 27 9 16 25 -3 16 75 9 12 21 -25 93 ‡ 41 5 12 17 5 8 ‡ 70 5 11 16 -30 55 † 27 5 8 13 -6 10 31 7 5 12 -8 10 26 4 7 11 0 10 79 9 1 10 -18 128 53 4 6 10 -5 40 ‡ 52 4 5 9 -6 30 33 4 3 7 -10 8 ‡ 69 2 5 7 -9 36 82 2 5 7 -22 46 ‡ 17 1 6 7 -3 8 ‡ 70 0 7 7 -17 46 13 5 1 6 -2 4 38 3 3 6 -5 14 † 12 2 4 6 1 0 † 12 1 5 6 1 4 † 19 3 2 5 -9 10 63 1 4 5 -23 36 76 3 1 4 -28 76 ‡ 44 2 2 4 -8 72 ‡ 22 1 3 4 -16 36 † 9 1 2 3 -6 6 † 12 0 3 3 -7 19 † 22 2 0 2 -21 8 † 27 1 1 2 -2 33 5 0 1 1 -4 0 † 7 0 1 1 -6 0 8 0 1 1 -4 0 12 0 1 1 -3 6 8 0 0 0 -2 2 3 0 0 0 -5 2 2 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 0 0 -3 4 6 0 0 0 -5 2 Total 189 331 520 — 1,067
Goaltenders Regular season Player 41 39 2410:11 14 22 4 126 3.14 1197 0.895 1 0 2 18 24 23 1408:07 7 14 2 62 2.64 741 0.916 2 0 0 6 21 20 1132:16 6 13 0 59 3.13 589 0.900 1 0 1 2 Total 82 4950:34 27 49 6 247 2.99 2527 0.902 4 0 3 26 †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
Awards and records Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1000 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–2 win over Boston on February 8.
Awards TypeAward/honorRecipientRef League(annual) NHL All-Rookie Team Sebastien Caron (Goaltender) League(in-season) NHL All-Star Game selection Alexei Kovalev Mario Lemieux NHL Player of the Month Mario Lemieux (October) NHL Player of the Week Mario Lemieux (October 21) Team A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award Mario Lemieux 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313 Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award Steve McKenna 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312 Leading Scorer Award Mario Lemieux Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy No winner 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311 Most Valuable Player Award Mario Lemieux 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314 Players' Player Award No winner The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Johan Hedberg Steve McKenna
Milestones MilestonePlayerDateRef First game Michal Sivek November 29, 2002 Ross Lupaschuk December 10, 2002 Brooks Orpik Sebastien Caron January 11, 2003 Konstantin Koltsov January 28, 2003 Tomas Surovy February 14, 2003
Transactions