2001–02 Edmonton Oilers season

2001–02 Edmonton Oilers
Division	3rd Northwest
Conference	9th Western
2001–02 record	38–28–12–4
Home record	23–14–4–0
Road record	15–14–8–4
Goals for	205 (T-20th)
Goals against	182 (2nd)
Team information
General Manager	Kevin Lowe
Coach	Craig MacTavish
Captain	Jason Smith
Alternate captains	Mike Grier Todd Marchant Rem Murray (Oct-Mar) Janne Niinimaa (Mar-Apr) Ryan Smyth
Arena	Skyreach Centre
Average attendance	16,593 (98.5%)
Team leaders
Goals	Mike Comrie (33)
Assists	Janne Niinimaa (39)
Points	Mike Comrie (60) Anson Carter (60)
Penalties in minutes	Georges Laraque (157)
Plus/minus	Mike Comrie (+16)
Wins	Tommy Salo (30)
Goals against average	Tommy Salo (2.22)
<2000–01	2002–03>

The 2001–02 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 23rd season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 39–28–12–3 record in 2000–01, earning 93 points, the highest point total the Oilers had achieved since the 1987–88 season, when they earned 99 points. The Oilers would meet the Dallas Stars in the opening round of the playoffs, and lose in 6 games.

During the off-season, Edmonton traded Doug Weight to the St. Louis Blues, along with Michel Riesen for Marty Reasoner, Jochen Hecht and Jan Horacek. With the trading of the captain, the Oilers named defenceman Jason Smith the new captain of the club.

Despite the loss of Weight, the Oilers got off to a great start, and on December 16, they sat at the top of the Northwest Division with 43 points. Edmonton would then slump, going 9–16–7–1 in their next 33 games to drop them out of the playoff picture. The club would then go on a 9 game unbeaten streak, and despite finishing the year with a 38–28–12–4 record, good for 90 points, they would miss the playoffs for the first time since 1996, finishing 2 points behind the 8th place Vancouver Canucks.

Offensively, Edmonton-born Mike Comrie led the club with 33 goals and 60 points, while Anson Carter scored 28 goals and also earn 60 points. Ryan Smyth earned 50 points in only 61 games. Janne Niinimaa led the club with 39 assists, and led the defense with 44 points. Georges Laraque provided the club toughness, earning 157 penalty minutes.

In goal, Tommy Salo would have arguably the best season ever by an Oilers goaltender, winning 30 games and posting a club record 2.22 GAA, and earning 5 shutouts. The 182 goals the Oilers allowed was a club record for fewest in a season, and the second lowest total in the NHL during the season.

Contents 1 Season standings 2 Game log 3 Season stats 3.1 Scoring leaders 3.2 Goaltending 4 Transactions 4.1 Trades 4.2 Free agents 4.3 Draft picks 5 Roster 6 References

Season standings

Northwest Division	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
Colorado Avalanche	82	45	28	8	1	212	169	99
Vancouver Canucks	82	42	30	7	3	254	211	94
Edmonton Oilers	82	38	28	12	4	205	182	92
Calgary Flames	82	32	35	12	3	201	220	79
Minnesota Wild	82	26	35	12	9	195	238	73

Game log

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Record	Pts
1	October 3	Edmonton Oilers	0–1	Calgary Flames	0–1–0–0	0
2	October 6	Phoenix Coyotes	2–6	Edmonton Oilers	1–1–0–0	2
3	October 9	Chicago Blackhawks	0–1	Edmonton Oilers	2–1–0–0	4
4	October 11	Colorado Avalanche	3–5	Edmonton Oilers	3–1–0–0	6
5	October 13	Edmonton Oilers	4–3	Nashville Predators	4–1–0–0	8
6	October 14	Edmonton Oilers	3–3	Minnesota Wild	4–1–1–0	9
7	October 16	Toronto Maple Leafs	4–1	Edmonton Oilers	4–2–1–0	9
8	October 18	Edmonton Oilers	4–1	Colorado Avalanche	5–2–1–0	11
9	October 20	Florida Panthers	2–6	Edmonton Oilers	6–2–1–0	13
10	October 22	Nashville Predators	4–2	Edmonton Oilers	6–3–1–0	13
11	October 24	Edmonton Oilers	1–4	Detroit Red Wings	6–4–1–0	13
12	October 25	Edmonton Oilers	5–2	Columbus Blue Jackets	7–4–1–0	15
13	October 27	Vancouver Canucks	2–3	Edmonton Oilers	8–4–1–0	17
14	October 30	Montreal Canadiens	1–3	Edmonton Oilers	9–4–1–0	19
15	November 2	Columbus Blue Jackets	2–1	Edmonton Oilers	9–5–1–0	19
16	November 4	Edmonton Oilers	2–0	Minnesota Wild	10–5–1–0	21
17	November 6	Edmonton Oilers	0–1	Boston Bruins	10–5–1–1	22
18	November 9	Edmonton Oilers	3–0	Columbus Blue Jackets	11–5–1–1	24
19	November 11	Edmonton Oilers	1–1	Carolina Hurricanes	11–5–2–1	25
20	November 13	Edmonton Oilers	5–4	Phoenix Coyotes	12–5–2–1	27
21	November 16	Chicago Blackhawks	1–7	Edmonton Oilers	13–5–2–1	29
22	November 17	Edmonton Oilers	2–2	Vancouver Canucks	13–5–3–1	30
23	November 20	St. Louis Blues	0–2	Edmonton Oilers	14–5–3–1	32
24	November 22	Los Angeles Kings	4–2	Edmonton Oilers	14–6–3–1	32
25	November 24	Edmonton Oilers	0–2	Colorado Avalanche	14–7–3–1	32
26	November 28	Edmonton Oilers	2–0	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	15–7–3–1	34
27	November 29	Edmonton Oilers	3–1	Los Angeles Kings	16–7–3–1	36
28	December 1	Dallas Stars	6–4	Edmonton Oilers	16–8–3–1	36
29	December 5	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	2–3	Edmonton Oilers	17–8–3–1	38
30	December 7	Edmonton Oilers	0–5	Dallas Stars	17–9–3–1	38
31	December 8	Edmonton Oilers	2–2	Nashville Predators	17–9–4–1	39
32	December 11	Edmonton Oilers	4–5	San Jose Sharks	17–9–4–2	40
33	December 13	Detroit Red Wings	2–1	Edmonton Oilers	17–10–4–2	40
34	December 14	Tampa Bay Lightning	1–2	Edmonton Oilers	18–10–4–2	42
35	December 16	Edmonton Oilers	3–2	Philadelphia Flyers	19–10–4–2	44
36	December 18	Edmonton Oilers	1–4	New York Islanders	19–11–4–2	44
37	December 20	Edmonton Oilers	3–3	New Jersey Devils	19–11–5–2	45
38	December 21	Edmonton Oilers	1–5	Chicago Blackhawks	19–12–5–2	45
39	December 26	Calgary Flames	2–3	Edmonton Oilers	20–12–5–2	47
40	December 28	Minnesota Wild	2–3	Edmonton Oilers	21–12–5–2	49
41	December 30	New Jersey Devils	2–1	Edmonton Oilers	21–13–5–2	49
42	December 31	Edmonton Oilers	2–2	Calgary Flames	21–13–6–2	50
43	January 2	New York Rangers	1–4	Edmonton Oilers	22–13–6–2	52
44	January 5	Vancouver Canucks	4–3	Edmonton Oilers	22–14–6–2	52
45	January 6	Montreal Canadiens	6–7	Edmonton Oilers	23–14–6–2	54
46	January 10	Carolina Hurricanes	4–1	Edmonton Oilers	23–15–6–2	54
47	January 12	Colorado Avalanche	2–2	Edmonton Oilers	23–15–7–2	55
48	January 14	Edmonton Oilers	1–2	Chicago Blackhawks	23–16–7–2	55
49	January 1	Edmonton Oilers	2–3	St. Louis Blues	23–17–7–2	55
50	January 18	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	1–3	Edmonton Oilers	24–17–7–2	57
51	January 19	Pittsburgh Penguins	1–0	Edmonton Oilers	24–18–7–2	57
52	January 21	Edmonton Oilers	3–4	San Jose Sharks	24–19–7–2	57
53	January 23	Colorado Avalanche	4–2	Edmonton Oilers	24–20–7–2	57
54	January 26	Toronto Maple Leafs	1–4	Edmonton Oilers	25–20–7–2	59
55	January 28	Detroit Red Wings	1–1	Edmonton Oilers	25–20–8–2	60
56	January 30	Edmonton Oilers	2–2	Vancouver Canucks	25–20–9–2	61
57	February 5	Edmonton Oilers	2–3	Atlanta Thrashers	25–21–9–2	61
58	February 7	Edmonton Oilers	1–3	St. Louis Blues	25–22–9–2	61
59	February 8	Edmonton Oilers	1–1	Dallas Stars	25–22–10–2	62
60	February 10	Edmonton Oilers	4–3	Phoenix Coyotes	26–22–10–2	64
61	February 12	San Jose Sharks	3–2	Edmonton Oilers	26–23–10–2	64
62	February 28	Nashville Predators	3–2	Edmonton Oilers	26–24–10–2	64
63	March 2	St. Louis Blues	1–1	Edmonton Oilers	26–24–11–2	65
64	March 4	Edmonton Oilers	3–0	Buffalo Sabres	27–24–11–2	67
65	March 6	Edmonton Oilers	3–2	Tampa Bay Lightning	28–24–11–2	69
66	March 8	Edmonton Oilers	4–5	Florida Panthers	28–25–11–2	69
67	March 10	Edmonton Oilers	2–4	Washington Capitals	28–26–11–2	69
68	March 13	Edmonton Oilers	3–4	Detroit Red Wings	28–26–11–3	70
69	March 14	Edmonton Oilers	4–1	Ottawa Senators	29–26–11–3	72
70	March 16	Washington Capitals	1–4	Edmonton Oilers	30–26–11–3	74
71	March 20	San Jose Sharks	1–2	Edmonton Oilers	31–26–11–3	76
72	March 23	Calgary Flames	1–3	Edmonton Oilers	32–26–11–3	78
73	March 24	Edmonton Oilers	2–0	Vancouver Canucks	33–26–11–3	80
74	March 26	Columbus Blue Jackets	1–3	Edmonton Oilers	34–26–11–3	82
75	March 28	Los Angeles Kings	2–2	Edmonton Oilers	34–26–12–3	83
76	March 30	Dallas Stars	1–3	Edmonton Oilers	35–26–12–3	85
77	April 2	Minnesota Wild	1–2	Edmonton Oilers	36–26–12–3	87
78	April 5	Edmonton Oilers	0–2	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	36–27–12–3	87
79	April 6	Edmonton Oilers	3–4	Los Angeles Kings	36–27–12–4	88
80	April 10	Phoenix Coyotes	0–3	Edmonton Oilers	37–27–12–4	90
81	April 12	Calgary Flames	2–0	Edmonton Oilers	37–28–12–4	90
82	April 14	Edmonton Oilers	4–2	Minnesota Wild	38–28–12–4	92

Season stats

Scoring leaders

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Mike Comrie	82	33	27	60	45
Anson Carter	82	28	32	60	25
Ryan Smyth	61	15	35	50	48
Janne Niinimaa	81	5	39	44	80
Jochen Hecht	82	16	24	40	60

Goaltending

Player	GP	Min	W	L	T	GA	SO	Save %	GAA
Ty Conklin	4	148	2	0	0	4	0	.939	1.62
Jussi Markkanen	14	784	6	4	2	24	2	.929	1.84
Tommy Salo	69	4035	30	28	10	149	6	.913	2.22

Transactions

Trades

June 19, 2001	To Minnesota Wild Sergei Zholtok	To Edmonton Oilers 7th round pick in 2002 - Jean-Francois Dufort
July 1, 2001	To St. Louis Blues Doug Weight Michel Riesen	To Edmonton Oilers Jochen Hecht Marty Reasoner Jan Horacek
March 19, 2002	To Boston Bruins Sean Brown	To Edmonton Oilers Bobby Allen
March 19, 2002	To New York Rangers Rem Murray Tom Poti	To Edmonton Oilers Mike York 4th round pick in 2002 - Ivan Koltsov

Free agents

Player Former Team Contract Terms D Steve Staios Atlanta Thrashers 3 years, $2.85 million F Greg Leeb Dallas Stars 1 year, F Sean Selmser Columbus Blue Jackets 1 year, G Marc Lamothe Chicago Blackhawks 1 year,

Player New Team D Brett Hauer Los Angeles Kings D Igor Ulanov New York Rangers F Paul Healey Toronto Maple Leafs D Brad Norton Florida Panthers D Rory Fitzpatrick Buffalo Sabres

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	13	Ales Hemsky	Czech Republic	Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
2	43	Doug Lynch	Canada	Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2	52	Ed Caron	United States	Phillips-Exeter Academy (USHS)
3	84	Kenny Smith	United States	Harvard Crimson (NCAA)
5	133	Jussi Markkanen	Finland	Tappara (SM-liiga)
5	154	Jake Brenk	United States	Breck School (USHS)
6	185	Mikael Svensk	Sweden	Frolunda (Sweden)
7	215	Dan Baum	Canada	Prince George Cougars (WHL)
8	248	Kari Haakana	Finland	Jokerit (SM-liiga)
9	272	Ales Pisa	Czech Republic	HC Pardubice (Czech.)
9	278	Shay Stephenson	Canada	Red Deer Rebels (OHL)

Roster

Goaltenders 1 Ty Conklin  30 Jussi Markkanen  35 Tommy Salo		Defensemen 2 Eric Brewer  5 Tom Poti  19 Sven Butenschon  21 Jason Smith  - C 23 Sean Brown  24 Steve Staios  32 Scott Ferguson  44 Janne Niinimaa  45 Ales Pisa		Wingers 7 Dan Cleary  10 Shawn Horcoff  12 Josh Green  14 Domenic Pittis  16 Mike York  18 Ethan Moreau  20 Jochen Hecht  22 Anson Carter  25 Mike Grier  27 Georges Laraque  46 Jani Rita  94 Ryan Smyth		Centres 15 Marty Reasoner  17 Rem Murray  26 Todd Marchant  28 Jason Chimera  37 Brian Swanson  89 Mike Comrie  GM: Kevin Lowe Coach: Craig MacTavish

References

• SHRP Sports
• The Internet Hockey Database
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007

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