The 2003 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 9, 2003. Twenty teams, the top ten from each conference, qualified for the playoffs. The seventh-, eighth-, ninth-, and tenth-placed teams in each conference played best-of-three series in the qualifying round. The four winners, in addition to the other twelve teams that qualified, played best-of-five series for conference quarterfinals. The remaining 8 teams played best-of-seven series for conference semifinals and conference finals.2003 Calder Cup Playoffs caldercup.com. Retrieved on April 28, 2008 The conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Calder Cup. The Calder Cup Final ended on June 12, 2003 with the Houston Aeros defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs four games to three to win the first Calder Cup in team history.Calder Cup champions caldercup.com. Retrieved on April 28, 2008
Houston's Johan Holmqvist won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as AHL playoff MVP and also set a record for most minutes played by a goaltender in a single playoff with 1498.Jack A. Butterfield Trophy AHL Hall of Fame. Retrieved on May 6, 2008Calder Cup record book: Players caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 6, 2008 Jarret Stoll of the Hamilton Bulldogs set an AHL playoff record for the fastest goal from the start of a period by scoring 4 seconds into the 3rd period on May 22, 2003 against Binghamton. Hamilton's Michael Ryder ended the longest game in AHL history when he scored at 14:56 of the fourth overtime in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Final.Important dates in Hamilton Bulldogs history hamiltonbulldogs.com. Retrieved on May 6, 2008 However, this record was eclipsed during the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs.Phantoms win longest game in AHL history caldercup.com. Retrieved on May 6, 2008
Playoff seeds After the 2002–03 AHL regular season, 20 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top ten teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs. The Hamilton Bulldogs were the Eastern Conference regular season champions as well as the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy winners with the best overall regular season record. The Grand Rapids Griffins were the Western Conference regular season champions.2002-03 AHL Standings HockeyDB. Retrieved on April 28, 2008 Division champions were automatically ranked 1-3.
Eastern Conference Hamilton Bulldogs – Canadian Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions; Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy winners, 110 points Providence Bruins – North Division champions, 104 points Binghamton Senators – East Division champions, 97 points Manchester Monarchs – 97 points Bridgeport Sound Tigers – 94 points Worcester IceCats – 88 points Hartford Wolf Pack – 86 points Portland Pirates – 85 points Manitoba Moose – 84 points Springfield Falcons – 76 points
Western Conference Grand Rapids Griffins – Central Division and Western Conference regular season champions, 106 points Houston Aeros – West Division champions, 104 points Norfolk Admirals – South Division champions, 91 points Chicago Wolves – 98 points Hershey Bears – 89 points San Antonio Rampage – 87 points Milwaukee Admirals – 85 points Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 84 points Utah Grizzlies – 83 points Rochester Americans – 81 points
Bracket
The top 6 teams in each conference receive byes to the Conference Quarterfinals. In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. In the qualification round, all games are played at the arena of the higher seed. In each round the higher seed receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format for each series after the Qualification Round due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.Frequently asked questions theahl.com. Retrieved on May 12, 2008.
Conference Qualifiers Note 1: All times are in Eastern Time (UTC−4). Note 2: Game times in italics signify games to be played only if necessary. Note 3: Home team is listed first.
Eastern Conference
(7) Hartford Wolf Pack vs. (10) Springfield Falcons
(8) Portland Pirates vs. (9) Manitoba Moose
Western Conference
(7) Milwaukee Admirals vs. (10) Rochester Americans
(8) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. (9) Utah Grizzlies
Conference Quarterfinals
Eastern Conference
(1) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (10) Springfield Falcons
(2) Providence Bruins vs. (9) Manitoba Moose
(3) Binghamton Senators vs. (6) Worcester IceCats
(4) Manchester Monarchs vs. (5) Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Western Conference
(1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (8) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
(2) Houston Aeros vs. (7) Milwaukee Admirals
(3) Norfolk Admirals vs. (6) San Antonio Rampage
(4) Chicago Wolves vs. (5) Hershey Bears
Conference semifinals
Eastern Conference
(1) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (9) Manitoba Moose
(3) Binghamton Senators vs. (5) Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Western Conference
(1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (4) Chicago Wolves
(2) Houston Aeros vs. (3) Norfolk Admirals
Conference finals
Eastern Conference
(1) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (3) Binghamton Senators
Western Conference
(1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (2) Houston Aeros
Calder Cup Final
(E1) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (W2) Houston Aeros
See also 2002–03 AHL season List of AHL seasons
References