2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 37th season of play. For the third season in a row, the club placed last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. In an 18-game losing streak, they went 0–17–1. In the first 62 games, they were 11–42–5–4 for 31 points. In their final 20 games, they were 12–5–3–0, ultimately finishing with a 23–47–8–4 record for a last place finish.
Offseason
Head Coach Rick Kehoe resigned as coach during the off-season, where former team broadcaster Eddie Olczyk was hired as his replacement.Regular season
The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in the NHL in goals allowed, with 303. They struggled in short-handed situations, allowing the most power-play goals in the League, with 84, and finishing 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 77.24%. Furthermore, they allowed the most short-handed goals in the NHL, with 15.Final standings
Schedule and results
Player statistics
;Skaters;Goaltenders
†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
The team also set the NHL record for longest home losing streak, with 14 home losses.Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 2003–04 season:Trades
| August 25, 2003 | To Vancouver Canucks ---- Johan Hedberg | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- 2004 2nd round pick |
| November 30, 2003 | To Los Angeles Kings ---- Martin Straka | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Sergei Anshakov Martin Strbak |
| December 31, 2003 | To Edmonton Oilers ---- Mike Moller | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Pat Hughes |
| February 10, 2004 | To Columbus Blue Jackets ---- Brendan Buckley | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Pauli Levokari |
| February 11, 2004 | To Toronto Maple Leafs ---- Drake Berehowsky | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Richard Jackman |
| February 22, 2004 | To Phoenix Coyotes ---- future considerations | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Landon Wilson |
| March 8, 2004 | To New York Islanders ---- Steve Webb | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Alain Nasreddine |
| March 9, 2004 | To Vancouver Canucks ---- Marc Bergevin | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- 2004 7th round pick |
| March 9, 2004 | To Columbus Blue Jackets ---- Brian Holzinger | To Pittsburgh Penguins ---- Lasse Pirjeta |
Free agents acquired
Claimed via waivers
Free agents lost
Player signings
| Player | Date | Contract terms |
| Ryan Malone | July 14, 2003 | 2-year contract |
| Dick Tarnstrom | July 29, 2003 | 2-year, $2.5 million contract |
| Mario Lemieux | July 31, 2003 | 1-year, $5.25 million contract |
| Rico Fata | July 31, 2003 | Re-signed |
| Rob Scuderi | July 31, 2003 | Re-signed |
| Toby Petersen | July 31, 2003 | Re-signed |
| Matt Bradley | August 1, 2003 | 1-year contract |
| Milan Kraft | August 1, 2003 | 1-year contract |
| Sebastien Caron | August 22, 2003 | 3-year, $3.2 million contract |
| Andy Chiodo | August 21, 2003 | Signed |
| Ramzi Abid | September 11, 2003 | 1-year contract |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | October 6, 2003 | 3-year contract |
| Ryan Whitney | April 7, 2004 | 3-year, $1.19 million contract |
| Maxime Talbot | May 26, 2004 | 3-year contract |
| Erik Christensen | June 1, 2004 | Signed |
Personnel
Draft picks
Pittsburgh had 11 picks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
| 1 | 1 | Marc-Andre Fleury | Goaltender | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles |
| 2 | 32 | Ryan Stone | Center | Brandon Wheat Kings | |
| 3 | 70 | Jonathan Filewich | Right Winger | Canada | Prince George Cougars |
| 3 | 73 | Daniel Carcillo | Left Winger | Canada | Sarnia Sting |
| 4 | 121 | Paul Bissonnette | Defence | Canada | Saginaw Spirit |
| 5 | 161 | Evgeni Isakov | Left Wing | Russia | Severstal Cherepovets |
| 6 | 169 | Lukas Bolf | Defence | Sparta Prague | |
| 7 | 199 | Andy Chiodo | Goaltender | Canada | Toronto St. Michael's Majors |
| 7 | 229 | Stephen Dixon | Center | Canada | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles |
| 8 | 232 | Joe Jensen | Center | United States | St. Cloud State University |
| 9 | 263 | Matt Moulson | Left Wings | Canada | Cornell University |
;Draft notes
- The Florida Panthers' first-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 second round pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2003 third-round pick and this pick.
- The Penguins' first-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
- The Penguins' third-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 third-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
- The Florida Panthers' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 21, 2003 trade that sent Mikael Samuelsson, a 2003 first-round pick and a 2003 second round pick to the Panthers in exchange for a 2003 first-round pick and this pick.
- The Penguins' fourth-round pick went to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a March 15, 2002 trade that sent Jamie Pushor to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
- The Boston Bruins' fourth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 11, 2003 trade that sent Ian Moran the Bruins in exchange for this pick.
- The Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a February 9, 2003 trade that sent Shawn Heins to the Penguins in exchange for this conditional pick.
- The New York Islanders' fifth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 9, 2003 trade that sent Randy Robitaille the Islanders in exchange for this pick.
- The New Jersey Devils' seventh-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 19, 2002 trade that sent Stephane Richer to the Devils in exchange for this pick.
Farm teams
The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers won the Northern Division and the Eastern Conference with a record of 51–17–4. They lost to the Reading Royals in the first round of the playoffs. Pat Bingham won the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's coach of the year.