2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season

The 2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season was their eighth season in the National Hockey League, the franchise's 25th season in the NHL and 32nd overall. For the second year in a row, the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs. It would be the first season the franchise would have playing their home games at the Glendale Arena. However, because the Glendale Arena didn't open until December 26, the first 13 home games were played at America West Arena. The Coyotes went 5–14–5–4 for 19 points in their new home arena.

Off-season
Phoenix went into the talent-rich 2003 NHL Entry Draft without a first or second-round draft choice, both having been traded in part for Daymond Langkow in 2001 and Brad Ference at the 2003 trading deadline, respectively. They made their first selection in the third round, 77th overall, selecting centerman Tyler Redenbach. None of the eight players they drafted played a single NHL game.

Defenseman and team captain Teppo Numminen was traded to the Dallas Stars on July 22. Forward Shane Doan was named his replacement on the eve of training camp.

Regular season
Though the Coyotes finished last in their division (13th in the Conference), for a remarkable span in late December and early January, the team attracted the attention of the sports world, as goaltender Brian Boucher set an NHL record for consecutive shutouts. From December 31 to January 9, Boucher and the Coyotes recorded five consecutive shut-out victories, outscoring their opponents 18–0 during the span. The streak was broken on January 11 in a game against the visiting Atlanta Thrashers, when Randy Robitaille scored on Boucher at 6:16 of the first period. Boucher's streak lasted 332:01, surpassing Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan's 1949 record by over 20 minutes.

The Coyotes struggled after the streak, winning only six of their remaining 40 games. A winless streak of 15 games from February 21 to March 21 is the third longest in franchise history and the longest since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1996. Head coach Bob Francis was fired on February 24 and replaced by assistant coach Rick Bowness, who served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season and throughout the 2004–05 NHL lockout.

Schedule and results

 * Legend:
 * Legend:

Scoring

 * Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
 * † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
 * ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.

Goaltending

 * † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.
 * ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Coyotes only.

Records
Brian Boucher set two modern day (since the 1943–44 season when the center ice red line was introduced) NHL records. From December 22, 2003, to January 11, 2004, Boucher went 332 minutes and 1 second without allowing a goal. From December 31, 2003, to January 9, 2004, Boucher recorded five shutouts in a row, which also set the modern day record for consecutive shutouts by a team.

Transactions
The Coyotes were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

Draft picks
Phoenix's draft picks at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.