2002 Stanley Cup playoffs

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on June 13, 2002, four games to one, to win their tenth championship in their history.

Carolina was in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their 23-year history, which includes their tenure as the Hartford Whalers.

Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

It was the ninth championship for Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, who announced his retirement after the deciding game of the series.

For the first time since entering the NHL, both teams from the province of Alberta, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers missed the playoffs in the same season.

The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 97 points.

The Carolina Hurricanes entered the playoffs as the Southeast Division champions earning the third seed in the Eastern Conference with 91 points.

Although New Jersey finished the season with a better overall record and a higher point total, Carolina won their division, so they were automatically placed in the top three seeds in the conference and were granted home-ice advantage.

This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals where New Jersey won in six games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 100 points.

This was the second playoff series between these two teams, they last met in the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals, which Colorado won in seven games.

The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the Pacific Division champions earning the third seed in the Western Conference with 99 points, losing the tiebreaker with the Colorado Avalanche in wins (45 to 44).

This was the third consecutive playoff meeting and third postseason match-up between these two teams; with Toronto winning both previous series.

The Hurricanes advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in their 23rd season (fifth in Carolina) after entering the league in 1979 as the Hartford Whalers.

Martin Gelinas' overtime goal in Game 6 sent Carolina to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The Hurricanes franchise had last played in a championship series when they were known as the New England Whalers in the WHA in 1978 where they were swept by the Winnipeg Jets.

Despite getting eliminated by the Red Wings in the Western Conference Final, Colorado forward Peter Forsberg led the playoffs in points with 18 assists and 9 goals.