The 2003–04 WHL season was the 38th season for the Western Hockey League. Twenty teams completed a 72-game season. The Medicine Hat Tigers won the President's Cup, while the host Kelowna Rockets won the Memorial Cup. League notes The Everett Silvertips joined the WHL as its 20th franchise, playing in the U.S. Division of the western Conference. The playoff crossover if the 5th-place team in the B.C. Division finished ahead of the 4th-place team in the U.S. division was discontinued. The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. The 2003–04 season became a historic one for the WHL. The Everett Silvertips, the league's newest franchise, broke 10 junior hockey expansion team records, including winning both a division title and conference title in the team's first season. The Silvertips also became the first expansion team in WHL history to win a playoff series against the league's top team in the regular season, defeating the regular-season champions and reigning WHL champions Kelowna Rockets in seven games after falling behind 3–1 in the Western Conference Finals before winning three straight games in overtime, becoming the first junior hockey expansion team to win a conference title. Regular season Final standings Eastern Conference Western Conference Scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes Goaltending leaders Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties ; GA = Goals against; SO = Total shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average 2004 WHL Playoffs Conference quarterfinals Eastern Conference Western Conference Conference semifinals Conference finals WHL Championship RE/Max Canada-Russia Challenge On November 26, Team WHL defeated the Russian Selects 4–1 in Calgary, Alberta before a crowd of 7,844. On November 27, Team WHL defeated the Russian Selects 7–1 in Brandon, Manitoba before a crowd of 4,908. WHL awards All-Star Teams source: Western Hockey League press release 2004 Bantam Draft The 2004 WHL Bantam Draft was held at the WHL's head office in Calgary on April 29, 2004. List of first round picks in the bantam draft. See also 2004 Memorial Cup 2004 NHL Entry Draft 2003 in sports 2004 in sports References whl.ca 2005–06 WHL Guide Western Hockey League seasons WHL WHL