 Entering the 2003 playoffs with the fourth seed in the West, the Canucks won their first playoff series in eight years, defeating the St. Louis Blues in seven games before losing to the Minnesota Wild in the second round.In both series, they were 3–1 comebacks; the Canucks rallied to beat the Blues, but lost their own 3–1 lead to the Wild, who had also come back from a 3–1 deficit in the first round, against the Avalanche.Amidst a run for the team's first Northwest Division title the following season, the Canucks received significant media attention for their involvement in a violent on-ice attack during a game against the Avalanche.