1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season

1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers
Campbell Conference champions
Patrick Division champions
Division 1st Patrick
Conference 1st Campbell
1975–76 record 51–13–16
Home record 36–2–2
Road record 15–11–14
Goals for 348 (1st)
Goals against 209 (3rd)
Team information
President Joe Scott
General Manager Keith Allen
Coach Fred Shero
Captain Bobby Clarke
Alternate captains None[lower-alpha 1]
Arena Spectrum
Average attendance 17,077[1]
Minor league affiliate(s) Richmond Robins
Philadelphia Firebirds
Team leaders
Goals Reggie Leach (61)
Assists Bobby Clarke (89)
Points Bobby Clarke (119)
Penalties in minutes Dave Schultz (307)
Plus/minus Bobby Clarke (+83)
Wins Wayne Stephenson (40)
Goals against average Gary Inness (1.50)

The 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' ninth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the third consecutive year, but they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game sweep.

Regular season

The Flyers recorded the best record in team history (points wise) with a record of 51–13–16 in 1975–76. They also tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20. The LCB line, featuring Reggie Leach at right-wing, Bobby Clarke at center, and Bill Barber at left-wing, set an NHL record for goals by a single line with 141 (Leach 61, Clarke 30, Barber 50). Clarke, on his way to a third Hart Trophy, set a club record for points in one season with 119.

The highlight of the season had no bearing on the season standings. On January 11 at the Spectrum, the Flyers, as part of the Super Series '76, played a memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominant Central Red Army team. As the Bullies had put intimidation to good use the past three years, the Flyers' rugged style of play led the Soviets to leave the ice midway through the first period, protesting a hit by Ed Van Impe on Valeri Kharlamov (whom Clarke had slashed on the ankle in the famous Summit Series '72). After some delay, the Soviets returned after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series. The Flyers went on to win the game rather easily, 4–1, and were the only team to defeat the Red Army outright in the series. Head coach Fred Shero would proclaim, "Yes we are world champions. If they had won, they would have been world champions. We beat the hell out of a machine."[2]

Season standings

Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers80511316348209118
New York Islanders80422117297190101
Atlanta Flames8035331226223782
New York Rangers802942926233367

[3]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Playoffs

Heading into the playoffs, the Flyers squeaked past Toronto in seven games and defeated Boston in five games, Game 5 featuring a five-goal outburst by Leach, the Riverton Rifle, to head to a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Flyers didn't come close to a third straight championship, as they ran into an up-and-coming dynasty in Montreal, and were swept in four straight games. Despite the loss, Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for scoring 19 goals in 16 playoff games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1975–76 regular season

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1976 Stanley Cup playoffs

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • dagger = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
  • double-dagger = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Age Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts PIM
16Bobby Clarke26C76308911983136162141628
7Bill Barber23LW8050621127410416671318
27Reggie Leach25RW80613091734116195248
26Orest Kindrachuk25C76264975321011647114
12Gary Dornhoefer32RW74283563141281634743
10Mel Bridgman20C80232750228616681431
11Don Saleski26RW78212647336816651147
18Ross Lonsberry28LW801928472987164372
19Rick MacLeish26C51222345616—————
5Larry Goodenough23D7783442458316311146
3Tom Bladon23D8014233745681626814
6Andre Dupont26D7592736402141522446
20Jimmy Watson23D79234366566161896
8Dave Schultz26LW71131932243071622490
14Joe Watson32D782222456281611210
9Bob Kelly25LW791282031251602244
15Terry Crisp32C386915628100552
2Ed Van Impedouble-dagger35D400881660—————
29Jack McIlhargey23D57123112051503341
21Larry Wright24C210110—————
35Wayne Stephenson31G66000N/A1180000
1Bernie Parent30G11000N/A280000
30Bobby Taylordouble-dagger31G4000N/A2—————
25Terry Murray25D30000260110
30Gary Innessdagger26G2000N/A0—————
33Jerome Mrazek24G1000N/A0—————
21Bob Siroisdouble-dagger21RW100000—————
17Paul Holmgren20RW100002—————

Goaltenders

  • dagger = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
  • double-dagger = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Age GP W L T SO GA SV% GAA MIN GP W L SO GA SV% GAA MIN
35Wayne Stephenson31664010131164.9072.583819844022.9042.67494
1Bernie Parent3011623024.9082.34615844027.8923.38480
30Bobby Taylordouble-dagger314310015.8803.75240————————
30Gary Innessdagger26220003.9501.50120————————
33Jerome Mrazek24100001.66710.006————————

Awards and records

Awards

League awards and honors
Award or honor Recipient Notes Ref
Conn Smythe Trophy Reggie Leach [4]
Hart Memorial Trophy Bobby Clarke [5]
NHL First All-Star Team Bill Barber (Left Wing) [6]
Bobby Clarke (Center)
NHL Second All-Star Team Reggie Leach (Right Wing) [6]
Selected to NHL All-Star Game Bill Barber [7][8]
Bobby Clarke Did not play
Andre Dupont
Reggie Leach
Rick MacLeish Replaced Clarke
Fred Shero (Coach)
Wayne Stephenson
Jim Watson
Team awards[9]
Award Recipient
Barry Ashbee Trophy Jim Watson

Records

  •  dagger  NHL record
  •  double-dagger  Tied for NHL record

Individual

Franchise player records set during the 1975–76 season
Record Type Total Player Date(s) Opponent Ref
Games with an assist Streak 12[lower-alpha 2] Bobby Clarke 3/11/1976 – 4/3/1976 — [10]
Goals scored Season 61 Reggie Leach — — [11]
Assists Season 89[lower-alpha 3] Bobby Clarke — — [11]
Shots on goal Season 380 Bill Barber — — [11]
Assists per game Season 1.17 Bobby Clarke — — [12]
Penalties in minutes, playoffs Game 42dagger Dave Schultz 4/22/1976 Toronto Maple Leafs [13]
Penalties in minutes, playoffs Series 116dagger Dave Schultz — Toronto Maple Leafs [14]
Goals scored, playoffs Game 5double-dagger Reggie Leach 5/6/1976 Boston Bruins [13]
Assists, playoffs Game 4[lower-alpha 4] Bobby Clarke 5/6/1976 Boston Bruins [13]
Games with a goal, playoffs Streak 10dagger Reggie Leach 4/17/1976 – 5/9/1976 — [13]
Goals scored, playoffs Season 19double-dagger Reggie Leach — — [15]

Team

Franchise team records set during the 1975–76 season
Record Type Total Date(s) Opponent Player(s) Refs
Games won at home Streak 20 1/4/1976 – 4/3/1976 — — [16][17]
Most wins at home Season 36double-dagger — — — [18]
Fewest losses at home Season 2 — — — [18]
Most points Season 118 — — — [19]
Best points percentage Season .738 — — — [19]
Goals scored by a line Season 141 — — Reggie Leach (61) [10]
Bill Barber (50)
Bobby Clarke (30)
Points by a line Season 322 — — Bobby Clarke (119) [10]
Bill Barber (112)
Reggie Leach (91)
Penalties in minutes, playoffs Game 107 4/15/1976 Toronto Maple Leafs — [20]
Fastest two goals, playoffs Game 0:13 4/20/1976 Toronto Maple Leafs Gary Dornhoefer [20]
Don Saleski
Goals scored, playoffs Period 5[lower-alpha 5] 4/25/1976 Toronto Maple Leafs — [14]

Milestones

Franchise firsts
Milestone Player Details Date Ref
60-goal season Reggie Leach Even-strength goal at 10:06 of the second period against Ron Low April 1, 1976 [21]
5-goal game, playoffs Reggie Leach 1: Even-strength goal at 5:45 of the first period against Gilles Gilbert May 6, 1976 [22]
2: Even-strength goal at 2:02 of the second period against Gilbert
3: Even-strength goal at 8:51 of the second period against Gilbert
4: Even-strength goal at 17:09 of the second period against Gilbert
5: Even-strength goal at 8:07 of the third period against Gilbert

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 28, 1975, the day after the deciding game of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 16, 1976, the day of the deciding game of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals.[23]

Trades

Date Details Ref
June 3, 1975 To Philadelphia Flyers
1st-round pick in 1975		 To Washington Capitals
Bill Clement
Don McLean
1st-round pick in 1975		 [24]
December 15, 1975 To Philadelphia Flyers
future considerations[lower-alpha 6]		 To Washington Capitals
Bob Sirois		 [25]
March 9, 1976 To Philadelphia Flyers
Gary Inness
future considerations[lower-alpha 7]		 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bobby Taylor
Ed Van Impe		 [26]

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.

Date Player Previous team (league) Contract details Ref
August 6, 1975Dave KellyProvidence Friars (HE)[27]
September 10, 1975Larry WrightCalifornia Golden Seals[28]
September 10, 1975Wayne SchaabOmaha Knights (CHL)[28]
September 23, 1975Terry MurrayCalifornia Golden Seals[29]

Re-signed

The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.

Date Player Contract details Ref
September 5, 1975Dave Schultz5 years, $350,000[30]
September 16, 1975Orest Kindrachukmulti-year

Draft picks

The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.

Date Player Previous team (league) Draft Contract details Ref
June 6, 1975Mel BridgmanVictoria Cougars (WCHL)1975 1st-round pick5 years, $500,000[31]
August 6, 1975Bob RitchieSorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)1975 3rd-round pick[27]
March 7, 1976Paul HolmgrenMinnesota Fighting Saints (WHA)1975 6th-round pickmulti-year[32]

NHL Intra-League Draft

The 1975 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 17, 1975.[33] Each NHL team placed 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select.[33] It cost $40,000 to make a claim.[33] The Flyers were not involved in any selections during the draft.[33]

Departures

The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*).

Date Player New team (league) Via Notes Ref
June 2, 1975Ted Harris—RetirementNamed head coach of Minnesota North Stars[34]

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the NHL's office in Montreal, Quebec, on June 3, 1975.[35] The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 36th overall, along with the rights to Randy Andreachuk to the St. Louis Blues for Wayne Stephenson on September 16, 1974.[36]

Players drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and their NHL career regular season statistics
Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league) GP G A Pts PIM W L T GAA Notes
1 1 Mel Bridgman Center  Canada Victoria Cougars (WCHL) 977 252 449 701 1625 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 [lower-alpha 8]
3 54 Bob Ritchie Left Wing  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) 29 8 4 12 10 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
4 72 Rick St. Croix Goaltender  Canada Oshawa Generals (OHL) 131 0 2 2 2 49 54 18 3.71
5 90 Gary Morrison Forward  United States Michigan Wolverines (CCHA) 43 1 15 16 70 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
6 108 Paul Holmgren Forward  United States Minnesota Golden Gophers (WCHA) 527 144 179 323 1684 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
7 126 Dana Decker Left Wing  United States Michigan Tech Huskies (WCHA) &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
9 160 Viktor Khatulev Defense  Latvia Dynamo Riga (USSR) &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
10 175 Duffy Smith Defense  Canada Bowling Green Falcons (CCHA) &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—
 &
—

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL[37][38] and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.[39]

Notes

  1. ↑ The alternate captain position was abolished from the 1975–76 season through the 1984–85 season.
  2. ↑ Clarke tied this record during the 1977–78 season.
  3. ↑ Clarke tied his assist total from the 1974–75 season.
  4. ↑ Tied five times by five different players. See List of Philadelphia Flyers records.
  5. ↑ Tied four times. See List of Philadelphia Flyers records.
  6. ↑ The Capitals sent John Paddock to the Flyers on September 1, 1976, to complete trade.[25]
  7. ↑ The Flyers later received the Penguins' 1977 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th-round picks to complete the trade.
  8. ↑ The Flyers acquired the 1st overall pick from the Washington Capitals for Bill Clement, Don McLean and the Flyers' first-round pick, 18th overall, on June 3, 1975.[36]

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Flyers History – Historic Moments". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
  4. ↑ "Conn Smythe Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. 1 2 2014–15 NHL Official Guide & Record Book, p. 230–32
  7. ↑ "29th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Flyers History – All-Star Game Representatives". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 263
  11. 1 2 3 "NHL.com – Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Philadelphia Flyers Season Leaders – Hockey-Reference.com". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 350
  14. 1 2 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 349
  15. ↑ "NHL.com – Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  16. ↑ 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 259
  17. ↑ 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 260
  18. 1 2 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 244
  19. 1 2 "NHL.com – Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. 1 2 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 348
  21. ↑ "Flyers History – Philadelphia Flyer Goal Season List". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015. Goal List for Reggie Leach 1975–76 Season
  22. ↑ "Flyers History – Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 14, 2015. 6-May-76 Boston Bruins 3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 6
  23. ↑ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Flyers Trade Clement For First Draft Choice" (PDF). UPI. Watertown Daily Times. June 4, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Robert Sirois – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Van Impe won't go to Pittsburgh after trade". AP. Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  27. 1 2 "Philly Flyers Ink Ritchie and Kelly". AP. The Gettysburg Times. August 7, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. 1 2 "no title". Bucks County Courier Times. September 11, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Terry Murray – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Schultz a rich fighter". AP. Brandon Sun. September 6, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "NHL champion Flyers sign top draft choice". UPI. Pocono Record. June 7, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Flyers Sign Holmgren". AP. Silver City Daily Press. March 8, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Parsons, Mark (November 24, 2012). "1975 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Harris named coach of North Stars". AP. Fergus Falls Daily Journal. June 2, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "1975 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  36. 1 2 "1975 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  37. ↑ "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  38. ↑ "AHL Season Overview: 1975–76". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  • Mulvoy, Mark (January 19, 1976). "This Was Détente, Philly Style". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.