1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' tenth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). They finished first in the Patrick Division with a record of 48 wins, 16 losses, and 16 ties for 112 points.

1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers
Campbell Conference champions
Patrick Division champions
Division1st Patrick
Conference1st Campbell
1976–77 record48–16–16
Home record33–6–1
Road record15–10–15
Goals for323 (2nd)
Goals against213 (3rd)
Team information
PresidentJoe Scott
General managerKeith Allen
CoachFred Shero
CaptainBobby Clarke
Alternate captainsNone[lower-alpha 1]
ArenaSpectrum
Average attendance17,077[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Springfield Indians
Philadelphia Firebirds
Team leaders
GoalsRick MacLeish (49)
AssistsBobby Clarke (63)
PointsRick MacLeish (97)
Penalty minutesPaul Holmgren (201)
Plus/minusAndre Dupont (+57)
WinsBernie Parent (35)
Goals against averageWayne Stephenson (2.31)

Regular season

Dethroned, the heyday of the Broad Street Bullies came to an end, as prior to the 1976–77 season, tough-guy Dave Schultz was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Despite a slight drop-off in performance, the Flyers dominated the Patrick Division with what proved to be their 4th straight division title.

Season standings
Patrick Division
  GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers80481616323213112
New York Islanders80472112288193106
Atlanta Flames8034341226426580
New York Rangers8029371427231072

[2]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

After disposing of Toronto—after which series Toronto coach Red Kelly claimed "I don't think I'd call [Bobby] Clarke dirty—mean is a better word"—in six games, the Flyers found themselves in the semi-finals for the fifth consecutive season. Pitted against Boston, the Flyers lost Games 1 and 2 at home in overtime and would not return home as they were swept in four straight games.

Schedule and results

Regular season
1976–77 regular season
October: 7–3–2, 16 Points (Home: 7–2–0; Road: 0–1–2)
GameOctoberOpponentScoreRecordPoints
17New York Islanders0–30–1–00
29@ Atlanta Flames3–40–2–00
310Los Angeles Kings1–01–2–02
414Montreal Canadiens1–71–3–02
516@ Toronto Maple Leafs5–51–3–13
617Detroit Red Wings7–42–3–15
721Chicago Black Hawks5–13–3–17
823Buffalo Sabres3–24–3–19
924Colorado Rockies5–35–3–111
1028Pittsburgh Penguins3–06–3–113
1130@ New York Islanders3–36–3–214
1231Minnesota North Stars9–17–3–216
November: 5–4–2, 12 Points (Home: 4–0–1; Road: 1–4–1)
GameNovemberOpponentScoreRecordPoints
134@ Detroit Red Wings2–37–4–216
145@ Cleveland Barons4–67–5–216
157@ Buffalo Sabres3–57–6–216
1610@ Chicago Black Hawks2–27–6–317
1711Vancouver Canucks6–48–6–319
1813@ Pittsburgh Penguins0–18–7–319
1916Detroit Red Wings2–09–7–321
2021Atlanta Flames6–510–7–323
2124New York Rangers2–210–7–424
2226@ Colorado Rockies4–211–7–426
2328New York Islanders5–312–7–428
December: 10–0–4, 24 Points (Home: 6–0–0; Road: 4–0–4)
GameDecemberOpponentScoreRecordPoints
241@ Minnesota North Stars2–212–7–529
253@ Washington Capitals4–412–7–630
265Cleveland Barons6–213–7–632
279@ Boston Bruins3–114–7–634
2811Boston Bruins4–315–7–636
2912Toronto Maple Leafs7–416–7–638
3014@ Minnesota North Stars3–316–7–739
3116Chicago Black Hawks4–117–7–741
3218@ St. Louis Blues2–018–7–743
3319Colorado Rockies4–319–7–745
3422@ New York Rangers3–319–7–846
3523Washington Capitals5–220–7–848
3627@ Vancouver Canucks5–121–7–850
3730@ Los Angeles Kings2–022–7–852
January: 7–3–4, 18 Points (Home: 4–1–0; Road: 3–2–4)
GameJanuaryOpponentScoreRecordPoints
381@ Cleveland Barons7–223–7–854
393@ Montreal Canadiens4–623–8–854
405@ New York Rangers4–423–8–955
416St. Louis Blues7–124–8–957
428Los Angeles Kings6–125–8–959
4310@ New York Islanders3–825–9–959
4415Colorado Rockies5–226–9–961
4516Minnesota North Stars4–227–9–963
4620Montreal Canadiens2–627–10–963
4722@ Atlanta Flames4–427–10–1064
4823@ Chicago Black Hawks2–227–10–1165
4927@ St. Louis Blues2–028–10–1167
5029@ Pittsburgh Penguins5–229–10–1169
5130@ Washington Capitals5–529–10–1270
February: 9–3–0, 18 Points (Home: 6–0–0; Road: 3–3–0)
GameFebruaryOpponentScoreRecordPoints
523Chicago Black Hawks6–030–10–1272
535@ Toronto Maple Leafs7–531–10–1274
547Atlanta Flames7–432–10–1276
5510Washington Capitals9–233–10–1278
5612@ New York Islanders1–233–11–1278
5714St. Louis Blues6–434–11–1280
5817New York Rangers7–135–11–1282
5919@ Montreal Canadiens2–535–12–1282
6020Buffalo Sabres4–236–12–1284
6124@ Buffalo Sabres0–236–13–1284
6226@ St. Louis Blues5–137–13–1286
6327@ Colorado Rockies4–338–13–1288
March: 9–3–3, 21 Points (Home: 5–3–0; Road: 4–0–3)
GameMarchOpponentScoreRecordPoints
641@ Minnesota North Stars5–239–13–1290
653Vancouver Canucks5–240–13–1292
665@ Detroit Red Wings4–141–13–1294
677Toronto Maple Leafs2–441–14–1294
6810Cleveland Barons7–242–14–1296
6912Boston Bruins1–342–15–1296
7013Pittsburgh Penguins4–043–15–1298
7116@ New York Rangers4–443–15–1399
7217Atlanta Flames1–443–16–1399
7319@ Los Angeles Kings5–344–16–13101
7422@ Vancouver Canucks4–444–16–14102
7524@ Boston Bruins6–245–16–14104
7626Vancouver Canucks9–346–16–14106
7729New York Islanders3–147–16–14108
7830@ Cleveland Barons3–347–16–15109
April: 1–0–1, 3 Points (Home: 1–0–0; Road: 0–0–1)
GameAprilOpponentScoreRecordPoints
792New York Rangers4–148–16–15111
803@ Atlanta Flames3–348–16–16112
Legend:

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

Playoffs
1977 Stanley Cup playoffs
Quarter-finals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – Flyers win 4–2
GameDateOpponentScoreSeries
1April 11Toronto Maple Leafs2–3Maple Leafs lead 1–0
2April 13Toronto Maple Leafs1–4Maple Leafs lead 2–0
3April 15@ Toronto Maple Leafs4–3 OTMaple Leafs lead 2–1
4April 17@ Toronto Maple Leafs6–5 OTSeries tied 2–2
5April 19Toronto Maple Leafs2–0Flyers lead 3–2
6April 21@ Toronto Maple Leafs4–3Flyers win 4–2
Semi-finals vs. Boston Bruins – Bruins win 4–0
GameDateOpponentScoreSeries
1April 24Boston Bruins3–4 OTBruins lead 1–0
2April 26Boston Bruins4–5 2OTBruins lead 2–0
3April 28@ Boston Bruins1–2Bruins lead 3–0
4May 1@ Boston Bruins0–3Bruins win 4–0
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics

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 Flyers only.
  • = 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
19Rick MacLeish27C80494897464210491312
16Bobby Clarke27C80276390397110551008
12Gary Dornhoefer33RW7925345947859101122
10Mel Bridgman21C7019385735120710108
18Ross Lonsberry29LW75233255424310123−229
7Bill Barber24LW73203555326210145−12
3Tom Bladon24D80104353343910134−44
26Orest Kindrachuk26C7815365122791021310
27Reggie Leach26RW773214466231045920
9Bob Kelly26LW732224462711710011−218
11Don Saleski27RW74221638243310000−312
14Joe Watson33D7742630293910000−52
6Andre Dupont27D591019295716810112−435
17Paul Holmgren21RW591412261020110112−225
20Jimmy Watson24D713232634351012362
22Harvey Bennett24C5112820−960400002
2Bob Dailey23D325141916381049131115
5, 29Larry Goodenough24D32413171521——————
25Terry Murray26D36013132114——————
5Rick Lapointe21D22189203910000−57
37Al Hill21LW9246627——————
29Jack McIlhargey24D402136164——————
23Bill Collins33RW9112−14——————
28Drew Callander20C210110——————
30Gary Inness27G6011N/A0——————
4Mark Suzor20D401124——————
1Bernie Parent31G61000N/A03000N/A0
35Wayne Stephenson32G21000N/A49000N/A2
21John Paddock22RW500009——————
15Terry Crisp33C200000——————
23Norm Barnes23D100000——————
31Bob Ritchie21LW100000——————

Goaltending
Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Age GP GS W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP GS W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1Bernie Parent31616135131215821592.71.89953,519:3632034383.95.8140121:39
35Wayne Stephenson3221171232472412.31.91631,063:559843238232.61.9031529:36
30Gary Inness27621028992.57.8990210:28–––––––––—

Awards and records

Awards
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League (in-season) NHL All-Star Game selection Tom Bladon [3]
Bobby Clarke
Gary Dornhoefer
Rick MacLeish
Bernie Parent
Fred Shero (Coach)
Jim Watson
Joe Watson
Team Barry Ashbee Trophy Andre Dupont [4]
Class Guy Award Gary Dornhoefer [4]

Records
  •    NHL record

Individual
Franchise player records set during the 1976–77 season
Record Type Total Player Date(s) Opponent Ref
Points in NHL debut Game 5 Al Hill 2/14/1977 St. Louis Blues [5]

Team
Franchise team records set during the 1976–77 season
Record Type Total Date(s) Opponent Refs
Fewest home ties Season 1[lower-alpha 2] — — [6]
Most road ties Season 15 — — [6]
Longest home game Game 90:07 4/26/1977 Boston Bruins [7]

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 17, 1976, the day after the deciding game of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 14, 1977, the day of the deciding game of the 1977 Stanley Cup Finals.[8]

Trades
Date Details Ref
September 29, 1976 To Philadelphia Flyers
future considerations[lower-alpha 3]		 To Los Angeles Kings
Dave Schultz		 [9]
November 24, 1976 To Philadelphia Flyers
Harvey Bennett		 To Washington Capitals
cash		 [10]
December 4, 1976 To Philadelphia Flyers
cash		 To Washington Capitals
Bill Collins		 [11]
January 20, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
Bob Dailey		 To Vancouver Canucks
Larry Goodenough
Jack McIlhargey		 [12]
February 17, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
Mike Korney
Rick Lapointe		 To Detroit Red Wings
Steve Coates
Dave Kelly
Terry Murray
Bob Ritchie		 [13]

Free agency

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

Date Player Previous team (league) Term Ref
October 20, 1976Bill CollinsNew York Rangers[14]
October 22, 1976Al HillVictoria Cougars (WCHL)[15]

Internal

The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to contracts.

Date Player Term Ref
June 16, 1976Mark Suzor (DP)multi-year[16]
June 16, 1976Drew Callander (DP)multi-year[16]
June 16, 1976Craig Hanmer (DP)multi-year[16]
June 16, 1976Dave Hynek (DP)multi-year[16]

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 Ref
N/ASerge Lajeunesse–Retirement[17]
N/ALarry WrightDüsseldorfer EG (Bundesliga)Free agency[18]
October 1976Terry Crisp–Retirement[lower-alpha 4][19]
November 16, 1976Wayne Stephenson*–Retirement[lower-alpha 5][21]

Draft picks
See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the NHL's office in Montreal, Quebec, on June 1, 1976.[22]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league)
1 17 Mark Suzor Defense  Canada Kingston Canadians (OHA)
2 35 Drew Callander Center  Canada Regina Pats (WCHL)
3 53 Craig Hanmer Defense  United States Mohawk Valley Comets (NAHL)
4 71 Dave Hynek Defense  Canada Kingston Canadians (OHA)
5 89 Robin Lang Defense  Canada Cornell University (ECAC)
6 107 Paul Klasinski Left Wing  United States St. Paul Vulcans (MJHL)
7 117 Ray Kurpis Right Wing  United States Austin Mavericks (MJHL)

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Springfield Indians of the AHL[23][24] and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.[25]

Notes
  1. The alternate captain position was abolished from the 1975–76 season through the 1984–85 season.
  2. Tied in 1985–86.
  3. The Flyers later received a 1977 4th-round pick and a 1978 2nd-round pick.
  4. Crisp played two games during the 1976–77 season.
  5. Stephenson un-retired and returned to the team on December 7, 1976.[20]

References
General
  • "Philadelphia Flyers 1976–77 roster and statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "Flyers History - Season Overview : 1976–77". Flyers History. FlyersAlumni.net. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
Specific
  1. "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. "30th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  4. "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. Meltzer, Bill (February 18, 2008). "Great Moments: Al Hill Makes Record-Breaking Debut". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  6. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 244
  7. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 348
  8. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  9. Dunn, Art (September 30, 1976). "Schultz traded". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  10. "Harvey Bennett – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  11. "Bill Collins – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  12. "no title". The Des Moines Register. January 21, 1977. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com. {{cite news}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  13. "Richard Lapointe – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  14. "Flyers sign winger Bill Collins". UPI. Chicago Tribune. October 21, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  15. "Alan Hill – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  16. "TRANSACTIONS". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. June 17, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Serge Lajeunesse career profile at HockeyDraftCentral.com". HockeyDraftCentral. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  18. "Larry Wright career profile at HockeyDraftCentral.com". HockeyDraftCentral. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  19. "Terry Crisp – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  20. "Wayne Stephenson rejoins Flyers". AP. Ottawa Journal. December 8, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Flyer goalie retires". UPI. The Lowell Sun. November 17, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "1976 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  23. "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  24. "AHL Season Overview: 1976–77". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  25. "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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