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1976–77 Philadelphia Flyers season

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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
General managerKeith Allen
CoachFred Shero
CaptainBobby Clarke
Alternate captainsNone[a]
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/minusAndré Dupont (+57)
WinsBernie Parent (35)
Goals against averageWayne Stephenson (2.31)

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.

Regular season

[edit]

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

[edit]
Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Philadelphia Flyers 80 48 16 16 323 213 112
New York Islanders 80 47 21 12 288 193 106
Atlanta Flames 80 34 34 12 264 265 80
New York Rangers 80 29 37 14 272 310 72

[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.

Record vs. opponents

[edit]
Patrick Division record vs. opponents


Playoffs

[edit]

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 semifinals 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

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
1976–77 regular season[4]
October: 7–3–2, 16 points (home: 7–2–0; road: 0–1–2)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
1 October 7 0–3 New York Islanders 0–1–0 0 L
2 October 9 3–4 @ Atlanta Flames 0–2–0 0 L
3 October 10 1–0 Los Angeles Kings 1–2–0 2 W
4 October 14 1–7 Montreal Canadiens 1–3–0 2 L
5 October 16 5–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 1–3–1 3 T
6 October 17 7–4 Detroit Red Wings 2–3–1 5 W
7 October 21 5–1 Chicago Black Hawks 3–3–1 7 W
8 October 23 3–2 Buffalo Sabres 4–3–1 9 W
9 October 24 5–3 Colorado Rockies 5–3–1 11 W
10 October 28 3–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3–1 13 W
11 October 30 3–3 @ New York Islanders 6–3–2 14 T
12 October 31 9–1 Minnesota North Stars 7–3–2 16 W
November: 5–4–2, 12 points (home: 4–0–1; road: 1–4–1)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
13 November 4 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings 7–4–2 16 L
14 November 5 4–6 @ Cleveland Barons 7–5–2 16 L
15 November 7 3–5 @ Buffalo Sabres 7–6–2 16 L
16 November 10 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks 7–6–3 17 T
17 November 11 6–4 Vancouver Canucks 8–6–3 19 W
18 November 13 0–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 8–7–3 19 L
19 November 16 2–0 Detroit Red Wings 9–7–3 21 W
20 November 21 6–5 Atlanta Flames 10–7–3 23 W
21 November 24 2–2 New York Rangers 10–7–4 24 T
22 November 26 4–2 @ Colorado Rockies 11–7–4 26 W
23 November 28 5–3 New York Islanders 12–7–4 28 W
December: 10–0–4, 24 points (home: 6–0–0; road: 4–0–4)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
24 December 1 2–2 @ Minnesota North Stars 12–7–5 29 T
25 December 3 4–4 @ Washington Capitals 12–7–6 30 T
26 December 5 6–2 Cleveland Barons 13–7–6 32 W
27 December 9 3–1 @ Boston Bruins 14–7–6 34 W
28 December 11 4–3 Boston Bruins 15–7–6 36 W
29 December 12 7–4 Toronto Maple Leafs 16–7–6 38 W
30 December 14 3–3 @ Minnesota North Stars 16–7–7 39 T
31 December 16 4–1 Chicago Black Hawks 17–7–7 41 W
32 December 18 2–0 @ St. Louis Blues 18–7–7 43 W
33 December 19 4–3 Colorado Rockies 19–7–7 45 W
34 December 22 3–3 @ New York Rangers 19–7–8 46 T
35 December 23 5–2 Washington Capitals 20–7–8 48 W
36 December 27 5–1 @ Vancouver Canucks 21–7–8 50 W
37 December 30 2–0 @ Los Angeles Kings 22–7–8 52 W
January: 7–3–4, 18 points (home: 4–1–0; road: 3–2–4)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
38 January 1 7–2 @ Cleveland Barons 23–7–8 54 W
39 January 3 4–6 @ Montreal Canadiens 23–8–8 54 L
40 January 5 4–4 @ New York Rangers 23–8–9 55 T
41 January 6 7–1 St. Louis Blues 24–8–9 57 W
42 January 8 6–1 Los Angeles Kings 25–8–9 59 W
43 January 10 3–8 @ New York Islanders 25–9–9 59 L
44 January 15 5–2 Colorado Rockies 26–9–9 61 W
45 January 16 4–2 Minnesota North Stars 27–9–9 63 W
46 January 20 2–6 Montreal Canadiens 27–10–9 63 L
47 January 22 4–4 @ Atlanta Flames 27–10–10 64 T
48 January 23 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks 27–10–11 65 T
49 January 27 2–0 @ St. Louis Blues 28–10–11 67 W
50 January 29 5–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 29–10–11 69 W
51 January 30 5–5 @ Washington Capitals 29–10–12 70 T
February: 9–3–0, 18 points (home: 6–0–0; road: 3–3–0)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
52 February 3 6–0 Chicago Black Hawks 30–10–12 72 W
53 February 5 7–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 31–10–12 74 W
54 February 7 7–4 Atlanta Flames 32–10–12 76 W
55 February 10 9–2 Washington Capitals 33–10–12 78 W
56 February 12 1–2 @ New York Islanders 33–11–12 78 L
57 February 14 6–4 St. Louis Blues 34–11–12 80 W
58 February 17 7–1 New York Rangers 35–11–12 82 W
59 February 19 2–5 @ Montreal Canadiens 35–12–12 82 L
60 February 20 4–2 Buffalo Sabres 36–12–12 84 W
61 February 24 0–2 @ Buffalo Sabres 36–13–12 84 L
62 February 26 5–1 @ St. Louis Blues 37–13–12 86 W
63 February 27 4–3 @ Colorado Rockies 38–13–12 88 W
March: 9–3–3, 21 points (home: 5–3–0; road: 4–0–3)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
64 March 1 5–2 @ Minnesota North Stars 39–13–12 90 W
65 March 3 5–2 Vancouver Canucks 40–13–12 92 W
66 March 5 4–1 @ Detroit Red Wings 41–13–12 94 W
67 March 7 2–4 Toronto Maple Leafs 41–14–12 94 L
68 March 10 7–2 Cleveland Barons 42–14–12 96 W
69 March 12 1–3 Boston Bruins 42–15–12 96 L
70 March 13 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins 43–15–12 98 W
71 March 16 4–4 @ New York Rangers 43–15–13 99 T
72 March 17 1–4 Atlanta Flames 43–16–13 99 L
73 March 19 5–3 @ Los Angeles Kings 44–16–13 101 W
74 March 22 4–4 @ Vancouver Canucks 44–16–14 102 T
75 March 24 6–2 @ Boston Bruins 45–16–14 104 W
76 March 26 9–3 Vancouver Canucks 46–16–14 106 W
77 March 29 3–1 New York Islanders 47–16–14 108 W
78 March 30 3–3 @ Cleveland Barons 47–16–15 109 T
April: 1–0–1, 3 points (home: 1–0–0; road: 0–0–1)
Game Date Score Opponent Record Points Recap
79 April 2 4–1 New York Rangers 48–16–15 111 W
80 April 3 3–3 @ Atlanta Flames 48–16–16 112 T

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

Playoffs

[edit]
1977 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Quarterfinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs – Flyers win 4–2
Game Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 April 11 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leafs lead 1–0 L
2 April 13 1–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leafs lead 2–0 L
3 April 15 4–3 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leafs lead 2–1 W
4 April 17 6–5 OT @ Toronto Maple Leafs Series tied 2–2 W
5 April 19 2–0 Toronto Maple Leafs Flyers lead 3–2 W
6 April 21 4–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Flyers win 4–2 W
Semifinals vs. Boston Bruins – Bruins win 4–0
Game Date Score Opponent Series Recap
1 April 24 3–4 OT Boston Bruins Bruins lead 1–0 L
2 April 26 4–5 2OT Boston Bruins Bruins lead 2–0 L
3 April 28 1–2 @ Boston Bruins Bruins lead 3–0 L
4 May 1 0–3 @ Boston Bruins Bruins win 4–0 L

Legend: W Win L Loss

Player statistics

[edit]

Scoring

[edit]
  • 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.
No. Player Pos Regular season Playoffs
GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts +/- PIM
19 Rick MacLeish C 80 49 48 97 46 42 10 4 9 13 1 2
16 Bobby Clarke C 80 27 63 90 39 71 10 5 5 10 0 8
12 Gary Dornhoefer RW 79 25 34 59 47 85 9 1 0 1 1 22
10 Mel Bridgman C 70 19 38 57 35 120 7 1 0 1 0 8
18 Ross Lonsberry LW 75 23 32 55 42 43 10 1 2 3 −2 29
7 Bill Barber LW 73 20 35 55 32 62 10 1 4 5 −1 2
3 Tom Bladon D 80 10 43 53 34 39 10 1 3 4 −4 4
26 Orest Kindrachuk C 78 15 36 51 22 79 10 2 1 3 1 0
27 Reggie Leach RW 77 32 14 46 6 23 10 4 5 9 2 0
9 Bob Kelly LW 73 22 24 46 27 117 10 0 1 1 −2 18
11 Don Saleski RW 74 22 16 38 24 33 10 0 0 0 −3 12
14 Joe Watson D 77 4 26 30 29 39 10 0 0 0 −5 2
6 Andre Dupont D 59 10 19 29 57 168 10 1 1 2 −4 35
17 Paul Holmgren RW 59 14 12 26 10 201 10 1 1 2 −2 25
20 Jimmy Watson D 71 3 23 26 34 35 10 1 2 3 6 2
22 Harvey Bennett† C 51 12 8 20 −9 60 4 0 0 0 0 2
2 Bob Dailey† D 32 5 14 19 16 38 10 4 9 13 11 15
5 Larry Goodenough‡ D 32 4 13 17 15 21 — — — — — —
25 Terry Murray‡ D 36 0 13 13 21 14 — — — — — —
5 Rick Lapointe† D 22 1 8 9 20 39 10 0 0 0 −5 7
37 Al Hill† LW 9 2 4 6 6 27 — — — — — —
29 Jack McIlhargey‡ D 40 2 1 3 6 164 — — — — — —
23 Bill Collins‡ RW 9 1 1 2 −1 4 — — — — — —
28 Drew Callander C 2 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — —
30 Gary Inness G 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — — —
4 Mark Suzor D 4 0 1 1 2 4 — — — — — —
23 Norm Barnes D 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
15 Terry Crisp C 2 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
21 John Paddock RW 5 0 0 0 0 9 — — — — — —
1 Bernie Parent G 61 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
31 Bob Ritchie‡ LW 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
35 Wayne Stephenson G 21 0 0 0 4 9 0 0 0 2

Goaltending

[edit]
No. Player Regular season Playoffs
GP GS W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI GP GS W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1 Bernie Parent 61 61 35 13 12 1582 159 2.71 .899 5 3,520 3 2 0 3 43 8 3.95 .814 0 122
35 Wayne Stephenson 21 17 12 3 2 472 41 2.31 .913 3 1,064 9 8 4 3 238 23 2.61 .903 1 530
30 Gary Inness 6 2 1 0 2 89 9 2.57 .899 0 210 — — — — — — — — — —

Awards and records

[edit]

Awards

[edit]
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Tom Bladon [5]
Bobby Clarke
Gary Dornhoefer
Rick MacLeish
Bernie Parent
Fred Shero (coach)
Jim Watson
Joe Watson
Team Barry Ashbee Trophy André Dupont [6]
Class Guy Award Gary Dornhoefer [6]

Records

[edit]
See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers records

Among the records set during the 1976–77 season was rookie Al Hill setting the league record for most points by a player in his NHL debut, scoring two goals and three assists on February 14 against the St. Louis Blues.[7] The Flyers set a league record for most road ties in a season (15) and a team record for fewest home ties (1).[8][9] During the playoffs, Rick MacLeish tied a team record for most assists during a single period (3) on April 24.[10] Two days later the Flyers played the longest home game in team history (90 minutes and 7 seconds), losing 5–4 to the Boston Bruins midway through the second overtime period.[11]

Milestones

[edit]
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Bob Ritchie February 5, 1977 [12]
Drew Callander February 7, 1977
Al Hill February 14, 1977
Mark Suzor March 10, 1977
Norm Barnes March 12, 1977

Transactions

[edit]

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.[13]

Trades

[edit]
Date Details Ref
September 29, 1976 (1976-09-29) To Philadelphia Flyers
  • Future considerations[b]
 To Los Angeles Kings
[15]
November 24, 1976 (1976-11-24) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Washington Capitals
  • cash
 [16]
December 4, 1976 (1976-12-04) To Philadelphia Flyers
  • cash
 To Washington Capitals
 [17]
January 20, 1977 (1977-01-20) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Vancouver Canucks
[18]
February 17, 1977 (1977-02-17) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Detroit Red Wings
 [19]

Players acquired

[edit]
Date Player Former team Via Ref
October 20, 1976 (1976-10-20) Bill Collins New York Rangers Free agency [20]
October 22, 1976 (1976-10-22) Al Hill Victoria Cougars (WCHL) Free agency [21]

Players lost

[edit]
Date Player New team Via Ref
N/A Serge Lajeunesse Retirement [22]
Larry Wright Dusseldorfer EG (Bundesliga) Free agency [23]
November 16, 1976 (1976-11-16) Wayne Stephenson Retirement[c] [25]

Signings

[edit]
Date Player Term Ref
June 16, 1976 (1976-06-16) Drew Callander multi-year [26]
Craig Hanmer multi-year [26]
Dave Hynek multi-year [26]
Mark Suzor multi-year [26]

Draft picks

[edit]
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, on June 1, 1976.[27]

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

[edit]

The Flyers were affiliated with the Springfield Indians of the AHL[28][29] and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.[30]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The alternate captain position was abolished from the 1975–76 season through the 1984–85 season.
  2. ^ The Flyers later received a 1977 4th-round pick and a 1978 2nd-round pick.[14]
  3. ^ Stephenson un-retired and returned to the team on December 7, 1976.[24]

References

[edit]
  • "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.
  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. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "1976-77 Philadelphia Flyers Schedule and Results". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "30th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  7. ^ Meltzer, Bill (February 18, 2018). "Great Moments: Al Hill Makes Record-Breaking Debut". NHL.com. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Team Records: Most Road Ties, Season". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Philadelphia Flyers: Year-by-year record". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "Playoff Skater Records: Most Assists, Playoff Period". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  11. ^ 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 348
  12. ^ "1976-77 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  14. ^ Fleischman, Bill (May 5, 1977). "Schultz Won't Gloat Over Flyers' Fall". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 61. Retrieved April 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Schultz traded to Kings". Delaware County Daily Times. September 30, 1976. p. 18. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Flyers Get Winger From Washington". Gloucester County Times. November 25, 1976. p. 30. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Bill Collins - Notes - NHL.com - Players". NHL.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2025. Traded to Washington by Philadelphia for cash, December 4, 1976.
  18. ^ Ronberg, Gary (January 21, 1977). "Flyers swap pair for Dailey". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 39. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Burrows, Walt (February 18, 1977). "Flyers get LaPointe in six-player swap". Courier-Post. p. 43. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Collins Signs With Flyers". The New York Times. October 21, 1976. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  21. ^ "Alan Hill - Notes - NHL.com - Players". NHL.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2025. Signed as a free agent by Philadelphia, October 22, 1976.
  22. ^ "Serge Lajeunesse career profile at HockeyDraftCentral.com". HockeyDraftCentral. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  23. ^ "Larry Wright career profile at HockeyDraftCentral.com". HockeyDraftCentral. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  24. ^ "Wayne Stephenson rejoins Flyers". Ottawa Journal. Associated Press. December 8, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Flyer goalie retires". The Lowell Sun. UPI. November 17, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b c d Dent, Jim (June 17, 1976). "Flyers sign top draft picks". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "1976 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  28. ^ "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  29. ^ "AHL Season Overview: 1976–77". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  30. ^ "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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