1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers season explained

League:NHL
Season:1971–72
Year:1971
Team:Philadelphia Flyers
Divisionrank:5th
Record:26–38–14
Homerecord:19–13–7
Roadrecord:7–25–7
Goalsfor:200 (14th)
Goalsagainst:236 (7th)
Attendance:14,379[1]
Goalsleader:Bobby Clarke (35)
Assistsleader:Bobby Clarke (46)
Pointsleader:Bobby Clarke (81)
Pimleader:Gary Dornhoefer (183)
Plusminusleader:Bobby Clarke (+22)
Winsleader:Doug Favell (18)
Gaaleader:Doug Favell (2.81)

The 1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' fifth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Off-season

The Flyers fired head coach Vic Stasiuk on May 27, 1971,[2] after heavy criticism by Flyers players.[3] On June 2, the Flyers hired Fred Shero to replace him.[3] In the previous two seasons Shero had guided two teams to league championships, the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League and the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League.[3]

Regular season

Bobby Clarke continued to progress as he led the team in goals (35), assists (46), and points (81) in 1971–72 and he became the first Flyer to win an NHL award, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. However, in the season's final game, the Flyers needed a win or a tie against the second-year Buffalo Sabres to beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot. The score was tied late in the game, but with just four seconds on the clock, former Flyer Gerry Meehan took a shot from just inside the blue line that eluded Flyers goalie Doug Favell.[4] With identical records, the playoff berth went to the Penguins because Philly lost the season series 2–3–1.

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Regular season

|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1 || October 9 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || 0–1–0 || 0 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 2 || October 12 || @ Vancouver Canucks || 2–3 || 0–2–0 || 0 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 || October 13 || @ California Golden Seals || 5–4 || 1–2–0 || 2 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || October 16 || @ Los Angeles Kings || 1–0 || 2–2–0 || 4 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 5 || October 21 || Los Angeles Kings || 0–7 || 2–3–0 || 4 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 6 || October 23 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 3–5 || 2–4–0 || 4 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 7 || October 24 || Chicago Black Hawks || 2–1 || 3–4–0 || 6 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 8 || October 28 || Vancouver Canucks || 3–2 || 4–4–0 || 8 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 9 || October 30 || @ St. Louis Blues || 4–4 || 4–4–1 || 9 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 10 || October 31 || Montreal Canadiens || 5–3 || 5–4–1 || 11 || |-|- style="background:#fcc;"| 11 || November 3 || @ Chicago Black Hawks || 0–3 || 5–5–1 || 11 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 12 || November 5 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 2–5 || 5–6–1 || 11 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 13 || November 7 || Minnesota North Stars || 0–3 || 5–7–1 || 11 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 14 || November 11 || Vancouver Canucks || 4–3 || 6–7–1 || 13 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 15 || November 13 || Detroit Red Wings || 3–6 || 6–8–1 || 13 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 16 || November 14 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3–3 || 6–8–2 || 14 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 17 || November 18 || Los Angeles Kings || 2–0 || 7–8–2 || 16 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 18 || November 20 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 2–2 || 7–8–3 || 17 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 19 || November 21 || Minnesota North Stars || 1–1 || 7–8–4 || 18 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 20 || November 24 || Boston Bruins || 1–2 || 7–9–4 || 18 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 21 || November 25 || @ Boston Bruins || 2–4 || 7–10–4 || 18 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 22 || November 28 || New York Rangers || 2–4 || 7–11–4 || 18 || |-|- style="background:#ffc;"| 23 || December 2 || Detroit Red Wings || 1–1 || 7–11–5 || 19 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 24 || December 4 || @ Minnesota North Stars || 1–3 || 7–12–5 || 19 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 25 || December 5 || California Golden Seals || 3–0 || 8–12–5 || 21 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 26 || December 9 || New York Rangers || 0–5 || 8–13–5 || 21 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 27 || December 11 || @ Detroit Red Wings || 3–6 || 8–14–5 || 21 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 28 || December 12 || Montreal Canadiens || 4–1 || 9–14–5 || 23 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 29 || December 15 || @ New York Rangers || 2–6 || 9–15–5 || 23 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 30 || December 16 || Buffalo Sabres || 5–0 || 10–15–5 || 25 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 31 || December 19 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 0–4 || 10–16–5 || 25 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 32 || December 25 || @ Boston Bruins || 1–5 || 10–17–5 || 25 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 33 || December 26 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–1 || 11–17–5 || 27 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 34 || December 29 || @ New York Rangers || 1–5 || 11–18–5 || 27 || |-|- style="background:#ffc;"| 35 || January 1 || @ St. Louis Blues || 4–4 || 11–18–6 || 28 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 36 || January 2 || @ Chicago Black Hawks || 2–6 || 11–19–6 || 28 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 37 || January 6 || St. Louis Blues || 2–3 || 11–20–6 || 28 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 38 || January 8 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 2–2 || 11–20–7 || 29 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 39 || January 9 || California Golden Seals || 10–3 || 12–20–7 || 31 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 40 || January 11 || @ Detroit Red Wings || 0–5 || 12–21–7 || 31 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 41 || January 15 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || 12–22–7 || 31 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 42 || January 16 || Los Angeles Kings || 3–3 || 12–22–8 || 32 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 43 || January 20 || Chicago Black Hawks || 3–2 || 13–22–8 || 34 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 44 || January 22 || @ Los Angeles Kings || 2–4 || 13–23–8 || 34 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 45 || January 23 || @ California Golden Seals || 1–3 || 13–24–8 || 34 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 46 || January 27 || @ Boston Bruins || 2–4 || 13–25–8 || 34 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 47 || January 29 || Boston Bruins || 2–4 || 13–26–8 || 34 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 48 || January 30 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–0 || 14–26–8 || 36 || |-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 49 || February 3 || Detroit Red Wings || 5–4 || 15–26–8 || 38 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 50 || February 5 || @ Toronto Maple Leafs || 3–1 || 16–26–8 || 40 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 51 || February 6 || St. Louis Blues || 2–2 || 16–26–9 || 41 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 52 || February 8 || @ Vancouver Canucks || 3–1 || 17–26–9 || 43 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 53 || February 9 || @ California Golden Seals || 2–3 || 17–27–9 || 43 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 54 || February 12 || @ Minnesota North Stars || 1–5 || 17–28–9 || 43 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 55 || February 13 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 4–4 || 17–28–10 || 44 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 56 || February 16 || @ Chicago Black Hawks || 3–3 || 17–28–11 || 45 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 57 || February 17 || Boston Bruins || 1–4 || 17–29–11 || 45 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 58 || February 19 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 1–3 || 17–30–11 || 45 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 59 || February 20 || Toronto Maple Leafs || 3–1 || 18–30–11 || 47 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 60 || February 23 || @ New York Rangers || 3–4 || 18–31–11 || 47 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 61 || February 26 || @ Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || 18–32–11 || 47 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 62 || February 27 || @ Detroit Red Wings || 3–1 || 19–32–11 || 49 || |-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 63 || March 2 || Minnesota North Stars || 3–0 || 20–32–11 || 51 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 64 || March 4 || St. Louis Blues || 6–2 || 21–32–11 || 53 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 65 || March 5 || Montreal Canadiens || 0–4 || 21–33–11 || 53 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 66 || March 8 || @ Vancouver Canucks || 6–5 || 22–33–11 || 55 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 67 || March 9 || @ Los Angeles Kings || 5–3 || 23–33–11 || 57 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 68 || March 11 || @ St. Louis Blues || 2–4 || 23–34–11 || 57 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 69 || March 13 || @ Montreal Canadiens || 1–2 || 23–35–11 || 57 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 70 || March 16 || Buffalo Sabres || 3–3 || 23–35–12 || 58 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 71 || March 18 || New York Rangers || 3–5 || 23–36–12 || 58 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 72 || March 23 || Chicago Black Hawks || 2–4 || 23–37–12 || 58 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 73 || March 25 || California Golden Seals || 3–0 || 24–37–12 || 60 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 74 || March 26 || Vancouver Canucks || 4–1 || 25–37–12 || 62 || |- style="background:#ffc;"| 75 || March 28 || @ Minnesota North Stars || 2–2 || 25–37–13 || 63 || |- style="background:#cfc;"| 76 || March 30 || Buffalo Sabres || 3–1 || 26–37–13 || 65 || |-|- style="background:#ffc;"| 77 || April 1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–4 || 26–37–14 || 66 || |- style="background:#fcc;"| 78 || April 2 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 2–3 || 26–38–14 || 66 || |-|-| Legend:

Player statistics

Scoring

Playerscope=colgroup colspan=6 Regular season
16 C 78 35 46 81 22 87
12 RW 75 17 32 49 −15 183
17 RW 67 23 20 43 6 22
22 D 58 11 25 36 −16 168
9 LW 78 14 15 29 16 157
20 C 46 13 15 28 −21 12
21 C 44 12 11 23 −20 51
10 C 49 9 14 23 −14 39
5 D 63 2 20 22 6 35
21 RW 31 11 10 21 5 26
4 D 73 6 14 20 2 75
11 LW 56 6 13 19 −2 36
25 D 29 3 12 15 −6 6
18 LW 32 7 7 14 −9 22
7 LW 37 2 12 14 −6 10
18 LW 45 7 6 13 −14 31
2 D 73 4 9 13 −8 78
8 LW 58 5 5 10 −18 26
14 D 65 3 7 10 −17 38
20 C 26 3 4 7 −13 8
24 RW 28 3 4 7 0 4
3 D 42 0 4 4 −7 12
19 C 17 1 2 3 −9 9
15 RW 14 1 2 3 −5 8
6 D 47 0 3 3 −16 21
23 LW 14 1 1 2 −4 2
25 RW 24 1 0 1 −11 15
1 G 54 0 1 1 32
19 D 6 0 1 1 −5 0
19 D 2 0 1 1 0 0
10 C 27 0 1 1 −6 2
3 D 12 0 0 0 −3 2
23 RW 1 0 0 0 0 0
30 G 24 0 0 0 2
3 D 2 0 0 0 −2 0
24 G 4 0 0 0 0
25 RW 1 0 0 0 −1 0
25 LW 1 0 0 0 0 0
30 G 6 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

Playerscope=colgroup colspan=11 Regular season
1 54 52 18 25 9 1655 140 2.81 .915 5 2,985
30 24 18 7 8 2 659 58 2.94 .912 2 1,184
30 6 5 1 2 2 193 16 3.00 .917 0 320
24 4 3 0 3 1 109 14 4.65 .872 0 181

Awards and records

Awards

TypeAward/honorRecipientRef
League
(annual)		Bill Masterton Memorial TrophyBobby Clarke[5]
League
(in-season)		NHL All-Star Game selectionBobby Clarke[6]
Simon Nolet

Records

See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers records.

Among the team records set during the 1971–72 season was a 19-game winless streak on the road (15 losses and 4 ties) from October 23 to January 27.[7] On October 31, Simon Nolet became the first Flyer to score three goals in a single period and four points in a single period, both franchise regular season records that have been matched but not exceeded several times, the earliest instance occurring on March 9, 1972, by Bill Flett for the goals record and Flett and Bobby Clarke for the points record.[8] [9] On January 9, the Flyers scored six power play goals during a game against the California Golden Seals, a mark which was later matched during the 1988–89 season.[10]

Milestones

MilestonePlayerDateRef
First gamePierre PlanteOctober 9, 1971[11]
Larry Wright
Bill ClementDecember 11, 1971
Don SaleskiJanuary 11, 1972
Dave SchultzJanuary 20, 1972
Bobby TaylorFebruary 16, 1972
Rene DroletApril 2, 1972

Franchise firsts

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 19, 1971, the day after the deciding game of the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 11, 1972, the day of the deciding game of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals.[13]

Trades

DateDetailsRef
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Los Angeles Kings
[14]
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Portland Buckaroos (WHL)
[15]
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Chicago Black Hawks
[16]
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Buffalo Sabres
[17]
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Los Angeles Kings
[18]

Players acquired

Date Player Former team Via Ref
[19] [20] [21]
Intra-league draft [22]
Reverse draft [23] [24]
Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) Free agency[25]
Quebec Aces (AHL) Free agency
Waivers [26]

Players lost

Date Player New team Via Ref
[27]
Release
Retirement [28]

Signings

Date Player Term Ref
2-year
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
5-year extension [33]
N/A2-year
2-year
2-year

Draft picks

See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks.

Philadelphia's picks at the 1971 NHL amateur draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, on June 10, 1971.[34]

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam (league)Notes
18Larry WrightCenterRegina Pats (WCHL)
19Pierre PlanteRight wingDrummondville Rangers (QMJHL)
336Glen IrwinDefenseEstevan Bruins (WCHL)
450Ted ScharfRight wingKitchener Rangers (OHA)
564Don McCullochDefenseNiagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
678Yvon BilodeauDefenseEstevan Bruins (WCHL)
792Bobby GerrardRight wingRegina Pats (WCHL)
8106Jerome MrazekGoaltenderUniversity of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA)

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL,[35] [36] the San Diego Gulls of the WHL,[37] and the Jersey Devils and Salem Rebels of the EHL.[37]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: All Time Team Attendance. October 26, 2013. Flyers History. P. Anson.
  2. News: Flyers Fire Coach Vic Stasiuk . . May 28, 1971 . December 8, 2014.
  3. Web site: NHL Flyers Name Shero New Coach . . Associated Press. June 3, 1971 . December 8, 2014.
  4. Web site: Flyers History – Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary. November 18, 2013. Flyers History. P. Anson.
  5. Web site: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. National Hockey League. August 6, 2015.
  6. Web site: 25th NHL All-Star Game . . August 6, 2015.
  7. Web site: Team Records: Longest Road Winless Streaks, Season . records.nhl.com . September 5, 2022.
  8. Web site: Skater Records: Most Goals, Period . records.nhl.com . September 6, 2022.
  9. Web site: Skater Records: Most Points, Period . records.nhl.com . September 10, 2022.
  10. Web site: Team Records: Most Power-Play Goals, One Team, Game . records.nhl.com . September 5, 2022.
  11. Web site: 1971-72 NHL Debuts . Hockey-Reference.com . October 3, 2024.
  12. Web site: Flyers History – All-Time Firsts . P.Anson . August 12, 2015.
  13. Web site: Hockey Transactions Search Results. Pro Sports Transactions. April 12, 2014.
  14. Web site: Flyers deal defenseman . . . . June 14, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  15. Web site: Flyers Sign Four Skaters . . . . September 9, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  16. Web site: Briefly. 6 . . . October 16, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  17. Web site: Flyers Get Keenan . The Logansport Press . . . November 17, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  18. Web site: 'We had to do something:' Allen . . . . January 29, 1972 . December 18, 2014.
  19. Web site: 1971 NHL Intra-League Draft . Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia . Mark . Parsons . August 6, 2012 . July 29, 2015 .
  20. News: 1971 NHL Intraleague Draft Picks at hockeydb.com . hockeyDB.com . December 23, 2013.
  21. News: Independent from Long Beach, California • 38 . Independent . . June 9, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  22. Web site: Frank Spring – Notes . . December 18, 2014.
  23. Web site: Canadians Likely To Get A New Coach...In Addition To Players . . . 33 . June 10, 1971 . July 29, 2015.
  24. Web site: Don McLeod – Notes . . December 18, 2014.
  25. Web site: Orest Kindrachuk – Notes . . December 18, 2014.
  26. Web site: Michel Parizeau – Notes . . December 18, 2014.
  27. Web site: Garry Peters – Notes . . December 18, 2014.
  28. Web site: Flyers A-Z: Gamble, Bruce . Philadelphia Flyers . September 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220609132828/https://www.nhl.com/flyers/alumni/gamble . June 9, 2022.
  29. Web site: Flyers Sign Goalie Bruce Gamble . . Associated Press. . August 17, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  30. Web site: Philly Flyers Sign 3 More . . Associated Press. . September 3, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  31. Web site: Flyers Sign 10 Players . . Associated Press. . September 6, 1971 . December 18, 2014.
  32. Web site: Flyers sign 5, to open practice . . . . July 1, 1975 . December 18, 2014.
  33. Web site: Flyers sign Clarke to 5-year contract . . . March 21, 1972 . December 18, 2014.
  34. News: 1971 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com . hockeyDB.com . November 12, 2013.
  35. Web site: AHL Franchise Statistics. October 26, 2013. Flyers History. P. Anson.
  36. Web site: AHL Season Overview: 1971–72. October 26, 2013. Flyers History. P. Anson.
  37. Web site: Non-AHL Affiliates. October 26, 2013. Flyers History. P. Anson.

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