1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers season

1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers
Division 2nd West
1972–73 record 37–30–11
Home record 27–8–4
Road record 10–22–7
Goals for 296 (4th)
Goals against 256 (11th)
Team information
General Manager Keith Allen
Coach Fred Shero
Captain Ed Van Impe
(to Jan 17)
Bobby Clarke
(from Jan 17)
Alternate captains Bill Clement
Joe Watson
Arena Spectrum
Average attendance 16,063[1]
Minor league affiliations Richmond Robins (AHL)[2]
San Diego Gulls (WHL)[3]
Jersey Devils (EHL)[3]
Team leaders
Goals Rick MacLeish (50)
Assists Bobby Clarke (67)
Points Bobby Clarke (104)
Penalties in minutes Dave Schultz (259)
Plus/minus Bobby Clarke (+32)
Wins Doug Favell (20)
Goals against average Doug Favell (2.83)
<1971–72 1973–74>

The 1972–73 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' sixth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers earned the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" en route to their first winning season and first playoff series victory, beating the Minnesota North Stars, before losing in the semifinals to the Montreal Canadiens.

Regular season

It was during the 1972–73 season that the Flyers shed the mediocre expansion team label by recording their first winning season and becoming known as the intimidating "Broad Street Bullies", a nickname coined by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin on January 3, 1973[4] after a 3–1 brawling victory over the Atlanta Flames that led Chevalier to write in his game account, "The image of the fightin' Flyers spreading gradually around the NHL, and people are dreaming up wild nicknames. They're the Mean Machine, the Bullies of Broad Street and Freddy's Philistines." Cafone wrote the accompanying headline, "Broad Street Bullies Muscle Atlanta".[5]

Rick MacLeish was the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season.

That same month Bobby Clarke was the youngest player (at that time) in NHL history to be named team captain, replacing Ed Van Impe who had stepped aside in favor of Clarke.[6][7] Rick MacLeish became the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season.

After the season, Clarke was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player.

Season standings

West Division[8]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Chicago Black Hawks 78 42 27 9 284 225 +59 93
2 Philadelphia Flyers 78 37 30 11 296 256 +40 85
3 Minnesota North Stars 78 37 30 11 254 230 +24 85
4 St. Louis Blues 78 32 34 12 233 251 −18 76
5 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 32 37 9 257 265 −8 73
6 Los Angeles Kings 78 31 36 11 232 245 −13 73
7 Atlanta Flames 78 25 38 15 191 239 −106 65
8 California Golden Seals 78 16 46 16 213 323 −177 48

Playoffs

An overtime goal by Gary Dornhoefer in Game 5 turned the tide of their first round series with the Minnesota North Stars in the Flyers' favor, as the Flyers got their first playoff series win in six games. The goal was later immortalized as a bronze statue on the south side of the Spectrum. They were outmatched in the semifinals by the Montreal Canadiens, however, losing in five games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1972–73 regular season

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

Playoffs

1973 Stanley Cup playoffs

Legend:       Win       Loss

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Age Pos GP G A Pts +/- PIM GP G A Pts PIM
16 Clarke, BobbyBobby Clarke 23 C 78 37 67 104 32 80 11 2 6 8 6
19 MacLeish, RickRick MacLeish 23 C 78 50 50 100 15 69 10 3 4 7 2
12, 24 Dornhoefer, GaryGary Dornhoefer 29 RW 77 30 49 79 17 168 11 3 3 6 16
21 Flett, BillBill Flett 29 RW 69 43 31 74 31 53 11 3 4 7 0
7 Barber, BillBill Barber 20 LW 69 30 34 64 10 46 11 3 2 5 22
18 Lonsberry, RossRoss Lonsberry 25 LW 77 21 29 50 6 59 11 4 3 7 9
23 Bladon, TomTom Bladon 20 D 78 11 31 42 9 26 11 0 4 4 2
17, 22 Nolet, SimonSimon Nolet 31 RW 70 16 20 36 −3 6 11 3 1 4 4
10 Clement, BillBill Clement 22 C 73 14 14 28 −11 51 2 0 0 0 0
14 Watson, JoeJoe Watson 29 D 63 2 24 26 30 46 11 0 2 2 12
28 Dupont, AndreAndre Dupontdagger 23 D 46 3 20 23 8 164 11 1 2 3 29
11 Saleski, DonDon Saleski 23 RW 78 12 9 21 −20 205 11 1 2 3 4
9 Kelly, BobBob Kelly 22 LW 77 10 11 21 1 238 11 0 1 1 8
8 Schultz, DaveDave Schultz 23 LW 76 9 12 21 4 259 11 1 0 1 51
4 Ashbee, BarryBarry Ashbee 33 D 64 1 17 18 −2 106 11 0 4 4 20
5 Hughes, BrentBrent Hughesdouble-dagger 29 D 29 2 11 13 −8 32
25 Potvin, JeanJean Potvindouble-dagger 23 D 35 3 9 12 −1 10
2 Van Impe, EdEd Van Impe 32 D 72 1 11 12 22 76 11 0 0 0 16
6 Hillman, WayneWayne Hillman 34 D 74 0 10 10 16 33 8 0 0 0 0
29 Crisp, TerryTerry Crispdagger 29 C 12 1 5 6 4 2 11 3 2 5 2
20 Plante, PierrePierre Plantedouble-dagger 21 RW 2 0 3 3 3 0
1 Favell, DougDoug Favell 27 G 44 0 2 2 N/A 4 11 0 0 0 2
30, 35 Belhumeur, MichelMichel Belhumeur 23 G 23 0 1 1 N/A 0 1 0 0 0 0
30 Taylor, BobbyBobby Taylor 28 G 23 0 1 1 N/A 0
15, 20 Wright, LarryLarry Wright 21 C 9 0 1 1 −3 4
3 Brossart, WillieWillie Brossart 23 D 4 0 1 1 −5 0
20 Watson, JimmyJimmy Watson 20 D 4 0 1 1 −1 5 2 0 0 0 0
26 Kindrachuk, OrestOrest Kindrachuk 22 C 2 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltenders

Regular season Playoffs
No. Player Age GP W L T SO GA SV% GAA MIN GP W L SO GA SV% GAA MIN
1 Favell, DougDoug Favell 27 44 20 15 4 3 114 .913 2.83 2419 11 5 6 1 29 .920 2.60 669
30, 35 Belhumeur, MichelMichel Belhumeur 23 23 9 7 3 0 60 .903 3.22 1117 1 0 0 0 1 .889 6.00 10
30 Taylor, BobbyBobby Taylor 28 23 8 8 4 0 78 .888 4.09 1144

Awards and records

Awards

League awards and honors
Award or honor Recipient Ref
Hart Memorial Trophy Bobby Clarke [9]
NHL Second All-Star Team Bobby Clarke (Center) [10]
Selected to NHL All-Star Game Bobby Clarke [11]
Gary Dornhoefer

Records

Individual regular season single game records
Record Player Total Date and opponent
Most goals scored Rick MacLeish 4 February 13, 1973 vs. New York Islanders
March 4, 1973 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
(tied 14 times by eight different players)
Individual post season single game records
Record Player Total Date and opponent
Most assist, one period Barry Ashbee 3** April 5, 1973 vs. Minnesota North Stars
(tied five times by five different players)
Team regular season single game records
Record Total Date and opponent
Most goals, one period 8 March 31, 1973 vs. New York Islanders
Team regular season streaks records
Record Games Dates
Longest road losing streak 8 October 25, 1972 through November 26, 1972
(tied March 3, 1988 through March 29, 1988)

Milestones

Franchise firsts[12]
Milestone Player Details Date Ref
4-goal game Rick MacLeish 1: Powerplay goal at 6:30 of the second period against Billy Smith February 13, 1973 [13]
2: Powerplay goal at 6:57 of the second period against Smith
3: Even-strength goal at 13:25 of the second period against Smith
4: Even-strength goal at 6:17 of the third period against Smith
40-goal season Rick MacLeish Even-strength goal at 8:37 of the second period March 4, 1973 [14]
100-point season Bobby Clarke Power play goal at 14:43 of the third period against Phil Myre March 29, 1973 [15]
50-goal season Rick MacLeish Even-strength goal at 2:02 of the second period against Cam Newton April 1, 1973 [14]
Shutout, playoffs Doug Favell Stopped all 31 shots against the Minnesota North Stars April 8, 1973 [16]

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 12, 1972, the day after the deciding game of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 10, 1973, the day of the deciding game of the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals.[17]

Trades

Date Details Refs
June 8, 1972 To Philadelphia Flyers
cash
To Minnesota North Stars
10th-round pick in 1972
August 10, 1972 To Philadelphia Flyers
John McKenzie
To Boston Bruins
cash
[18]
December 14, 1972 To Philadelphia Flyers
Andre Dupont
3rd-round pick in 1973
To St. Louis Blues
Brent Hughes
Pierre Plante
[19]
March 5, 1973 To Philadelphia Flyers
Terry Crisp
To New York Islanders
Jean Potvin
player to be named later[a]
[20]
May 1973 To Philadelphia Flyers
Jim Stanfield
To Portland Buckaroos (WHL)
cash
[21]
Trade notes

Signings

Free agency

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

Date Player Previous team (league) Contract details Ref
September 1972 Jack McIlhargey Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL) [23]

Re-signed

The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.

Date Player Contract details Ref
May 21, 1972 Dave Schultz 2 years [24]
May 22, 1972 Rick Foley 3 years [25]
May 22, 1972 Bob Kelly 2 years [25]
May 22, 1972 Simon Nolet multi-year [25]
May 24, 1972 Rick MacLeish 3 years, $125,000 [26][27]
May 26, 1972 Bill Clement 2 years [28]
May 26, 1972 Joe Watson 2 years [28]
May 31, 1972 Don Saleski 2 years [29]
June 2, 1972 Michel Belhumeur 3 years [30]
June 2, 1972 Gary Dornhoefer 3 years [30]
June 2, 1972 Ross Lonsberry multi-year [30]
June 2, 1972 Lew Morrison 2 years [30]
June 2, 1972 Jean Potvin multi-year [30]
June 2, 1972 Ed Van Impe multi-year [30]
June 5, 1972 Doug Favell 3 years [31]
June 19, 1972 Bill Flett 3 years, $165,000 [32]
August 15, 1972 Barry Ashbee 3 years [33]
August 15, 1972 Yvon Bilodeau [33]
August 15, 1972 Willie Brossart [33]
August 15, 1972 Bob Currier 2 years [33]
August 15, 1972 Rene Drolet [33]
August 15, 1972 Andre Gaudette [33]
August 15, 1972 Wayne Hillman [33]
August 15, 1972 Orest Kindrachuk [33]
August 15, 1972 Roger Kosar [33]
August 15, 1972 Danny Schock [33]
August 15, 1972 Tom Trevelyan [33]
September 12, 1972 Brent Hughes [34]

Draft picks

The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.

Date Player Previous team (league) Draft Contract details Ref
June 20, 1972 Bill Barber Kitchener Rangers (OHA) 1972 1st-round pick 3 years [35]
June 20, 1972 Tom Bladon Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) 1972 2nd-round pick 3 years [35]
June 20, 1972 Al MacAdam Charlottetown Islanders (MJHL) 1972 4th-round pick 2 years [35]
June 20, 1972 Jimmy Watson Calgary Centennials (WCHL) 1972 3rd-round pick 2 years [35]

NHL Intra-League Draft

The 1972 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 5, 1972.[36] Each NHL team placed 18 players on a protected list from which the other teams could not select.[36] It cost $40,000 to make a claim.[37] The Flyers were not involved in any selections during the draft.[37]

NHL Expansion Draft

The 1972 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 6, 1972.[38][39] It featured two expansion teams, the Atlanta Flames and New York Islanders, selecting players from the 14 existing NHL teams.[38] Each NHL team placed 15 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the two expansion teams could not select.[38] The Flyers were one of four teams exempted from protecting goaltenders since they lost a goaltender in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft.[38]

The Flyers protected the following players:[38] Barry Ashbee, Willie Brossart, Bobby Clarke, Bill Clement, Gary Dornhoefer, Rick Foley, Bob Kelly, Ross Lonsberry, Rick MacLeish, Simon Nolet, Jean Potvin, Don Saleski, Dave Schultz, Ed Van Impe, and Joe Watson.

Players selected from the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft[38][40]
Pick Player Selected by Notes
22 Lew Morrison Atlanta Flames Flyers added Bill Flett to protected list
36 Larry Hale Atlanta Flames Flyers added Michel Parizeau to protected list
39 Jim Mair New York Islanders

NHL Reverse Draft

The 1972 NHL Reverse Draft was held on June 8, 1972.[41][42] The Reverse Draft featured American Hockey League (AHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL) teams selecting unprotected players from NHL teams.[41] It cost $15,000 to make a claim.[41]

Selections involving the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1972 NHL Reverse Draft[41]
Round Pick Player Selected by Selected from Notes
1 7 Andre Gaudette Richmond Robins (AHL) Philadelphia Flyers Played entire 1971–72 season with Richmond
1 12 Hank Nowak Hershey Bears (AHL) Philadelphia Flyers Played entire 1971–72 season with Richmond

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
May 25, 1972 Dick Sarrazin New England Whalers (WHA) Free agency [43]
June 6, 1972 Eddie Joyal Alberta Oilers (WHA) Free agency [44]
June 1972 Jean-Guy Gendron Quebec Nordiques (WHA) Free agency [45]
July 19, 1972 Ralph MacSweyn Los Angeles Sharks (WHA) Free agency [46]
July 1972 Michel Parizeau Quebec Nordiques (WHA) Free agency Flyers retained NHL rights [47]
August 8, 1972 Don McLeod Houston Aeros (WHA) Free agency [48]

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec on June 8, 1972.[49]

Players drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1972 and their NHL career regular season statistics
Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league) GP G A Pts PIM W L T GAA
1 7 Barber, BillBill Barber Left Wing  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHA) 903 420 463 883 623 &
&
&
&
2 23 Bladon, TomTom Bladon Defense  Canada Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) 610 73 197 270 392 &
&
&
&
3 39 Watson, JimmyJimmy Watson Defense  Canada Calgary Centennials (WCHL) 613 38 148 186 492 &
&
&
&
4 55 MacAdam, AlAl MacAdam Right Wing  Canada Charlottetown Islanders (MJHL) 864 240 351 591 509 &
&
&
&
5 71 Fedorak, DarylDaryl Fedorak Goaltender  Canada Victoria Cougars (WCHL) &
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
6 87 Hasting, DaveDave Hasting Goaltender  Canada Charlottetown Islanders (MJHL) &
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
7 103 Beaudoin, SergeSerge Beaudoin Defense  Canada Trois-Rivières Ducs (QMJHL) 3 0 0 0 0 &
&
&
&
8 119 Russell, PatPat Russell Right Wing  Canada Vancouver Nats (WCHL) &
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
9 135 Boutin, RayRay Boutin Goaltender  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) &
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
&
Draft notes[50]

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL,[2][51] the San Diego Gulls of the WHL,[3] and the Jersey Devils of the EHL.[3]

References

General
Specific
  1. "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. Jackson, Jim. Walking Together Forever: The Broad Street Bullies, Then and Now. Sports Publishing L.L.C. pp. 1–3.
  5. Jack Chevalier (1973-01-03). "Broad Street Bullies Muscle Atlanta". Philadelphia Bulletin.
  6. "CLARKE NAMED CAPTAIN". The Herald. January 18, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved December 20, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Flyers History - Hall of Fame Profile - Ed Van Impe". P. Anson. FlyersHistory.net. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  8. "1972–1973 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  9. "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  10. 2014–15 NHL Official Guide & Record Book, p. 230–32
  11. "26th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  12. "Flyers History - All-Time Firsts". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  13. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 14, 2015. 13-Feb-73 New York Islanders 2 @ Philadelphia Flyers 8
  14. 1 2 "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Goal Season List". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015. Goal List for Rick MacLeish 1972-73 Season
  15. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015. 29-Mar-73 Atlanta Flames 2 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4
  16. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 14, 2015. 8-Apr-73 Philadelphia Flyers 3 @ Minnesota North Stars 0
  17. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  18. "Flyers Acquire Contract of John McKenzie". AP. Pottstown Mercury. August 11, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Sports Briefs". Indiana Gazette. December 15, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Flyers trade Potvin for Terry Crisp". AP. Delaware County Daily Times. March 5, 1973. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Jim Stanfield - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  22. "Terry Crisp - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  23. "John McIlhargey - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  24. "Flyers Ink Schultz". AP. Kokomo Tribune. May 21, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  25. 1 2 3 "Sports shorts". Ottawa Journal. May 23, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  26. "no title". AP. The Troy Record. May 25, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  27. Meltzer, Bill (May 24, 2012). "Meltzer's Musings -- Young D, Pelle's 53rd, Today in Flyers history". HockeyBuzz.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  28. 1 2 "briefly". Brandon Sun. May 27, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  29. "Flyers Ink Don Saleski". AP. The Troy Record. June 1, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sports Shorts". Pottstown Mercury. June 3, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  31. "Sport Shorts". AP. Silver City Daily Press. June 6, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  32. "Flett returns to NHL Flyers". AP. Ottawa Journal. June 20, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Philadelphia Flyers Sign 11 Players". AP. The Troy Record. August 16, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  34. "Hughes signs". UPI. The Lowell Sun. September 13, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  35. 1 2 3 4 "Flyers Sign Four Picks To Contracts". AP. The Times Record. June 21, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  36. 1 2 "Sabres Draft Horton From Pens on Gamble". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 6, 1972. p. 19. Retrieved July 29, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  37. 1 2 Parsons, Mark (June 3, 2012). "1972 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Parsons, Mark (June 17, 2012). "The 1972 NHL Expansion and Inter-League Drafts". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  39. "Flyers Lose 3 Players to 2 Expansion Teams". AP. Pottstown Mercury. June 7, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  40. "1972 NHL Expansion Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Parsons, Mark (June 3, 2012). "1972 Reverse Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  42. "Bears Add Two In Hockey's Reverse Draft". Lebanon Daily News. June 9, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  43. "New England Whalers Sign Dick Sarrazin". AP. The Evening Standard. May 26, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  44. "WHA Club Signs Seven". AP. The Post-Standard. June 7, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  45. Jean-Guy Gendron's biography at Legends of Hockey, retrieved March 22, 2015
  46. "no title". Ottawa Journal. July 20, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  47. "Michel Parizeau career profile at HockeyDraftCentral.com". HockeyDraftCentral. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  48. "Dineen expecting strong WHA club". AP. Brownwood Bulletin. August 9, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 via Newspapers.com.
  49. "1972 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  50. "1972 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  51. "AHL Season Overview: 1972–73". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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