1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers season

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1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers
Division2nd Patrick
Conference2nd Campbell
1977–78 record45–20–15
Home record29–6–5
Road record16–14–10
Goals for296 (4th)
Goals against200 (2nd)
Team information
PresidentJoe Scott
General managerKeith Allen
CoachFred Shero
CaptainBobby Clarke
Alternate captainsNone[a]
ArenaSpectrum
Average attendance17,077[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Maine Mariners
Philadelphia Firebirds
Team leaders
GoalsBill Barber (41)
AssistsBobby Clarke (68)
PointsBobby Clarke (89)
Penalty minutesAndre Dupont (225)
Plus/minusBobby Clarke (+47)
WinsBernie Parent (29)
Goals against averageBernie Parent (2.22)

The 1977–78 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 11th season in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Regular season[]

The Flyers lost their hold on the Patrick Division in 1977–78 and settled for second place.

Tom Bladon's 8 points (4 goals and 4 assists) in a game against the Cleveland Barons on December 11 set an NHL record for a defenseman.[2]

Season standings[]

Patrick Division
  GP W L T GF GA PTS
New York Islanders 80 48 17 15 334 210 111
Philadelphia Flyers 80 45 20 15 296 200 105
Atlanta Flames 80 34 27 19 274 252 87
New York Rangers 80 30 37 13 279 280 73

[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[]

After sweeping the Colorado Rockies in 2 games in the preliminary round, the Flyers moved on and beat Buffalo in five games. They faced Boston in the semi-finals for the second consecutive season, and lost again, this time in five games.

Schedule and results[]

Regular season[]

1977–78 regular season
October: 5–2–1, 11 Points (Home: 3–1–0; Road: 2–1–1)
Game October Opponent Score Record Points
1 13 Chicago Black Hawks 5–1 1–0–0 2
2 15 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 8–2 2–0–0 4
3 16 St. Louis Blues 7–0 3–0–0 6
4 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–0 4–0–0 8
5 22 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 1–6 4–1–0 8
6 23 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–6 4–2–0 8
7 26 @ Chicago Black Hawks 2–2 4–2–1 9
8 29 @ St. Louis Blues 7–3 5–2–1 11
November: 9–2–2, 20 Points (Home: 6–1–1; Road: 3–1–1)
Game November Opponent Score Record Points
9 3 Washington Capitals 4–1 6–2–1 13
10 5 @ Washington Capitals 3–1 7–2–1 15
11 6 Vancouver Canucks 3–2 8–2–1 17
12 10 Buffalo Sabres 2–3 8–3–1 17
13 12 @ New York Islanders 2–2 8–3–2 18
14 13 Detroit Red Wings 3–0 9–3–2 20
15 17 New York Islanders 4–4 9–3–3 21
16 19 @ Minnesota North Stars 7–2 10–3–3 23
17 20 Atlanta Flames 4–0 11–3–3 25
18 23 @ Detroit Red Wings 1–4 11–4–3 25
19 25 Cleveland Barons 7–2 12–4–3 27
20 27 Los Angeles Kings 2–0 13–4–3 29
21 29 @ Vancouver Canucks 3–0 14–4–3 31
December: 10–3–1, 21 Points (Home: 5–1–0; Road: 5–2–1)
Game December Opponent Score Record Points
22 1 @ Los Angeles Kings 4–2 15–4–3 33
23 3 @ Colorado Rockies 6–3 16–4–3 35
24 7 @ New York Rangers 3–3 16–4–4 36
25 8 New York Rangers 7–4 17–4–4 38
26 10 Chicago Black Hawks 4–2 18–4–4 40
27 11 Cleveland Barons 11–1 19–4–4 42
28 15 Boston Bruins 6–4 20–4–4 44
29 17 @ Atlanta Flames 4–3 21–4–4 46
30 18 Montreal Canadiens 0–2 21–5–4 46
31 21 @ Cleveland Barons 4–0 22–5–4 48
32 23 @ Boston Bruins 1–6 22–6–4 48
33 28 @ New York Rangers 4–3 23–6–4 50
34 29 Minnesota North Stars 5–2 24–6–4 52
35 31 @ St. Louis Blues 2–3 24–7–4 52
January: 4–4–5, 13 Points (Home: 3–0–3; Road: 1–4–2)
Game January Opponent Score Record Points
36 3 Cleveland Barons 5–4 25–7–4 54
37 5 Los Angeles Kings 4–4 25–7–5 55
38 6 @ Atlanta Flames 3–5 25–8–5 55
39 9 @ Montreal Canadiens 3–3 25–8–6 56
40 11 @ Chicago Black Hawks 4–5 25–9–6 56
41 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 25–9–7 57
42 14 New York Rangers 4–1 26–9–7 59
43 16 Atlanta Flames 5–3 27–9–7 61
44 19 Montreal Canadiens 1–1 27–9–8 62
45 21 @ New York Islanders 1–6 27–10–8 62
46 26 @ Vancouver Canucks 6–2 28–10–8 64
47 28 @ Colorado Rockies 4–6 28–11–8 64
48 29 @ Detroit Red Wings 3–3 28–11–9 65
February: 7–4–2, 16 Points (Home: 5–2–0; Road: 2–2–2)
Game February Opponent Score Record Points
49 1 @ Chicago Black Hawks 1–3 28–12–9 65
50 2 Colorado Rockies 3–0 29–12–9 67
51 4 @ Cleveland Barons 2–2 29–12–10 68
52 6 St. Louis Blues 2–0 30–12–10 70
53 9 Vancouver Canucks 5–2 31–12–10 72
54 12 Washington Capitals 4–1 32–12–10 74
55 16 Minnesota North Stars 2–4 32–13–10 74
56 18 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 33–13–10 76
57 19 New York Islanders 1–4 33–14–10 76
58 23 @ Buffalo Sabres 0–4 33–15–10 76
59 25 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 34–15–10 78
60 26 @ Washington Capitals 6–1 35–15–10 80
61 28 @ Boston Bruins 4–4 35–15–11 81
March: 8–4–2, 18 Points (Home: 6–0–1; Road: 2–4–1)
Game March Opponent Score Record Points
62 1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–3 35–16–11 81
63 4 @ Montreal Canadiens 1–7 35–17–11 81
64 5 St. Louis Blues 7–1 36–17–11 83
65 7 Atlanta Flames 5–3 37–17–11 85
66 11 Boston Bruins 6–2 38–17–11 87
67 12 Colorado Rockies 6–2 39–17–11 89
68 15 @ New York Rangers 2–2 39–17–12 90
69 16 @ Buffalo Sabres 1–3 39–18–12 90
70 18 Buffalo Sabres 2–2 39–18–13 91
71 20 New York Islanders 4–2 40–18–13 93
72 23 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–1 41–18–13 95
73 25 @ Minnesota North Stars 4–3 42–18–13 97
74 28 @ Colorado Rockies 3–4 42–19–13 97
75 31 @ Vancouver Canucks 3–2 43–19–13 99
April: 2–1–2, 6 Points (Home: 1–1–0; Road: 1–0–2)
Game April Opponent Score Record Points
76 1 @ Los Angeles Kings 4–2 44–19–13 101
77 4 @ New York Islanders 3–3 44–19–14 102
78 6 New York Rangers 3–0 45–19–14 104
79 8 @ Atlanta Flames 1–1 45–19–15 105
80 9 Minnesota North Stars 1–3 45–20–15 105
Legend:

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

Playoffs[]

1978 Stanley Cup playoffs
Preliminary Round vs. Colorado Rockies – Flyers win 2–0
Game Date Opponent Score Series
1 April 11 Colorado Rockies 3–2 OT Flyers lead 1–0
2 April 13 @ Colorado Rockies 3–1 Flyers win 2–0
Quarter-finals vs. Buffalo Sabres – Flyers win 4–1
Game Date Opponent Score Series
1 April 17 Buffalo Sabres 2–4 Bruins lead 1–0
2 April 19 Buffalo Sabres 2–1 OT Series tied 1–1
3 April 22 @ Buffalo Sabres 5–2 Flyers lead 2–1
4 April 23 @ Buffalo Sabres 4–2 Flyers lead 3–1
5 April 25 Buffalo Sabres 6–3 Flyers win 4–1
Semi-finals vs. Boston Bruins – Bruins win 4–1
Game Date Opponent Score Series
1 May 2 @ Boston Bruins 2–3 Bruins lead 1–0
2 May 4 @ Boston Bruins 5–7 Bruins lead 2–0
3 May 7 Boston Bruins 3–1 Bruins lead 2–1
4 May 9 Boston Bruins 2–4 Bruins lead 3–1
5 May 11 @ Boston Bruins 3–6 Bruins win 4–1
Legend:

  Win   Loss

Player statistics[]

Scoring[]

  • 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
16 Bobby Clarke 28 C 71 21 68 89 47 83 12 4 7 11 −5 8
7 Bill Barber 25 LW 80 41 31 72 31 34 12 6 3 9 −2 2
19 Rick MacLeish 28 LW 76 31 39 70 24 33 12 7 9 16 1 4
26 Orest Kindrachuk 27 C 73 17 45 62 35 128 12 5 5 10 3 13
2 Bob Dailey 24 D 76 21 36 57 45 62 12 1 5 6 −2 22
27 Reggie Leach 27 RW 72 24 28 52 20 24 12 2 2 4 −3 0
18 Ross Lonsberry 30 LW 78 18 30 48 41 45 12 2 2 4 −3 6
10 Mel Bridgman 22 C 76 16 32 48 26 203 12 1 7 8 0 36
11 Don Saleski 28 RW 70 27 18 45 34 44 11 2 0 2 2 19
3 Tom Bladon 25 D 79 11 24 35 32 57 12 0 2 2 −4 11
17 Paul Holmgren 22 RW 62 16 18 34 23 190 12 1 4 5 −7 26
9 Bob Kelly 27 LW 74 19 13 32 15 95 12 3 5 8 8 26
29 Barry Dean 22 LW 56 7 18 25 12 34 — — — — — —
5 Rick Lapointe 22 D 47 4 16 20 35 91 12 0 3 3 −3 19
20 Jimmy Watson 25 D 71 5 12 17 33 62 12 1 7 8 4 6
25 Kevin McCarthy 20 D 62 2 15 17 29 32 10 0 1 1 2 8
14 Joe Watson 34 D 65 5 9 14 23 22 1 0 0 0 −1 0
6 Andre Dupont 28 D 69 2 12 14 31 225 12 2 1 3 4 13
12 Gary Dornhoefer 34 RW 47 7 5 12 −3 62 4 0 0 0 0 7
8 Dave Hoyda 20 LW 41 1 3 4 −5 119 9 0 0 0 1 17
22 Harvey Bennettdouble-dagger 25 C 2 1 0 1 1 7 — — — — — —
32 Blake Dunlopdagger 24 C 3 0 1 1 1 0 — — — — — —
1 Bernie Parent 32 G 49 0 0 0 N/A 4 12 0 0 0 N/A 0
35 Wayne Stephenson 33 G 26 0 0 0 N/A 0 — — — — — —
30 Rick St. Croix 23 G 7 0 0 0 N/A 0 — — — — — —
15 Al Hill 22 LW 3 0 0 0 0 2 — — — — — —
21 Frank Bathe 23 D 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
21 Jim Cunningham 21 LW 1 0 0 0 1 4 — — — — — —
28 Drew Callander 21 C 1 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —

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
1 Bernie Parent 32 49 48 29 6 13 1223 108 2.22 .912 7 2,918:34 12 12 7 5 306 33 2.75 .892 0 719:16
35 Wayne Stephenson 33 26 25 14 10 1 648 68 2.76 .895 3 1,480:03 – – – – – – – – – —
30 Rick St. Croix 23 7 7 2 4 1 165 20 3.05 .879 0 393:53 – – – – – – – – – —

Awards and records[]

Awards[]

Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League (in-season) NHL All-Star Game selection Bill Barber [4]
Tom Bladon
Bobby Clarke
Bob Dailey
Fred Shero (Coach)
Wayne Stephenson
Jim Watson
Team Barry Ashbee Trophy Jim Watson [5]
Class Guy Award Joe Watson [5]

Records[]

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

Individual[]

Franchise player records set during the 1977–78 season
Record Type Total Player Date(s) Opponent Ref
Most goals scored Game 4[b] Tom Bladon 12/11/1977 Cleveland Barons [6]
Most points Game 8 Tom Bladon 12/11/1977 Cleveland Barons [6]
Most points by a defenseman Game 8double-dagger Tom Bladon 12/11/1977 Cleveland Barons [7]
Best plus-minus Game +10dagger Tom Bladon 12/11/1977 Cleveland Barons [8]
Games with an assist Streak 12[c] Bobby Clarke 2/1/1978 – 3/16/1978 — [6]

Team[]

Franchise team records set during the 1977–78 season
Record Type Total Date(s) Opponent Player(s) Refs
Fastest overtime goal, playoffs Game 0:23 4/11/1978 Colorado Rockies Mel Bridgman [9]

Milestones[]

Individual career milestones[10]
Milestone Player Date
500th game played Bernie Parent December 8, 1977

Transactions[]

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 15, 1977, the day after the deciding game of the 1977 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 25, 1978, the day of the deciding game of the 1978 Stanley Cup Finals.[11]

Trades[]

Date Details Ref
June 14, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
8th-round pick in 1977
9th-round pick in 1977
10th-round pick in 1977
11th-round pick in 1977 		To Buffalo Sabres
cash
June 17, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
future considerations[d] 		To Los Angeles Kings
Steve Short 		[12]
August 5, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
Barry Dean 		To Colorado Rockies
Mark Suzor 		[13]
October 28, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
Blake Dunlop
3rd-round pick in 1978 		To Minnesota North Stars
Harvey Bennett 		[14]
November 1, 1977 To Philadelphia Flyers
Terry Murray 		To Detroit Red Wings
cash 		[15]

Signings[]

Free agency[]

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

Date Player Previous team (league) Term Ref
August 17, 1977 Brian Burke Providence College (HE) [16]
September 1977 Jim Cunningham Michigan State University (CCHA) [17]
September 1977 Guy Delparte Oklahoma City Blazers (CHL) [18]
September 7, 1977 Wayne Schaab VEU Feldkirch (Austria)
September 15, 1977 Larry Romanchych Atlanta Flames [19]
September 28, 1977 Bernie Johnston Syracuse Blazers (NAHL) [20]
October 7, 1977 Frank Bathe Port Huron Flags (IHL) [21]
October 23, 1977 Mike Busniuk Nova Scotia Voyageurs (AHL) [22]
October 27, 1977 Grant Cole Springfield Indians (AHL)
November 6, 1977 Rudolf Tajcnar HC Slovan Bratislava (TCH) [23]

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 30, 1977 Kevin McCarthy (DP) 3-year [24]
August 2, 1977 Tom Gorence (DP) [25]
August 2, 1977 Dave Hoyda (DP) [25]

Waivers[]

The Flyers were not involved in any waivers transactions. The 1977 NHL Waiver Draft was held on October 10, 1977.[26] The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Bernie Parent and Wayne Stephenson, and skaters Bill Barber, Tom Bladon, Mel Bridgman, Bobby Clarke, Bob Dailey, Barry Dean, Gary Dornhoefer, Paul Holmgren, Bob Kelly, Orest Kindrachuk, Rick Lapointe, Reggie Leach, Ross Lonsberry, Rick MacLeish, Don Saleski, Jimmy Watson, and Joe Watson.[26]

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
September 14, 1977 Gary Inness Indianapolis Racers (WHA) Free agency [27]

Draft picks[]

See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1977 NHL amateur draft, which was held at the NHL's office in Montreal, Quebec, on June 14, 1977.[28]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league) Notes
1 17 Kevin McCarthy Defense  Canada Winnipeg Monarchs (WCHL)
2 35 Tom Gorence Right Wing  United States University of Minnesota (CCHA)
3 53 Dave Hoyda Left Wing  Canada Portland Winter Hawks (WCHL)
4 67 Yves Guillemette Goaltender  Canada Shawinigan Dynamos (QMJHL) [e]
4 71 Rene Hamelin Right Wing  Canada Shawinigan Dynamos (QMJHL)
5 89 Dan Clark Defense  Canada Kamloops Chiefs (WCHL)
6 107 Alain Chaput Center  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
7 123 Richard Dalpe Center  Canada Trois-Rivières Draveurs (QMJHL)
8 135 Pete Peeters Goaltender  Canada Medicine Hat Tigers (WCHL) [f]
8 136 Clint Eccles Center  Canada Kamloops Chiefs (WCHL) [g]
8 139 Mike Greeder Defense  United States St. Paul Vulcans (MJHL)
9 150 Tom Bauer Wing  United States Providence College (HE) [f]
9 151 Michael Bauman Defense  Canada Hull Olympiques (QMJHL) [g]
9 153 Bruce Crowder Forward  Canada University of New Hampshire (HE)
10 158 Rob Nicholson Defense  United States St. Paul Vulcans (MJHL) [f]
10 159 Dave Isherwood Center  Canada Winnipeg Monarchs (WCHL) [g]
10 161 Steve Jones Goaltender  Canada Ohio State University (CCHA)
11 165 Jim Trainor Defense  United States Harvard University (ECAC) [f]
11 166 Barry Duench Center  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHA) [g]
11 168 Defense  Canada Ohio State University (CCHA)
12 172 Mike Laycock Goaltender  Canada Brown University (ECAC) [f]

Farm teams[]

The Flyers were affiliated with the Maine Mariners of the AHL[30][31] and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.[32]

Notes[]

  1. ^ The alternate captain position was abolished from the 1975–76 season through the 1984–85 season.
  2. ^ Tied fifteen times by eight different players. See List of Philadelphia Flyers records.
  3. ^ Clarke tied his mark set during the 1975–76 season.
  4. ^ The Kings sent Paul Evans to the Flyers on November 3, 1977, to complete trade.[12]
  5. ^ The Flyers traded Dave Schultz to the Los Angeles Kings for the Kings' fourth-round pick, 67th overall, and the Kings' 1978 second-round pick on September 29, 1976.[29]
  6. ^ a b c d e The Flyers traded Bobby Taylor and Ed Van Impe to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Gary Inness and future considerations (the Penguins' eighth through twelfth-round picks) on March 9, 1976.[29]
  7. ^ a b c d The Flyers traded cash to the Buffalo Sabres for the Sabres' eighth through eleventh-round picks on June 14, 1977.[29]

References[]

General
Specific
  1. ^ "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ^ Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
  3. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
  4. ^ "31st NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 263
  7. ^ National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2017, p. 168
  8. ^ "Flyers History - NHL Records Held/Shared By Flyers". P.Anson. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  9. ^ 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 351
  10. ^ "Flyers History – All-Time Milestone Award Winners". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  11. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Steven Short – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  13. ^ "Barry Dean – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  14. ^ "Blake Dunlop – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  15. ^ "Terry Murray – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  16. ^ Meltzer, Bill (August 17, 2014). "Meltzer's Musings: Kerr vs. LeClair, Quick Hits". HockeyBuzz.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  17. ^ "James Cunningham – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  18. ^ "Guy Delparte – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  19. ^ "Sports Transactions". The Cumberland News. September 16, 1977. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Bernard Johnston – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  21. ^ "Francis Bathe – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  22. ^ "Michael Busniuk – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  23. ^ Meltzer, Bill (October 2, 2019). "CZECH US OUT: Part 1, the beginnings". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  24. ^ "'Confident' Kevin McCarthy never thought he'd be a Flyer". AP. Pottstown Mercury. July 1, 1977. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "Sports Moves". Indiana Gazette. August 3, 1977. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b Parsons, Mark (November 8, 2013). "1977 NHL Waiver Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  27. ^ "The transactions". Calgary Herald. September 15, 1977. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "1977 NHL amateur draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  29. ^ a b c "1977 NHL amateur draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  30. ^ "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  31. ^ "AHL Season Overview: 1977–78". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  32. ^ "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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