1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 1968–69 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' second season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers lost in the quarterfinals to the St. Louis Blues for the second consecutive season.
Off-season
The Flyers coaxed Dick Cherry, who they selected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, out of retirement by agreeing to a three-year contract.Lou Angotti, the Flyers first captain, was involved in a three-team trade. The Flyers traded Angotti to the St. Louis Blues for Darryl Edestrand and Gerry Melnyk and the Blues subsequently traded Angotti to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Melnyk suffered a heart attack in training camp and retired to become a scout for the team.
The Flyers claimed veteran defenseman Allan Stanley in the reverse draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Regular season
Defenseman Ed Van Impe was named Angotti's replacement as captain in November.Led by Van Impe and the team-leading 24 goals of Andre Lacroix, the Flyers struggled finishing 15 games under.500.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Playoffs
Despite the poor regular season showing, they made the playoffs; however, they were manhandled by St. Louis in a four-game sweep. Not wanting his team to be physically outmatched again, owner Ed Snider instructed General Manager Bud Poile to acquire bigger, tougher players.Schedule and results
Regular season
Playoffs
Player statistics
Scoring
- Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
- = Joined team via a transaction during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
- = Left team via a transaction during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
Goaltending
Awards and records
Awards
Records
Team
Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 12, 1968, the day after the deciding game of the 1968 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 4, 1969, the day of the deciding game of the 1969 Stanley Cup Finals.Trades
Signings
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.| Date | Player | Previous team | Term | Ref |
| September 1968 | Bobby Taylor | Calgary Spurs | ||
| September 18, 1968 | Jean Lapointe | Laval Saints | ||
| September 18, 1968 | Bill McEwan |
Internal
The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Amateur Draft, signed to contracts.| Date | Player | Term | Ref |
| May 27, 1968 | Dick Cherry | 3-year | |
| September 18, 1968 | Dunc Wilson | ||
| September 21, 1968 | Brit Selby | 2-year | |
| October 5, 1968 | Ralph MacSweyn | ||
| October 5, 1968 | Bobby Rivard | ||
| October 8, 1968 | Forbes Kennedy | ||
| October 8, 1968 | Garry Peters | ||
| October 9, 1968 | Gary Dornhoefer | ||
| October 9, 1968 | Jim Johnson | ||
| October 9, 1968 | Rosaire Paiement | ||
| October 12, 1968 | Larry Hale | 1-year |
Drafts
Intra-League
The 1968 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 12, 1968. Each NHL team placed 14 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. It cost $30,000 to make a claim. The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Doug Favell and Bernie Parent, and skaters Dick Cherry, Gary Dornhoefer, Jean Gauthier, Earl Heiskala, Jim Johnson, Forbes Kennedy, Andre Lacroix, John Miszuk, Simon Nolet, Leon Rochefort, Brit Selby, Bill Sutherland, Ed Van Impe, and Joe Watson.| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| June 12, 1968 | Ron Buchanan | from Boston Bruins | |
| June 12, 1968 | Jean Gauthier | to Boston Bruins | |
| June 12, 1968 | Fern Rivard | to Minnesota North Stars | |
| June 12, 1968 | Larry Hale | from Minnesota North Stars | |
| June 12, 1968 | Bill Sutherland | to Minnesota North Stars |
Reverse
The 1968 NHL Reverse Draft was held on June 13, 1968. The Reverse Draft featured American Hockey League and Western Hockey League teams selecting unprotected players from NHL teams. It cost $15,000 to make a claim.| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| June 13, 1968 | Jim Morrison | to Baltimore Clippers | |
| June 13, 1968 | Ed Hoekstra | to Denver Spurs | |
| June 13, 1968 | Allan Stanley | from Toronto Maple Leafs |
Waivers
The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions.| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| January 16, 1969 | Myron Stankiewicz | from St. Louis Blues |
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 | Via | Ref |
| October 7, 1968 | Gerry Melnyk | — | Retirement |
Draft picks
NHL Amateur Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1968 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 13, 1968.| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team |
| 1 | 8 | Lew Morrison | Right Wing | Canada | Flin Flon Bombers |
NHL Special Internal Amateur Draft
Philadelphia's picks at the 1968 NHL Special Internal Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 13, 1968. Sponsored players aged 20 before May 31, 1968, who played as amateurs during the 1967–68 season were eligible for selection.| Player | Position | Nationality | Team | NHL rights |
| Dunc Wilson | Goaltender | Canada | Oshawa Generals | Boston Bruins |