1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' ninth season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the third consecutive year, but they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game sweep.

Regular season

The Flyers recorded the best record in team history with a record of 51–13–16 in 1975–76. They also tied the record set by the 1929–30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20. The LCB line, featuring Reggie Leach at right-wing, Bobby Clarke at center, and Bill Barber at left-wing, set an NHL record for goals by a single line with 141. Clarke, on his way to a third Hart Trophy, set a club record for points in one season with 119.
The highlight of the season had no bearing on the season standings. On January 11 at the Spectrum, the Flyers, as part of the Super Series '76, played a memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominant Central Red Army team. As the Bullies had put intimidation to good use the past three years, the Flyers' rugged style of play led the Soviets to leave the ice midway through the first period, protesting a hit by Ed Van Impe on Valeri Kharlamov. After some delay, the Soviets returned after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series. The Flyers went on to win the game rather easily, 4–1, and were the only team to defeat the Red Army outright in the series. Head coach Fred Shero would proclaim, "Yes we are world champions. If they had won, they would have been world champions. We beat the hell out of a machine."

Season standings

Playoffs

Heading into the playoffs, the Flyers squeaked past Toronto in seven games and defeated Boston in five games, Game 5 featuring a five-goal outburst by Leach, the Riverton Rifle, to head to a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Flyers didn't come close to a third straight championship, as they ran into an up-and-coming dynasty in Montreal, and were swept in four straight games. Despite the loss, Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for scoring 19 goals in 16 playoff games.

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards

Records

Team

Milestones

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 28, 1975, the day after the deciding game of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 16, 1976, the day of the deciding game of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
August 6, 1975Dave KellyProvidence College
September 10, 1975Larry WrightCalifornia Golden Seals
September 10, 1975Wayne SchaabOmaha Knights
September 23, 1975Terry MurrayCalifornia Golden Seals

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.
DatePlayerTermRef
June 6, 1975Mel Bridgman 5-year
August 6, 1975Bob Ritchie
September 5, 1975Dave Schultz5-year
September 16, 1975Orest Kindrachukmulti-year
March 7, 1976Paul Holmgren multi-year

NHL Intra-League Draft

The 1975 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 17, 1975. Each NHL team placed 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. It cost $40,000 to make a claim. The Flyers were not involved in any selections during the draft.

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.
DatePlayerNew team ViaRef
June 2, 1975Ted Harris—Retirement

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the NHL's office in Montreal, Quebec, on June 3, 1975. The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 36th overall, along with the rights to Randy Andreachuk to the St. Louis Blues for Wayne Stephenson on September 16, 1974.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
11Mel BridgmanCenterCanadaVictoria Cougars
354Bob RitchieLeft WingCanadaSorel Black Hawks
472Rick St. CroixGoaltenderCanadaOshawa Generals
590Gary MorrisonForwardUnited StatesUniversity of Michigan
6108Paul HolmgrenForwardUnited StatesUniversity of Minnesota
7126Dana DeckerLeft WingUnited StatesMichigan Tech University
9160Viktor KhatulevDefenseLatviaDynamo Riga
10175Duffy SmithDefenseCanadaBowling Green State University

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.