1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 20th season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Regular season

With the previous Spring's upset loss to the Rangers fresh on their minds, the Flyers got off to a 6–0–0 start to the season, and only lost road games to the Islanders and Penguins in an 8–2–0 October.
Goaltender Ron Hextall made his professional debut on opening night, October 9, and held Edmonton to one goal in a 2–1 victory, and only improved from there, being named NHL Rookie of the Month for October and November.
Things began to click for the club as a whole in November as Brad McCrimmon returned from his suspension over a contract dispute and the emergence of Hextall forced Bob Froese into a back-up role. In the first two months of the season, only the Penguins challenged the Flyers' grip on the top spot in the division, actually starting the year 7–0–0 and topping Philly on October 25 but fading by the end of November.
Brian Propp scored four goals in a 7–1 win over St. Louis on December 2, but three games later he was lost for two months after suffering a serious knee injury against the Oilers. Froese was dealt to the New York Rangers for Kjell Samuelsson on December 18 and later that same night routing the Islanders 9–4 which saw Poulin and Kerr record three-goal games. The record reached 25–7–2 on December 21 after a 7–6 comeback win over the Blues, but during the next game in Buffalo, Ilkka Sinisalo went down with a knee injury and the team lost four in a row on a holiday road trip.
A seven-game unbeaten streak in January put the Flyers at 31–11–3, three points ahead of the Oilers for best record in the NHL, but injuries began to put a strain on the ranks. With Propp, Sinisalo, Mark Howe, and Ron Sutter all suffering through long-term problems, plus minor injuries cropping up, the team sputtered late, going 15–15–5 over the remainder of the schedule.
February 1 saw the Flyers routed 8–4 in Toronto, part of another four-game losing string before the break for Rendez-vous '87. Home defeats to the Rangers, Kings and Detroit followed. A 9–5 home loss on the season's final day to the New York Islanders was no indication of the memorable playoff run to come.
Twice within a span of one week in late January, the Flyers engaged in bench-clearing brawls. The first came in a 3–1 loss to the Islanders at home on January 18 which cost head coach Keenan a one-game suspension. Oddly enough, the second occurred during the game Keenan was suspended for, a 4–3 setback to the Devils at the Meadowlands January 24. That fracas, which came after the final buzzer, saw Hextall pummel Devils goaltender Alain Chevrier among several other battles.
The Flyers captured a third-straight Patrick Division title and Hextall became the third Flyers goaltender to win the Vezina, joining Bernie Parent and Pelle Lindbergh.

Season standings

Playoffs

The Flyers gained revenge on the New York Rangers by beating them in six games, as well as surviving a tough seven-game test from a gritty New York Islanders club. By the time the Flyers defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in six to win the Wales Conference and return to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Flyers had again been decimated by injuries, including losing Tim Kerr for the remainder of the playoffs. As a result, the Flyers lost in heartbreaking fashion to the Edmonton Oilers in seven tough, hard-fought games. Hextall was voted playoff MVP, the second such time a Flyer won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite being on the losing team, the other being Reggie Leach in 1976.

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards

Records

Team

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 25, 1986, the day after the deciding game of the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 31, 1987, the day of the deciding game of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
June 12, 1986Ed HospodarMinnesota North Stars1 year
June 30, 1986Mitch LamoureuxPittsburgh Penguins
October 1986Jere GillisVancouver Canucks
October 7, 1986Mark FreerPeterborough Petes
October 7, 1986Mike MacWilliamNew Westminster Bruins

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 1, 1986Glenn Resch1-year
August 18, 1986Steve Smith
October 8, 1986Kerry Huffman multi-year
October 21, 1986Ron Hextallmulti-year extension
October 29, 1986Brad McCrimmon1-year

Waivers

The Flyers were not involved in any waivers transactions. The 1986 NHL Waiver Draft was held on October 6, 1986. The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Bob Froese and Glenn Resch, defensemen Doug Crossman, Ed Hospodar, Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Brad McCrimmon, Daryl Stanley, and Mike Stothers, and forwards Dave Brown, Lindsay Carson, Murray Craven, Ross Fitzpatrick, Tim Kerr, Don Nachbaur, Dave Poulin, Brian Propp, Ilkka Sinisalo, and Ron Sutter.

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 12, 1986Thomas ErikssonDjurgardens IF Free agency
July 23, 1986Carl MokosakPittsburgh PenguinsFree agency
N/ABo BerglundAIK IF Free agency

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 21, 1986. The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 41st overall, to the Quebec Nordiques for the Nordiques' 1987 second-round pick on June 21, 1986. They also traded their third-round pick, 62nd overall, to the New Jersey Devils for Chico Resch on March 11, 1986, and their fifth-round pick, 104th overall, to the New York Islanders for Mike Murray on June 21, 1986.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
120Kerry HuffmanDefenseCanadaGuelph Platers
223Jukka-Pekka SeppoCenterFinlandVasa Sport
228Kent HawleyCenterCanadaOttawa 67's
483Mark BarDefenseCanadaPeterborough Petes
6125Steve ScheifeleRight WingUnited StatesStratford Cullitons
7146Sami WahlstenForwardFinlandTPS Turku
8167Murray BaronDefenseCanadaVernon Lakers
9184Blaine RudeForwardUnited StatesFergus Falls High School
10209Shaun SabolDefenseUnited StatesSt. Paul Vulcans
11230Brett LawrenceRight WingUnited StatesRochester Junior Americans
12251Dan StephanoGoaltenderUnited StatesNorthwood School

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL.