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1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers season

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1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers
Division5th West
1969–70 record17–35–24
Home record11–14–13
Road record6–21–11
Goals for197 (9th)
Goals against225 (7th)
Team information
General managerBud Poile (Oct.–Dec.)
Keith Allen (Dec.–Apr.)
CoachVic Stasiuk
CaptainEd Van Impe
Alternate captainsDick Cherry
Unknown
ArenaSpectrum
Average attendance13,372[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Quebec Aces
Flint Generals
Jersey Devils
Team leaders
GoalsGary Dornhoefer (26)
AssistsAndre Lacroix (36)
PointsAndre Lacroix (58)
Penalty minutesEarl Heiskala (171)
Plus/minusSimon Nolet (+12)
WinsBernie Parent (13)
Goals against averageBernie Parent (2.80)

The 1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' third season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, setting a team record for fewest wins and an NHL record for most ties.

Off-season

[edit]

On May 20, 1969, Keith Allen was named vice president and assistant general manager of the team and replaced as head coach by Vic Stasiuk.[2] Stasiuk spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Quebec Aces, the Flyers American Hockey League affiliate.[2]

The Flyers took a chance when they selected a 19-year-old diabetic from Flin Flon, Manitoba, named Bobby Clarke with their second draft pick, 17th overall, in the 1969 NHL amateur draft.

Regular season

[edit]

By the time training camp came around it was clear that Clarke was the best player on the team, and he quickly became a fan favorite. His 15 goals and 31 assists earned him a trip to the NHL All-Star Game.

On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced what became one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording of Kate Smith singing God Bless America instead of The Star-Spangled Banner before important games. The perception was that the team was more successful on these occasions, so the tradition grew. The move was initially done by Flyers promotion director Lou Scheinfeld as a way to defray national tensions at the time of the Vietnam War: Scheinfeld noticed that people regularly left their seats to walk around during the anthem, but showed more respect and often sang along to "God Bless America". To this day, the team plays the song before major playoff games, currently with Lauren Hart (daughter of Hall of Fame Flyers broadcast announcer Gene Hart) performing the first part of the song, a recording of Smith singing the second part, and Lauren Hart joining the recording for the finale. As of the close of the 2013–14 Flyers season, the Flyers have a record of 96–28–4 when God Bless America is sung prior to home games.[3]

General manager Bud Poile was fired on December 19.[4] Keith Allen was named his replacement on December 22.[4]

The team struggled in 1969–70 recording a franchise worst (as of completion of the 2013–14 season) in wins (17). Even with such a bad output, the Flyers had a seven-point lead on the Oakland Seals with six games to play. However, the Flyers lost their last six games and Oakland made up the deficit. They lost the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot to Oakland, missing the playoffs for the first time.

Season standings

[edit]
West Division[5]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 St. Louis Blues 76 37 27 12 224 179 +45 86
2 Pittsburgh Penguins 76 26 38 12 182 238 −56 64
3 Minnesota North Stars 76 19 35 22 224 257 −33 60
4 Oakland Seals 76 22 40 14 169 243 −74 58
5 Philadelphia Flyers 76 17 35 24 197 225 −28 58
6 Los Angeles Kings 76 14 52 10 168 290 −122 38

Record vs. opponents

[edit]


Schedule and results

[edit]
1969–70 regular season[7]
October: 1–1–5, 7 points (home: 0–0–4; road: 1–1–1)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
1 October 11 0–4 @ Minnesota North Stars Parent 0–1–0 0 L
2 October 15 3–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Favell 0–1–1 1 T
3 October 19 1–1 Montreal Canadiens Parent 0–1–2 2 T
4 October 22 4–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Parent 1–1–2 4 W
5 October 23 2–2 Detroit Red Wings Parent 1–1–3 5 T
6 October 26 0–0 St. Louis Blues Parent 1–1–4 6 T
7 October 30 3–3 New York Rangers Parent 1–1–5 7 T
November: 2–7–4, 8 points (home: 2–2–3; road: 0–5–1)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
8 November 1 0–8 @ St. Louis Blues Parent 1–2–5 7 L
9 November 2 6–2 Minnesota North Stars Parent 2–2–5 9 W
10 November 6 1–4 Montreal Canadiens Parent 2–3–5 9 L
11 November 9 2–2 Oakland Seals Parent 2–3–6 10 T
12 November 12 2–4 @ Minnesota North Stars Parent 2–4–6 10 L
13 November 15 2–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Parent 2–5–6 10 L
14 November 20 3–2 Los Angeles Kings Parent 3–5–6 12 W
15 November 22 3–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 3–6–6 12 L
16 November 23 2–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Favell 3–7–6 12 L
17 November 26 1–1 Detroit Red Wings Parent 3–7–7 13 T
18 November 27 4–6 @ Boston Bruins Favell 3–8–7 13 L
19 November 29 2–2 @ New York Rangers Parent 3–8–8 14 T
20 November 30 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 3–8–9 15 T
December: 4–5–3, 11 points (home: 3–3–0; road: 1–2–3)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
21 December 3 7–1 @ Los Angeles Kings Parent 4–8–9 17 W
22 December 5 2–2 @ Oakland Seals Parent 4–8–10 18 T
23 December 7 1–4 St. Louis Blues Parent 4–9–10 18 L
24 December 11 6–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Parent 5–9–10 20 W
25 December 13 3–5 Boston Bruins Parent 5–10–10 20 L
26 December 14 1–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks Favell 5–11–10 20 L
27 December 17 2–2 @ New York Rangers Parent 5–11–11 21 T
28 December 20 0–3 @ St. Louis Blues Parent 5–12–11 21 L
29 December 21 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 6–12–11 23 W
30 December 25 3–1 Oakland Seals Favell 7–12–11 25 W
31 December 27 2–2 @ Montreal Canadiens Parent 7–12–12 26 T
32 December 28 4–5 Boston Bruins Parent 7–13–12 26 L
January: 5–6–5, 15 points (home: 3–3–2; road: 2–3–3)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
33 January 1 3–4 @ Los Angeles Kings Parent 7–14–12 26 L
34 January 3 1–6 Detroit Red Wings Parent 7–15–12 26 L
35 January 4 3–1 Minnesota North Stars Favell 8–15–12 28 W
36 January 7 2–2 @ St. Louis Blues Favell 8–15–13 29 T
37 January 8 4–1 Los Angeles Kings Parent 9–15–13 31 W
38 January 10 2–2 Oakland Seals Parent 9–15–14 32 T
39 January 13 3–1 @ Oakland Seals Favell 10–15–14 34 W
40 January 15 4–4 New York Rangers Parent 10–15–15 35 T
41 January 17 3–5 @ Detroit Red Wings Favell 10–16–15 35 L
42 January 18 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 10–17–15 35 L
43 January 22 3–3 @ Boston Bruins Parent 10–17–16 36 T
44 January 24 6–0 @ Minnesota North Stars Favell 11–17–16 38 W
45 January 25 2–0 St. Louis Blues Parent 12–17–16 40 W
46 January 28 2–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks Favell 12–17–17 41 T
47 January 29 3–4 @ Detroit Red Wings Parent 12–18–17 41 L
48 January 31 0–5 Chicago Black Hawks Favell 12–19–17 41 L
February: 3–6–3, 9 points (home: 2–2–1; road: 1–4–2)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
49 February 1 2–5 Montreal Canadiens Parent 12–20–17 41 L
50 February 5 1–5 @ Boston Bruins Parent 12–21–17 41 L
51 February 7 4–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks Favell 12–21–18 42 T
52 February 8 5–3 @ Detroit Red Wings Parent 13–21–18 44 W
53 February 12 3–3 Toronto Maple Leafs Parent 13–21–19 45 T
54 February 14 3–4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs Parent 13–22–19 45 L
55 February 15 7–1 Los Angeles Kings Parent 14–22–19 47 W
56 February 17 2–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 14–23–19 47 L
57 February 18 3–3 @ New York Rangers Parent 14–23–20 48 T
58 February 21 3–5 @ Montreal Canadiens Parent 14–24–20 48 L
59 February 26 2–3 Chicago Black Hawks Wilson 14–25–20 48 L
60 February 28 6–2 Minnesota North Stars Parent 15–25–20 50 W
March: 2–7–4, 8 points (home: 1–2–3; road: 1–5–1)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
61 March 1 4–4 Los Angeles Kings Parent 15–25–21 51 T
62 March 4 2–2 @ Minnesota North Stars Parent 15–25–22 52 T
63 March 7 5–5 Boston Bruins Parent 15–25–23 53 T
64 March 8 2–3 Chicago Black Hawks Parent 15–26–23 53 L
65 March 12 2–4 @ St. Louis Blues Parent 15–27–23 53 L
66 March 14 5–3 @ Los Angeles Kings Parent 16–27–23 55 W
67 March 15 1–2 @ Oakland Seals Parent 16–28–23 55 L
68 March 19 2–2 New York Rangers Parent 16–28–24 56 T
69 March 21 0–2 @ Montreal Canadiens Parent 16–29–24 56 L
70 March 22 3–2 Oakland Seals Parent 17–29–24 58 W
71 March 25 2–3 @ Oakland Seals Parent 17–30–24 58 L
72 March 26 2–3 @ Los Angeles Kings Parent 17–31–24 58 L
73 March 28 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 17–32–24 58 L
April: 0–3–0, 0 points (home: 0–2–0; road: 0–1–0)
Game Date Score Opponent Decision Record Points Recap
74 April 1 1–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins Parent 17–33–24 58 L
75 April 2 0–1 St. Louis Blues Parent 17–34–24 58 L
76 April 4 0–1 Minnesota North Stars Parent 17–35–24 58 L

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

Player statistics

[edit]

Scoring

[edit]
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
7 Andre Lacroix C 74 22 36 58 −6 14
12[a] Gary Dornhoefer RW 65 26 29 55 2 96
20 Jim Johnson C 72 18 30 48 1 17
16 Bobby Clarke C 76 15 31 46 1 68
11 Jean-Guy Gendron LW 71 23 21 44 8 54
17 Simon Nolet RW 56 22 22 44 12 36
10 Bill Sutherland LW 51 15 17 32 −2 30
3 Larry Hillman D 76 5 26 31 −9 73
9 Reg Fleming LW 65 9 18 27 −4 134
24 Terry Ball D 61 7 18 25 −7 20
8 Lew Morrison RW 66 9 10 19 −3 19
15 Garry Peters C 59 6 10 16 −9 69
19 Earl Heiskala LW 65 8 7 15 −15 171
14 Joe Watson D 54 3 11 14 0 28
23 Larry Hale D 53 1 9 10 −4 28
2 Ed Van Impe D 65 0 10 10 −1 117
6 Wayne Hillman D 68 3 5 8 −9 69
5 Dick Cherry D 68 3 4 7 −24 23
30 Bernie Parent G 62 0 3 3 14
18 Rosaire Paiement RW 9 1 1 2 −2 4
21 Dick Sarrazin RW 18 1 1 2 −2 4
22 Serge Bernier C 1 0 1 1 −1 0
21 Darryl Edestrand D 2 0 0 0 −1 6
1 Doug Favell G 15 0 0 0 2
4 Ralph MacSweyn D 17 0 0 0 −7 4
1 Dunc Wilson G 1 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

[edit]
No. Player Regular season
GP GS W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
30 Bernie Parent 62 62 13 29 20 2159 171 2.80 .921 3 3,668
1 Doug Favell 15 13 4 5 4 516 43 3.15 .917 1 818
1 Dunc Wilson 1 1 0 1 0 26 3 3.02 .885 0 60

Awards and records

[edit]

Awards

[edit]
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(in-season) 		NHL All-Star Game selection Bobby Clarke [8]
Bernie Parent

Records

[edit]
See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers records

During the 1969–70 season, the Flyers set the NHL record for most ties in a season with 24.[9] They also tied an NHL record for most home ties with 13.[10] Their four consecutive ties at home from October 19 to October 30 set a team record.[11] Their 17 wins on the season is the lowest total in franchise history while their six home wins on the season tied the mark set during the 1968–69 season.[12] Goaltender Bernie Parent set franchise records for most losses (29, later tied by Antero Niittymaki during the 2006–07 season) and most ties (20).[13][14]

Milestones

[edit]
Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Bobby Clarke October 11, 1969 [15]
Lew Morrison

Transactions

[edit]

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 5, 1969, the day after the deciding game of the 1969 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 10, 1970, the day of the deciding game of the 1970 Stanley Cup Finals.[16]

Trades

[edit]
Date Details Ref
May 14, 1969 (1969-05-14) To Philadelphia Flyers
  • cash
 To St. Louis Blues
[17]
To Philadelphia Flyers
To Minnesota North Stars
[18]
June 7, 1969 (1969-06-07) To Philadelphia Flyers
To New York Rangers
[19]
June 10, 1969 (1969-06-10) To Philadelphia Flyers
  • $30,000 cash
  • Future considerations
 To Minnesota North Stars
[20]
June 12, 1969 (1969-06-12) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Montreal Canadiens
  • 7th-round pick in 1969
 [21]

Players acquired

[edit]
Date Player Former team Via Ref
June 10, 1969 (1969-06-10) Bob Barlow Vancouver Canucks (WHL) Inter-league draft [20][22]
June 11, 1969 (1969-06-11) Larry Hillman Montreal Canadiens Intra-league draft [23][24][25]
September 23, 1969 (1969-09-23) Jim Mair Johnstown Jets (EHL) Free agency [26]

Players lost

[edit]
Date Player New team Via Ref
June 11, 1969 (1969-06-11) Jean-Guy Gendron Montreal Canadiens Intra-league draft [23][25]
June 12, 1969 (1969-06-12) Rene Drolet Quebec Aces (AHL) Reverse draft [27][28]
Jean Lapointe Hershey Bears (AHL) Reverse draft [27][29]
Roger Pelletier Quebec Aces (AHL) Reverse draft [27][30]
Bob Sneddon Springfield Kings (AHL) Reverse draft [27][31]
September 24, 1969 (1969-09-24) Allan Stanley Retirement [32]

Signings

[edit]
Date Player Term Ref
July 24, 1969 (1969-07-24) Andre Lacroix 2-year [33]
August 21, 1969 (1969-08-21) Serge Bernier [34]
Gerry Meehan [34]
September 23, 1969 (1969-09-23) Michel Belhumeur [26]
October 1, 1969 (1969-10-01) Bobby Clarke [35]

Draft picks

[edit]
See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1969 NHL amateur draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, on June 11, 1969.[36] During the draft, the Flyers traded their seventh-round pick, 75th overall, to the Montreal Canadiens in order to re-acquire Jean-Guy Gendron, who Montreal had selected from the Flyers earlier in the day during the inter-league draft.[37]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league)
1 6 Bob Currier Center  Canada Cornwall Royals (CJAHL)
2 17 Bobby Clarke Center  Canada Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
3 28 Willie Brossart Defense  Canada Estevan Bruins (WCHL)
4 40 Michel Belhumeur Goaltender  Canada Drummondville Rangers (QJHL)
5 52 Dave Schultz Left wing  Canada Sorel Eperviers (QJHL)
6 64 Don Saleski Right wing  Canada Regina Pats (SJHL)
8 81 Claude Chartre Center  Canada Drummondville Rangers (QJHL)

Farm teams

[edit]

The Flyers were affiliated with the Quebec Aces of the AHL,[38][39] the Flint Generals of the IHL,[40] and the Jersey Devils of the EHL.[40]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Dornhoefer wore number 24 in the season opener.

References

[edit]
  • "Philadelphia Flyers 1969–70 roster and statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "Flyers History - Season Overview : 1969–70". Flyers History. FlyersAlumni.net. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  1. ^ "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "PHILADELPHIA FLYERS NAME STASIUK COACH". Chicago Tribune. May 20, 1969. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. ^ FlyersHistory.com webpage with complete Kate Smith record Archived 2019-04-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 12, 2014
  4. ^ a b "Allen Named General Manager Of Flyers as Successor to Poile". The New York Times. December 22, 1969. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  5. ^ "1969–1970 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  6. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "1969-70 Philadelphia Flyers Schedule and Results". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "23rd NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  9. ^ "Team Records: Most Ties, Season". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "Team Records: Most Home Ties, Season". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  11. ^ 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 259
  12. ^ "Philadelphia Flyers: Year-by-Year Record". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  13. ^ "Goaltender Records: Most Losses, Season". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  14. ^ "List of all the Philadelphia Flyers Season Leaders". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  15. ^ "1969-70 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Ron Buchanan at Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved February 13, 2016
  18. ^ "FLYERS ACQUIRE HILLMAN". McKinney Courier-Gazette. UPI. May 15, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Arts and Letters Proves Best Hartack's 'Snooze' Questioned". Ottawa Journal. Associated Press. June 9, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "Cleveland Bids for NHL Berth". The Daily Telegram. June 11, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Habs Grab Doyle, Rangers Take Jarry in Junior Draft". Ottawa Journal. CP. June 13, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Parsons, Mark (October 20, 2012). "1969 NHL Inter-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  23. ^ a b Parsons, Mark (October 21, 2012). "1969 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  24. ^ "Black Hawks Pick Up Players". Panama City News-Herald. Associated Press. June 12, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "1969 NHL Intraleague Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Hockey briefs". The Gazette. September 24, 1969. p. 43. Retrieved April 30, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b c d Parsons, Mark (October 21, 2012). "1969 NHL Reverse Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  28. ^ Rene Drolet at Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved February 13, 2016
  29. ^ "Eliteprospects.com – Jean Lapointe". eliteprospects. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  30. ^ Roger Pelletier at Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved February 13, 2016
  31. ^ Bob Sneddon at Hockey-Reference.com, retrieved February 13, 2016
  32. ^ "Stanley Retires". Ottawa Journal. UPI. September 25, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Reds Whip Mets in 12-Innings, 4-3". Marysville Journal-Tribune. UPI. July 25, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b "Page 19". Ottawa Journal. UPI. August 22, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Bob inks contract". Brandon Sun. CP. October 2, 1969. Retrieved December 19, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "1969 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  37. ^ "1969 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  38. ^ "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  39. ^ "AHL Season Overview: 1969–70". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  40. ^ a b "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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