1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 21st season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Capitals in seven games.

1987–88 Philadelphia Flyers
Division3rd Patrick
Conference4th Wales
1987–88 record38–33–9
Home record20–14–6
Road record18–19–3
Goals for292 (12th)
Goals against292 (9th)
Team information
PresidentJay Snider
General managerBob Clarke
CoachMike Keenan
CaptainDave Poulin
Alternate captainsMark Howe
Brad Marsh
ArenaSpectrum
Average attendance17,405[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Hershey Bears
Flint Spirits
Team leaders
GoalsRick Tocchet (31)
AssistsBrian Propp (49)
PointsMurray Craven (70)
Brian Propp (70)
Penalty minutesRick Tocchet (299)
Plus/minusKjell Samuelsson (+28)
WinsRon Hextall (30)
Goals against averageRon Hextall (3.51)

Regular season

The season was one of many ups and downs. With Ron Hextall lost to an eight-game suspension to start the year after slashing Kent Nilsson in the Stanley Cup Finals, Tim Kerr lost indefinitely with a shoulder problem, and Brad McCrimmon traded to Calgary over a salary dispute, the club limped to a 3–6–2 record in October.

The free-fall continued until late November. After blowing a 4–1 lead into a 6–4 loss to the Islanders at home on November 21, the Flyers were at 6–13–3 and last in the division. However, just as quickly, the club rebounded with a 14-game unbeaten streak (12–0–2) from November 25 to December 26 – despite losing out to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Paul Coffey sweepstakes. The run was highlighted by Hextall becoming the first goaltender to shoot the puck into the opposing team's net on December 8, a game-winning two-man short tally by Murray Craven in Winnipeg on December 13, and a post-Christmas comeback win against the Capitals.

A 6–0–1 run through late February and early March saw Rick Tocchet post three hat tricks in a span of four games (Detroit, at Los Angeles, at Vancouver). On February 23, the club set a still-standing franchise road record with 11 goals in an amazing 11–6 win in Detroit, including a team-record 7 third-period tallies.

After a 7–3 win over the Canucks March 1, the Flyers finished the year in free-fall due to almost daily injuries, going 4–11–2, ending up the lower seed in a second-place tie with Washington. Kerr returned to the lineup finally on March 10, but was unable to find his range before the playoffs began.

Season standings
Patrick Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Islanders8039311030826788
Philadelphia Flyers803833929229285
Washington Capitals803833928124985
New Jersey Devils803836629529682
New York Rangers8036341030028382
Pittsburgh Penguins803635931931681

[2]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

In their first round playoff series with the Washington Capitals, the Flyers blew a 3–1 series lead as Washington forced a Game 7. They then blew a 3–0 lead in Game 7 as Washington won 5-4, in overtime.

Afterwards, general manager Bob Clarke fired head coach Mike Keenan citing a lack of enthusiasm from the club to continue playing for him.[3]

Schedule and results

Regular season
1987–88 regular season
October: 3–6–2, 8 Points (Home: 1–4–1; Road: 2–2–1)
November: 5–7–1, 11 Points (Home: 4–3–1; Road: 1–4–0)
December: 10–2–2, 22 Points (Home: 5–0–1; Road: 5–2–1)
January: 8–5–1, 17 Points (Home: 4–4–0; Road: 4–1–1)
February: 7–2–1, 15 Points (Home: 3–1–1; Road: 4–1–0)
March: 4–11–1, 9 Points (Home: 3–3–1; Road: 1–8–0)
April: 1–0–1, 3 Points (Home: 0–0–1; Road: 1–0–0)

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

Playoffs
1988 Stanley Cup playoffs
Patrick Division Semifinals vs. Washington Capitals - Capitals win 4–3

Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring
  • Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left Wing; RW = Right Wing
  • = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
  • = 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
32Murray Craven23LW723046762558725714
26Brian Propp28LW74274976876742628
22Rick Tocchet23RW6531336432995145−155
2Mark Howe32D751943622362736974
25Peter Zezel22C69223557742732507
19Scott Mellanby21RW75252651−71857011−616
20Dave Poulin29C681932511732726854
23Ilkka Sinisalo29RW68251742230742640
9Pelle Eklund24C71103242−612703340
3Doug Crossman27D7692938−1437112−98
14Ron Sutter24C6982533−91467011−726
28Kjell Samuelsson29D7462430281847257823
24Derrick Smith23LW7616824−201047000−76
5Kerry Huffman20D5261723−1134200000
21Dave Brown25RW4712517101147101−427
44, 47Willie Huber30D104913−2165000−32
8Brad Marsh29D703912−13577101−88
18Lindsay Carson27C36279−437——————
7Brian Dobbin21RW21358−16——————
27Ron Hextall23G62167N/A1047022N/A30
6, 40Greg Smyth21D48167−21925000138
10Magnus Roupe24LW33246−632——————
17, 34Craig Berube22LW273251108——————
12Tim Kerr28RW83250126134−24
18Paul Lawless23LW805500——————
15J. J. Daigneault22D28224−812——————
42Don Nachbaur29C200442612000−12
34, 48Bill Root28D24123316200002
36Gordie Roberts30D11123715——————
36Al Hill32LW12101010101114
11Glen Seabrooke20LW6011−12——————
29Nick Fotiu35LW23000−940——————
33Mark Laforest25G21000N/A82000N/A10
30Wendell Young24G6000N/A0——————
39David Fenyves27D5000−10——————
37Mitch Lamoureux25C3000−10——————
6, 40Jeff Chychrun21D3000−14——————
41John Stevens21D3000−10——————
44Mike Stothers25D3000−113——————
45Mark Freer19C1000−20——————
39Mike Murray21C100000——————
6Steve Smith24D100000——————

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
27Ron Hextall2362613022718162083.51.88503,557:077724196304.75.8470379:02
33Mark Laforest252114592476603.72.8741968:3520101211.25.917048:04
30Wendell Young2465320148203.76.8650319:19——————————

Awards and records

Awards
Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League (annual) Lester Patrick Trophy Keith Allen [4]
League (in-season) NHL All-Star Game selection Ron Hextall[lower-alpha 1] [5][6]
Mark Howe
Mike Keenan (Coach)
Dave Poulin
Kjell Samuelsson
NHL Player of the Week Ron Hextall (December 14) [7]
Mark Howe (December 28) [8]
Ron Hextall (January 18) [9]
Rick Tocchet (February 28) [10]
Rick Tocchet (March 10) [11]
Team Barry Ashbee Trophy Mark Howe [12]
Bobby Clarke Trophy Ron Hextall [12]
Class Guy Award Rick Tocchet [12]

Records
  •    Tied for NHL record

Individual
Franchise player records set during the 1987–88 season
Record Type Total Player Date(s) Opponent Ref
Goals scored Game 4[lower-alpha 2] Rick Tocchet 2/27/1988 Los Angeles Kings [13]
Penalties Game 8 Don Nachbaur 3/19/1988 Pittsburgh Penguins [14]
Powerplay goals scored by a defenseman Season 8[lower-alpha 3] Mark Howe — — [15]
Goals against Season 208 Ron Hextall — — [16]
Goals scored by a goaltender Season 1 Ron Hextall — — [16]

Team
Franchise team records set during the 1987–88 season
Record Type Total Refs
Fewest road ties Season 3[lower-alpha 4] [17]

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 1, 1987, the day after the deciding game of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 26, 1988, the day of the deciding game of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals.[18]

Trades
Date Details Ref
June 13, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
Mark Laforest		 To Detroit Red Wings
2nd-round pick in 1987		 [19]
June 13, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
5th-round pick in 1989		 To Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver's 5th-round pick in 1987		 [20]
July 21, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
future considerations		 To New York Rangers
Jeff Brubaker		 [21]
August 26, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
1st-round pick in 1989
3rd-round pick in 1988		 To Calgary Flames
Brad McCrimmon		 [22]
August 31, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
Wendell Young
3rd-round pick in 1990		 To Vancouver Canucks
Darren Jensen
Daryl Stanley		 [23]
December 4, 1987 To Philadelphia Flyers
5th-round pick in 1989		 To Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Stothers		 [24][25]
January 22, 1988 To Philadelphia Flyers
Paul Lawless		 To Hartford Whalers
Lindsay Carson		 [26]
February 9, 1988 To Philadelphia Flyers
Gordie Roberts		 To Minnesota North Stars
4th-round pick in 1988 or 1989[lower-alpha 5]		 [27]
March 1, 1988 To Philadelphia Flyers
Willie Huber		 To Vancouver Canucks
Paul Lawless
Vancouver's 5th-round pick in 1989		 [28]
March 8, 1988 To Philadelphia Flyers
4th or 5th-round pick in 1989[lower-alpha 6]		 To St. Louis Blues
Gordie Roberts		 [29]

Free agency

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

Date Player Previous team (league) Term Ref
July 21, 1987Don BiggsEdmonton Oilers[21]
August 19, 1987Mark LofthouseLos Angeles Kings[31]
October 30, 1987Nick FotiuCalgary Flames1-year[32]
April 20, 1988Michael BoyceMerrimack College (NCAA)[33]

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
November 17, 1987Ron Hextallmulti-year[34]

Waivers

The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. They were involved in three selections during the 1987 NHL Waiver Draft, which was held on October 5, 1987.[35][36] The Flyers left the following players unprotected: Ray Allison, Thomas Eriksson, Ross Fitzpatrick, Al Hill, Ed Hospodar, Mitch Lamoureux, Mark Lofthouse, Kevin Maxwell, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Smith, and Tim Tookey.[37]

Date Player Team Ref
October 5, 1987Tim Tookeyto Los Angeles Kings[36]
October 5, 1987Ed Hospodarto Buffalo Sabres[36]
October 5, 1987David Fenyves[lower-alpha 7]from Buffalo Sabres[36]
November 26, 1987Bill Rootfrom St. Louis Blues[38]

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
June 1987Glenn Resch—Retirement[lower-alpha 8][19][39]
October 3, 1987Steve MartinsonDetroit Red WingsFree agency[40]
N/AJere GillisBrunico SG (Serie A)Free agency[41]

Draft picks
See also: List of Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

NHL Entry Draft

Philadelphia's picks at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on June 13, 1987.[42] The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 41st overall, to the Detroit Red Wings for Mark Laforest on June 13, 1987.[43]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league) Notes
1 20 Darren Rumble Defense  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
2 30 Jeff Harding Right Wing  Canada St. Michael's Buzzers (Toronto) [lower-alpha 9]
3 62 Martin Hostak Right Wing  Czech Republic Sparta Praha (Czech)
4 83 Tomaz Eriksson Left Wing  Sweden Djurgardens IF (Elitserien)
5 104 Bill Gall Defense  United States New Hampton School (N.H.)
6 125 Tony Link Defense  United States Dimond High School (Alaska)
7 146 Marc Strapon Defense  United States Hayward High School (Wisconsin)
8 167 Darryl Ingham Right Wing  Canada University of Manitoba (CIAU)
9 188 Bruce MacDonald Right Wing  United States Loomis Chaffee School (Conn.)
10 209 Steve Morrow Defense  United States Westminster School (Conn.)
11 230 Darius Rusnak Center  Slovakia Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
12 251 Dale Roehl Goaltender  United States Minnetonka High School (Minn.)

NHL Supplemental Draft

Philadelphia's picks at the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft.[44][45]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league)
2 21 David Whyte Left Wing  United States Boston College (HE)

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL[46] and the Flint Spirits of the IHL.[47] Led by the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award winner as coach of the year (John Paddock), the Eddie Shore Award winner as top defenseman (Dave Fenyves), and the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as top goaltender (Wendell Young), Hershey finished first in their division and swept their way through the playoffs with a 12–0 record to a Calder Cup championship. Young was given the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.[48] In their only season as a Flyers affiliate, Flint finished fourth in the playoffs and lost in the finals to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in six games.

Notes
  1. Voted starting Goaltender
  2. Tied fifteen times by eight different players. See List of Philadelphia Flyers records
  3. Tied by Eric Desjardins during the 1999–2000 season and Shayne Gostisbehere during the 2015–16 season.
  4. Tied mark set during the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons.
  5. The Flyers had the choice of which year to send to Minnesota.[27] The Flyers chose the 1989 draft pick.
  6. The Flyers would receive St. Louis' 4th-round pick if the Blues advanced past the first round of the playoffs,[29] which they did.[30]
  7. The Sabres removed Fenyves from their protected list after they claimed Hospodar and the Flyers claimed Fenyves in lieu of cash.
  8. No official announcement
  9. The Flyers acquired a second-round pick, 30th overall, from the Quebec Nordiques for a 1986 second-round pick on June 21, 1986.[43]

References
General
Specific
  1. "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 153. ISBN 9781894801225.
  3. Fleischman, Bill (May 12, 1988). "'Toughest Decision' Dumps Flyer Coach". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  4. "Lester Patrick Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  5. "39th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  6. "NHL All-Star Game Starting Lineups by Year (since 1986)". NHL.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  7. "BRIEFS". The Pantagraph. December 15, 1987. Retrieved August 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "FOR THE RECORD". The Washington Post. December 29, 1987. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  9. "Sports Digest". UPI. January 18, 1988. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  10. Fachet, Robert (March 1, 1988). "ARLEDGE SAYS NHL SHOULD SEND PROS". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  11. Parrillo, Ray (March 11, 1988). "Flyers Overcome The Caps, 5-2". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  12. "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  13. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 263
  14. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 264
  15. "NHL.com - Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  16. "NHL.com - Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  17. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 244
  18. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  19. Morganti, Al (June 14, 1987). "Flyers Acquire Goalie Laforest From The Red Wings". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  20. 2014–2015 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 271
  21. "Flyers Sign Center Biggs, Deal Brubaker To Rangers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 22, 1987. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  22. Fleischman, Bill (August 27, 1987). "Mccrimmon Isn't Caught Off Guard But Ex-flyer Refutes Clarke, Says He Didn't Request Trade". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  23. Greenberg, Jay (September 1, 1987). "Trade To Canucks Might Be Good Break For Jensen". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  24. "Michael Stothers - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  25. Missanelli, M. G. (June 22, 1988). "Flyers Trade For Stothers". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  26. Miles, Gary (January 23, 1988). "Flyers Trade Carson For Whalers' Lawless". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  27. Parrillo, Ray (February 10, 1988). "Flyers Acquire Roberts From Stars". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  28. Parrillo, Ray (March 2, 1988). "Flyers Trade For Canucks' Huber". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  29. Greenberg, Jay (March 9, 1988). "Roberts Shipped To St. Louis". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  30. "1988 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  31. "One-game Football Playoff On Ncaa Officials' Minds". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 20, 1987. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  32. Greenberg, Jay (October 31, 1987). "Flyers Acquire Fotiu". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  33. "Paper Reports Tulane To Reinstate Basketball". The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 21, 1988. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  34. Greenberg, Jay (November 18, 1987). "Hextall Agrees To New Deal". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  35. Parsons, Mark (November 30, 2013). "1987 NHL Waiver Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  36. Morganti, Al (October 6, 1987). "Hospodar Taken By Sabres". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  37. Morganti, Al (October 5, 1987). "Hospodar Could Be Lost In Nhl Waiver Draft". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  38. "William Root - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  39. Hofmann, Rich (June 1, 1988). "Final Number: Resch Sings Hextall's Praises". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  40. "Steve Martinson - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  41. Jere Gillis biography at Legends of Hockey, retrieved March 30, 2015
  42. "1987 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  43. "1987 NHL Entry Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  44. "1987 NHL Supplemental Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  45. "1987 NHL Supplemental Draft -- Round 2 Selections". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  46. "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  47. "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  48. "AHL Season Overview: 1987–88". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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