The 1969–70

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

season was the Philadelphia Flyers'

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(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

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 Victor John Stasiuk (May 23, 1929 – May 7, 2023) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and coach. He played in the National Hockey League from 1949 to 1963 and then served as a coach from 1969 to 1973. Biography Stasiuk played juni ...

. Stasiuk spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the

Quebec Aces The Quebec Aces, also known in French as Les As de Québec, were an amateur and later a professional men's ice hockey team from Quebec City, Quebec. History The Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, the name Aces stan ...

, the Flyers

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

affiliate. The Flyers took a chance when they selected a 19-year-old diabetic from

Flin Flon, Manitoba Flin Flon (pop. 5,185 in 2016 census; 4,982 in Manitoba and 203 in Saskatchewan) is a mining city, located on a correction line on the border of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located within ...

, named

Bobby Clarke Robert Earle Clarke (born August 13, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played his entire 15-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Philadelphia Flyers and is currently an executive with the team. Popular ...

with their second draft pick, 17th overall, in the 1969 NHL amateur draft.

Regular season

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 The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...

. On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced what became one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording of

Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began ...

singing ''

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run-up to World War II in 1938. The later version was recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song. "Go ...

'' instead of ''

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

'' 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 Eugene Charles "Gene" Hart (June 28, 1931 – July 14, 1999) was an American sports announcer for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League and the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Biography Hart was born in New ...

) 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. General manager

Bud Poile Norman Robert "Bud" Poile (February 10, 1924 – January 4, 2005) was a professional ice hockey player, coach, general manager, and league executive. Bud was the brother of Don Poile, and the father of David Poile. Overview Poile was born in ...

was fired on December 19. Keith Allen was named his replacement on December 22. 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 The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The ...

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

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

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Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

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Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

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Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

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Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

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Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, , Parent , , 1–1–3 , , 5 , , , - , 6 , , October 26 , , 0–0 , , align="left",

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

, , Parent , , 1–1–4 , , 6 , , , - , 7 , , October 30 , , 3–3 , , align="left",

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

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, , Parent , , 1–2–5 , , 7 , , , - , 9 , , November 2 , , 6–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 2–2–5 , , 9 , , , - , 10 , , November 6 , , 1–4 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 2–3–5 , , 9 , , , - , 11 , , November 9 , , 2–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 2–3–6 , , 10 , , , - , 12 , , November 12 , , 2–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 2–4–6 , , 10 , , , - , 13 , , November 15 , , 2–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 2–5–6 , , 10 , , , - , 14 , , November 20 , , 3–2 , , align="left",

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

, , Parent , , 3–5–6 , , 12 , , , - , 15 , , November 22 , , 3–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 3–6–6 , , 12 , , , - , 16 , , November 23 , , 2–3 , , align="left",

, , Favell , , 3–7–6 , , 12 , , , - , 17 , , November 26 , , 1–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 3–7–7 , , 13 , , , - , 18 , , November 27 , , 4–6 , , align="left", @

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

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, , Parent , , 3–8–8 , , 14 , , , - , 20 , , November 30 , , 3–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 3–8–9 , , 15 , , , - , - , 21 , , December 3 , , 7–1 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 4–8–9 , , 17 , , , - , 22 , , December 5 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 4–8–10 , , 18 , , , - , 23 , , December 7 , , 1–4 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 4–9–10 , , 18 , , , - , 24 , , December 11 , , 6–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 5–9–10 , , 20 , , , - , 25 , , December 13 , , 3–5 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 5–10–10 , , 20 , , , - , 26 , , December 14 , , 1–4 , , align="left", @

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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, , Parent , , 5–11–11 , , 21 , , , - , 28 , , December 20 , , 0–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 5–12–11 , , 21 , , , - , 29 , , December 21 , , 4–0 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 6–12–11 , , 23 , , , - , 30 , , December 25 , , 3–1 , , align="left",

, , Favell , , 7–12–11 , , 25 , , , - , 31 , , December 27 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 7–12–12 , , 26 , , , - , 32 , , December 28 , , 4–5 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 7–13–12 , , 26 , , , - , - , 33 , , January 1 , , 3–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 7–14–12 , , 26 , , , - , 34 , , January 3 , , 1–6 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 7–15–12 , , 26 , , , - , 35 , , January 4 , , 3–1 , , align="left",

, , Favell , , 8–15–12 , , 28 , , , - , 36 , , January 7 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 8–15–13 , , 29 , , , - , 37 , , January 8 , , 4–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 9–15–13 , , 31 , , , - , 38 , , January 10 , , 2–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 9–15–14 , , 32 , , , - , 39 , , January 13 , , 3–1 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 10–15–14 , , 34 , , , - , 40 , , January 15 , , 4–4 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 10–15–15 , , 35 , , , - , 41 , , January 17 , , 3–5 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 10–16–15 , , 35 , , , - , 42 , , January 18 , , 4–6 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 10–17–15 , , 35 , , , - , 43 , , January 22 , , 3–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 10–17–16 , , 36 , , , - , 44 , , January 24 , , 6–0 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 11–17–16 , , 38 , , , - , 45 , , January 25 , , 2–0 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 12–17–16 , , 40 , , , - , 46 , , January 28 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 12–17–17 , , 41 , , , - , 47 , , January 29 , , 3–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 12–18–17 , , 41 , , , - , 48 , , January 31 , , 0–5 , , align="left",

, , Favell , , 12–19–17 , , 41 , , , - , - , 49 , , February 1 , , 2–5 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 12–20–17 , , 41 , , , - , 50 , , February 5 , , 1–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 12–21–17 , , 41 , , , - , 51 , , February 7 , , 4–4 , , align="left", @

, , Favell , , 12–21–18 , , 42 , , , - , 52 , , February 8 , , 5–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 13–21–18 , , 44 , , , - , 53 , , February 12 , , 3–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 13–21–19 , , 45 , , , - , 54 , , February 14 , , 3–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 13–22–19 , , 45 , , , - , 55 , , February 15 , , 7–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 14–22–19 , , 47 , , , - , 56 , , February 17 , , 2–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 14–23–19 , , 47 , , , - , 57 , , February 18 , , 3–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 14–23–20 , , 48 , , , - , 58 , , February 21 , , 3–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 14–24–20 , , 48 , , , - , 59 , , February 26 , , 2–3 , , align="left",

, , Wilson , , 14–25–20 , , 48 , , , - , 60 , , February 28 , , 6–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 15–25–20 , , 50 , , , - , - , 61 , , March 1 , , 4–4 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 15–25–21 , , 51 , , , - , 62 , , March 4 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 15–25–22 , , 52 , , , - , 63 , , March 7 , , 5–5 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 15–25–23 , , 53 , , , - , 64 , , March 8 , , 2–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 15–26–23 , , 53 , , , - , 65 , , March 12 , , 2–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 15–27–23 , , 53 , , , - , 66 , , March 14 , , 5–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 16–27–23 , , 55 , , , - , 67 , , March 15 , , 1–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 16–28–23 , , 55 , , , - , 68 , , March 19 , , 2–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 16–28–24 , , 56 , , , - , 69 , , March 21 , , 0–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 16–29–24 , , 56 , , , - , 70 , , March 22 , , 3–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 17–29–24 , , 58 , , , - , 71 , , March 25 , , 2–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 17–30–24 , , 58 , , , - , 72 , , March 26 , , 2–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 17–31–24 , , 58 , , , - , 73 , , March 28 , , 1–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 17–32–24 , , 58 , , , - , - , 74 , , April 1 , , 1–4 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 17–33–24 , , 58 , , , - , 75 , , April 2 , , 0–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 17–34–24 , , 58 , , , - , 76 , , April 4 , , 0–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 17–35–24 , , 58 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Player statistics

Scoring

* ''Position abbreviations: C =

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

; D =

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

; G =

Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

; LW =

Left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...

; RW =

Right wing Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

Goaltending

Awards and records

Awards

Records

During the 1969–70 season, the Flyers set the NHL record for most ties in a season with 24. They also tied an NHL record for most home ties with 13. Their four consecutive ties at home from October 19 to October 30 set a team record. 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. Goaltender

Bernie Parent Bernard Marcel Parent (born April 3, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 13 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs between 1965 and 1979, an ...

set franchise records for most losses (29, later tied by Antero Niittymaki during the 2006–07 season) and most ties (20).

Milestones

Transactions

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 The 1970 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1969–70 season, and the culmination of the 1970 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a contest between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues, who appe ...

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Signings

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1969 NHL amateur draft, which was held at the

Queen Elizabeth Hotel Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth () is a historic grand hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With 950 rooms and 21 floors it is the largest hotel in Quebec, and the second largest Fairmont hotel in Canada after the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Lo ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, on June 11, 1969. During the draft, the Flyers traded their seventh-round pick, 75th overall, to the

in order to re-acquire

Jean-Guy Gendron Joseph Eudore Jean-Guy "Smitty" Gendron (August 30, 1934 – June 30, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 863 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens ...

, who Montreal had selected from the Flyers earlier in the day during the inter-league draft.

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the

of the AHL, the

Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at the Industrial Mutual Association (IMA) Sports Arena. The Generals won ...

of the IHL, and the

Jersey Devils The Jersey Devils were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The Devils were formed when the Philadelphia Ramblers (EHL), Philadelphia Ramblers, a member of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), relocated from Philade ...

of the EHL.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1969-70 Philadelphia Flyers season

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Philadelphia Flyers seasons Philad Philad