The 1978–79 Philadelphia Flyers season was the

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 ...

' 12th

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).

Off-season

Head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Fred Shero Frederick Alexander Shero (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. Nicknamed The Fog, he played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), but spent most ...

, who had one more year left on his contract, submitted a letter of resignation on May 22, 1978, stating that the Flyers needed a change whether they realized it or not. Flyers management had previously heard rumors about Shero wanting to leave Philadelphia and re-join the

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 ...

organization, and refused to accept his letter of resignation. Shero then signed a $250,000, five-year contract with the Rangers to be their new head coach and

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

, believing he no longer had a contractual agreement to the Flyers. A few weeks after signing Shero, the Rangers gave the Flyers their first-round pick (7th overall) in the 1978 draft and cash as compensation, allowing the Rangers to avoid tampering charges. Bob McCammon, who had just coached the Flyers' first year

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 ...

Maine Mariners farm club to a

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...

title, was named Shero's replacement on July 6. The Flyers acquired the 6th overall pick from the

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 ...

for three veterans from their

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

championship teams – Tom Bladon, Orest Kindrachuk and

Ross Lonsberry David Ross Lonsberry (February 7, 1947 – May 4, 2014) was a Canadian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyer ...

– on the eve of the draft. The trade gave the Flyers three first-round picks and they selected defenseman

Behn Wilson Bevan Alexander Behn Wilson (born December 19, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice ho ...

and forwards Ken Linseman and Dan Lucas. Two other longtime Flyers also left the team during the off-season.

Gary Dornhoefer Gerhardt Otto Dornhoefer (born February 2, 1943), better known as Gary Dornhoefer, is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston ...

retired and Joe Watson was traded to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

Regular season

After an eight-game winless streak in January that saw the team drop to last place in the division, McCammon and assistant coach

Terry Crisp Terrance Arthur Crisp (born May 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach and player. Crisp played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers be ...

were fired. Replacing him was Shero's previous assistant coach Pat Quinn, who had replaced McCammon as head coach in Maine. While McCammon returned to Maine and coached the Mariners to a second consecutive Calder Cup title, the Flyers rallied under Quinn and finished in 2nd place. On February 17, 1979,

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 ...

suffered a career-ending eye injury in a game against the

. An errant stick entered the right eye hole of his

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

, causing permanent damage to his vision. After hospitalization, including the complete loss of sight for two weeks, Parent recovered and eventually regained sight, although not at the level required to resume his playing career.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

Matched-up against the

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

in the preliminary round, the Flyers won the series in three games. The Flyers' season came to an end against Shero's Rangers in a five-game quarterfinal loss.

Schedule and results

Regular season

, - , 1 , , October 12 , , 3–3 , , align="left", @

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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 ...

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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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, , Parent , , 2–1–1 , , 5 , , , - , 5 , , October 21 , , 0–2 , , align="left", @

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 ...

, , Parent , , 2–2–1 , , 5 , , , - , 6 , , October 22 , , 2–5 , , align="left",

Atlanta Flames The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta from 1972 until 1980. They played home games in the Omni Coliseum and were members of the West and later Patrick divisions of the National Hockey League (NHL). Along with t ...

, , Parent , , 2–3–1 , , 5 , , , - , 7 , , October 24 , , 4–4 , , align="left", @

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

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, , Parent , , 3–3–2 , , 8 , , , - , 9 , , October 29 , , 2–5 , , align="left",

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, , Parent , , 3–5–2 , , 8 , , , - , 11 , , November 2 , , 3–3 , , align="left",

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

, , Stephenson , , 3–5–3 , , 9 , , , - , 12 , , November 4 , , 7–3 , , 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 ...

, , Stephenson , , 4–5–3 , , 11 , , , - , 13 , , November 5 , , 6–4 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 5–5–3 , , 13 , , , - , 14 , , November 8 , , 5–3 , , 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 , , 6–5–3 , , 15 , , , - , 15 , , November 10 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 6–5–4 , , 16 , , , - , 16 , , November 12 , , 4–0 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 7–5–4 , , 18 , , , - , 17 , , November 16 , , 3–4 , , 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 ...

, , Parent , , 7–6–4 , , 18 , , , - , 18 , , November 18 , , 2–8 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 7–7–4 , , 18 , , , - , 19 , , November 19 , , 4–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 8–7–4 , , 20 , , , - , 20 , , November 22 , , 3–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 9–7–4 , , 22 , , , - , 21 , , November 24 , , 4–3 , , align="left",

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 ...

, , Stephenson , , 10–7–4 , , 24 , , , - , 22 , , November 25 , , 3–1 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 11–7–4 , , 26 , , , - , 23 , , November 28 , , 0–3 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 11–8–4 , , 26 , , , - , 24 , , November 30 , , 3–0 , , 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 ...

, , Stephenson , , 12–8–4 , , 28 , , , - , - , 25 , , December 2 , , 3–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 12–9–4 , , 28 , , , - , 26 , , December 3 , , 7–2 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 13–9–4 , , 30 , , , - , 27 , , December 7 , , 2–5 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 13–10–4 , , 30 , , , - , 28 , , December 9 , , 9–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 14–10–4 , , 32 , , , - , 29 , , December 10 , , 4–0 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 15–10–4 , , 34 , , , - , 30 , , December 14 , , 2–1 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 16–10–4 , , 36 , , , - , 31 , , December 16 , , 2–7 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 16–11–4 , , 36 , , , - , 32 , , December 17 , , 4–1 , , align="left",

, , Peeters , , 17–11–4 , , 38 , , , - , 33 , , December 19 , , 4–4 , , align="left", @

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

, , Peeters , , 17–11–5 , , 39 , , , - , 34 , , December 21 , , 5–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 18–11–5 , , 41 , , , - , 35 , , December 23 , , 2–5 , , align="left", @

, , Peeters , , 18–12–5 , , 41 , , , - , 36 , , December 26 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 18–12–6 , , 42 , , , - , 37 , , December 28 , , 6–5 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 19–12–6 , , 44 , , , - , 38 , , December 30 , , 3–6 , , align="left", @

, , Peeters , , 19–13–6 , , 44 , , , - , - , 39 , , January 4 , , 3–2 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 20–13–6 , , 46 , , , - , 40 , , January 6 , , 1–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 20–14–6 , , 46 , , , - , 41 , , January 7 , , 3–0 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 21–14–6 , , 48 , , , - , 42 , , January 9 , , 5–2 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 22–14–6 , , 50 , , , - , 43 , , January 11 , , 3–3 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 22–14–7 , , 51 , , , - , 44 , , January 14 , , 1–1 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 22–14–8 , , 52 , , , - , 45 , , January 16 , , 0–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 22–15–8 , , 52 , , , - , 46 , , January 18 , , 4–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 22–15–9 , , 53 , , , - , 47 , , January 20 , , 5–5 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 22–15–10 , , 54 , , , - , 48 , , January 21 , , 5–5 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 22–15–11 , , 55 , , , - , 49 , , January 27 , , 1–3 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 22–16–11 , , 55 , , , - , 50 , , January 29 , , 3–7 , , align="left",

, , Parent , , 22–17–11 , , 55 , , , - , - , 51 , , February 1 , , 1–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 22–18–11 , , 55 , , , - , 52 , , February 4 , , 7–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 23–18–11 , , 57 , , , - , 53 , , February 14 , , 2–2 , , align="left", @

, , Parent , , 23–18–12 , , 58 , , , - , 54 , , February 15 , , 5–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 24–18–12 , , 60 , , , - , 55 , , February 17 , , 2–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 24–19–12 , , 60 , , , - , 56 , , February 18 , , 3–2 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 25–19–12 , , 62 , , , - , 57 , , February 20 , , 3–3 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 25–19–13 , , 63 , , , - , 58 , , February 23 , , 5–3 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 26–19–13 , , 65 , , , - , 59 , , February 24 , , 4–3 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 27–19–13 , , 67 , , , - , - , 60 , , March 1 , , 4–4 , , align="left", @

, , St. Croix , , 27–19–14 , , 68 , , , - , 61 , , March 3 , , 3–4 , , align="left", @

, , St. Croix , , 27–20–14 , , 68 , , , - , 62 , , March 4 , , 6–1 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 28–20–14 , , 70 , , , - , 63 , , March 6 , , 5–0 , , align="left",

, , Moore , , 29–20–14 , , 72 , , , - , 64 , , March 8 , , 1–5 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 29–21–14 , , 72 , , , - , 65 , , March 10 , , 2–3 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 29–22–14 , , 72 , , , - , 66 , , March 11 , , 6–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 30–22–14 , , 74 , , , - , 67 , , March 14 , , 4–0 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 31–22–14 , , 76 , , , - , 68 , , March 15 , , 5–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 32–22–14 , , 78 , , , - , 69 , , March 17 , , 5–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 33–22–14 , , 80 , , , - , 70 , , March 18 , , 5–3 , , align="left",

, , Moore , , 34–22–14 , , 82 , , , - , 71 , , March 21 , , 3–7 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 34–23–14 , , 82 , , , - , 72 , , March 23 , , 4–1 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 35–23–14 , , 84 , , , - , 73 , , March 25 , , 7–4 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 36–23–14 , , 86 , , , - , 74 , , March 27 , , 4–4 , , align="left", @

, , Moore , , 36–23–15 , , 87 , , , - , 75 , , March 29 , , 5–0 , , align="left",

, , Moore , , 37–23–15 , , 89 , , , - , 76 , , March 31 , , 4–2 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 38–23–15 , , 91 , , , - , - , 77 , , April 1 , , 7–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 39–23–15 , , 93 , , , - , 78 , , April 5 , , 1–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 39–24–15 , , 93 , , , - , 79 , , April 7 , , 2–9 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , 39–25–15 , , 93 , , , - , 80 , , April 8 , , 4–2 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , 40–25–15 , , 95 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Playoffs

, - , 1 , , April 10 , , 2–3 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , Canucks lead 1–0 , , , - , 2 , , April 12 , , 6–4 , , align="left", @

, , Moore , , Series tied 1–1 , , , - , 3 , , April 14 , , 7–2 , , align="left",

, , Moore , , Flyers win 2–1 , , , - , - , 1 , , April 16 , , 3–2 OT , , align="left",

, , Moore , , Flyers lead 1–0 , , , - , 2 , , April 18 , , 1–7 , , align="left",

, , Moore , , Series tied 1–1 , , , - , 3 , , April 20 , , 1–5 , , align="left", @

, , Stephenson , , Rangers lead 2–1 , , , - , 4 , , April 22 , , 0–6 , , align="left", @

, , Moore , , Rangers lead 3–1 , , , - , 5 , , April 24 , , 3–8 , , align="left",

, , Stephenson , , Rangers win 4–1 , , , - , - , ''Legend'':

Player statistics

Scoring

* ''Position abbreviations: C = Center; 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 ...

'' * '' = 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.''

Goaltending

* '' = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.''

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Among the team records set during the 1978–79 season was

scoring 49 points, the most for a rookie defenseman in club history. Wilson, along with

Blake Dunlop Blake Robert Dunlop (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) forward who played during the 1970s and early 1980s. Prior to turning pro, Dunlop played four seasons with the Ottawa 67's of the Ontario Hockey Associat ...

and Al Hill, combined to score three goals in 35 seconds during the second period of a March 1 game against the

, tied for the fastest three goals in team history. On March 11,

Frank Bathe Francis Leonard Bathe (born September 27, 1954) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers. Playing career The former Phi ...

received a club record 55 penalty minutes during a March 11 game against the

. During the fifth and final game of their quarterfinal playoff series loss to the

, the Flyers six goals against during the third period is a team record. The five shorthanded goals they allowed during the series is also a single playoff series high. The 1978–79 season was the final season of

's career, who hold several career records for the team. Parent holds the regular season marks for most ties (102), shutouts (50), and minutes played (28,215). He also holds the playoff marks for seasons played (7, tied with

Ron Hextall Ronald Jeffrey Hextall (born May 3, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He was most recently the general manager#Sports teams, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL ...

), shutouts (6), and save percentage (.916).

Milestones

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 26, 1978, the day after the deciding game of the

1978 Stanley Cup Finals The 1978 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1977–78 season, and the culmination of the 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Boston Bruins and the defending champion Montre ...

, through May 21, 1979, the day of the deciding game of the

1979 Stanley Cup Finals The 1979 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1978–79 season, and the culmination of the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs. The New York Rangers challenged the defending champion Montreal Canadiens ...

Trades

Players acquired

Players lost

Signings

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1978 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 15, 1978.

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Maine Mariners of the AHL, the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

of the IHL, and the Jersey Aces of the NEHL.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1978-79 Philadelphia Flyers season Philadelphia Flyers seasons

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 ...

Pitts Pitts