Division 5th West Home record 11–14–13 Goals for 197 (9th) | 1969–70 record 17–35–24 Road record 6–21–11 Goals against 225 (7th) | |
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.
Contents
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. Stasiuk spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Quebec Aces, the Flyers American Hockey League affiliate.
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
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 would become one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording of Kate Smith singing God Bless America instead of the 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 would regularly leave their seats and 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 Flyers home games.
General manager Bud Poile 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 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.
Skaters
Records
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.
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
Re-signed
The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.
Draft picks
The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.
NHL Inter-League Draft
The 1969 NHL Inter-League Draft was held on June 10, 1969. The draft featured NHL teams selecting players from American Hockey League (AHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL) teams. It cost $15,000 to make a claim.
NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1969 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 11, 1969. Each NHL team placed 14 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. It cost $30,000 to make a claim.
The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Doug Favell and Bernie Parent, and skaters Serge Bernier, Mike Byers, Reg Fleming, Jean-Guy Gendron, Wayne Hillman, Jim Johnson, Andre Lacroix, Ralph MacSweyn, Gerry Meehan, Rosaire Paiement, Dick Sarrazin, Bill Sutherland, Ed Van Impe, and Joe Watson.
NHL Reverse Draft
The 1969 NHL Reverse Draft was held on June 12, 1969. The Reverse Draft featured American Hockey League (AHL) and Western Hockey League (WHL) teams selecting unprotected players from NHL teams. It cost $15,000 to make a claim.
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 (*).
Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, on June 11, 1969.
Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Quebec Aces of the AHL, the Flint Generals of the IHL, and the Jersey Devils of the EHL.