| 1989–90Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 6thPatrick |
| Conference | 10thWales |
| 1989–90 record | 30–39–11 |
| Home record | 17–19–4 |
| Road record | 13–20–7 |
| Goals for | 290 (10th) |
| Goals against | 297 (15th) |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Bob Clarke |
| Coach | Paul Holmgren |
| Captain | Dave Poulin(Oct.–Dec.) Ron Sutter(Dec.–Apr.) |
| Alternate captains | Mark Howe Rick Tocchet |
| Arena | Spectrum |
| Average attendance | 17,407[1] |
| Minor league affiliate | Hershey Bears |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Rick Tocchet (37) |
| Assists | Rick Tocchet (59) |
| Points | Rick Tocchet (96) |
| Penalty minutes | Craig Berube (291) |
| Plus/minus | Mark Howe (+22) |
| Wins | Ken Wregget (22) |
| Goals against average | Ken Wregget (3.42) |
The1989–90 Philadelphia Flyers season was thePhiladelphia Flyers 23rd season in theNational Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1972, and only the third time in franchise history.
The 1989–90 season was one of the most turbulent in franchise history.
GoaltenderRon Hextall had to sit out the first 12-games of the schedule, sentenced after cementing his folk-hero status in the city by crowningChris Chelios in the waning minutes of Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals in May. Unfortunately, the layoff plus contract disputes cost him practice time in training camp, and he was felled by groin injuries three separate times during the season.
An ugly 1–6–1 start was reversed despite injuries to Hextall,Brian Propp,Tim Kerr,Mark Howe and others with the team atop the weakened Patrick Division after a win in Montreal just before Christmas.
Little usedTony Horacek posted a hat trick in a 6–3 win in Los Angeles over the Kings on December 30, but the team suffered through a dismal 10-game winless stretch thereafter (0–7–3) from December 31 through January 23. Previous inconsistent play plus the slide costDave Poulin his captaincy on December 15,[2] then forced his trade to Boston for former FlyerKen Linseman.[3] The move did not work, and despite breaking the skid with an 8–6 win against the Jets, Holmgren accused his club of quitting during a 7–2 loss at Washington on January 28 - a defeat which put them three points behind the Capitals in last place.
Newly acquired back-upPete Peeters had his only season highlight with a 3–0 shutout over Toronto on February 15, but he finished the season 1–13–5. On February 28 in Vancouver, the team was lucky to pull out a 7–7 tie after blowing a 5–2 first-period lead. In the interim, Wells was dealt to the Sabres for unknown winger and future NHL refereeKevin Maguire.
Following an inspired win in Calgary on March 1, Propp was traded to the Bruins, and a four-goal game byMark Messier in a 5–3 loss to Edmonton two days later triggered a four-game losing streak. The nadir of the late-season collapse came on March 17 in Quebec, as the Flyers allowed three third-period goals to drop a 6–3 decision to the Nordiques (who went on to win all of 12 games that year). Inexplicably, with the Islanders and Penguins also taking late-season dives, the Flyers were still alive for the final playoff spot in the division.
A 5–3 home win over Pittsburgh on March 22 got the team within one point of fourth, but they limped to the end of the schedule with an 0–3–2 record. A 6–2 road loss to the Islanders on March 31 eliminated them from the postseason.
It marked the first time in franchise history that the team finished in last place in any division since its 1967 inception.
Among the bright spots, Tocchet led the team with 37 goals and 96 points. Seven players scored 20-or-more goals. Kerr was limited to 40 games but managed 24 goals and 48 points.
General managerBob Clarke, having been with the Flyers organization since he was drafted in 1969, was fired on April 16.[4]
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Rangers | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 279 | 267 | 85 |
| New Jersey Devils | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | 295 | 288 | 83 |
| Washington Capitals | 80 | 36 | 38 | 6 | 284 | 275 | 78 |
| New York Islanders | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 281 | 288 | 73 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 80 | 32 | 40 | 8 | 318 | 359 | 72 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 30 | 39 | 11 | 290 | 297 | 71 |
[5]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.
| R | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | p –Boston Bruins | ADM | 80 | 46 | 25 | 9 | 289 | 232 | 101 |
| 2 | Buffalo Sabres | ADM | 80 | 45 | 27 | 8 | 286 | 248 | 98 |
| 3 | Montreal Canadiens | ADM | 80 | 41 | 28 | 11 | 288 | 234 | 93 |
| 4 | Hartford Whalers | ADM | 80 | 38 | 33 | 9 | 275 | 268 | 85 |
| 5 | New York Rangers | PTK | 80 | 36 | 31 | 13 | 279 | 267 | 85 |
| 6 | New Jersey Devils | PTK | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | 295 | 288 | 83 |
| 7 | Washington Capitals | PTK | 80 | 36 | 38 | 6 | 284 | 275 | 78 |
| 8 | New York Islanders | PTK | 80 | 31 | 38 | 11 | 281 | 288 | 73 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PTK | 80 | 32 | 40 | 8 | 318 | 359 | 72 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Flyers | PTK | 80 | 30 | 39 | 11 | 290 | 297 | 71 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | ADM | 80 | 12 | 61 | 7 | 240 | 407 | 31 |
Divisions:PTK – Patrick,ADM – Adams
bold – Qualified for playoffs;p – WonPresidents' Trophy
Vs. Patrick Division
| Vs. Adams Division
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Vs. Norris Division
| Vs. Smythe Division
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| 1989–90 regular season[8] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 3–7–1, 7 points (home: 2–3–0; road: 1–4–1)
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November: 9–3–2, 20 points (home: 5–2–1; road: 4–1–1)
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December: 6–7–2, 14 points (home: 2–5–0; road: 4–2–2)
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January: 2–9–2, 6 points (home: 1–3–0; road: 1–6–2)
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February: 5–5–2, 12 points (home: 4–2–1; road: 1–3–1)
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March: 5–8–1, 11 points (home: 3–4–1; road: 2–4–0)
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April: 0–0–1, 1 points (home: 0–0–1; road: 0–0–0)
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Legend:W Win (2 points)L Loss (0 points)T Tie (1 point) |
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | |||
| 22 | Rick Tocchet | RW | 75 | 37 | 59 | 96 | 4 | 196 |
| 32 | Murray Craven | LW | 76 | 25 | 50 | 75 | 2 | 42 |
| 10 | Mike Bullard | C | 70 | 27 | 37 | 64 | 0 | 67 |
| 9 | Pelle Eklund | LW | 70 | 23 | 39 | 62 | 7 | 16 |
| 12 | Tim Kerr | RW | 40 | 24 | 24 | 48 | −3 | 34 |
| 14 | Ron Sutter | C | 75 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 2 | 104 |
| 23 | Ilkka Sinisalo | RW | 59 | 23 | 23 | 46 | 6 | 26 |
| 3 | Gord Murphy | D | 75 | 14 | 27 | 41 | −7 | 95 |
| 26 | Brian Propp‡ | LW | 40 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 3 | 31 |
| 2 | Mark Howe | D | 40 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 22 | 24 |
| 25 | Keith Acton | C | 69 | 13 | 14 | 27 | −2 | 80 |
| 19 | Scott Mellanby | RW | 57 | 6 | 17 | 23 | −4 | 77 |
| 28 | Kjell Samuelsson | D | 66 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 91 |
| 29 | Terry Carkner | D | 63 | 4 | 18 | 22 | −8 | 169 |
| 11[a] | Jiri Latal | D | 32 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 4 | 6 |
| 7 | Jay Wells‡ | D | 59 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 4 | 129 |
| 17 | Craig Berube | LW | 74 | 4 | 14 | 18 | −7 | 291 |
| 20 | Dave Poulin‡ | C | 28 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 5 | 12 |
| 18 | Ken Linseman† | C | 29 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −7 | 30 |
| 5 | Kerry Huffman | D | 43 | 1 | 12 | 13 | −3 | 34 |
| 21[b] | Tony Horacek | LW | 48 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 117 |
| 24 | Derrick Smith | LW | 55 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −15 | 32 |
| 6 | Jeff Chychrun | D | 79 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −12 | 250 |
| 15 | Doug Sulliman | RW | 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Murray Baron | D | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −1 | 12 |
| 46 | Don Biggs | C | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −4 | 8 |
| 18 | Brian Dobbin | RW | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 36[c] | Normand Lacombe† | RW | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 35 | Ken Wregget | G | 51 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| 20 | Kevin Maguire† | RW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 6 |
| 42 | Don Nachbaur | C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Pete Peeters | G | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 20 | Len Barrie† | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 0 |
| 26[d] | David Fenyves | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −6 | 4 |
| 7 | Craig Fisher | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Mark Freer | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Jeff Harding | RW | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 18 |
| 27 | Ron Hextall | G | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| 30 | Bruce Hoffort | G | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 45 | Chris Jensen | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 |
| 47 | Shaun Sabol | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. | Player | Regular season | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | ||
| 35 | Ken Wregget | 51 | 50 | 22 | 24 | 3 | 1557 | 169 | 3.42 | .891 | 0 | 2,961 |
| 27 | Ron Hextall | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 219 | 29 | 4.15 | .868 | 0 | 419 |
| 30 | Bruce Hoffort | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 19 | 3.47 | .881 | 0 | 329 |
| 33 | Pete Peeters | 24 | 18 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 601 | 72 | 3.79 | .880 | 1 | 1,140 |
| Type | Award/honor | Recipient | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Brian Propp[e] | [10] |
| Rick Tocchet | |||
| Team | Barry Ashbee Trophy | Gord Murphy | [11] |
| Bobby Clarke Trophy | Rick Tocchet | [11] | |
| Class Guy Award | Craig Berube | [11] |
Among the team records set during the 1989–90 season wasRick Tocchet tying the team record for most goals in a regular season game (4) on January 25.[12] The Flyers team record 17 consecutive playoff appearances streak ended with their failure to qualify for the1990 Stanley Cup playoffs.[13]
| Milestone | Player | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| First game | Murray Baron | October 5, 1989 | [14] |
| Tony Horacek | October 8, 1989 | ||
| Shaun Sabol | November 4, 1989 | ||
| Bruce Hoffort | November 5, 1989 | ||
| Jiri Latal | |||
| Len Barrie | February 28, 1990 | ||
| Craig Fisher | March 24, 1990 |
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 26, 1989, the day after the deciding game of the1989 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 24, 1990, the day of the deciding game of the1990 Stanley Cup Finals.[15]
| Date | Details | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 21, 1989 (1989-07-21) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| ToWinnipeg Jets | [16] |
| August 28, 1989 (1989-08-28) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| ToToronto Maple Leafs
| [17][18] |
| September 8, 1989 (1989-09-08) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| To Toronto Maple Leafs | [19] |
| September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| To Winnipeg Jets | [20] |
| October 3, 1989 (1989-10-03) | To Philadelphia Flyers | To Winnipeg Jets
| [21][22] |
| January 5, 1990 (1990-01-05) | To Philadelphia Flyers | ToEdmonton Oilers | [23] |
| January 16, 1990 (1990-01-16) | To Philadelphia Flyers | ToBoston Bruins | [24] |
| March 2, 1990 (1990-03-02) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| To Boston Bruins | [25] |
| March 5, 1990 (1990-03-05) | To Philadelphia Flyers
| ToBuffalo Sabres
| [26] |
| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 12, 1989 (1989-06-12) | Shawn Cronin | Washington Capitals | Free agency | [27] | |
| June 16, 1989 (1989-06-16) | Pete Peeters | Washington Capitals | 2-year[g] | Free agency | [28] |
| June 30, 1989 (1989-06-30) | Bruce Hoffort | Lake Superior State University (WCHA) | 3-year | Free agency | [29] |
| July 12, 1989 (1989-07-12) | Tim Tookey | Pittsburgh Penguins | Free agency | [30] | |
| February 27, 1990 (1990-02-27) | Len Barrie | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) | Free agency | [31] |
| Date | Player | New team | Via | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | Glen Seabrooke | Retirement | [32] | |
| July 12, 1989 (1989-07-12) | Al Hill | Retirement | [30] | |
| August 7, 1989 (1989-08-07) | Al Secord | Chicago Blackhawks | Free agency | [33] |
| October 2, 1989 (1989-10-02) | Nick Kypreos | Washington Capitals | Waiver draft | [34][35] |
| Moe Mantha | Winnipeg Jets | Waiver draft | [34][35] |
| Date | Player | Term | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 17, 1989 (1989-06-17) | Pelle Eklund | 3-year | [36] |
| August 28, 1989 (1989-08-28) | Jiri Latal | [18] | |
| September 11, 1989 (1989-09-11) | Ken Wregget | 1-year | [37][38] |
| December 1, 1989 (1989-12-01) | Mark Howe | 3-year | [39] |
| Derrick Smith | multi-year | [39] | |
| December 27, 1989 (1989-12-27) | Steve Scheifele | multi-year | [40] |
| March 5, 1990 (1990-03-05) | Craig Fisher | [26] |
Philadelphia's picks at the1989 NHL entry draft, which was held at theMet Center inBloomington, Minnesota, on June 17, 1989.[41] The Flyers' first-round pick, 12th overall, was traded to theToronto Maple Leafs along with theCalgary Flames' first-round pick, 21st overall, forKen Wregget on March 6, 1989.[42] They also traded their third-round pick, 54th overall, andGreg Smyth to theQuebec Nordiques forTerry Carkner on July 25, 1988, their fourth-round pick, 75th overall, to theMinnesota North Stars for Gordie Roberts on February 9, 1988, and their fifth-round pick, 96th overall, to theToronto Maple Leafs forAl Secord on February 7, 1989.[42]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team (league) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 33 | Greg Johnson | Center | Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL) | ||
| 34 | Patrik Juhlin | Left wing | Vasteras IK (Elitserien) | [h] | ||
| 4 | 72 | Reid Simpson | Left wing | Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) | [i] | |
| 6 | 117 | Niklas Eriksson | Right wing | Leksands IF (Elitserien) | ||
| 7 | 138 | John Callahan | Center | Belmont Hill School (Mass.) | ||
| 8 | 159 | Sverre Sears | Defense | Belmont Hill School (Mass.) | ||
| 9 | 180 | Glen Wisser | Forward | Philadelphia Junior Flyers (Jr. B) | ||
| 10 | 201 | Al Kummu | Defense | Humboldt Broncos (SJHL) | ||
| 11 | 222 | Matt Brait | Defense | St. Michael's Buzzers (MetJHL) | ||
| 12 | 243 | James Pollio | Left wing | Vermont Academy (Vermont) |
Philadelphia's picks at the1989 NHL supplemental draft.[43][44]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team (league) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 17 | Jamie Baker | Defense | University of Windsor (CIAU) |
The Flyers were affiliated with theHershey Bears of theAHL.[45][46]