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.

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

^[4]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.^[5]

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

• 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
32	Craven, MurrayMurray Craven	23	LW	72	30	46	76	25	58	7	2	5	7	1	4
26	Propp, BrianBrian Propp	28	LW	74	27	49	76	8	76	7	4	2	6	2	8
22	Tocchet, RickRick Tocchet	23	RW	65	31	33	64	3	299	5	1	4	5	−1	55
2	Howe, MarkMark Howe	32	D	75	19	43	62	23	62	7	3	6	9	7	4
25	Zezel, PeterPeter Zezel	22	C	69	22	35	57	7	42	7	3	2	5	0	7
19	Mellanby, ScottScott Mellanby	21	RW	75	25	26	51	−7	185	7	0	1	1	−6	16
20	Poulin, DaveDave Poulin	29	C	68	19	32	51	17	32	7	2	6	8	5	4
23	Sinisalo, IlkkaIlkka Sinisalo	29	RW	68	25	17	42	2	30	7	4	2	6	4	0
9	Eklund, PellePelle Eklund	24	C	71	10	32	42	−6	12	7	0	3	3	4	0
3	Crossman, DougDoug Crossman	27	D	76	9	29	38	−1	43	7	1	1	2	−9	8
14	Sutter, RonRon Sutter	24	C	69	8	25	33	−9	146	7	0	1	1	−7	26
28	Samuelsson, KjellKjell Samuelsson	29	D	74	6	24	30	28	184	7	2	5	7	8	23
24	Smith, DerrickDerrick Smith	23	LW	76	16	8	24	−20	104	7	0	0	0	−7	6
5	Huffman, KerryKerry Huffman	20	D	52	6	17	23	−11	34	2	0	0	0	0	0
21	Brown, DaveDave Brown	25	RW	47	12	5	17	10	114	7	1	0	1	−4	27
44 !44, 47	Huber, WillieWillie Huber	30	D	10	4	9	13	−2	16	5	0	0	0	−3	2
8	Marsh, BradBrad Marsh	29	D	70	3	9	12	−13	57	7	1	0	1	−8	8
18	Carson, LindsayLindsay Carson	27	C	36	2	7	9	−4	37	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
7	Dobbin, BrianBrian Dobbin	21	RW	21	3	5	8	−1	6	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
27	Hextall, RonRon Hextall	23	G	62	1	6	7	-98 !N/A	104	7	0	2	2	-98 !N/A	30
6 !6, 40	Smyth, GregGreg Smyth	21	D	48	1	6	7	−2	192	5	0	0	0	1	38
10	Roupe, MagnusMagnus Roupe	24	LW	33	2	4	6	−6	32	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
17 !17, 34	Berube, CraigCraig Berube	22	LW	27	3	2	5	1	108	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
12	Kerr, TimTim Kerr	28	RW	8	3	2	5	0	12	6	1	3	4	−2	4
18	Lawless, PaulPaul Lawless	23	LW	8	0	5	5	0	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
15	Daigneault, J. J.J. J. Daigneault	22	D	28	2	2	4	−8	12	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
42	Nachbaur, DonDon Nachbaur	29	C	20	0	4	4	2	61	2	0	0	0	−1	2
34 !34, 48	Root, BillBill Root	28	D	24	1	2	3	3	16	2	0	0	0	0	2
36	Roberts, GordieGordie Roberts	30	D	11	1	2	3	7	15	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
36	Hill, AlAl Hill	32	LW	12	1	0	1	0	10	1	0	1	1	1	4
11	Seabrooke, GlenGlen Seabrooke	20	LW	6	0	1	1	−1	2	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
29	Fotiu, NickNick Fotiu	35	LW	23	0	0	0	−9	40	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
33	Laforest, MarkMark Laforest	25	G	21	0	0	0	-98 !N/A	8	2	0	0	0	-98 !N/A	10
30	Young, WendellWendell Young	24	G	6	0	0	0	-98 !N/A	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
39	Fenyves, DavidDavid Fenyves	27	D	5	0	0	0	−1	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
37	Lamoureux, MitchMitch Lamoureux	25	C	3	0	0	0	−1	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
6 !6, 40	Chychrun, JeffJeff Chychrun	21	D	3	0	0	0	−1	4	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
41	Stevens, JohnJohn Stevens	21	D	3	0	0	0	−1	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
44	Stothers, MikeMike Stothers	25	D	3	0	0	0	−1	13	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
45	Freer, MarkMark Freer	19	C	1	0	0	0	−2	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
39	Murray, MikeMike Murray	21	C	1	0	0	0	0	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—
6	Smith, SteveSteve Smith	24	D	1	0	0	0	0	0	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-1 !—	-99 !—	-1 !—

Goaltenders

Awards and records

Awards

Records

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.^[15]

Trades

Trade notes

• ^a The Flyers had the choice of which year to send to Minnesota.^[24] The Flyers chose the 1989 draft pick.
• ^b The Flyers would receive St. Louis' 4th-round pick if the Blues advanced past the first round of the playoffs,^[26] which they did.^[27]

Signings

Free agency

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

Re-signed

The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.

NHL Waiver Draft

The 1987 NHL Waiver Draft was held on October 5, 1987.^[32][33] Each NHL team placed 17 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select.^[32] First-year professional players were exempt.^[32]

The Flyers left the following players unprotected:^[34] Ray Allison, Thomas Eriksson, Ross Fitzpatrick, Al Hill, Ed Hospodar, Mitch Lamoureux, Mark Lofthouse, Kevin Maxwell, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Smith, and Tim Tookey.

Waivers

The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions.

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

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.^[39]

Players drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987 and their NHL career regular season statistics

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	W	L	T	GAA	Notes
1	20	Rumble, DarrenDarren Rumble	Defense	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)	193	10	26	36	216	& —	& —	& —	& —
2	30	Harding, JeffJeff Harding	Right Wing	Canada	St. Michael's Buzzers (Toronto)	15	0.1 !0	0.1 !0	0.1 !0	47	& —	& —	& —	& —	[a]
3	62	Hostak, MartinMartin Hostak	Right Wing	Czech Republic	Sparta Praha (Czech)	55	3	11	14	24	& —	& —	& —	& —
4	83	Eriksson, TomazTomaz Eriksson	Left Wing	Sweden	Djurgardens IF (Elitserien)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
5	104	Gall, BillBill Gall	Defense	United States	New Hampton School (N.H.)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
6	125	Link, TonyTony Link	Defense	United States	Dimond High School (Alaska)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
7	146	Strapon, MarcMarc Strapon	Defense	United States	Hayward High School (Wisconsin)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
8	167	Ingham, DarrylDarryl Ingham	Right Wing	Canada	Manitoba Bisons (CIAU)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
9	188	MacDonald, BruceBruce MacDonald	Right Wing	United States	Loomis Chaffee School (Conn.)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
10	209	Morrow, SteveSteve Morrow	Defense	United States	Westminster School (Conn.)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
11	230	Rusnak, DariusDarius Rusnak	Center	Slovakia	Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
12	251	Roehl, DaleDale Roehl	Goaltender	United States	Minnetonka High School (Minn.)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —

Draft notes^[40]

• ^a The Flyers acquired a second-round pick, 30th overall, from the Quebec Nordiques for a 1986 second-round pick on June 21, 1986.
• The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 41st overall, to the Detroit Red Wings for Mark Laforest on June 13, 1987.
• The Flyers traded the fifth-round pick, 87th overall, back to the Vancouver Canucks for the Canucks' 1989 fifth-round pick on June 13, 1987.

NHL Supplemental Draft

Philadelphia's picks at the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft.^[41][42]

Players drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Supplemental Draft and their NHL career regular season statistics

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	W	L	T	GAA
2	21	David Whyte	Left Wing	United States	Boston College Eagles (HE)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL^[2] and the Flint Spirits of the IHL.^[3] 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.^[43] 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.

References

General

• hockeyDB.com: Roster and player statistics · Results and Schedule
• hockey-reference.com: Roster and Statistics · Schedule and Results
• Flyers History: Season Overview · Game Scores & Results · Playoff Results

Specific