1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season

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1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers
Wales Conference Champions
Patrick Division Champions
Division	1st Patrick
Conference	1st Wales
1986–87 record	46–26–8
Home record	29–9–2
Road record	17–17–6
Goals for	310
Goals against	245
General Manager	Bob Clarke
Coach	Mike Keenan
Captain	Dave Poulin
Alternate captains	Mark Howe Brad Marsh
Arena	The Spectrum
Average attendance	17,212[1]
Team leaders
Goals	Tim Kerr (58)
Assists	Dave Poulin (45)
Points	Tim Kerr (95)
Penalties in minutes	Rick Tocchet (288)
Plus/Minus	Mark Howe (+57)
Wins	Ron Hextall (37)
Goals against average	Bob Froese (2.67)

The 1986–87 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers 20th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals.

In 1986 the rejuvenated Flyers found themselves with another Vezina Trophy goaltender between the pipes with a rookie named Ron Hextall. He became the third Flyers goaltender to win the Vezina, joining Parent and Lindbergh. With Hextall providing the critical stops at crucial times, the Flyers captured a third-straight Patrick Division title, and were able to gain revenge on the Rangers by beating them in six games, as well as surviving a tough seven-game test from a gritty Islanders club. By the time the Flyers defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Canadiens in six to win the Wales Conference and return to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Flyers had again been decimated by injuries, including losing Tim Kerr for the remainder of the playoffs. As a result, the Flyers lost in heartbreaking fashion to Edmonton in seven tough, hard-fought games. Hextall was voted playoff MVP, the second such time a Flyer won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite being on the losing team, the other being Reggie Leach in 1976.

Contents:	Regular season – Playoffs – Player stats – Awards and records - Transactions Draft picks – Farm teams – See also – References

[edit] Regular season

With the previous Spring's upset loss to the Rangers fresh on their minds, the Flyers got off to a 6–0–0 start to the season, and only lost road games to the Islanders and Penguins in an 8–2–0 October. Things began to click in November as Brad McCrimmon returned from his suspension over a contract dispute and the emergence of Hextall forced Bob Froese into a back-up role.

Brian Propp scored four goals in a 7–1 win over St. Louis on December 2, but three games later he was lost for two months after suffering a serious knee injury against the Oilers. Froese was dealt to the New York Rangers for Kjell Samuelsson on December 18, but the team kept rolling, reaching 25–7–2 on December 21 after a rousing 7–6 comeback win over the Blues. However, the next game in Buffalo saw Ilkka Sinisalo go down with a knee injury and the team lost four in a row on a holiday road trip (Sabres, Canucks, Oilers, Kings).

A seven-game unbeaten streak in January put the Flyers at 31–11–3, three points ahead of the Oilers for best record in the NHL, but injuries began to put a strain on the ranks. With Propp, Sinisalo, Mark Howe, and Ron Sutter all suffering through long-term problems, plus minor injuries cropping up, the team sputtered late, going 15–15–5 over the remainder of the schedule.

An embarrassing 9–5 home loss on the season's final day to the New York Islanders was no indication of the memorable playoff run to come.

Twice within a span of one week in late January, the Flyers engaged in bench-clearing brawls. The first came in a 3–1 loss to the Islanders at home on January 18 which cost head coach Keenan a one-game suspension. Oddly enough, the second occurred during the game Keenan was suspended for, a 4–3 setback to the Devils at the Meadowlands January 24. That fracas, which came after the final buzzer, saw Hextall pummel Devils goaltender Alain Chevrier among several other battles.

[edit] Season standings

Patrick Division	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
Philadelphia Flyers	80	46	26	8	310	245	100
Washington Capitals	80	38	32	10	285	278	86
New York Islanders	80	35	33	12	279	281	82
New York Rangers	80	34	38	8	307	323	76
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	30	38	12	297	290	72
New Jersey Devils	80	29	45	6	293	368	64

[edit] Game log

      Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Tie (1 point)

1986–87 Game Log
October: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts 1 October 9 Edmonton 1 – 2 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 1–0–0 2
November: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts November 1 0 – 0 0–0–0
December: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts December 1 0 – 0 0–0–0
January: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts January 1 0 – 0 0–0–0
February: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts February 1 0 – 0 0–0–0
March: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts March 1 0 – 0 0–0–0
April: 0–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 0–0–0) # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts April 1 0 – 0 0–0–0

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Game log

      Win       Loss

1987 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Patrick Division Semifinals vs. NY Rangers - Flyers win 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series 1 April 8 NY Rangers 3 – 0 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Rangers lead 1–0 2 April 9 NY Rangers 3 – 8 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Series tied 1–1 3 April 11 Philadelphia 3 – 0 NY Rangers Hextall 17,465 Flyers lead 2–1 4 April 12 Philadelphia 3 – 6 NY Rangers Hextall 17,457 Series tied 2–2 5 April 14 NY Rangers 1 – 3 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Flyers lead 3–2 6 April 16 Philadelphia 5 – 0 NY Rangers Hextall 17,428 Flyers win 4–2 Patrick Division Finals vs. NY Islanders - Flyers win 4–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series 1 April 20 NY Islanders 2 – 4 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Flyers lead 1–0 2 April 22 NY Islanders 2 – 1 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Series tied 1–1 3 April 24 Philadelphia 4 – 1 NY Islanders Hextall 16,270 Flyers lead 2–1 4 April 26 Philadelphia 6 – 4 NY Islanders Hextall 16,270 Flyers lead 3–1 5 April 28 NY Islanders 2 – 1 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Flyers lead 3–2 6 April 30 Philadelphia 2 – 4 NY Islanders Hextall 16,270 Flyers lead 3–3 7 May 2 NY Islanders 1 – 5 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Flyers win 4–3 Wales Conference Finals vs. Montreal - Flyers win 4–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series 1 May 4 Montreal 3 – 4 Philadelphia OT Hextall 17,222 Flyers lead 1–0 2 May 6 Montreal 5 – 2 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Series tied 1–1 3 May 8 Philadelphia 4 – 3 Montreal Hextall 17,949 Flyers lead 2–1 4 May 10 Philadelphia 6 – 3 Montreal Hextall 17,659 Flyers lead 3–1 5 May 12 Montreal 5 – 2 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Flyers lead 3–2 6 May 14 Philadelphia 4 – 3 Montreal Hextall 17,616 Flyers win 4–2 Stanley Cup Finals vs. Edmonton - Oilers win 4–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series 1 May 17 Philadelphia 2 – 4 Edmonton Hextall 17,502 Oilers lead 1–0 2 May 20 Philadelphia 2 – 3 Edmonton OT Hextall 17,502 Oilers lead 2–0 3 May 22 Edmonton 3 – 5 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Oilers lead 2–1 4 May 24 Edmonton 4 – 1 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Oilers lead 3–1 5 May 26 Philadelphia 4 – 3 Edmonton Hextall 17,502 Oilers lead 3–2 6 May 28 Edmonton 2 – 3 Philadelphia Hextall 17,222 Series tied 3–3 7 May 31 Philadelphia 1 – 3 Edmonton Hextall 17,502 Oilers win 4–3

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

			Regular season						Playoffs
Player	#		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Tim Kerr	12		75	58	37	95	57		12	8	5	13	2
Peter Zezel	25		71	33	39	72	71		25	3	10	13	10
Dave Poulin	20		75	25	45	70	53		15	3	3	6	14
Brian Propp	26		53	31	36	67	45		26	12	16	28	10
Mark Howe	2		69	15	43	58	37		26	2	10	12	4
Pelle Eklund	9		72	14	41	55	2		26	7	20	27	2
Rick Tocchet	22		69	21	28	49	288		26	11	10	21	72
Murray Craven	32		77	19	30	49	38		12	3	1	4	9
Doug Crossman	3		78	9	31	40	29		26	4	14	18	31
Brad McCrimmon	10		71	10	29	39	52		26	3	5	8	30
Derrick Smith	24		71	11	21	32	34		26	6	4	10	26
Scott Mellanby	19		71	11	21	32	94		24	5	5	10	46
Ilkka Sinisalo	23		42	10	21	31	8		18	5	1	6	4
Ron Sutter	14		39	10	17	27	69		16	1	7	8	12
Lindsay Carson	18		71	11	15	26	141		24	3	5	8	22
J.J. Daigneault	15		77	6	16	22	56		9	1	0	1	0
Brad Marsh	8		77	2	9	11	124		26	3	4	7	16
Dave Brown	21		62	7	3	10	274		26	1	2	3	59
Kjell Samuelsson†	28		46	1	6	7	86		26	0	4	4	25
Ron Hextall (G)	27		66	0	6	6	104		26	0	1	1	43
Glen Seabrooke	11		10	1	4	5	2		-	-	-	-	-
Ed Hospodar	17		45	2	2	4	136		5	0	0	0	2
Brian Dobbin	7		12	2	1	3	14		-	-	-	-	-
Daryl Stanley	29		33	1	2	3	76		13	0	0	0	9
Don Nachbaur	42		23	0	2	2	87		7	1	1	2	15
Al Hill	28		7	0	2	2	4		9	2	1	3	0
John Stevens	41		6	0	2	2	14		-	-	-	-	-
Mark Freer	37		1	0	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-
Glenn Resch (G)	33		17	0	0	0	0		2	0	0	0	0
Kerry Huffman	5		9	0	0	0	2		-	-	-	-	-
Craig Berube	34		7	0	0	0	57		5	0	0	0	17
Bob Froese (G)‡	35		3	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-
Tim Tookey	37		2	0	0	0	0		10	1	3	4	2
Kevin McCarthy	36		2	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-
Steve Smith	5		2	0	0	0	6		-	-	-	-	-
Mike Stothers	44		2	0	0	0	4		2	0	0	0	7
Ray Allison	36		2	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-
Jeff Chychrun	6		1	0	0	0	4		-	-	-	-	-
Greg Smyth	40		1	0	0	0	0		1	0	0	0	2
Jere Gillis	34		1	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-
Bench	X						14

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Flyers. Stats reflect time with the Flyers only.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

[edit] Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/Shootout Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

			Regular season										Playoffs
Player	#		GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	SO	Sv%	GAA		GP	TOI	W	L	GA	SO	Sv%	GAA
Ron Hextall	27		66	3799	37	21	6	190	1	.902	3.00		26	1540	15	11	71	2	.908	2.77
Glenn Resch	33		17	867	6	5	2	42	0	.904	2.91		2	36	0	0	1	0	.917	1.67
Bob Froese	35		3	180	3	0	0	8	0	.909	2.67		-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

[edit] Awards and records

[edit] Awards

NHL
Award	Recipient
All-Star representative	Ron Hextall Mark Howe Tim Kerr Dave Poulin
Conn Smythe Trophy	Ron Hextall
Frank Selke Trophy	Dave Poulin
NHL All-Rookie Team, Goalie	Ron Hextall
NHL All-Star First Team, Defense	Mark Howe
NHL All-Star First Team, Goalie	Ron Hextall
NHL All-Star Second Team, Right Wing	Tim Kerr
NHL Player of the Month	Ron Hextall (October)
NHL Player of the Week	Peter Zezel (January 13)
NHL Rookie of the Month	Ron Hextall (October) Ron Hextall (November)
Vezina Trophy	Ron Hextall
Team
Award	Recipient
Barry Ashbee Trophy	Mark Howe
Bobby Clarke Trophy	Ron Hextall
Class Guy Award	Glenn Resch

[edit] Records

Flyers player
Player	Record	Mark
Eleven players tied	Games played, one playoff season	26
Pelle Eklund	Assists, one playoff season	20
Brian Propp	Points, one playoff season	28
Ron Hextall	Time on ice, one playoff season	1,540 mins.
Ron Hextall	Wins, one playoff season	15
Ron Hextall	Losses, one playoff season	11
Ron Hextall	Goals allowed, one playoffs season	71

[edit] Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions before/during the 1986–87 season.

[edit] Trades

June 6, 1986	To Philadelphia Flyers J.J. Daigneault 2nd round pick in 1986 5th round pick in 1987	To Vancouver Canucks Rich Sutter Dave Richter Vancouver's 3rd round pick in 1986
October 30, 1986	To Philadelphia Flyers Dominic Campedelli	To Montreal Canadiens Andre Villeneuve
December 18, 1986	To Philadelphia Flyers Kjell Samuelsson 2nd round pick in 1989	To New York Rangers Bob Froese
March 9, 1987	To Philadelphia Flyers Jeff Brubaker	To Edmonton Oilers Dominic Campedelli

[edit] Additions and subtractions

Additions Player Former team Via Ed Hospodar Minnesota free agency (6/12) Mitch Lamoureux Baltimore (AHL) free agency (6/30) Jere Gillis Vancouver free agency (10/1) Mark Freer Peterborough (OHL) free agency (10/7) Mike MacWilliam New Westminster (WHL) free agency (10/7)

Subtractions Player New team Via — — —

[edit] Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1986 NHL Entry Draft.^[2]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	20	Kerry Huffman	Defenseman	Canada	Guelph Platers (OHL)
2	23	Jukka Seppo	Center	Finland	Vasa Sport (FIN)
2	28	Kent Hawley	Center	Canada	Ottawa 67's (OHL)
4	83	Mark Bar	Defenseman	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
6	125	Steve Scheifele	Right Wing	United States	Stratford Jr. B (OPJHL)
7	146	Sami Wahlsten	Forward	Finland	TPS Turku (FIN)
8	167	Murray Baron	Defenseman	Canada	Vernon Lakers (BCJHL)
9	184	Blaine Rude	Forward	United States	Fergus Falls H.S. (N. Dakota)
10	209	Shaun Sabol	Defenseman	United States	St. Paul Vulcans (USHL)
11	230	Brett Lawrence	Right Wing	United States	Rochester Jr. Americans
12	251	Dan Stephano	Goaltender	United States	Northwood Prep (N.Y.)

[edit] Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL.^[3][4]

[edit] See also

• 1986–87 NHL season
• 1987 Stanley Cup Finals

[edit] References

v • d • e 1986–87 NHL season by team Patrick New Jersey • NY Islanders • NY Rangers • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • Washington Adams Boston • Buffalo • Hartford • Montreal • Québec Norris Chicago • Detroit • Minnesota • St. Louis • Toronto Smythe Calgary • Edmonton • Los Angeles • Winnipeg • Vancouver See also 1986 NHL Entry Draft • Rendez-vous '87 • 1987 Stanley Cup Finals • Transactions

v • d • e Philadelphia Flyers Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Franchise History • Seasons • Records • General Managers • Head Coaches • Players • Award Winners • Draft Picks • Broadcasters Arenas The Spectrum • Wachovia Center Culture Broad Street Bullies • Flyers versus Red Army • Curse of Billy Penn • Legion of Doom • Treehouse of Horror IV Rivalries Flyers-Rangers • Battle of the Jersey Turnpike • Battle of Pennsylvania • Others Important Figures Keith Allen • Barry Ashbee • Bill Barber • Daniel Briere • Rod Brind'Amour • Bobby Clarke • Eric Desjardins • Gary Dornhoefer • Peter Forsberg • Simon Gagne • Gene Hart • Ron Hextall • Mark Howe • Tim Kerr • Reggie Leach • John LeClair • Pelle Lindbergh • Eric Lindros • Rick MacLeish • Bernie Parent • Dave Poulin • Keith Primeau • Brian Propp • Mark Recchi • Mike Richards • Jeremy Roenick • Dave Schultz • Joe Scott • Fred Shero • Kate Smith • Ed Snider • Kimmo Timonen • Rick Tocchet • Ed Van Impe • Joe Watson Retired Numbers 1 • 4 • 7 • 16 • 31 (unofficial) • 99 (league-wide) Team Awards Barry Ashbee Trophy • Bobby Clarke Trophy • Flyers Hall of Fame • Gene Hart Memorial Award • Pelle Lindbergh Memorial • Toyota Cup • Yanick Dupre Memorial Key Personnel Owner: Comcast-Spectacor • Chairman and Governor: Ed Snider • President and COO: Peter Luukko • General Manager: Paul Holmgren • Head Coach: John Stevens • Team Captain: Jason Smith Stanley Cup Finals (7) Wins: 1974 • 1975 • Losses: 1976 • 1980 • 1985 • 1987 • 1997 Seasons (41) 1967–68 • 1968–69 • 1969–70 • 1970–71 • 1971–72 • 1972–73 • 1973–74 • 1974–75 • 1975–76 • 1976–77 • 1977–78 • 1978–79 • 1979–80 • 1980–81 • 1981–82 • 1982–83 • 1983–84 • 1984–85 • 1985–86 • 1986–87 • 1987–88 • 1988–89 • 1989–90 • 1990–91 • 1991–92 • 1992–93 • 1993–94 • 1994–95 • 1995–96 • 1996–97 • 1997–98 • 1998–99 • 1999–2000 • 2000–01 • 2001–02 • 2002–03 • 2003–04 • 2004–05 • 2005–06 • 2006–07 • 2007–08 • 2008–09 Minor League Affiliates Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) • Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)

v • d • e Philadelphia Flyers seasons 1960s 1967–68 | 1968–69 | 1969–70 1970s 1970–71 | 1971–72 | 1972–73 | 1973–74 | 1974–75 | 1975–76 | 1976–77 | 1977–78 | 1978–79 | 1979–80 1980s 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1988–89 | 1989–90 1990s 1990–91 | 1991–92 | 1992–93 | 1993–94 | 1994–95 | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 2000s 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 Bold indicates Stanley Cup victory