1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' fifth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers
Division5th West
1971–72 record26–38–14
Home record19–13–7
Road record7–25–7
Goals for200 (14th)
Goals against236 (7th)
Team information
General managerKeith Allen
CoachFred Shero
CaptainEd Van Impe
Alternate captainsLarry Brown (Oct.–Jan.)
Jean-Guy Gendron
ArenaSpectrum
Average attendance14,379[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)Richmond Robins
San Diego Gulls
Jersey Devils
Salem Rebels
Team leaders
GoalsBobby Clarke (35)
AssistsBobby Clarke (46)
PointsBobby Clarke (81)
Penalty minutesGary Dornhoefer (183)
Plus/minusBobby Clarke (+22)
WinsDoug Favell (18)
Goals against averageDoug Favell (2.81)

Off-season

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The Flyers fired head coach Vic Stasiuk on May 27, 1971,[2] after heavy criticism by Flyers players.[3] On June 2, the Flyers hired Fred Shero to replace him.[3] In the previous two seasons Shero had guided two teams to league championships, the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League and the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League.[3]

Regular season

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Bobby Clarke continued to progress as he led the team in goals (35), assists (46), and points (81) in 1971–72 and he became the first Flyer to win an NHL award, the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. However, in the season's final game, the Flyers needed a win or a tie against the second-year Buffalo Sabres to beat out the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff spot. The score was tied late in the game, but with just four seconds on the clock, former Flyer Gerry Meehan took a shot from just inside the blue line that eluded Flyers goalie Doug Favell.[4] With identical records, the playoff berth went to the Penguins because Philly lost the season series 2–3–1.

Season standings

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West Division[5]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Chicago Black Hawks 78 46 17 15 256 166 +90 107
2 Minnesota North Stars 78 37 29 12 212 191 +21 86
3 St. Louis Blues 78 28 39 11 208 247 −39 67
4 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 26 38 14 220 258 −38 66
5 Philadelphia Flyers 78 26 38 14 200 236 −36 66
6 California Golden Seals 78 21 39 18 216 288 −72 60
7 Los Angeles Kings 78 20 49 9 206 305 −99 49

Record vs. opponents

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Schedule and results

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Regular season

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1971–72 regular season[7]
October: 5–4–1, 11 points (home: 3–1–0; road: 2–3–1)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
1 October 9 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 0–1–0 0 Recap
2 October 12 @ Vancouver Canucks 2–3 0–2–0 0 Recap
3 October 13 @ California Golden Seals 5–4 1–2–0 2 Recap
4 October 16 @ Los Angeles Kings 1–0 2–2–0 4 Recap
5 October 21 Los Angeles Kings 0–7 2–3–0 4 Recap
6 October 23 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–5 2–4–0 4 Recap
7 October 24 Chicago Black Hawks 2–1 3–4–0 6 Recap
8 October 28 Vancouver Canucks 3–2 4–4–0 8 Recap
9 October 30 @ St. Louis Blues 4–4 4–4–1 9 Recap
10 October 31 Montreal Canadiens 5–3 5–4–1 11 Recap
November: 2–7–3, 7 points (home: 2–4–2; road: 0–3–1)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
11 November 3 @ Chicago Black Hawks 0–3 5–5–1 11 Recap
12 November 5 @ Buffalo Sabres 2–5 5–6–1 11 Recap
13 November 7 Minnesota North Stars 0–3 5–7–1 11 Recap
14 November 11 Vancouver Canucks 4–3 6–7–1 13 Recap
15 November 13 Detroit Red Wings 3–6 6–8–1 13 Recap
16 November 14 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–3 6–8–2 14 Recap
17 November 18 Los Angeles Kings 2–0 7–8–2 16 Recap
18 November 20 @ Montreal Canadiens 2–2 7–8–3 17 Recap
19 November 21 Minnesota North Stars 1–1 7–8–4 18 Recap
20 November 24 Boston Bruins 1–2 7–9–4 18 Recap
21 November 25 @ Boston Bruins 2–4 7–10–4 18 Recap
22 November 28 New York Rangers 2–4 7–11–4 18 Recap
December: 4–7–1, 9 points (home: 4–2–1; road: 0–5–0)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
23 December 2 Detroit Red Wings 1–1 7–11–5 19 Recap
24 December 4 @ Minnesota North Stars 1–3 7–12–5 19 Recap
25 December 5 California Golden Seals 3–0 8–12–5 21 Recap
26 December 9 New York Rangers 0–5 8–13–5 21 Recap
27 December 11 @ Detroit Red Wings 3–6 8–14–5 21 Recap
28 December 12 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 9–14–5 23 Recap
29 December 15 @ New York Rangers 2–6 9–15–5 23 Recap
30 December 16 Buffalo Sabres 5–0 10–15–5 25 Recap
31 December 19 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–4 10–16–5 25 Recap
32 December 25 @ Boston Bruins 1–5 10–17–5 25 Recap
33 December 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–1 11–17–5 27 Recap
34 December 29 @ New York Rangers 1–5 11–18–5 27 Recap
January: 3–8–3, 9 points (home: 3–2–1; road: 0–6–2)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
35 January 1 @ St. Louis Blues 4–4 11–18–6 28 Recap
36 January 2 @ Chicago Black Hawks 2–6 11–19–6 28 Recap
37 January 6 St. Louis Blues 2–3 11–20–6 28 Recap
38 January 8 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2–2 11–20–7 29 Recap
39 January 9 California Golden Seals 10–3 12–20–7 31 Recap
40 January 11 @ Detroit Red Wings 0–5 12–21–7 31 Recap
41 January 15 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 12–22–7 31 Recap
42 January 16 Los Angeles Kings 3–3 12–22–8 32 Recap
43 January 20 Chicago Black Hawks 3–2 13–22–8 34 Recap
44 January 22 @ Los Angeles Kings 2–4 13–23–8 34 Recap
45 January 23 @ California Golden Seals 1–3 13–24–8 34 Recap
46 January 27 @ Boston Bruins 2–4 13–25–8 34 Recap
47 January 29 Boston Bruins 2–4 13–26–8 34 Recap
48 January 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 14–26–8 36 Recap
February: 5–6–3, 13 points (home: 2–1–1; road: 3–5–2)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
49 February 3 Detroit Red Wings 5–4 15–26–8 38 Recap
50 February 5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3–1 16–26–8 40 Recap
51 February 6 St. Louis Blues 2–2 16–26–9 41 Recap
52 February 8 @ Vancouver Canucks 3–1 17–26–9 43 Recap
53 February 9 @ California Golden Seals 2–3 17–27–9 43 Recap
54 February 12 @ Minnesota North Stars 1–5 17–28–9 43 Recap
55 February 13 @ Buffalo Sabres 4–4 17–28–10 44 Recap
56 February 16 @ Chicago Black Hawks 3–3 17–28–11 45 Recap
57 February 17 Boston Bruins 1–4 17–29–11 45 Recap
58 February 19 @ Montreal Canadiens 1–3 17–30–11 45 Recap
59 February 20 Toronto Maple Leafs 3–1 18–30–11 47 Recap
60 February 23 @ New York Rangers 3–4 18–31–11 47 Recap
61 February 26 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 18–32–11 47 Recap
62 February 27 @ Detroit Red Wings 3–1 19–32–11 49 Recap
March: 7–5–2, 16 points (home: 5–3–1; road: 2–2–1)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
63 March 2 Minnesota North Stars 3–0 20–32–11 51 Recap
64 March 4 St. Louis Blues 6–2 21–32–11 53 Recap
65 March 5 Montreal Canadiens 0–4 21–33–11 53 Recap
66 March 8 @ Vancouver Canucks 6–5 22–33–11 55 Recap
67 March 9 @ Los Angeles Kings 5–3 23–33–11 57 Recap
68 March 11 @ St. Louis Blues 2–4 23–34–11 57 Recap
69 March 13 @ Montreal Canadiens 1–2 23–35–11 57 Recap
70 March 16 Buffalo Sabres 3–3 23–35–12 58 Recap
71 March 18 New York Rangers 3–5 23–36–12 58 Recap
72 March 23 Chicago Black Hawks 2–4 23–37–12 58 Recap
73 March 25 California Golden Seals 3–0 24–37–12 60 Recap
74 March 26 Vancouver Canucks 4–1 25–37–12 62 Recap
75 March 28 @ Minnesota North Stars 2–2 25–37–13 63 Recap
76 March 30 Buffalo Sabres 3–1 26–37–13 65 Recap
April: 0–1–1, 1 points (home: 0–0–1; road: 0–1–0)
Game Date Opponent Score Record Points Recap
77 April 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 26–37–14 66 Recap
78 April 2 @ Buffalo Sabres 2–3 26–38–14 66 Recap
Legend:

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

Player statistics

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Scoring

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  • 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.
No. Player Pos Regular season
GP G A Pts +/- PIM
16 Bobby Clarke C 78 35 46 81 22 87
12 Gary Dornhoefer RW 75 17 32 49 −15 183
17 Simon Nolet RW 67 23 20 43 6 22
22 Rick Foley D 58 11 25 36 −16 168
9 Bob Kelly LW 78 14 15 29 16 157
20 Jim Johnson C 46 13 15 28 −21 12
21 Serge Bernier C 44 12 11 23 −20 51
10[a] Bill Clement C 49 9 14 23 −14 39
5 Brent Hughes D 63 2 20 22 6 35
21 Bill Flett RW 31 11 10 21 5 26
4 Barry Ashbee D 73 6 14 20 2 75
11 Jean-Guy Gendron LW 56 6 13 19 −2 36
25 Jean Potvin D 29 3 12 15 −6 6
18 Ross Lonsberry LW 32 7 7 14 −9 22
7 Michel Parizeau LW 37 2 12 14 −6 10
18 Bill Lesuk LW 45 7 6 13 −14 31
2 Ed Van Impe D 73 4 9 13 −8 78
8 Lew Morrison LW 58 5 5 10 −18 26
14 Joe Watson D 65 3 7 10 −17 38
20 Eddie Joyal C 26 3 4 7 −13 8
24 Dick Sarrazin RW 28 3 4 7 0 4
3 Willie Brossart D 42 0 4 4 −7 12
19 Rick MacLeish C 17 1 2 3 −9 9
15 Larry Mickey RW 14 1 2 3 −5 8
6 Wayne Hillman D 47 0 3 3 −16 21
23 Larry Keenan LW 14 1 1 2 −4 2
25 Pierre Plante RW 24 1 0 1 −11 15
1 Doug Favell G 54 0 1 1 32
19[b] Larry Hale D 6 0 1 1 −5 0
19 Ralph MacSweyn D 2 0 1 1 0 0
10 Larry Wright C 27 0 1 1 −6 2
3 Larry Brown D 12 0 0 0 −3 2
23 Rene Drolet RW 1 0 0 0 0 0
30 Bruce Gamble G 24 0 0 0 2
3 Jim Mair D 2 0 0 0 −2 0
24[c] Don McLeod G 4 0 0 0 0
25 Don Saleski RW 1 0 0 0 −1 0
25 Dave Schultz LW 1 0 0 0 0 0
30 Bobby Taylor G 6 0 0 0 0

Goaltending

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No. Player Regular season
GP GS W L T SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
1 Doug Favell 54 52 18 25 9 1655 140 2.81 .915 5 2,985
30 Bruce Gamble 24 18 7 8 2 659 58 2.94 .912 2 1,184
30 Bobby Taylor 6 5 1 2 2 193 16 3.00 .917 0 320
24[c] Don McLeod 4 3 0 3 1 109 14 4.65 .872 0 181

Awards and records

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Awards

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Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Bobby Clarke [8]
League
(in-season)
NHL All-Star Game selection Bobby Clarke [9]
Simon Nolet

Records

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Among the team records set during the 1971–72 season was a 19-game winless streak on the road (15 losses and 4 ties) from October 23 to January 27.[10] On October 31, Simon Nolet became the first Flyer to score three goals in a single period and four points in a single period, both franchise regular season records that have been matched but not exceeded several times, the earliest instance occurring on March 9, 1972, by Bill Flett for the goals record and Flett and Bobby Clarke for the points record.[11][12] On January 9, the Flyers scored six power play goals during a game against the California Golden Seals, a mark which was later matched during the 1988–89 season.[13]

Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
First game Pierre Plante October 9, 1971 [14]
Larry Wright
Bill Clement December 11, 1971
Don Saleski January 11, 1972
Dave Schultz January 20, 1972
Bobby Taylor February 16, 1972
Rene Drolet April 2, 1972

Franchise firsts

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Milestone Player Date Ref
30-goal season Bobby Clarke March 13, 1972 [15]

Transactions

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The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 19, 1971, the day after the deciding game of the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 11, 1972, the day of the deciding game of the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals.[16]

Trades

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Date Details Ref
June 13, 1971 (1971-06-13) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Los Angeles Kings
[17]
September 8, 1971 (1971-09-08) To Philadelphia Flyers
  • cash
To Portland Buckaroos (WHL)
[18]
October 15, 1971 (1971-10-15) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Chicago Black Hawks
[19]
November 16, 1971 (1971-11-16) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Buffalo Sabres
[20]
January 28, 1972 (1972-01-28) To Philadelphia Flyers
To Los Angeles Kings
[21]

Players acquired

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Date Player Former team Via Ref
June 8, 1971 (1971-06-08) Larry Brown New York Rangers Intra-league draft [22][23][24]
Frank Spring Boston Bruins Intra-league draft [22][24][23][25]
June 9, 1971 (1971-06-09) Don McLeod Detroit Red Wings Reverse draft[d] [26][27]
July 1971 (1971-07) Orest Kindrachuk Saskatoon Blades (WCHL) Free agency [28]
September 11, 1971 (1971-09-11) Bob Hurlburt Quebec Aces (AHL) Free agency
December 8, 1971 (1971-12-08) Michel Parizeau St. Louis Blues Waivers [29]

Players lost

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Date Player New team Via Ref
June 8, 1971 (1971-06-08) Garry Peters Boston Bruins Intra-league draft [22][23][30]
September 20, 1971 (1971-09-20) Keith Wright Release
February 9, 1972 (1972-02-09) Bruce Gamble Retirement[e] [31]

Signings

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Date Player Term Ref
August 7, 1971 (1971-08-07) Pierre Plante 2-year [32]
August 16, 1971 (1971-08-16) Bruce Gamble [33]
September 2, 1971 (1971-09-02) Larry Brown [34]
Bob Kelly [34]
Rick MacLeish [34]
September 5, 1971 (1971-09-05) Jim Johnson [35]
Lew Morrison [35]
Joe Watson [35]
September 7, 1971 (1971-09-07) Gary Dornhoefer [36]
Wayne Hillman [36]
Danny Schock [36]
Frank Spring [36]
Ed Van Impe [36]
September 8, 1971 (1971-09-08) Serge Bernier [18]
Jean-Guy Gendron [18]
Bill Lesuk [18]
Larry Mickey [18]
September 10, 1971 (1971-09-10) Andre Lacroix
October 7, 1971 (1971-10-07) Doug Favell
March 20, 1972 (1972-03-20) Bobby Clarke 5-year extension [32]
N/A Glen Irwin 2-year [32]
Don McCulloch 2-year [32]
Larry Wright 2-year [32]

Draft picks

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Philadelphia's picks at the 1971 NHL amateur draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, on June 10, 1971.[37]

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Team (league) Notes
1 8 Larry Wright Center   Canada Regina Pats (WCHL)
1 9 Pierre Plante Right wing   Canada Drummondville Rangers (QMJHL) [f]
3 36 Glen Irwin Defense   Canada Estevan Bruins (WCHL)
4 50 Ted Scharf Right wing   Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
5 64 Don McCulloch Defense   Canada Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA)
6 78 Yvon Bilodeau Defense   Canada Estevan Bruins (WCHL)
7 92 Bobby Gerrard Right wing   Canada Regina Pats (WCHL)
8 106 Jerome Mrazek Goaltender   Canada University of Minnesota Duluth (WCHA)

Farm teams

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The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL,[39][40] the San Diego Gulls of the WHL,[41] and the Jersey Devils and Salem Rebels of the EHL.[41]

Notes

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  1. ^ Clement wore number 15 through January 16.
  2. ^ Hale wore number 23 in his first four games.
  3. ^ a b McLeod wore number 30 in his first two games.
  4. ^ McLeod was claimed by the Quebec Aces, the Flyers' AHL affiliate.
  5. ^ Gamble suffered a career-ending heart attack during a game played on February 8, 1972.
  6. ^ The Flyers acquired the 9th overall pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Bruce Gamble and Mike Walton for Bernie Parent and the Flyers' second-round pick, 22nd overall, on January 31, 1971.[38]

References

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  • "Philadelphia Flyers 1971–72 roster and statistics". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  • "Flyers History - Season Overview : 1971–72". Flyers History. FlyersAlumni.net. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  1. ^ "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. ^ "Flyers Fire Coach Vic Stasiuk". Chicago Tribune. May 28, 1971. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "NHL Flyers Name Shero New Coach". The Schenectady Gazette. Associated Press. June 3, 1971. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Flyers History – Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  5. ^ "1971–1972 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  6. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  7. ^ "1971-72 Philadelphia Flyers Schedule and Results". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  9. ^ "25th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "Team Records: Longest Road Winless Streaks, Season". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Skater Records: Most Goals, Period". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "Skater Records: Most Points, Period". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Team Records: Most Power-Play Goals, One Team, Game". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  14. ^ "1971-72 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  15. ^ "Flyers History – All-Time Firsts". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  16. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "Flyers deal defenseman". Delaware County Daily Times. UPI. June 14, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Flyers Sign Four Skaters". El Paso Herald-Post. UPI. September 9, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Briefly". Brandon Sun. October 16, 1971. p. 6. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Flyers Get Keenan". The Logansport Press. UPI. November 17, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "'We had to do something:' Allen". Delaware County Daily Times. UPI. January 29, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b c Parsons, Mark (August 6, 2012). "1971 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  23. ^ a b c "1971 NHL Intraleague Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Independent from Long Beach, California • 38". Independent. June 9, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Frank Spring – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  26. ^ "Canadians Likely To Get A New Coach...In Addition To Players". Kokomo Tribune. June 10, 1971. p. 33. Retrieved July 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Don McLeod – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  28. ^ "Orest Kindrachuk – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  29. ^ "Michel Parizeau – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  30. ^ "Garry Peters – Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  31. ^ "Flyers A-Z: Gamble, Bruce". Philadelphia Flyers. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d e "Flyers sign Clarke to 5-year contract". Delaware County Daily Times. March 21, 1972. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "Flyers Sign Goalie Bruce Gamble". The Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. August 17, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b c "Philly Flyers Sign 3 More". The Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. September 3, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ a b c "Flyers Sign 10 Players". The Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. September 6, 1971. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ a b c d e "Flyers sign 5, to open practice". Delaware County Daily Times. UPI. July 1, 1975. Retrieved December 18, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "1971 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  38. ^ "1971 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  39. ^ "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  40. ^ "AHL Season Overview: 1971–72". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  41. ^ a b "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.