1984–85 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 1984–85 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 18th season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals but lost in five games to the Edmonton Oilers.

Off-season

's first move as general manager was hiring Mike Keenan as head coach. Second-year player Dave Poulin was named team captain.

Regular season

On October 18 they tied a franchise record for most goals in one game, after a 13–2 rout of the Vancouver Canucks at the Spectrum. They recorded another 10-plus goal contest on March 10 against Pittsburgh, crushing the Penguins 11–4. In addition, the team snapped the Edmonton Oilers' then NHL record 12–0–3 unbeaten streak to start the year with a 7–5 win on November 11. Four days later, they paid tribute to the recently retired Bobby Clarke on Bobby Clarke Night with a 6–1 win over the Hartford Whalers.
Although the club got off to a hot 16–4–4 start, they faltered in December, losing four straight games and five of six prior to Christmas. With the team's slate of games thin throughout January, the Washington Capitals surged to the top of the Patrick Division although the Flyers kept winning consistently.
After trailing the division-leading Capitals by 11 points in early February, the Flyers clinched the division title on March 28 and finished 12 points ahead of Washington, reeling off an incredible 24–4–0 record after February 9. The game that kicked off the stretch, on February 9 at the Capital Centre, saw Tim Kerr score four goals but Brian Propp won it, 5-4, with two seconds remaining in regulation. The club set a franchise record with 11 straight wins from March 5–24.
One season before the President's Trophy was created to reward the NHL club with the most points, the Flyers finished the season with 113, four ahead of eventual Cup champion Edmonton. They also recorded their second-highest single-season goal total and allowed the third-fewest goals behind Washington and Buffalo.
Twice during the season two players recorded hat tricks in the same game. Propp and Ilkka Sinisalo turned the trick in the Vancouver rout, while Poulin and Kerr teamed up for six goals in a wild 9–6 win over Washington on March 7.
Goaltender Pelle Lindbergh, who led the league with 40 wins, won the Vezina Trophy.

Season standings

Playoffs

The Flyers rolled through the playoffs by sweeping the New York Rangers in three games, defeating the New York Islanders in five, and beating the Quebec Nordiques in six to return to the Stanley Cup Finals. Though they defeated the defending champion Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 by a score of 4–1 at home, Edmonton won the next four games and the series.

Schedule and results

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Team

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 20, 1984, the day after the deciding game of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 30, 1985, the day of the deciding game of the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
July 25, 1984Ed HospodarHartford Whalers
September 30, 1984Nick KypreosNorth Bay Centennials
October 4, 1984Don NachbaurLos Angeles Kings
October 8, 1984Al HillMaine Mariners
October 15, 1984Tim YoungWinnipeg Jets1-year
November 22, 1984Craig PietteUniversity of Wisconsin–River Falls

Internal

The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to contracts.
DatePlayerTermRef
August 17, 1984Doug Crossman
August 17, 1984Len Hachborn
August 17, 1984Brad McCrimmon
September 22, 1984Tim Kerrmulti-year
February 17, 1985Lindsay Carson

Waivers

The Flyers were not involved in any waivers transactions. The 1984 NHL Waiver Draft was held on October 9, 1984. The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltender Gil Hudon and skaters Don Nachbaur and Brian Tutt.

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.
DatePlayerNew team ViaRef
N/AFrank Bathe—Retirement
N/ARandy Holt—Retirement

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 9, 1984. The Flyers selection of Petr Rucka in the eleventh-round, 226th overall, was voided since Rucka had already been selected by the Calgary Flames in the tenth-round.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
222Greg SmythDefenseCanadaLondon Knights
227Scott MellanbyRight WingCanadaHenry Carr Secondary School
237Jeff ChychrunDefenseCanadaKingston Canadians
343Dave McLayForwardCanadaKelowna Wings
347John StevensDefenseCanadaOshawa Generals
479David HansonCenterUnited StatesGrand Forks High School
5100Brian DobbinRight WingCanadaLondon Knights
6121John DzikowskiCenterCanadaBrandon Wheat Kings
7142Tom AllenDefenseCanadaKitchener Rangers
8163Luke VitaleForwardCanadaHenry Carr Secondary School
9184Billy PowersForwardUnited StatesMatignon High School
10204Daryn FersovichForwardCanadaSt. Albert Saints
12245Juraj BakosDefenseSlovakiaHC Kosice

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the AHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL.