2000–01 Philadelphia Flyers season


The 2000–01 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 34th season in the National Hockey League. The Flyers lost in the first round to the Buffalo Sabres in six games.

Off-season

retained the head coaching position as Roger Neilson was not asked to return, which became a matter of some controversy.

Regular season

Without Eric Lindros, who sat out the entire season awaiting a trade, while also suffering through John LeClair's 66-game absence and Brian Boucher's early erratic play in goal, the club went into an early tailspin. The team began the year 3–6–4 and at one point had six regulars out of the lineup. Keith Jones, who never fully recovered from the prior knee problems despite surgery last season, was forced to retire eight games into the schedule.
Not wanting to bank on the inexperience of Maxime Ouellet, the team recalled Roman Cechmanek, a former star goalie in the Czech Republic, from the Philadelphia Phantoms in early November and the move paid off as he recorded a pair of shutouts in his first three games. The Flyers won six in a row prior to Thanksgiving to climb above.500, but Ramsay's inability to rally the troops cost him his job. After being badly outplayed in early December losses to Ottawa and Detroit, he was replaced by former Flyer great Bill Barber with the team sinking at 12–12–4.
Barber's high-energy, old-time hockey approach struck a chord, and the club went unbeaten in his first eight games behind the bench. Philly ran off an 8–2–1 stretch at the turn of the new year, then after a five-game win streak after the All-Star break found themselves atop the Atlantic Division.
Unfortunately, injuries and poor play followed. Simon Gagne was lost with a shoulder injury in a scoreless tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning in late February. In the middle of a 1–4–1 stretch in late March, Keith Primeau suffered a leg injury and missed the rest of the regular season. Despite faltering down the stretch, the Flyers finished with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Primeau led the team with 34 goals and Mark Recchi posted team-best 50 assists and 77 points. Dan McGillis and Eric Desjardins formed a potent offensive duo on the back line, combining for 29 goals and 97 points. Cechmanek recorded a franchise rookie record 10 shutouts and finished second in voting for the Vezina Trophy.
The Flyers were the most disciplined team in the League, with just 314 power-play opportunities against.

Season standings

Playoffs

The Flyers lost in the first round to the Buffalo Sabres in six games.

Schedule and results

Preseason

Regular season

Playoffs

Player statistics

Scoring

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Team

Milestones

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 11, 2000, the day after the deciding game of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2001, the day of the deciding game of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerPrevious team TermRef
July 6, 2000Michal SykoraHC Sparta Praha 3-year
July 7, 2000Kevin StevensNew York Rangers1-year
July 12, 2000Joe DiPenta Halifax Mooseheads *
July 14, 2000Brad TileyPhoenix Coyotesmulti-year*
July 24, 2000Rob MurrayEdmonton Oilers1-year*
July 26, 2000Derek PlanteChicago Blackhawks1-year
August 14, 2000Michel PicardEdmonton Oilers1-year*
August 28, 2000Brian ReganMissouri River Otters 1-year*
November 21, 2000Steve WashburnKloten Flyers 1-year*
December 21, 2000Jim Vandermeer Red Deer Rebels 3-year*

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 entry level contracts. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk.
DatePlayerTermRef
July 6, 2000Rick Tocchet2-year
July 13, 2000Jody Hull1-year
July 17, 2000Roman Cechmanek2-year
July 25, 2000Andy Delmore2-year
August 11, 2000John LeClair1-year
August 31, 2000Brian Boucher2-year
September 9, 2000Chris Therien4-year
September 13, 2000Maxime Ouellet 3-year*
September 23, 2000Justin Williams 3-year*
March 6, 2001Paul Ranheim2-year extension
June 5, 2001Chris McAllister3-year extension

NHL Expansion Draft

The 2000 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 23, 2000. It featured two expansion teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, selecting players from the other NHL teams except for the Atlanta Thrashers and Nashville Predators. Each NHL team was allowed to protect either 1 goaltender, 5 defensemen, and 9 forwards OR 2 goaltenders, 3 defensemen, and 7 forwards. All first and second-year players were exempt. The two teams were provided a list of players they could select.
StatusPlayers
ProtectedBrian Boucher, Andy Delmore, Eric Desjardins, Mark Greig, Daymond Langkow, John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Kent Manderville, Dan McGillis, Gino Odjick, Keith Primeau, Paul Ranheim, Mark Recchi, Luke Richardson, Chris Therien
UnprotectedArtem Anisimov, Per-Ragnar Bergkvist, Craig Berube, Travis Brigley, Adam Burt, Martin Cerven, Jody Hull, Mark Janssens, Keith Jones, Jeff Lank, Neil Little, Mike Maneluk, Steve McLaren, Dean Melanson, Jim Montgomery, Sean O'Brien, Ulf Samuelsson, Ruslan Shafikov, Radovan Somik, Martin Streit, Rick Tocchet, John Vanbiesbrouck, Steve Washburn, Peter White, Todd White, Valeri Zelepukin
SelectionsMinnesota Wild selected Artem Anisimov 21st overall
SelectionsColumbus Blue Jackets selected Martin Streit 44th overall

Waivers

The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. They were not involved in any selections during the 2000 NHL Waiver Draft, which was held on September 29, 2000. The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Brian Boucher and Roman Cechmanek; defensemen Eric Desjardins, Chris McAllister, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson, Michal Sykora and Chris Therien; and forwards Jody Hull, Daymond Langkow, John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Kent Manderville, Gino Odjick, Keith Primeau, Paul Ranheim, Mark Recchi, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, and Peter White. The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltender Neil Little, defensemen Dean Melanson, Ulf Samuelsson and Brad Tiley; and forwards Mark Greig, Keith Jones, Steve McLaren, Rob Murray, Michel Picard, Derek Plante and Steve Washburn.
DatePlayerTeamRef
July 6, 2000Mark Janssensto Chicago Blackhawks

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
July 7, 2000Craig BerubeWashington CapitalsFree agency
July 12, 2000Todd WhiteOttawa SenatorsFree agency
July 14, 2000Adam BurtAtlanta ThrashersFree agency
July 18, 2000Valeri ZelepukinChicago BlackhawksFree agency
July 26, 2000Jeff ToryDallas StarsFree agency
July 26, 2000Steve WashburnKloten Flyers Free agency
August 15, 2000Jim MontgomerySan Jose SharksFree agency
August 21, 2000Bujar AmidovskiCarolina HurricanesFree agency
August 24, 2000Mike ManelukColumbus Blue JacketsFree agency
August 29, 2000Ulf Samuelsson—Buyout
October 5, 2000Ryan BastHartford Wolf Pack Free agency
N/AJeff Lank—Retirement
November 3, 2000Travis BrigleyCardiff Devils Free agency
November 21, 2000Keith Jones*—Retirement
December 2000Francis Belanger*Montreal CanadiensRelease
January 15, 2001Zarley ZalapskiMunich Barons Free agency
May 15, 2001Michel Picard*Adler Mannheim Free agency
June 5, 2001Michal Sykora*HC Pardubice Release

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome in Calgary on June 24–25, 2000. The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 63rd overall, Rod Brind'Amour, and Jean-Marc Pelletier to the Carolina Hurricanes for Keith Primeau and the Hurricanes' fifth-round pick, 148th overall, on January 23, 2000. They also traded their fifth-round pick, 165th overall, and Dave Babych to the Los Angeles Kings for Steve Duchesne on March 23, 1999, and their ninth-round pick, 291st overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Mark Janssens on June 12, 2000.
RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityTeam Notes
128Justin WilliamsRight WingCanadaPlymouth Whalers
394Alexander DrozdetskyRight WingRussiaSKA Saint Petersburg
6171Roman CechmanekGoaltenderCzech RepublicHC Vsetin
6195Colin ShieldsForwardUnited KingdomCleveland Jr. Barons
7210John EichelbergerForwardUnited StatesGreen Bay Gamblers
7227Guillaume LefebvreLeft WingCanadaRouyn-Noranda Huskies
8259Regan KellyDefenseCanadaNipawin Hawks
9287Milan KopeckyForwardCzech RepublicSlavia Prague Jr.

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.