1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers season

The 1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 17th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). During the final season of the playing careers of Hockey Hall of Famers Bill Barber and Bobby Clarke, the Flyers lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Washington Capitals in a three-game sweep.

1983–84 Philadelphia Flyers
Division	3rd Patrick
Conference	5th Wales
1983–84 record	44–26–10
Home record	25–10–5
Road record	19–16–5
Goals for	350 (4th)
Goals against	290 (6th)
Team information
President	Jay Snider
General manager	Bob McCammon
Coach	Bob McCammon
Captain	Bobby Clarke
Alternate captains	None[lower-alpha 1]
Arena	Spectrum
Average attendance	16,636[1]
Minor league affiliate(s)	Springfield Indians Toledo Goaldiggers
Team leaders
Goals	Tim Kerr (54)
Assists	Brian Propp (53)
Points	Tim Kerr (93)
Penalty minutes	Glen Cochrane (225)
Plus/minus	Brian Propp (+49)
Wins	Bob Froese (28)
Goals against average	Bob Froese (3.15)

Off-season

Bob McCammon replaced Keith Allen as general manager in the off-season, and retained his position as head coach.[2] McCammon had received an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins to become their general manager.[2]

Regular season

The youth of the team began to take over the reins from the old guard as Tim Kerr recorded his first 50-goal season. The team finished in third place.

The 1983–84 regular season saw Barber play his final games as he would officially announce his retirement following the next season after being unable to return from reconstructive knee surgery.

Season standings

Patrick Division

	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	PTS
New York Islanders	80	50	26	4	357	269	104
Washington Capitals	80	48	27	5	308	226	101
Philadelphia Flyers	80	44	26	10	350	290	98
New York Rangers	80	42	29	9	314	304	93
New Jersey Devils	80	17	56	7	231	350	41
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	16	58	6	254	390	38

[3]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

The Flyers were swept in three games for the second consecutive season, this time by the Washington Capitals.

After the loss, Flyers President Jay Snider informed Bob McCammon he could no longer continue as head coach.[4] As GM, McCammon disagreed a change was needed, so he resigned from both positions altogether on April 25.[4] On May 15, Bobby Clarke retired from playing and was named vice president and general manager of the team.[5]

Schedule and results

Regular season

1983–84 regular season
October: 9–3–1, 19 Points (Home: 5–1–1; Road: 4–2–0)
November: 5–5–2, 12 Points (Home: 2–2–1; Road: 3–3–1)
December: 6–3–3, 15 Points (Home: 3–2–1; Road: 3–1–2)
January: 7–4–2, 16 Points (Home: 3–2–0; Road: 4–2–2)
February: 7–5–2, 16 Points (Home: 5–2–2; Road: 2–3–0)
March: 10–5–0, 20 Points (Home: 7–0–0; Road: 3–5–0)
April: 0–1–0, 0 Points (Home: 0–1–0; Road: 0–0–0)
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1984 Stanley Cup playoffs
Patrick Division Semifinals vs. Washington Capitals - Capitals win 3–0
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• 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
12	Tim Kerr	24	RW	79	54	39	93	30	29	3	0	0	0	−4	0
26	Brian Propp	24	LW	79	39	53	92	49	37	3	0	1	1	−4	6
20	Dave Poulin	25	LW	73	31	45	76	31	47	3	0	0	0	−4	2
27	Darryl Sittler	33	C	76	27	36	63	13	38	3	0	2	2	−1	7
16	Bobby Clarke	34	C	73	17	43	60	23	70	3	2	1	3	−1	6
7	Bill Barber	31	LW	63	22	32	54	4	36	—	—	—	—	—	—
2	Mark Howe	28	D	71	19	34	53	30	44	3	0	0	0	0	2
14	Ron Sutter	20	C	79	19	32	51	4	101	3	0	0	0	0	22
23	Ilkka Sinisalo	25	LW	73	29	17	46	22	29	2	2	0	2	0	0
6	Thomas Eriksson	24	D	68	11	33	44	28	37	3	0	1	1	−4	0
3	Doug Crossman	23	D	78	7	28	35	23	63	3	0	0	0	−2	0
11	Len Hachborn	22	C	38	11	21	32	8	4	3	0	0	0	−2	7
9	Miroslav Dvorak	32	D	66	4	27	31	19	27	2	0	0	0	−5	2
15	Rich Sutter	20	RW	70	16	12	28	10	93	3	0	0	0	0	15
10	Brad McCrimmon	24	D	71	0	24	24	19	76	1	0	0	0	−1	4
29	Glen Cochrane	26	D	67	7	16	23	16	225	—	—	—	—	—	—
17	Paul Holmgren	28	RW	52	9	13	22	1	105	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Rick MacLeish	34	C	29	8	14	22	4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Ray Allison	24	RW	37	8	13	21	11	47	3	0	1	1	−2	4
8	Brad Marsh	25	D	77	3	14	17	24	83	3	1	1	2	−1	2
25	Paul Guay	20	RW	14	2	6	8	1	14	3	0	0	0	−2	4
22	Ross Fitzpatrick	23	C	12	4	2	6	4	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
21	Dave Brown	21	RW	19	1	5	6	4	98	2	0	0	0	0	12
28	Daryl Stanley	21	D	23	1	4	5	4	71	3	0	0	0	−3	19
18	Lindsay Carson	23	C	16	1	3	4	−7	10	1	0	0	0	−1	5
11	Ron Flockhart	23	C	8	0	3	3	1	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Bob Froese	25	G	48	0	2	2	N/A	10	3	0	0	0	N/A	0
31	Pelle Lindbergh	24	G	36	0	1	1	N/A	6	2	0	0	0	N/A	0
24	Randy Holt	31	D	26	0	0	0	−1	74	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Mark Taylor	26	D	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	Frank Bathe	29	D	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	0

Goaltending

			Regular season											Playoffs
No.	Player	Age	GP	GS	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	GS	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
35	Bob Froese	25	48	46	28	13	7	1324	150	3.15	.887	2	2,854:48	3	2	0	2	76	11	4.37	.855	0	151:12
31	Pelle Lindbergh	24	36	34	16	13	3	963	135	4.07	.860	1	1,990:28	2	1	0	1	13	3	7.01	.769	0	25:40

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honor	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	NHL All-Rookie Team	Thomas Eriksson (Defense)	[6]
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Tim Kerr	[7]
		Brian Propp
	NHL Player of the Week	Pelle Lindbergh (October 11)	[8]
		Tim Kerr (March 16)
Team	Barry Ashbee Trophy	Miroslav Dvorak	[9]
	Class Guy Award	Dave Poulin	[9]

Team

Franchise team records set during the 1983–84 season

Record	Type	Total	Date(s)	Opponent	Refs
Shorthanded goals scored	Period	3	12/15/1983	Washington Capitals	[10]
Goals scored	Game	13[lower-alpha 2]	3/22/1984	Pittsburgh Penguins	[11]
Most goals scored	Season	350	—	—	[12]
Fewest games played, playoffs	Season	3[lower-alpha 3]	—	—	[13]
Fewest wins, playoffs	Season	0[lower-alpha 4]	—	—	[13]

Franchise firsts

Franchise firsts

Milestone	Player	Details	Date	Ref
Overtime goal, regular season	Bobby Clarke	Even-strength goal at 2:43 of overtime against Denis Herron	November 20, 1983	[14]

Individual

Individual career milestones[15]

Milestone	Player	Details	Date	Ref
400th goal	Bill Barber	Even-strength goal at 0:40 of the first period against Michel Dion	October 9, 1983	[16]
600th assist	Darryl Sittler	Primary assist on Ron Sutter's shorthanded goal at 3:39 of the third period	November 29, 1983	[17]
1000th game played	Darryl Sittler		January 8, 1984

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 18, 1983, the day after the deciding game of the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 19, 1984, the day of the deciding game of the 1984 Stanley Cup Finals.[18]

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 8, 1983	To Philadelphia Flyers Doug Crossman 2nd-round pick in 1984	To Chicago Black Hawks Behn Wilson	[19]
September 9, 1983[lower-alpha 5]	To Philadelphia Flyers future considerations	To Hartford Whalers Tom Gorence	[20]
October 23, 1983	To Philadelphia Flyers Rich Sutter 2nd-round pick in 1984 3rd-round pick in 1984	To Pittsburgh Penguins Andy Brickley Ron Flockhart Mark Taylor 1st-round pick in 1984 3rd-round pick in 1984	[21]
January 5, 1984	To Philadelphia Flyers cash	To St. Louis Blues Michel Larocque	[22]
January 8, 1984	To Philadelphia Flyers future considerations	To Detroit Red Wings Rick MacLeish	[23]
February 23, 1984	To Philadelphia Flyers rights to Paul Guay 3rd-round pick in 1985	To Minnesota North Stars Paul Holmgren	[24]

Free agency

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

Date	Player	Previous team (league)	Term	Ref
August 30, 1983	Randy Holt	Washington Capitals		[25]
October 6, 1983	Rick MacLeish	Pittsburgh Penguins	1-year	[26]
May 1, 1984	Darren Jensen	Fort Wayne Komets (IHL)	multi-year	[27]

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.

Date	Player	Term	Ref
August 15, 1983	Thomas Eriksson	multi-year	[28]
February 23, 1984	Paul Holmgren	2-year	[24]
May 9, 1984	Todd Bergen (DP)	multi-year	[29]
May 9, 1984	Dave Poulin	multi-year	[29]
May 9, 1984	Rick Tocchet (DP)	multi-year	[29]
May 9, 1984	Peter Zezel (DP)	multi-year	[29]

Waivers

The Flyers were not involved in any waivers transactions. The 1983 NHL Waiver Draft was held on October 3, 1983.[30] The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Michel Larocque and Pelle Lindbergh, and skaters Ray Allison, Bill Barber, Frank Bathe, Lindsay Carson, Bobby Clarke, Glen Cochrane, Doug Crossman, Ron Flockhart, Paul Holmgren, Randy Holt, Mark Howe, Tim Kerr, Brad Marsh, Brad McCrimmon, Brian Propp, Darryl Sittler, and Mark Taylor.[31] The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltender Sam St. Laurent and skaters Paul Evans, Tom Gorence, Bob O'Brien, and Gord Williams.[32]

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 (*).

Date	Player	New team (league)	Via	Ref
August 1, 1983	John Paddock	New Jersey Devils	Free agency	[33]
August 15, 1983	Bob Hoffmeyer	New Jersey Devils	Free agency	[28]
October 1983	Tom Gorence	Edmonton Oilers[lower-alpha 6]	Release	[20]
N/A	Gord Williams	—	Retirement[lower-alpha 7]	[34]
May 15, 1984	Bobby Clarke*	—	Retirement	[5]

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 8, 1983.[35]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	Notes
2	41	Peter Zezel	Center	Canada	Toronto Marlboros (OHL)
3	44	Derrick Smith	Left Wing	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)	[lower-alpha 8]
4	81	Allen Bourbeau	Center	United States	Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (Mass.)
5	101	Jerome Carrier	Defense	Canada	Verdun Juniors (QMJHL)
6	121	Rick Tocchet	Right Wing	Canada	Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
7	141	Bob Mormina	Forward	Canada	Longueuil Chevaliers (QMJHL)
8	161	Pelle Eklund	Center	Sweden	AIK (Elitserien)
9	181	Robbie Nichols	Right Wing	Canada	Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
10	201	Bill McCormack	Center	United States	Westminster School (Conn.)
11	221	Brian Jopling	Goaltender	United States	Williston Northampton School (Mass.)
12	241	Harold Duvall	Left Wing	United States	Belmont Hill School (Mass.)

Farm teams

The Flyers were affiliated with the Springfield Indians of the AHL[37][38] and the Toledo Goaldiggers of the IHL.[39]

Notes

1. The alternate captain position was abolished from the 1975–76 season through the 1984–85 season.
2. Tied during the 1984–85 season.
3. Tied mark set during the 1982–83 season.
4. Tied mark set during the 1968–69, 1970–71, and 1982–83 seasons.
5. The trade was canceled after Gorence failed to make the Whalers out of training camp.[20] Gorence was released after being returned to the Flyers and later signed with the Edmonton Oilers on November 1.[20]
6. Gorence signed with Edmonton on November 1, 1983.
7. No official announcement
8. The Flyers traded their first-round pick, 20th overall, their third-round pick, 61st overall, Greg Adams, and Ken Linseman to the Hartford Whalers for Mark Howe and the Whalers' third-round pick, 44th overall, on August 20, 1982.[36]

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

1. "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
2. "SPORTS PEOPLE; Flyer Changes". The New York Times. May 28, 1983. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
3. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
4. "SPORTS PEOPLE; 2 Coaches Out". The New York Times. April 25, 1984. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
5. "SPORTS PEOPLE; Clarke Quits Playing". The New York Times. May 16, 1984. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
6. 2014–15 NHL Official Guide & Record Book, p. 233
7. "36th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
8. "no title". Daily Sitka Sentinel. October 12, 1983. Retrieved August 7, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Cite uses generic title (help)
9. "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
10. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 262
11. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, p. 261
12. "NHL.com - Stats". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
13. 2016–2017 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide, pp. 335–340
14. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 14, 2015. 20-Nov-83 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 @ Philadelphia Flyers 5
15. "Flyers History - All-Time Milestone Award Winners". P.Anson. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
16. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 15, 2015. 9-Oct-83 Pittsburgh Penguins 1 @ Philadelphia Flyers 7
17. "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 15, 2015. 29-Nov-83 Philadelphia Flyers 8 @ Calgary Flames 5
18. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
19. "The Chicago Black Hawks Wednesday traded defenseman Doug Crossman..." UPI. June 9, 1983. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
20. "1977 NHL Amateur Draft Central -- Tom Gorence". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
21. "Penguins' Sutter Traded to Flyers". AP. The New York Times. October 24, 1983. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
22. Tuite, James (January 6, 1984). "ISLANDERS LOSE FOURTH IN LAST 6 GAMES". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
23. Shope, Dan (January 9, 1984). "Macleish Traded". The Morning Call. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
24. "Sports People; Flyers Trade Holmgren". The New York Times. February 24, 1984. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
25. "Transactions". The New York Times. August 31, 1984. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
26. "The Philadelphia [sic] Flyers and WasOington Capitals battled through the..." UPI. October 7, 1983. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
27. "The Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday signed goaltender Darren Jensen, the..." UPI. May 1, 1984. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
28. "Transactions". The New York Times. August 16, 1983. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
29. "The Philadelphia Flyers have signed center Dave Poulin and..." UPI. May 9, 1984. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
30. Parsons, Mark (November 30, 2013). "1983 NHL Waiver Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
31. "The 21 NHL teams have submitted their lists of..." UPI. October 1, 1983. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
32. "Following is the list of players left unprotected for..." UPI. October 1, 1983. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
33. "Alvin Paddock - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
34. "1979 NHL Entry Draft -- Gord Williams". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
35. "1983 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
36. "1983 NHL Entry Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
37. "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
38. "AHL Season Overview: 1983–84". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
39. "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.