1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers | |
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West Division champions
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Division | 1st West |
1967–68 record | 31–32–11 |
Home record | 17–13–7 |
Road record | 14–19–4 |
Goals for | 173 (11th) |
Goals against | 179 (3rd) |
Team information | |
General Manager | Bud Poile |
Coach | Keith Allen |
Captain | Lou Angotti |
Alternate captains |
Bill Sutherland Ed Van Impe |
Arena | Spectrum |
Average attendance | 9,625 |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Leon Rochefort (21) |
Assists | Lou Angotti (37) |
Points | Lou Angotti (49) |
Penalties in minutes | Ed Van Impe (141) |
Plus/minus |
Joe Watson (+12) Larry Zeidel (+12) |
Wins | Bernie Parent (16) |
Goals against average | Doug Favell (2.27) |
The 1967–68 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' inaugural season and the first National Hockey League (NHL) season in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since the Philadelphia Quakers' 1930–31 season. The Flyers won the West Division, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
Philadelphia waited almost 35 years from when the Quakers' played their last home game (a 4–0 loss to Chicago on March 17, 1931) for the NHL to return when the city was awarded an expansion franchise on February 9, 1966. Philadelphia was a bit of a surprise choice since a group from the nearby city of Baltimore were considered favorites to land a team.
The man who often receives the most credit for bringing NHL hockey back to Philadelphia is Ed Snider. While attending a basketball game in 1964 at the Boston Garden, the then vice-president of the Philadelphia Eagles observed a crowd of Boston Bruins fans lining up to purchase tickets to see a last-place team. Intrigued, he began making plans for a new arena upon hearing the NHL was looking to expand due to fears of a competing league taking hold on the West Coast and the desire for a new television contract in the United States. Snider made his proposal to the league and the Philadelphia group — including Snider, Bill Putnam, Jerome Schiff, and Eagles owner Jerry Wolman — was chosen over the Baltimore group.
On April 4, 1966, Putnam announced there would be a name-the-team contest and that orange, black and white would be the team colors. Wanting what he referred to as "hot" colors, Putnam's choice was influenced by the orange and white of his alma mater, the University of Texas, and the orange and black of Philadelphia's previous NHL team, the Quakers. Also announced on April 4 was the hiring of a Chicago firm to design the team's arena.