1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers season
| 1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th West |
| 1969–70 record | 17–35–24 |
| Home record | 11–14–13 |
| Road record | 6–21–11 |
| Goals for | 197 (9th) |
| Goals against | 225 (7th) |
| Team information | |
| General Manager |
Bud Poile (fired) Keith Allen |
| Coach | Vic Stasiuk |
| Captain | Ed Van Impe |
| Alternate captains | Dick Cherry |
| Arena | Spectrum |
| Average attendance | 13,372 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Gary Dornhoefer (26) |
| Assists | Andre Lacroix (36) |
| Points | Andre Lacroix (58) |
| Penalties in minutes | Earl Heiskala (171) |
| Plus/minus | Simon Nolet (+12) |
| Wins | Bernie Parent (13) |
| Goals against average | Bernie Parent (2.79) |
The 1969–70 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' third season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, setting a team record for fewest wins and an NHL record for most ties.
On May 20, 1969, Keith Allen was named vice president and assistant general manager of the team and replaced as head coach by Vic Stasiuk. Stasiuk spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Quebec Aces, the Flyers American Hockey League affiliate.
The Flyers took a chance when they selected a 19-year-old diabetic from Flin Flon, Manitoba, named Bobby Clarke with their second draft pick, 17th overall, in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft.
By the time training camp came around it was clear that Clarke was the best player on the team, and he quickly became a fan favorite. His 15 goals and 31 assists earned him a trip to the NHL All-Star Game.
On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced what would become one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording of Kate Smith singing God Bless America instead of the The Star-Spangled Banner before important games. The perception was that the team was more successful on these occasions, so the tradition grew. The move was initially done by Flyers promotion director Lou Scheinfeld as a way to defray national tensions at the time of the Vietnam War: Scheinfeld noticed that people would regularly leave their seats and walk around during the anthem, but showed more respect and often sang along to "God Bless America". To this day, the team plays the song before major playoff games, currently with Lauren Hart (daughter of Hall of Fame Flyers broadcast announcer Gene Hart) performing the first part of the song, a recording of Smith singing the second part, and Lauren Hart joining the recording for the finale. As of the close of the 2013–14 Flyers season, the Flyers have a record of 96–28–4 when God Bless America is sung prior to Flyers home games.
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