1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers season
| 1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Patrick |
| Conference | 7th Wales |
| 1988–89 record | 36–36–8 |
| Home record | 22–15–3 |
| Road record | 14–21–5 |
| Goals for | 307 (8th) |
| Goals against | 285 (7th) |
| Team information | |
| President | Jay Snider |
| General Manager | Bob Clarke |
| Coach | Paul Holmgren |
| Assistant Coach |
Mike Eaves Andy Murray |
| Captain | Dave Poulin |
| Alternate captains |
Mark Howe |
| Arena | Spectrum |
| Average attendance | 17,405 |
| Minor league affiliate(s) | Hershey Bears |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Tim Kerr (48) |
| Assists | Pelle Eklund (51) |
| Points | Tim Kerr (88) |
| Penalties in minutes | Jeff Chychrun (245) |
| Plus/minus | Ron Sutter (+25) |
| Wins | Ron Hextall (30) |
| Goals against average | Ron Hextall (3.23) |
The 1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 22nd season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers lost in the Wales Conference Finals to the Montreal Canadiens in six games.
With Mike Keenan's firing, the reins were handed off to Paul Holmgren, who presided over a club in flux with young players promoted to larger roles. The defense underwent a major overhaul, as Brad Marsh was let go to Toronto, and Doug Crossman was dealt to Los Angeles for Jay Wells. Gord Murphy and Jeff Chychrun cracked the lineup on the back line as well.
Tim Kerr was fully healed from his shoulder surgeries and subsequent infections, while , Scott Mellanby, Murray Craven, Pelle Eklund and Peter Zezel were counted on to carry the offense. After a promising 5–1–0 start, a 4–15–1 slide cost Zezel his job, shipped off to St. Louis for Mike Bullard after Thanksgiving.
Following the deal, the Flyers went 13–2–1 to climb back over .500 and into solid playoff footing. However, youth and inconsistency constantly derailed much progress to the top of the standings, and the team never went higher than three games above even. Mark Laforest was replaced in March as backup by Maple Leafs castoff Ken Wregget with the team reeling.
On the last day of the season, they fell 6–5 in overtime to the Penguins and into fourth place, as Mario Lemieux scored into an empty net. If the Flyers had won using the extra attacker, they would have leapt over the Rangers into third place in the Patrick Division. Despite their mediocre record, their positive goal differential was a positive indicator that the team still had some life left.
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