1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season
1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers | ||
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Campbell Conference Champions | ||
Patrick Division Champions | ||
Division | 1st Patrick | |
Conference | 1st Campbell | |
1975–76 record | 51–13–16 | |
Home record | 36–2–2 | |
Road record | 15–11–14 | |
Goals for | 348 (1st) | |
Goals against | 209 (3rd) | |
Team information | ||
General Manager | Keith Allen | |
Coach | Fred Shero | |
Captain | Bobby Clarke | |
Alternate captains | None | |
Arena | Spectrum | |
Average attendance | 17,077[1] | |
Minor league affiliations | Richmond Robins (AHL)[2] Philadelphia Firebirds (NAHL)[3] | |
Team leaders | ||
Goals | Reggie Leach (61) | |
Assists | Bobby Clarke (89) | |
Points | Bobby Clarke (119) | |
Penalties in minutes | Dave Schultz (307) | |
Plus/minus | Bobby Clarke (+83) | |
Wins | Wayne Stephenson (40) | |
Goals against average | Gary Inness (1.50) | |
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The 1975–76 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' ninth season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the third consecutive year, but they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game sweep.
Regular season
The Flyers recorded the best record in team history (points wise) with a record of 51–13–16 in 1975–76. They also tied the record set by the 1929-30 Boston Bruins for most consecutive home ice wins, with 20. The LCB line, featuring Reggie Leach at right-wing, Bobby Clarke at center, and Bill Barber at left-wing, set an NHL record for goals by a single line with 141 (Leach 61, Clarke 30, Barber 50). Clarke, on his way to a third Hart Trophy, set a club record for points in one season with 119.
The highlight of the season had no bearing on the season standings. On January 11 at the Spectrum, the Flyers, as part of the Super Series '76, played a memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominant Central Red Army team. As the Bullies had put intimidation to good use the past three years, the Flyers' rugged style of play led the Soviets to leave the ice midway through the first period, protesting a hit by Ed Van Impe on Valeri Kharlamov (whom Clarke had slashed on the ankle in the famous Summit Series '72). After some delay, the Soviets returned after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series. The Flyers went on to win the game rather easily, 4–1, and were the only team to defeat the Red Army outright in the series. Head coach Fred Shero would proclaim, "Yes we are world champions. If they had won, they would have been world champions. We beat the hell out of a machine."[4]
Season standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Flyers | 80 | 51 | 13 | 16 | 348 | 209 | 118 |
New York Islanders | 80 | 42 | 21 | 17 | 297 | 190 | 101 |
Atlanta Flames | 80 | 35 | 33 | 12 | 262 | 237 | 82 |
New York Rangers | 80 | 29 | 42 | 9 | 262 | 333 | 67 |
[5]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
Heading into the playoffs, the Flyers squeaked past Toronto in seven games and defeated Boston in five games, Game 5 featuring a five-goal outburst by Leach, the Riverton Rifle, to head to a third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Flyers didn't come close to a third straight championship, as they ran into an up-and-coming dynasty in Montreal, and were swept in four straight games. Despite the loss, Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for scoring 19 goals in 16 playoff games.
Schedule and results
Regular season
1975–76 regular season | ||||||
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October: 7–1–2, 16 Points (Home: 5–0–0; Road: 2–1–2)
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November: 9–2–4, 22 Points (Home: 8–1–2; Road: 1–1–2)
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December: 6–3–2, 14 Points (Home: 3–1–0; Road: 3–2–2)
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January: 8–4–2, 18 Points (Home: 4–0–0; Road: 4–4–2)
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February: 10–0–4, 24 Points (Home: 7–0–1; Road: 3–0–3)
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March: 9–2–2, 20 Points (Home: 7–0–0; Road: 2–2–2)
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April: 2–1–0, 4 Points (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 0–0–0)
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Legend: Win (2 points) Loss (0 points) Tie (1 point) |
Playoffs
1976 Stanley Cup playoffs | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterfinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - Flyers win 4–3
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Semifinals vs. Boston Bruins - Flyers win 4–1
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Stanley Cup Finals vs. Montreal Canadiens - Canadiens win 4–0
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Legend: Win Loss |
Player statistics
Skaters
- 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 |
16 | Clarke, BobbyBobby Clarke | 26 | C | 76 | 30 | 89 | 119 | 83 | 136 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 28 |
7 | Barber, BillBill Barber | 23 | LW | 80 | 50 | 62 | 112 | 74 | 104 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 18 |
27 | Leach, ReggieReggie Leach | 25 | RW | 80 | 61 | 30 | 91 | 73 | 41 | 16 | 19 | 5 | 24 | 8 |
26 | Kindrachuk, OrestOrest Kindrachuk | 25 | C | 76 | 26 | 49 | 75 | 32 | 101 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 |
12 | Dornhoefer, GaryGary Dornhoefer | 32 | RW | 74 | 28 | 35 | 63 | 14 | 128 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 43 |
10 | Bridgman, MelMel Bridgman | 20 | C | 80 | 23 | 27 | 50 | 22 | 86 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 31 |
11 | Saleski, DonDon Saleski | 26 | RW | 78 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 33 | 68 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 47 |
18 | Lonsberry, RossRoss Lonsberry | 28 | LW | 80 | 19 | 28 | 47 | 29 | 87 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
19 | MacLeish, RickRick MacLeish | 26 | C | 51 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
5 | Goodenough, LarryLarry Goodenough | 23 | D | 77 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 45 | 83 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 6 |
3 | Bladon, TomTom Bladon | 23 | D | 80 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 45 | 68 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
6 | Dupont, AndreAndre Dupont | 26 | D | 75 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 40 | 214 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 46 |
20 | Watson, JimmyJimmy Watson | 23 | D | 79 | 2 | 34 | 36 | 65 | 66 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
8 | Schultz, DaveDave Schultz | 26 | LW | 71 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 24 | 307 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 90 |
14 | Watson, JoeJoe Watson | 32 | D | 78 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 56 | 28 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
9 | Kelly, BobBob Kelly | 25 | LW | 79 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 3 | 125 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 44 |
15 | Crisp, TerryTerry Crisp | 32 | C | 38 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 28 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
2 | Van Impe, EdEd Van Impe | 35 | D | 40 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
29 | McIlhargey, JackJack McIlhargey | 23 | D | 57 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 205 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 41 |
21 | Wright, LarryLarry Wright | 24 | C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
35 | Stephenson, WayneWayne Stephenson | 31 | G | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 | Parent, BernieBernie Parent | 30 | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
30 | Taylor, BobbyBobby Taylor | 31 | G | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
25 | Murray, TerryTerry Murray | 25 | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
30 | Inness, GaryGary Inness | 26 | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
33 | Mrazek, JeromeJerome Mrazek | 24 | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
21 | Sirois, BobBob Sirois | 21 | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
17 | Holmgren, PaulPaul Holmgren | 20 | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Goaltenders
- = 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 | ||||||||||||||||||
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No. | Player | Age | GP | W | L | T | SO | GA | SV% | GAA | MIN | GP | W | L | SO | GA | SV% | GAA | MIN |
35 | Stephenson, WayneWayne Stephenson | 31 | 66 | 40 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 164 | .907 | 2.58 | 3819 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 22 | .904 | 2.67 | 494 |
1 | Parent, BernieBernie Parent | 30 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 24 | .908 | 2.34 | 615 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 27 | .892 | 3.38 | 480 |
30 | Taylor, BobbyBobby Taylor | 31 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | .880 | 3.75 | 240 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
30 | Inness, GaryGary Inness | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .950 | 1.50 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
33 | Mrazek, JeromeJerome Mrazek | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .667 | 10.00 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Awards and records
Awards
Award or honor | Recipient | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
Conn Smythe Trophy | Reggie Leach | [6] | |
Hart Memorial Trophy | Bobby Clarke | [7] | |
NHL First All-Star Team | Bill Barber (Left Wing) | [8] | |
Bobby Clarke (Center) | |||
NHL Second All-Star Team | Reggie Leach (Right Wing) | [8] | |
Selected to NHL All-Star Game | Bill Barber | [9][10] | |
Bobby Clarke | Did not play | ||
Andre Dupont | |||
Reggie Leach | |||
Rick MacLeish | Replaced Clarke | ||
Fred Shero (Coach) | |||
Wayne Stephenson | |||
Jim Watson |
Award | Recipient |
---|---|
Barry Ashbee Trophy | Jim Watson |
Records
- * NHL record
- ** Tied for NHL record
Record | Total | Player |
---|---|---|
Goals | 61 | Reggie Leach |
Assists | 89 | Bobby Clarke (tied by Clarke in 1974–75) |
Shots on goal | 380 | Bill Barber |
Goals, playoffs | 19** | Reggie Leach |
Record | Total |
---|---|
Wins at home | 36** |
Fewest losses at home | 2 |
Points | 118 |
Winning percentage | .738 |
Record | Player | Total | Date and opponent |
---|---|---|---|
Goals | Reggie Leach | 5** | May 6, 1976 vs. Boston Bruins |
Assists | Bobby Clarke | 4 | May 6, 1976 vs. Boston Bruins (tied five times by five different players) |
Penalties in minutes | Dave Schultz | 42* | April 22, 1976 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs |
Record | Total | Date and opponent |
---|---|---|
Goals, one period | 5 | April 25, 1976 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (tied four times) |
Fastest two goals | 13 seconds apart | April 20, 1976 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (goals scored by Gary Dornhoefer and Don Saleski) |
Record | Player | Games | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
Longest assists streak | Bobby Clarke | 12 | March 11, 1976 through April 3, 1976 (tied by Clarke from February 1, 1978 through March 16, 1978) |
Record | Player | Total | Dates |
---|---|---|---|
Longest goals streak | Reggie Leach | 10* | April 17, 1976 through May 9, 1976 |
Record | Games | Dates |
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Longest home winning streak | 20 | January 4, 1976 through April 3, 1976 |
Milestones
Milestone | Player | Details | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
60-goal season | Reggie Leach | Even-strength goal at 10:06 of the second period against Ron Low | April 1, 1976 | [12] |
5-goal game, playoffs | Reggie Leach | 1: Even-strength goal at 5:45 of the first period against Gilles Gilbert | May 6, 1976 | [13] |
2: Even-strength goal at 2:02 of the second period against Gilbert | ||||
3: Even-strength goal at 8:51 of the second period against Gilbert | ||||
4: Even-strength goal at 17:09 of the second period against Gilbert | ||||
5: Even-strength goal at 8:07 of the third period against Gilbert |
Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 28, 1975, the day after the deciding game of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 16, 1976, the day of the deciding game of the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals.[14]
Trades
Date | Details | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|
June 3, 1975 | To Philadelphia Flyers 1st-round pick in 1975 |
To Washington Capitals Bill Clement Don McLean 1st-round pick in 1975 |
[15] |
December 15, 1975 | To Philadelphia Flyers future considerations[a] |
To Washington Capitals Bob Sirois |
[16] |
March 9, 1976 | To Philadelphia Flyers Gary Inness future considerations[b] |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Bobby Taylor Ed Van Impe |
[17] |
- Trade notes
- a The Capitals sent John Paddock to the Flyers on September 1, 1976 to complete trade.[16]
- b The Flyers later received the Penguins' 1977 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th-round picks to complete the trade.
Signings
Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.
Date | Player | Previous team (league) | Contract details | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
August 6, 1975 | Dave Kelly | Providence Friars (HE) | [18] | |
September 10, 1975 | Larry Wright | California Golden Seals | [19] | |
September 10, 1975 | Wayne Schaab | Omaha Knights (CHL) | [19] | |
September 23, 1975 | Terry Murray | California Golden Seals | [20] |
Re-signed
The following players were re-signed by the Flyers.
Date | Player | Contract details | Ref |
---|---|---|---|
September 5, 1975 | Dave Schultz | 5 years, $350,000 | [21] |
September 16, 1975 | Orest Kindrachuk | multi-year |
Draft picks
The Flyers signed the following of their draft picks.
Date | Player | Previous team (league) | Draft | Contract details | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 6, 1975 | Mel Bridgman | Victoria Cougars (WCHL) | 1975 1st-round pick | 5 years, $500,000 | [22] |
August 6, 1975 | Bob Ritchie | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | 1975 3rd-round pick | [18] | |
March 7, 1976 | Paul Holmgren | Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA) | 1975 6th-round pick | multi-year | [23] |
NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1975 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 17, 1975.[24] Each NHL team placed 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select.[24] It cost $40,000 to make a claim.[24] The Flyers were not involved in any selections during the draft.[24]
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 | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 2, 1975 | Ted Harris | — | Retirement | Named head coach of Minnesota North Stars | [25] |
Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the NHL's office in Montreal, Quebec on June 3, 1975.[26]
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | Team (league) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | W | L | T | GAA | Notes |
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1 | 1 | Bridgman, MelMel Bridgman | Center | Canada | Victoria Cougars (WCHL) | 977 | 252 | 449 | 701 | 1625 | & —
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3 | 54 | Ritchie, BobBob Ritchie | Left Wing | Canada | Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL) | 29 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 10 | & —
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4 | 72 | St. Croix, RickRick St. Croix | Goaltender | Canada | Oshawa Generals (OHL) | 131 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 54 | 18 | 3.71 | |
5 | 90 | Morrison, GaryGary Morrison | Forward | United States | Michigan Wolverines (CCHA) | 43 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 70 | & —
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6 | 108 | Holmgren, PaulPaul Holmgren | Forward | United States | Minnesota Golden Gophers (WCHA) | 527 | 144 | 179 | 323 | 1684 | & —
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7 | 126 | Decker, DanaDana Decker | Left Wing | United States | Michigan Tech Huskies (WCHA) | & —
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9 | 160 | Khatulev, ViktorViktor Khatulev | Defense | Latvia | Dynamo Riga (USSR) | & —
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10 | 175 | Smith, DuffyDuffy Smith | Defense | Canada | Bowling Green Falcons (CCHA) | & —
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- Draft notes[27]
- a The Flyers acquired the 1st overall pick from the Washington Capitals for Bill Clement, Don McLean and the Flyers' first-round pick, 18th overall, on June 3, 1975.
- The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 36th overall, along with the rights to Randy Andreachuk to the St. Louis Blues for Wayne Stephenson on September 16, 1974.
Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL[2][28] and the Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL.[3]
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
- ↑ "All Time Team Attendance". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- 1 2 "AHL Franchise Statistics". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- 1 2 "Non-AHL Affiliates". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ↑ "Flyers History - Historic Moments". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ↑ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
- ↑ "Conn Smythe Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Hart Memorial Trophy". National Hockey League. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- 1 2 2014–15 NHL Official Guide & Record Book, p. 230–32
- ↑ "29th NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Flyers History – All-Star Game Representatives". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Flyers History – Team Awards". P.Anson. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Goal Season List". P.Anson. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
Goal List for Reggie Leach 1975-76 Season
- ↑ "Flyers History - Philadelphia Flyer Game Summary". P.Anson. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
6-May-76 Boston Bruins 3 @ Philadelphia Flyers 6
- ↑ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Flyers Trade Clement For First Draft Choice" (PDF). UPI. Watertown Daily Times. June 4, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- 1 2 "Robert Sirois - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Van Impe won't go to Pittsburgh after trade". AP. Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- 1 2 "Philly Flyers Ink Ritchie and Kelly". AP. The Gettysburg Times. August 7, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "no title". Bucks County Courier Times. September 11, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Terry Murray - Notes". NHL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ↑ "Schultz a rich fighter". AP. Brandon Sun. September 6, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "NHL champion Flyers sign top draft choice". UPI. Pocono Record. June 7, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Flyers Sign Holmgren". AP. Silver City Daily Press. March 8, 1976. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 Parsons, Mark (November 24, 2012). "1975 NHL Intra-League Draft". Historical Hockey Stats & Trivia. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ↑ "Harris named coach of North Stars". AP. Fergus Falls Daily Journal. June 2, 1975. Retrieved December 17, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "1975 NHL Amateur Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ↑ "1975 NHL Amateur Draft Pick Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- ↑ "AHL Season Overview: 1975–76". P. Anson. Flyers History. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
External links
- Mulvoy, Mark (January 19, 1976). "This Was Détente, Philly Style". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 8, 2014.