2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season

2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers
Eastern Conference Champions
Division	3rd Atlantic
Conference	7th Eastern
2009–10 record	41–35–6
Home record	24–14–3
Road record	17–21–3
Goals for	236
Goals against	225
Team information
General Manager	Paul Holmgren
Coach	John Stevens (to Dec 4) Peter Laviolette (from Dec 4)
Captain	Mike Richards
Alternate captains	Jeff Carter Simon Gagne Chris Pronger Kimmo Timonen
Arena	Wachovia Center
Average attendance	19,535 (100.2%)
Minor league affiliations	Adirondack Phantoms (AHL) Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) Quad City Mallards (IHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Jeff Carter (33)
Assists	Chris Pronger (45)
Points	Mike Richards (62)
Penalties in minutes	Daniel Carcillo (207)
Plus/minus	Chris Pronger (+22)
Wins	Ray Emery (16) Michael Leighton (16)
Goals against average	Michael Leighton (2.48)
<2008–09	2010–11>

The 2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 43rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Flyers began the 2009–10 season with some major changes, allowing goaltenders Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki to depart via free agency, replacing them with former Ottawa Senators netminder Ray Emery and former Flyer Brian Boucher, and significantly upgrading the defense with the addition of Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks. Pronger came at a price, costing the Flyers Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and the Flyers' first round draft picks in 2009 and 2010. The season began in earnest but soon began to unravel with mediocre play that cost John Stevens his job in December. Peter Laviolette was hired as head coach in order to re-institute accountability and restore success to the Flyers but the results were not immediate, as the Flyers suffered a 2–7–1 stretch after his arrival. Injuries took a major toll on the Flyers, with Blair Betts, Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen missing significant amounts of games, but no position was nearly affected as much with injuries as goaltending. Mediocre play down the stretch forced the Flyers into a do-or-die shootout with the New York Rangers in the last game of the regular season for a playoff berth. Boucher stopped final shooter Olli Jokinen to clinch the seventh seed in the East and a first round match-up with the New Jersey Devils.

Boucher and the Flyers consistently outplayed Martin Brodeur and New Jersey and pulled off the upset in five games. However, the victory was costly as Carter suffered a broken foot and Gagne a broken toe in Game 4 and Ian Laperriere suffered a horrible facial injury by blocking a shot in Game 5. The Flyers faced the sixth-seeded Boston Bruins in the second round, and despite playing at an even level with Boston, the Flyers found themselves in a 3–0 series deficit. Gagne returned from injury in game 4, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. The Flyers shut out the Bruins 4-0 in game 5, despite losing Boucher to injury. A 2–1 Flyers win in Game 6 forced a Game 7 in Boston. Falling behind 3–0 in Game 7, the Flyers pulled off the biggest comeback in franchise history, winning 4–3 on a late goal by Gagne to join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the only sports teams to win a playoff series after trailing 3–0.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Flyers had home-ice advantage as they faced the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Michael Leighton became the first Flyers netminder to record three shutouts in a series, and Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere returned to the lineup as the Flyers won the Eastern Conference Championship in five games and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997; the Chicago Blackhawks were their opponents. Patrick Kane scored just over four minutes into overtime in Game 6 to eliminate the Flyers and give Chicago their first Stanley Cup since 1961. Ville Leino, acquired in a mid-season trade from the Detroit Red Wings, set the Flyers rookie playoff scoring record and tied the NHL record with 21 points.

Off-season

Ray Emery was a member of the 2006–07 Eastern Conference Champion Ottawa Senators

The Flyers began preparing for the season by signing controversial goalie Ray Emery prior to the official start of free agency. Emery, who had spent the previous season in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), signed a one-year contract worth US$1.5 million. Former Flyer Brian Boucher was signed to a two-year contract on the first day of free agency to serve as Emery's backup. As a result, the team's goaltending tandem of the past two seasons, starter Martin Biron and backup Antero Niittymaki, signed with the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, respectively, as unrestricted free agents. The Flyers also signed right winger Ian Laperriere to a three-year contract and lost Mike Knuble as a free agent to the Washington Capitals.

Longtime defenseman Derian Hatcher also retired at the beginning of the off-season (after missing all of last season due to knee surgery), replacing Eric Desjardins as the team's player development coach. Desjardins stepped down due to personal business interests. Other staff changes included the Flyers hiring Jeff Reese as their new goalie coach to replace Reggie Lemelin and promoting former Phantoms coach John Paddock to assistant general manager.

At the Entry Draft, the Flyers made a blockbuster trade for Anaheim Ducks' defenseman Chris Pronger, a former Hart Trophy winner as league MVP and Norris Trophy winner as the league's best defenseman. Along with Pronger, the Flyers also received minor league forward Ryan Dingle in exchange for winger Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, first round picks in 2009 and 2010 and a conditional third round pick. They quickly signed Pronger to a seven-year contract extension worth approximately $34 million. Nearly a month after signing, the NHL announced they had launched an investigation on Pronger's deal to determine whether it was a circumvention of the salary cap under the collective bargaining agreement. Because the contract is front-loaded, with annual salaries of just $525,000 in the final two years, and expires by the time Pronger is 42, the investigation was launched with the focus on the potential of negotiations between Pronger and the Flyers to retire before contract expiration. However, as Pronger's contract took effect after his 35th birthday, under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, his over-35 contract cannot be deleted from the Flyers' cap space unless he is placed on long-term injured reserve, and even then it would come back on the team's cap space during the offseason.

On July 15, the NHL announced that the Flyers would visit Fenway Park to play in the 2010 Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins. The game will be played on New Year's Day.

To prepare for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics, Chris Pronger, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne were invited by Hockey Canada to compete for a spot on Canada's national hockey team.

Regular season

The 2009–10 season started for the Flyers with the successful return of Ray Emery to the NHL, shutting out the Carolina Hurricanes. However, what followed was inconsistent play of the entire team throughout October though a successful record could be maintained. The last game in October started a five-game winning streak. However, this effort would be largely in vain as a road trip to the west coast and ensuing games at the end of the month saw the Flyers lose six of seven games. After being shut out by the Atlanta Thrashers and Vancouver Canucks in consecutive games, General Manager Paul Holmgren relieved Head Coach John Stevens from his duties and hired Peter Laviolette in his stead.

The change behind the bench however only showed little immediate impact. The very first game for Laviolette saw his team being dominated by the Washington Capitals and Daniel Carcillo punching out Matt Bradley, for which Carcillo would be suspended for four games. Up until Christmas break the team showed little improvement with a 2–7–1 stretch from Laviolettes installation on December 4 to December 21.

The team was also marred with injuries up until that point. Simon Gagne had to have hernia surgery and was sidelined for two months. Blair Betts suffered a separated shoulder in early October and reinjured the shoulder a few games after his return in mid-November. Daniel Briere suffered a tweaked groin and also missed time due to a suspension and the flu. The team also played hurt a lot. James van Riemsdyk suffered an injury to his pinky finger after being hit with a puck but did not miss any games for it. Ian Laperriere, on the other hand, was hit in the mouth with the puck on November 27 and would lose seven teeth but only miss one period of play. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen also suffered a broken toe.

The worst injury, however, was to goaltender Ray Emery, who suffered an abdominal tear and went out of the line-up in early December. A short return came in late January but Emery reinjured and had to undergo hip-surgery ending his season in early March. After continuing the slump with Boucher in net, the Flyers picked up Michael Leighton from waivers, who had fallen out of favor with the Carolina Hurricanes with a goals against average (GAA) above 4.00 and a save percentage below .850. However, Leighton would turn his season around with the Flyers with an 8–0–1 record in ten consecutive starts after he had been picked up. His season too would end early with a 16–5–2 record after suffering a high ankle sprain in a game against Nashville on March 16.

An early season highlight was November 16, when Dave Schultz was inducted in the Flyers Hall of Fame. Another honor was given to James van Riemsdyk, who was awarded Rookie of the Month for November 2009 by the NHL. Throughout December, five Flyers were selected for the roster of their home country in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger were picked for Canada and Kimmo Timonen was selected for Finland, while Oskars Bartulis and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen were chosen by Latvia and Norway, respectively, though Tollefsen would be traded before the Olympics began. Jeff Carter was later considered by Team Canada to join the squad in the event that Ryan Getzlaf is unable to play. However, Getzlaf did participate in the tournament and Carter did not. Richards and Pronger would earn gold medals with Canada while Timonen gained a bronze medal with Finland.

The Flyers also played in the 2010 Winter Classic in Fenway Park against the Boston Bruins. Though they held the lead up until the last three minutes of the game, they would ultimately lose in overtime to a goal that had been contested by the Flyers as it appeared that the Bruins had too many men on the ice.

Another controversy struck over a shorthanded goal by Simon Gagne in a 7–4 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 7. The goal had not been given and, after video review, was not awarded, though video evidence shows the puck in the net. However, this angle had not been sent to the video review in Toronto by the FSN Pittsburgh broadcasting team and the call could no longer be overturned after the puck had been dropped. An internal investigation by FSN Pittsburgh as well as an investigation by the NHL followed and a producer was suspended.

For the first time since 1993, the Flyers stayed put during the 2010 NHL trade deadline period with no trades. With only minor changes throughout the season, the team finished almost entirely unchanged from the way it started the season in terms of players. Only the waiver acquisition of Michael Leighton, the season-ending injury to Emery and the trade of Ole-Kristian Tollefsen for Ville Leino showed significant impact to the roster, besides usual promotions and demotions to or from the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.

Another key injury knocked Jeff Carter out for five games as a fracture in his left foot halted his streak of consecutive games played at 286. He returned for the last two games of the season.

The Flyers season ended in a dramatic fashion. Wins over the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs kept the playoff hopes alive, it came down to a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers to end the season. The Rangers were trying to clinch a playoff spot themselves and needed to win both games to do so. The Flyers lost the first game of that series at Madison Square Garden 4–3, though it was a hard fought battle for both teams. This set up a "Win and you're in" situation for the second game at the Wachovia Center, with the winner advancing to the playoffs and the loser being eliminated. Jody Shelley scored early for the Rangers but New York could not extend that lead. The Flyers put continuous pressure on the Rangers with Henrik Lundqvist playing a stellar game to keep the Flyers off the board until Matt Carle put a rebound behind him halfway through the third period tying the game 1–1. Neither team scored again until the shootout, in which a goal by Claude Giroux forced Olli Jokinen to score to keep the Rangers playoff hopes alive. However, Brian Boucher made the crucial save and with that clinching the playoff spot for the Flyers and ending the Rangers' season.

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division

		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	y – New Jersey Devils	82	48	27	7	222	191	103
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	47	28	7	257	237	101
3	Philadelphia Flyers	82	41	35	6	236	225	88
4	New York Rangers	82	38	33	11	222	218	87
5	New York Islanders	82	34	37	11	222	264	79

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – Washington Capitals	SE	82	54	15	13	318	233	121
2	y – New Jersey Devils	AT	82	48	27	7	222	191	103
3	y – Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	45	27	10	235	207	100
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	47	28	7	257	237	101
5	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	44	32	6	225	238	94
6	Boston Bruins	NE	82	39	30	13	206	200	91
7	Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	41	35	6	236	225	88
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	39	33	10	217	223	88
8.5
9	New York Rangers	AT	82	38	33	11	222	218	87
10	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	35	34	13	234	256	83
11	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	35	37	10	230	256	80
12	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	34	36	12	217	260	80
13	New York Islanders	AT	82	34	37	11	222	264	79
14	Florida Panthers	SE	82	32	37	13	208	244	77
15	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	30	38	14	214	267	74

bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division)

AT - Atlantic Division, NE - Northeast Division, SE - Southeast Division

Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarter Finals

The Flyers drew their division rival New Jersey Devils for the opening round of the playoffs as the Devils clinched second place in the conference by defeating the Buffalo Sabres in their final game of the season. Buffalo would have been the Flyers' opponents had the Sabres managed to keep the Devils without a point from that game. The Flyers won five of six games against the Devils during the regular season. The Devils managed to secure the second seed going into the playoffs, thus guaranteeing them the home ice advantage in the first round against the Flyers.

As the season series promised, the Flyers matched up well with the Devils and took Game 1 in a 2–1 decision at Prudential Center. The Flyers had shut out the Devils until there were only three minutes remained in the game but could hold on to the lead to finish out the game. An equally hard-fought game was the second in the series which the Devils took in a 5–3 victory. With a split in New Jersey, the series turned to Philadelphia.

Game 3 saw an unlikely hero in Daniel Carcillo, who scored the 3–2 game winner 3:35 into overtime giving him his second point of the night in 7:11 of ice-time. He assisted on a goal by Mike Richards in the second period. Game 4 at Wachovia Center saw the Flyers win the game 4–1 on a three-point night by Jeff Carter, who played with a screw inserted in his broken foot. However, that win would prove costly, as Carter broke his other foot on the play for his second goal and Simon Gagne suffered a broken big toe in his right foot.

This would set up situation similar to the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, in which the Flyers, on the strong play of Brian Boucher, took a 3–1 series lead over the Devils, only to see it melt away and lose in seven games. However, history would not repeat itself. Boucher would earn his first playoff shutout in 10 years in a 3–0 decision in Game 5, eliminating the Devils. This was the third consecutive time the Devils would exit the playoffs in the first round. Claude Giroux contributed to all three goals, assisting Daniel Briere on a goal in the first period and scoring twice himself in the second. That win saw another injury though, as Ian Laperriere was hit in the face by a slapshot in a situation reminiscent of an incident earlier in the season, which cost him seven teeth. Laperriere was hit above the right eye and suffered a large gash across his eyebrow which reportedly required 50–70 stitches.

The series was influenced strongly by the play of Mike Richards, who had four multi-point games in the series that lasted five games. However, the series was also marred with a large amount of obstruction penalties called. In five games, there were 72 minor penalties and three game misconducts handed out for a total of 174 penalty minutes between both teams.

Eastern Conference Semi Finals

The Flyers would meet the Boston Bruins in the next round, who had dispatched the Buffalo Sabres in six games. The Bruins were noted in that series for being perfect on the penalty kill, negating all 19 chances the Sabres had in that series. However, due to the Flyers having started on the first day of the playoffs and their beating of the Devils in quick fashion, the Flyers had more than a week off. While this would provide some opportunity for their injured players to heal, the Flyers were notorious for not responding well to long rests during the regular season. This would show during Game 1 in the series, as the Flyers gave up the first goal less than three minutes into the game and leave the first period down 2–0. However, the Flyers would rally and tie the game at 4–4 in the second half of the third period on goals by Mike Richards and Daniel Briere. This, however, would only set up the heroics of Marc Savard, who had returned from missing several weeks with a concussion.

Game 2 was a similar story. The Bruins caught the early lead 5:12 into the game and while the Flyers were able to catch up twice, they could not take the lead and a goal by Milan Lucic with less than three minutes to go in the game would spell victory for the Bruins. In the third game, the Flyers were finally able to take a lead with Arron Asham scoring only 2:32 into the game. The lead would not last long though, as Blake Wheeler and Miroslav Satan would answer in quick succession, 1:34 apart and less than two minutes after Asham's goal, to take the lead. The Flyers were unable to score again and with a lackluster third period by Philadelphia, the game ended in a 4–1 Bruins victory. During the game Mike Richards broke the arm of bruins center David Krejci in a large open ice hit, knocking Krejci out for the rest of the series.

The Flyers were now on the brink of elimination down three games to none. However, on the upside, Simon Gagne returned for Game 4, which turned into a bizarre mirror version of the first game of the series. While the Flyers were able to take a big 3–1 lead, they saw it melt away on a few strange goals. The Flyers would retake the lead again, but Mark Recchi would tie it with 20 seconds left in the game. However, Gagne would put an end to it scoring at 14:40 in overtime to keep the Flyers alive and send the series back to Boston. There the Flyers would dominate, shutting out the Bruins for a 4–0 victory to climb back into the series. However, the shutout was not held by a single goalie, as Brian Boucher would go down with injuries in both of his knees after Flyers defenseman Ryan Parent and Bruins forward Miroslav Satan fell on top of him. This would call Michael Leighton back into action, who had only just returned at that very game from a high-ankle sprain that had sidelined him since mid-March.

Leighton's heroics would continue in Game 6 after making 14 saves in Game 5 to preserve the shutout Boucher had started. He would keep the Bruins off the scoreboard for 59 minutes until Milan Lucic scored and make 30 saves total. However, at that point, the Flyers would hold on to a 2–1 lead to send the series to a deciding Game 7 at TD Garden.

Game 7 would play out very much like the series itself. The Bruins would jump to a 3–0 lead in the first period. Two of the goals came on the power play due to infractions for high-sticking on Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere, respectively. This would prompt Coach Peter Laviolette to use up his timeout to rally the team. Shortly after, James van Riemsdyk, who had not registered a goal in the playoffs until that point, scored to make it 3–1. The second period was all Flyers, as Hartnell and Briere would redeem themselves by scoring a goal each to tie the game up at 3–3. Overall, the game was relatively low on penalties, with only six minors being called total, but the last one of those, a bench penalty for Too Many Men, would come to haunt Boston, as Simon Gagne put the puck in the net for a 4–3 Flyers lead. The Flyers would be able to hold on to it and become only the third team in NHL history, the fourth team in the big four American professional sports leagues, to return from an 0–3 deficit of games to win that playoff series.

Eastern Conference Finals

The Flyers were matched up with the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals. This would be the first time the seventh and eighth seed would meet in a conference final. The Canadiens previously defeated the Presidents' Trophy winner Washington Capitals and the reigning Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins, each in seven-game series, largely on the strong play of goaltender Jaroslav Halak. The Flyers and Canadiens split their season series 2–2.

However, despite being evenly matched during the season, the Flyers took advantage of their momentum and opened the series completely dominating the Canadiens in a 6–0 shutout despite being outshot 28–25. Six different Flyers scored goals in that game. While the Canadiens improved in Game 2, the story only repeated itself, as the Habs were shut-out again in a 3–0 decision.

With this, the series would go to Montreal, where the tables would quickly turn. The Flyers had an overall poor effort in a 5–1 loss, especially by their top defense pairing of Chris Pronger and Matt Carle, who were both -3. The game also ended somewhat controversially, as the last goal was scored by Montreal on a 5-on-3 power play and Montreal decided to put their top powerplay unit on the ice, despite less than a minute to play.

The Flyers reflected on their bad play and improved it. At the same time, Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere, both missing at least ten games since the conference quarter finals, would return to the line-up, providing reinforcements. Pronger and Carle bounced back and Claude Giroux had an outstanding night as the Flyers shut-out the Canadiens once again 3–0 in Game 4. This would make Michael Leighton the first Flyer goaltender to post three shutouts in one playoff series, tying an NHL record. The Flyers held the Canadiens to a single shot during the second period.

With their backs against the wall, the Canadiens found themselves in a situation which they had already played in five times that post-season, winning all of their elimination games. The team showed their desperation as they scored less than a minute into Game 5. However, Flyers captain Mike Richards would answer the bell with a shorthanded goal four minutes later. In the second period, the Flyers would take the lead on goals by Arron Asham and Jeff Carter, which they carried into the third. There, however, Scott Gomez would profit off a misplay and cut the lead to one. This would set up a dangerous situation which would worsen, as Chris Pronger was called on a double-minor for high sticking halfway through the period. The Flyers would, however, kill the penalty off and Jeff Carter, with the help of Mike Richards, scored into the empty net to seal the deal at 4–2 after the Canadiens had pulled their goalie.

This clinched the Flyers' first Stanley Cup Final berth since 1997 and the eighth in franchise history. It would also mark another run for the Cup for Chris Pronger, who returned to the finals for the third time since the NHL lockout, each time pushing a team that traded for him the previous off-season into the Finals.

Stanley Cup Finals

The Flyers met the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. Chicago swept their Western Conference Finals opponent San Jose Sharks 4–0 after dispatching the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks in six games each. The only regular season meeting between the two teams ended dramatically, as Chris Pronger scored the deciding goal for the 3–2 victory of the Flyers with less than three seconds left in regulation.

Schedule and results

Pre-season

2009 pre-season
Pre-season: 2–3–2 (Home: 2–1–1; Road: 0–2–1) Game Date Opponent Score Location/Attendance Record 1 September 16 @ Detroit Red Wings 1 – 3 Joe Louis Arena (15,115) 0–1–0 2 September 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 0 – 4 John Labatt Centre (9,090) 0–2–0 3 September 19 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 4 – 5 (OT) Air Canada Centre (18,609) 0–2–1 4 September 22 Detroit Red Wings 5 – 2 Wachovia Center (18,055) 1–2–1 5 September 24 New Jersey Devils 2 – 1 (OT) Wachovia Center (17,650) 2–2–1 6 September 26 @ New Jersey Devils 0 – 1 Prudential Center (11,167) 2–3–1 7 September 29 Minnesota Wild 4 – 5 (SO) Wachovia Center (17,395) 2–3–2
Legend:       Win       Loss       Overtime/shootout loss

Regular season

2009–10 regular season
October: 6–4–1, 13 points (Home: 4–2–1; Road: 2–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 1 October 2 Philadelphia 2–0 Carolina Emery 18,680 1–0–0 2 2 October 3 Philadelphia 5–2 New Jersey Emery 17,625 2–0–0 4 3 October 6 Washington 5–6 Philadelphia OT Emery 19,567 3–0–0 6 4 October 8 Pittsburgh 5–4 Philadelphia Emery 19,611 3–1–0 6 5 October 10 Anaheim 3–2 Philadelphia SO Emery 19,603 3–1–1 7 6 October 16 Philadelphia 2–4 Florida Emery 15,557 3–2–1 7 7 October 22 Boston 3–4 Philadelphia SO Emery 19,303 4–2–1 9 8 October 24 Florida 1–5 Philadelphia Emery 19,007 5–2–1 11 9 October 25 San Jose 4–1 Philadelphia Boucher 19,126 5–3–1 11 10 October 27 Philadelphia 2–4 Washington Emery 18,277 5–4–1 11 11 October 31 Carolina 1–6 Philadelphia Emery 19,076 6–4–1 13
November: 7–6–0, 14 points (Home: 4–2–0; Road: 3–4–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 12 November 2 Tampa Bay 2–6 Philadelphia Emery 18,667 7–4–1 15 13 November 6 Philadelphia 5–2 Buffalo Emery 18,525 8–4–1 17 14 November 7 St. Louis 1–2 Philadelphia SO Emery 19,542 9–4–1 19 15 November 12 Ottawa 1–5 Philadelphia Emery 19,321 10–4–1 21 16 November 14 Buffalo 3–2 Philadelphia Emery 19,641 10–5–1 21 17 November 16 New Jersey 2–3 Philadelphia Emery 19,673 11–5–1 23 18 November 18 Philadelphia 3–2 Los Angeles Boucher 17,821 12–5–1 25 19 November 20 Philadelphia 3–6 San Jose Emery 17,562 12–6–1 25 20 November 21 Philadelphia 1–3 Phoenix Emery 11,106 12–7–1 25 21 November 23 Philadelphia 4–5 Colorado Boucher 13,281 12–8–1 25 22 November 25 Philadelphia 2–1 NY Islanders Boucher 12,687 13–8–1 27 23 November 27 Buffalo 4–2 Philadelphia Emery 19,673 13–9–1 27 24 November 28 Philadelphia 0–1 Atlanta Boucher 16,018 13–10–1 27
December: 6–8–1, 13 points (Home: 1–5–1; Road: 5–3–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 25 December 3 Vancouver 3–0 Philadelphia Boucher 18,892 13–11–1 27 26 December 5 Washington 8–2 Philadelphia Emery 19,789 13–12–1 27 27 December 7 Philadelphia 1–3 Montreal Boucher 21,273 13–13–1 27 28 December 8 NY Islanders 2–6 Philadelphia Boucher 19,330 14–13–1 29 29 December 10 Ottawa 2–0 Philadelphia Boucher 19,706 14–14–1 29 30 December 12 Philadelphia 1–4 New Jersey Boucher 15,724 14–15–1 29 31 December 14 Philadelphia 3–1 Boston Boucher 17,565 15–15–1 31 32 December 15 Philadelphia 1–6 Pittsburgh Boucher 17,086 15–16–1 31 33 December 17 Pittsburgh 3–2 Philadelphia SO Boucher 19,689 15–16–2 32 34 December 19 NY Rangers 2–1 Philadelphia Boucher 19,637 15–17–2 32 35 December 21 Florida 4–1 Philadelphia Boucher 19,323 15–18–2 32 36 December 23 Philadelphia 5–2 Tampa Bay Leighton 16,177 16–18–2 34 37 December 26 Philadelphia 4–3 Carolina SO Leighton 16,288 17–18–2 36 38 December 27 Philadelphia 2–1 NY Islanders Leighton 12,819 18–18–2 38 39 December 30 Philadelphia 6–0 NY Rangers Leighton 18,200 19–18–2 40
January: 8–5–1, 17 points (Home: 7–2–0; Road: 1–3–1) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 40 January 1 Philadelphia 1–2 Boston OT Leighton 38,112 19–18–3 41 41 January 3 Philadelphia 4–7 Ottawa Boucher 17,153 19–19–3 41 42 January 6 Toronto 2–6 Philadelphia Leighton 19,617 20–19–3 43 43 January 7 Philadelphia 7–4 Pittsburgh Leighton 17,095 21–19–3 45 44 January 9 Tampa Bay 1–4 Philadelphia Leighton 19,678 22–19–3 47 45 January 12 Dallas 3–6 Philadelphia Leighton 19,133 23–19–3 49 46 January 14 Philadelphia 0–4 Toronto Leighton 19,370 23–20–3 49 47 January 17 Philadelphia 3–5 Washington Emery 18,277 23–21–3 49 48 January 19 Columbus 3–5 Philadelphia Emery 19,126 24–21–3 51 49 January 21 NY Rangers 0–2 Philadelphia Emery 19,631 25–21–3 53 50 January 23 Carolina 2–4 Philadelphia Emery 19,732 26–21–3 55 51 January 24 Pittsburgh 2–1 Philadelphia Emery 19,798 26–22–3 55 52 January 28 Atlanta 4–3 Philadelphia Emery 19,611 26–23–3 55 53 January 30 NY Islanders 1–2 Philadelphia Emery 19,787 27–23–3 57 ^† 2010 NHL Winter Classic, played at Fenway Park.
February: 5–2–0, 10 points (Home: 2–0–0; Road: 3–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 54 February 1 Philadelphia 3–0 Calgary Emery 19,289 28–23–3 59 55 February 3 Philadelphia 0–1 Edmonton Leighton 16,839 28–24–3 59 56 February 6 Philadelphia 1–2 Minnesota Leighton 18,640 28–25–3 59 57 February 8 New Jersey 2–3 Philadelphia Leighton 19,678 29–25–3 61 58 February 10 Philadelphia 3–2 New Jersey OT Leighton 5,580 30–25–3 63 59 February 12 Montreal 2–3 Philadelphia Leighton 19,803 31–25–3 65 60 February 13 Philadelphia 6–2 Montreal Leighton 21,273 32–25–3 67
March: 6–7–3, 15 points (Home: 4–2–1; Road: 2–5–2) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 61 March 2 Philadelphia 7–2 Tampa Bay Leighton 17,812 33–25–3 69 62 March 3 Philadelphia 4–7 Florida Boucher 15,878 33–26–3 69 63 March 5 Philadelphia 2–3 Buffalo OT Leighton 18,690 33–26–4 70 64 March 7 Toronto 1–3 Philadelphia Leighton 19,632 34–26–4 72 65 March 9 NY Islanders 2–3 Philadelphia Leighton 19,687 35–26–4 74 66 March 11 Boston 5–1 Philadelphia Leighton 19,673 35–27–4 74 67 March 13 Chicago 2–3 Philadelphia Leighton 19,858 36–27–4 76 68 March 14 Philadelphia 1–3 NY Rangers Leighton 18,200 36–28–4 76 69 March 16 Philadelphia 3–4 Nashville SO Boucher 16,585 36–28–5 77 70 March 18 Philadelphia 3–2 Dallas Boucher 17,529 37–28–5 79 71 March 20 Philadelphia 2–5 Atlanta Boucher 17,024 37–29–5 79 72 March 21 Atlanta 3–1 Philadelphia Boucher 19,575 37–30–5 79 73 March 23 Philadelphia 0–2 Ottawa Boucher 19,209 37–31–5 79 74 March 25 Minnesota 4–3 Philadelphia OT Boucher 19,716 37–31–6 80 75 March 27 Philadelphia 1–4 Pittsburgh Backlund 17,132 37–32–6 80 76 March 28 New Jersey 1–5 Philadelphia Boucher 19,769 38–32–6 82
April: 3–3–0, 6 points (Home: 2–1–0; Road: 1–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Points 77 April 1 Philadelphia 4–6 NY Islanders Boucher 11,823 38–33–6 82 78 April 2 Montreal 1–0 Philadelphia Boucher 19,801 38–34–6 82 79 April 4 Detroit 3–4 Philadelphia Boucher 19,596 39–34–6 84 80 April 6 Philadelphia 2–0 Toronto Boucher 19,366 40–34–6 86 81 April 9 Philadelphia 3–4 NY Rangers Boucher 18,200 40–35–6 86 82 April 11 NY Rangers 1–2 Philadelphia SO Boucher 19,889 41–35–6 88
Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

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
18	Mike Richards	24	C	82	31	31	62	−2	79	23	7	16	23	−1	18
17	Jeff Carter	25	C	74	33	28	61	2	38	12	5	2	7	−5	2
20	Chris Pronger	35	D	82	10	45	55	22	79	23	4	14	18	5	36
48	Danny Briere	32	C	75	26	27	53	−2	71	23	12	18	30	9	16
28	Claude Giroux	22	RW	82	16	31	47	−9	23	23	10	11	21	7	4
19	Scott Hartnell	27	LW	81	14	30	44	−6	155	23	8	9	17	4	25
12	Simon Gagne	29	LW	58	17	23	40	−1	47	19	9	3	12	−2	0
44	Kimmo Timonen	34	D	82	6	33	39	−2	50	23	1	10	11	6	20
21	James van Riemsdyk	20	LW	78	15	20	35	−1	30	21	3	3	6	−4	4
25	Matt Carle	25	D	80	6	29	35	19	16	23	1	12	13	6	8
45	Arron Asham	31	RW	72	10	14	24	−2	126	23	4	3	7	4	10
13	Daniel Carcillo	25	LW	76	12	10	22	5	207	17	2	4	6	1	34
14	Ian Laperriere	36	RW	82	3	17	20	−1	162	13	0	1	1	−3	6
5	Braydon Coburn	24	D	81	5	14	19	−6	54	23	1	3	4	−2	22
11	Blair Betts	29	C	63	8	10	18	7	14	23	1	1	2	−4	4
36	Darroll Powe	24	C	63	9	6	15	0	54	23	0	1	1	−2	6
3	Oskars Bartulis	23	D	53	1	8	9	−12	28	7	0	0	0	−1	4
22	Ville Leino	26	LW	13	2	2	4	2	4	19	7	14	21	10	6
26	Danny Syvret	24	D	21	2	2	4	1	12	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Mika Pyorala	28	C	36	2	2	4	−3	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
9	David Laliberte	23	RW	11	2	1	3	1	6	1	0	0	0	0	2
77	Ryan Parent	22	D	48	1	2	3	−14	20	17	1	0	1	−2	2
2	Lukas Krajicek	26	D	27	1	1	2	−10	14	22	0	3	3	0	8
37	Jon Kalinski	22	C	10	0	2	2	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
55	Ole-Kristian Tollefsen	25	D	18	0	2	2	1	23	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Andreas Nodl	22	RW	10	0	1	1	−2	0	10	0	0	0	−1	0
49	Michael Leighton	28	G	27	0	1	1	N/A	0	14	0	0	0	N/A	2
29	Ray Emery	27	G	29	0	1	1	N/A	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
33	Brian Boucher	33	G	33	0	1	1	N/A	2	12	0	0	0	N/A	2
32	Riley Cote	27	LW	15	0	0	0	0	24	—	—	—	—	—	—
42	Jared Ross	27	C	3	0	0	0	−1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
30	Johan Backlund	28	G	1	0	0	0	N/A	0	1	0	0	0	N/A	0
35	Jeremy Duchesne	23	G	1	0	0	0	N/A	0	—	—	—	—	—	—

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
No.	Player	Age	GP	W	L	OT	SO	GA	SV%	GAA	MIN	GP	W	L	SO	GA	SV%	GAA	MIN
33	Brian Boucher	33	33	9	18	3	1	80	.899	2.76	1742	12	6	6	1	27	.909	2.47	656
29	Ray Emery	27	29	16	11	1	3	74	.905	2.64	1684	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
49	Michael Leighton	28	27	16	5	2	1	60	.918	2.48	1449	14	8	3	3	31	.916	2.46	757
30	Johan Backlund	28	1	0	1	0	0	2	.917	3.00	40	1	0	0	0	0	.000	0.00	1
35	Jeremy Duchesne	23	1	0	0	0	0	1	.750	3.53	17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Awards and records

Awards

League awards and honors

Award or honor	Recipient	Ref
NHL Rookie of the Month	James van Riemsdyk (December 2)
NHL Second Star of the Week	Michael Leighton (February 15)
NHL Third Star of the Week	Chris Pronger (November 9)

Team awards

Award	Recipient
Barry Ashbee Trophy	Chris Pronger
Bobby Clarke Trophy	Chris Pronger
Gene Hart Memorial Award	Ian Laperriere
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy	Matt Carle
Toyota Cup	Mike Richards
Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award	Ian Laperriere

Records

•   *  NHL record
•  **  Tied for NHL record

Individual single season records

Record	Total	Player
Points, playoffs	30	Daniel Briere
Points by a defenseman, playoffs	18	Chris Pronger (tied by Doug Crossman in 1986–87)
Points by a rookie, playoffs	21**	Ville Leino
Powerplay goals by a defenseman, playoffs	3	Chris Pronger (tied by Tom Bladon in 1973–74 and Doug Crossman in 1984–85)
Game-winning goals, playoffs	4	Daniel Briere (tied by Rick MacLeish in 1973–74 and Bill Barber in 1979–80)

Team single season records

Record	Total
Losses on road, playoffs	7*
Powerplay goals, playoffs	23
Shutouts, playoffs	5 (tied in 1974–75)
Shootout wins	4 (tied in 2005–06, 2008–09, and 2011–12)

Individual post season single game records

Record	Player	Total	Date and opponent
Assists	Matt Carle	4	May 7, 2010 vs. Boston Bruins (tied five times)

Transactions

The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 13, 2009, the day after the deciding game of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2010, the day of the deciding game of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
June 26, 2009	To Philadelphia Flyers Ryan Dingle Chris Pronger	To Anaheim Ducks Joffrey Lupul Luca Sbisa 1st-round pick in 2009 1st-round pick in 2010 conditional 3rd-round pick in 2010 or 2011
September 23, 2009	To Philadelphia Flyers future considerations	To Nashville Predators Patrik Hersley
October 20, 2009	To Philadelphia Flyers Stefan Legein	To Columbus Blue Jackets Mike Ratchuk
February 6, 2010	To Philadelphia Flyers Ville Leino	To Detroit Red Wings Ole-Kristian Tollefsen 5th round pick in 2011

Trade notes

• ^a The Ducks would have received their choice of either the 2010 or 2011 third-round pick if the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 2010.

Signings

Free agency

The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).

Date	Player	Previous team (league)	Contract details	Ref
July 1, 2009	Brian Boucher	San Jose Sharks	2 years, $1.85 million
July 1, 2009	Ian Laperriere	Colorado Avalanche	3 years, $3.5 million
July 23, 2009	Lukas Kaspar	San Jose Sharks	1 year, $475,000*
July 23, 2009	Krystofer Kolanos	Minnesota Wild	1 year, $500,000*
July 23, 2009	Joey Mormina	Pittsburgh Penguins	1 year, $500,000*
July 23, 2009	Mika Pyorala	Timra IK (SEL)	1 year, $500,000*
July 23, 2009	Jason Ward	Tampa Bay Lightning	1 year, $500,000*
July 30, 2009	Ole-Kristian Tollefsen	Columbus Blue Jackets	1 year, $600,000
October 1, 2009	Blair Betts	New York Rangers	1 year, $550,000
January 31, 2010	Lukas Krajicek	Tampa Bay Lightning	1 year, $700,000
April 2, 2010	Sebastien Caron	Fribourg-Gotteron (NLA)	1 year, $500,000

Free agency notes

• ^a Signed for the remainder of the regular season.

Re-signed

The following players were re-signed by the Flyers. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).

Date	Player	Contract details	Notes	Ref
July 7, 2009	Chris Pronger	7 years, $35 million extension	Acquired in June 26 trade
August 11, 2009	Danny Syvret	1 year, $575,000*
December 2, 2009	Oskars Bartulis	3 years, $1.8 million extension
February 11, 2010	Blair Betts	2 year, $1.4 million extension

Entry level contracts

The following players — Flyers draft picks, undrafted free agents, and the unsigned draft picks of other teams — were signed by the Flyers to entry level contracts.

Date	Player	Previous team (league)	Draft	Contract details	Ref
July 24, 2009	Marc-Andre Bourdon	Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)	2008 2nd-round pick	3 years, $2.137 million
August 11, 2009	Zac Rinaldo	London Knights (OHL)	2008 6th-round pick	3 years, 1.657 million
September 21, 2009	Tyler Hostetter	Erie Otters (OHL)	Undrafted free agent	3 years, $1.662 million
March 4, 2010	Shane Harper	Everett Silvertips (WHL)	Undrafted free agent	3 years, $1.8 million
March 4, 2010	Luke Pither	Belleville Bulls (OHL)	Undrafted free agent	3 years, $1.8 million
March 4, 2010	Eric Wellwood	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	2009 6th-round pick	3 years, $1.8 million
March 17, 2010	Ben Holmstrom	UMass Lowell Riverhawks (Hockey East)	Undrafted free agent	2 years, $1.2 million
March 19, 2010	Mike Testwuide	Colorado College Tigers (WCHA)	Undrafted free agent	2 years, $1.28 million
March 31, 2010	Erik Gustafsson	Northern Michigan Wildcats (CCHA)	Undrafted free agent	3 years, $2.7 million
May 6, 2010	Sergei Bobrovsky	Novokuznetsk Metallurg (KHL)	Undrafted free agent	3 years, $2.7 million
May 6, 2010	Andrew Rowe	Michigan State Spartans (CCHA)	Undrafted free agent	2 years, $1.64 million
May 6, 2010	Brian Stewart	Northern Michigan Wildcats (CCHA)	Undrafted free agent	1 year, $600,000

Waivers

The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. Players claimed on recall waivers are marked with an asterisk (*).

Date	Player	Claimed by	Claimed from	Ref
October 29, 2009	Randy Jones*	Los Angeles Kings	Philadelphia Flyers
December 15, 2009	Michael Leighton*	Philadelphia Flyers	Carolina Hurricanes

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 15, 2009	Derian Hatcher	—	Retirement	Hired as team's player development coach
June 24, 2009	Lasse Kukkonen	Avangard Omsk (KHL)	Free agency
July 1, 2009	Mike Knuble	Washington Capitals	Free agency
July 2, 2009	Scott Munroe	New York Islanders	Free agency
July 3, 2009	Nate Guenin	Pittsburgh Penguins	Free agency
July 7, 2009	Nate Raduns	SG Pontebba (Serie A)	Free agency
July 10, 2009	Antero Niittymaki	Tampa Bay Lightning	Free agency
July 13, 2009	Boyd Kane	Washington Capitals	Free agency
July 15, 2009	Andrew Alberts	Carolina Hurricanes	Free agency
July 22, 2009	Martin Biron	New York Islanders	Free agency
July 30, 2009	Josh Gratton	Atlanta Thrashers	Free agency
July 30, 2009	Jean-Sebastien Aubin	DEG Metro Stars (DEL)	Free agency
November 3, 2009	Lukas Kaspar*	Karpat (SM-liiga)	Release	Signed with Karpat on November 4

Draft picks

Philadelphia's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec on June 26–27, 2009.

Players drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009 and their NHL career regular season statistics

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Team (league)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	W	L	OT	GAA	Notes
3	81	Adam Morrison	Goaltender	Canada	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
3	87	Simon Bertilsson	Defense	Sweden	Brynas IF (Elitserien)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
5	142	Nicola Riopel	Goaltender	Canada	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
6	153	Dave Labrecque	Center	Canada	Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —	& —
6	172	Eric Wellwood	Left Wing	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)	31	5	5	10	4	& —	& —	& —	& —
7	196	Oliver Lauridsen	Defense	Denmark	St. Cloud State Huskies (WCHA)	16	2	1	3	44	& —	& —	& —	& —

Draft notes

• The Flyers traded their 2009, 21st overall, and 2010 first-round picks, Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and a conditional 2010 or 2011 third-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Ryan Dingle and Chris Pronger on June 26, 2009.
• The Flyers traded their second-round pick, 52nd overall, and Alexandre Picard to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vaclav Prospal on February 25, 2008.
• ^a The Flyers traded Jim Vandermeer to the Calgary Flames for the Flames' third-round pick, 81st overall, on February 20, 2008.
• The Flyers traded their third-round pick, 82nd overall, Joni Pitkanen and Geoff Sanderson to the Edmonton Oilers for Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith on July 1, 2007.
• ^b The Flyers traded the Tampa Bay Lightning's fourth-round pick, 93rd overall, Steve Downie, Steve Eminger to Tampa Bay for the San Jose Sharks' third-round pick, 87th overall and Matt Carle on November 7, 2008.
• The Flyers traded their fourth-round pick, 112th overall, and Ned Lukacevic to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Alberts on October 13, 2008.
• ^c The Flyers traded Janne Niskala to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Lightning's sixth-round pick, 153rd overall, on June 30, 2008.
• ^d The Flyers traded their 2008 seventh-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for the Ducks' seventh-round pick, 196th overall, on June 21, 2008.
• The Flyers traded their seventh-round pick, 202nd overall, and Triston Grant to the Nashville Predators for Janne Niskala on June 24, 2008.

Farm teams

American Hockey League – Adirondack Phantoms (Standings)

The Flyers' AHL affiliate team is now the Adirondack Phantoms in Glens Falls, New York for the 2009–10 season. The Phantoms relocated from Philadelphia due to the demolition of the Wachovia Spectrum.

ECHL – Kalamazoo Wings (Standings)

International Hockey League – Quad City Mallards

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

External links

• 2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season at ESPN
• Philadelphia Flyers Historical Salaries from CapGeek.com