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1972–73 Atlanta Flames season
NHL team season (inaugural season)
NHL team season (inaugural season)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| League | NHL |
| Season | 1972–73 |
| year | 1972 |
| Team | Atlanta Flames |
| Division | West |
| DivisionRank | 7th |
| Record | 25–38–15 |
| HomeRecord | 16–16–7 |
| RoadRecord | 9–22–8 |
| GoalsFor | 191 |
| GoalsAgainst | 239 |
| GeneralManager | Cliff Fletcher |
| Coach | Bernie Geoffrion |
| Captain | Keith McCreary |
| AltCaptain | Pat Quinn |
| Curt Bennett | |
| Arena | Omni Coliseum |
| GoalsLeader | Bob Leiter (26) |
| AssistsLeader | Bob Leiter (34) |
| PointsLeader | Bob Leiter (60) |
| PIMLeader | Pat Quinn (113) |
| WinsLeader | Phil Myre (16) |
| GAALeader | Phil Myre (3.03) |
Curt Bennett
The 1972–73 Atlanta Flames season was the 1st season for the Flames' franchise.
Offseason
NHL amateur draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2. | Jacques Richard | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 18. | Dwight Bialowas | Canada | Regina Pats (WCJHL) |
| 3 | 34. | Jean Lemieux | Canada | Sherbrooke Castors (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 50. | Don Martineau | Canada | New Westminster Royals (WCJHL) |
| 5 | 78. | Jean-Paul Martin | Canada | Shawinigan Bruins (QMJHL) |
| 6 | 82. | Frank Blum | Canada | Sarnia Sting (SOJHL) |
| 7 | 98. | Scott Smith | Canada | Regina Pats (WCJHL) |
| 8 | 114. | Dave Murphy | Canada | Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) |
| 9 | 130. | Pierre Roy | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
| 9 | 132. | Jean Lamarre | Canada | Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) |
NHL Expansion Draft
| Pick | Player | Position | Drafted From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Phil Myre | G | Montreal Canadiens |
| 3. | Dan Bouchard | G | Boston Bruins |
| 6. | Kerry Ketter | D | Montreal Canadiens |
| 8. | Norm Gratton | LW | New York Rangers |
| 10. | Ron Harris | D | Detroit Red Wings |
| 12. | Larry Romanchych | RW | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 14. | Bill MacMillan | LW | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 16. | Randy Manery | D | Detroit Red Wings |
| 18. | Keith McCreary | RW | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 20. | Ernie Hicke | C | California Golden Seals |
| 22. | Lew Morrison | RW | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 24. | Lucien Grenier | LW | Los Angeles Kings |
| 26. | Bill Plager | D | St. Louis Blues |
| 28. | Morris Stefaniw | C | New York Rangers |
| 30. | John Stewart | LW | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 32. | Bob Leiter | C | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 34. | Pat Quinn | D | Vancouver Canucks |
| 36. | Larry Hale | D | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 38. | Bill Heindl Jr. | LW | Minnesota North Stars |
| 40. | Frank Hughes | LW | California Golden Seals |
| 42. | Rod Zaine | C | Buffalo Sabres |
Regular season
When it was first announced that Atlanta would have an NHL franchise many hockey observers thought that a team based in the southern United States was a ludicrous and foolish move, especially since the talent pool had been diluted by repeated expansion and the upstart WHA. Nevertheless, the team quickly began front office operations, naming young St. Louis Blues assistant general manager Cliff Fletcher as general manager. Soon after, Fletcher had found the team its first coach: former Canadiens star forward Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion.
The team was a pleasant surprise in its first season on the ice, its success built on new star goaltenders Dan Bouchard and Phil Myre, solid defensemen such as Randy Manery and Pat Quinn, and forwards Rey Comeau, (captain) Keith McCreary, Larry Romanchych and Bob Leiter. Despite its inexperience as a team, the Flames were quite successful in the beginning of their rookie season, posting a 20–19–8 record by January 19, 1973, off the success of their young goaltending tandem. However, they lost 19 of their last 31 games, finishing out of the playoffs. Part of the problem as that in defiance of all geographic reality, the Flames were placed in the West Division—saddling them with some of the longest road trips in the league—and ultimately, the team's excellent defense and goaltending were sabotaged by its lack of goalscoring, finishing second worst in the NHL in that category. However, their 65 points were 35 better than the Islanders, who toiled at the bottom of the East Division.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
|- |1||W||October 7, 1972||3–2 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1972–73) ||1–0–0 || 12,221 |- |2||L||October 8, 1972||3–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1972–73) ||1–1–0 || 15,508 |- |3||L||October 11, 1972||1–4 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1972–73) ||1–2–0 || N/A |- |4||L||October 12, 1972||0–3 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1972–73) ||1–3–0 || 16,002 |- |5||T||October 14, 1972||1–1 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1972–73) ||1–3–1 || 14,568 |- |6||L||October 18, 1972||0–6 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1972–73) ||1–4–1 || 8,852 |- |7||W||October 21, 1972||3–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1972–73) ||2–4–1 || 15,229 |- |8||L||October 22, 1972||2–7 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1972–73) ||2–5–1 || 15,516 |- |9||W||October 25, 1972||4–3 || align="left"| @ California Golden Seals (1972–73) ||3–5–1 || 1,998 |- |10||L||October 26, 1972||1–3 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1972–73) ||3–6–1 || 6,155 |- |11||W||October 28, 1972||2–1 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1972–73) ||4–6–1 || 15,570
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Player statistics
Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Regular season | Playoffs | Player | # | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Leiter | 16 | 78 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 19 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Larry Romanchych | 21 | 70 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 39 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Rey Comeau | 18 | 77 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 19 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Keith McCreary | 9 | 77 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 21 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Ernie Hicke‡ | 12 | 58 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 37 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Curt Bennett† | 5 | 52 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 9 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Randy Manery | 7 | 78 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 44 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| John Stewart | 17 | 68 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 30 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Jacques Richard | 15 | 74 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 32 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Leon Rochefort† | 11 | 54 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 10 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Bill MacMillan | 20 | 78 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 52 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Pat Quinn | 3 | 78 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 113 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Lew Morrison | 8 | 77 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 19 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Noel Price | 4 | 54 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 38 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Bill Plager | 2 | 76 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 92 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Noel Picard† | 22 | 41 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 43 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Norm Gratton‡ | 10 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Bob Paradise | 6 | 71 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 103 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Ron Harris‡ | 5 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Morris Stefaniw | 19 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Kerry Ketter | 24 | 41 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 58 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Arnie Brown† | 19 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Butch Deadmarsh† | 10 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Dan Bouchard | 30 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Phil Myre | 1 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | – | – | – | – | - | |||||
| Bill Hogaboam‡ | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | - |
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Atlanta. Stats reflect time with the Flames only. ‡Traded mid-season
Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| Regular season | Playoffs | Player | # | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Myre | 1 | 46 | 2736 | 16 | 23 | 5 | 138 | 2 | 3.03 | – | – | – | – | – | – | -.-- | |||||
| Dan Bouchard | 30 | 34 | 1944 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 100 | 2 | 3.09 | – | – | – | – | – | – | -.-- |
Transactions
The Flames were involved in the following transactions during the 1972–73 season.
Trades
| February 14, 1973 | To: Atlanta Flames Butch Deadmarsh | To: Buffalo Sabres Norm Gratton |
|---|
Free agents
| D Ed Kea | St. Petersburg Suns (EHL) |
|---|
|}
Claimed off waivers
| D Noel Picard | St. Louis Blues |
|---|
References
References
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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