It Was No April Fool's Joke: Reg Leach Hits 60 Goals in Historic Flyers Blowout

April 1, 1976, was no laughing matter for the Washington Capitals. Visiting the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum, the Caps were pummeled 11-2 in a game that secured the Flyers’ 50th win of the 1975-76 season. But more memorably, it was the night Reg Leach cemented his place in franchise history.

Leach not only scored twice and assisted on three others for a five-point evening, but his second goal, coming at 10:06 of the second period, was his 60th of the season. Assisted by Bill Barber and Jimmy Watson, the milestone marker made Leach the first and still the only player in Flyers history to reach the 60-goal plateau. He added one more two nights later in Buffalo to finish with 61.

Philadelphia was relentless that night, peppering Capitals goalie Ron Low with 62 shots. Bill Barber led the barrage with 11 shots and recorded a hat trick (goals 47, 48, and 49). He’d hit the 50-goal milestone himself just two nights later. Leach fired 8 shots, while Bobby Clarke dished out five assists. Gary Inness made 21 saves on 23 shots for the Flyers.

Though Tim Kerr would come close, scoring 54 goals twice and 58 twice between 1983-84 and 1986-87, no other Flyer has matched Leach’s 60-goal feat. Leach would crack the 50-goal mark one more time in 1979-80, finishing with exactly 50.

About Reg Leach

Reggie Leach played 934 regular season and 94 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1970-71 and 1982-83 with the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. He was the third overall pick by the Bruins at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, behind Gilbert Perreault and Dale Tallon.

He helped the Flyers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1974-75 and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner the following year, despite the Flyers losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the final. That year, he scored 19 goals in 16 playoff games, four more than he scored over his first 96 regular season games in the NHL.

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Reggie Leach [Video]

Philadelphia Flyers: 6 Times the Bridesmaids

The Philadelphia Flyers were the first of the 1967-68 NHL expansion teams to hoist the Stanley Cup. The Flyers won twice in a row, over the Boston Bruins in 1973-74 and over the Buffalo Sabres in 1974-75. Since, the team has been the Stanley Cup finals six more times but has yet to be crowned champions for a third time.

1975-76

In 1975-76, the Flyers were poised to make it a three-peat. The team finished second overall during the regular season, behind only the Montreal Canadiens. In the quarter-finals, the Toronto Maple Leafs took them to seven games but the Flyers prevailed. Philadelphia then met the Boston Bruins in the semi-finals and had an easier time with a tougher team, winning in five games.

The Flyers met Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals. The Broad Street Bullies were trying to create a dynasty but the Canadiens decided to start their own instead. The Habs swept the Flyers in what was their first of four consecutive championships. Reggie Leach of the Flyers scored 19 goals, a playoff record that stands today. Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in the losing cause. Reg also led the team in points with 24.

1979-80

After finishing first overall during the regular season, the Flyers found themselves at the wrong end of another budding dynasty in 1979-80. Philly met up with the New York Islanders in the finals and lost in six games. It would be the first of four consecutive for the Long Island squad.

On the road to the final series, Philadelphia beat the Edmonton Oilers in the preliminary round 3-0, the New York Rangers 4-1 in the quarter-finals and the Minnesota North Stars 4-1 in the semi-finals. Ken Linseman led the Flyers with 22 points.

1984-85

Philadelphia finished first overall again in 1984-85. After sweeping the Rangers in the division semi-final and losing just one game to the Islanders in the division final, the Flyers took out the Quebec Nordiques in six to win the conference.

The team came up against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in the finals and lost the series in five games. Brian Propp led the club with 18 playoff points.

1986-87

It was déjà vu in 1986-87 with the Flyers once again coming up against the Oilers in the finals. This time, Philadelphia pushed the series to the limit but succumbed to Edmonton in seven. For the second time in their history, the Flyers had a player awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy despite losing in the finals. Ron Hextall took the award in his first year in the NHL. Brian Propp once again led the team in post season scoring with 28 points.

1996-97

The Flyers didn’t make it back to the finals until 1996-97. The team finished fourth overall during the regular season, behind the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. Like 1975-76 against the Canadiens, Philadelphia was swept in the final series.

Philly lost just three games in the first three rounds, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. The Detroit Red Wings were simply a powerhouse and took just four games to eliminate the Flyers. Eric Lindros led the club with 26 playoff points. It marked the last NHL games for Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk.

2009-10

Despite finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference during the 2009-10 regular season, the Flyers plowed through to meet the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final. Chicago took the series in six games. It was a real accomplishment, considering the team’s regular season point total would have placed them as low as 12^th if they were in the West.

The Flyers knocked off the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in the first round before stretching the next series with the Boston Bruins to the full seven games. In the conference final, Philadelphia beat the Montreal Canadiens in five. Daniel Briere led the team with 30 points in the playoffs.