Editing Philadelphia Flyers (section)

===New generation takes over (1981–1991)===
Soon the last of the Broad Street Bullies guard moved on. Gone were the likes of Leach, MacLeish, Dupont, Kelly, Jimmy Watson and finally Barber and Clarke in 1984, and taking their spots over the next few seasons were young talent such as [[Brian Propp]], [[Tim Kerr]], [[Dave Poulin]], [[Pelle Lindbergh]] and [[Mark Howe]], who upon arrival instantly became the Flyers' top defenseman for the next decade.

[[File:Mark Howe.jpg|thumb|262x262px|[[Mark Howe]] played for the Flyers from 1982 to 1992.]]
Over the next three seasons the team would suffer early playoff exits and manage to win only one playoff game during that span. They were eliminated two years in a row in [[1981–82 NHL season|1981–82]] and [[1982–83 NHL season|1982–83]] by the New York Rangers and then were swept by the [[Washington Capitals]] in [[1983–84 NHL season|1983–84]]. Following the loss to Washington, Bobby Clarke retired from play and was named vice-president and general manager of the team. [[Mike Keenan]], a relative unknown at the time, was hired in 1984 to coach the team, and named second-year player Dave Poulin team captain.

Behind the goaltending of Pelle Lindbergh (who led the NHL with 40 wins and was the first European to win the Vezina Trophy),<ref name="WhatAboutBob" /> the Flyers won a franchise-record 53 games – best in the NHL – during the [[1984–85 NHL season|1984–85 season]]. The Flyers rolled through the playoffs by sweeping the Rangers in three games, defeating the Islanders in five and beating Quebec in six to return to the [[1985 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Finals]]. Though they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers in game one by a score of 4–1 at home, Edmonton won the next four games and the series.

A month into the [[1985–86 NHL season|1985–86 season]], Pelle Lindbergh was killed in a car accident. The team rallied and showed perseverance by garnering the best record in the Wales Conference and matching their win total (53) from the previous year. Tim Kerr scored 58 goals and the defense pairing of Howe and [[Brad McCrimmon]] led the League in plus-minus, a +85 and a +83, respectively. [[Bob Froese]] filled in admirably in net for Lindbergh, being named a second Team All-Star and sharing the [[William M. Jennings Trophy]] with teammate [[Darren Jensen]]. Despite their regular season success, an emotionally exhausted Flyers team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Rangers in five games.

During the [[1986–87 NHL season|1986–87 season]], the Flyers were rejuvenated by the ascension of 22-year-old goaltender [[Ron Hextall]].<ref name=WhatAboutBob/> In his rookie season, he became the third Flyers goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy, joining Parent and Lindbergh. With Hextall providing the critical stops at crucial times, the Flyers captured a third-straight Patrick Division title, and were able to gain revenge on the Rangers by beating them in six games in the division semifinals, as well as surviving a tough seven-game test from a gritty Islanders club, in the division finals. The Flyers then defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in a fiery six-game series (notable for a famous bench-clearing brawl during the game six warmup) to win the Wales Conference and return to the [[1987 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup Final]]. As was the case two seasons prior, the Flyers became decimated by injuries, the most significant of which was losing Kerr for the remainder of the playoffs. After falling behind three games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit on the road in game five to extend the series, then won game six at home with another late-game comeback. However, they could not overcome the odds a third time and eventually succumbed to the Oilers, 3–1, in game seven. Hextall was voted playoffs MVP, the second time a Flyer won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite being on the losing team (the other being another Manitoban, Reggie Leach, in 1976).{{notetag|Hextall is one of only four rookies and five players to win the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] as a member of the losing team. The other four players are [[Roger Crozier]] (1966), [[Glenn Hall]] (1968), [[Reggie Leach]] (1976) and [[Jean-Sébastien Giguère|Jean-Sebastien Giguere]] (2003).<ref name="WhatAboutBob" />}}

[[File:Hextall OnIce closer.jpg|thumb|222x222px|[[Ron Hextall]] played for the Flyers from 1986 to 1992, and again from 1994 to 1999.]]
The Flyers stumbled in [[1987–88 NHL season|1987–88]], finishing third in the Patrick Division (after a first-place finish the previous three years). Hextall became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal by firing the puck into an empty net in a December 8 game against Boston. In their first-round playoff series with Washington, the Flyers blew a 3–1 series lead as Washington forced a game seven. They then blew a 3–0 lead in game seven as Washington won in overtime 5–4. It was because of this playoff collapse that "Iron Mike" was fired. [[Paul Holmgren]] was named Keenan's replacement, the first time a former Flyer was named the club's head coach.

Despite finishing at the .500 mark in [[1988–89 NHL season|1988–89]], the Flyers made the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season. Facing first-place Washington in the first round, the Flyers pulled off the upset in six games. Ron Hextall managed to score another empty-net goal in the waning moments of game five, becoming the first NHL goaltender to score a goal in the playoffs. The Flyers then defeated Pittsburgh in seven games to make the conference finals before bowing out to Montreal in six games.

The [[1989–90 NHL season|1989–90 season]] got off to a bad start for the Flyers, and continued to get worse. Hextall missed all but eight games due to suspension for attacking [[Chris Chelios]] at the end of the Montreal playoff series the previous spring, contract holdout issues, and injury. Holmgren replaced Dave Poulin as captain in December with [[Ron Sutter]], which led to Poulin's (and later that season, Brian Propp's) trade to Boston. As a result, the Flyers missed the [[Stanley Cup playoffs]] for the first time since 1972. Bobby Clarke, having been with the Flyers organization since he was drafted in 1969, was fired and replaced as general manager by [[Russ Farwell]].

Ron Hextall continued to be hampered by injuries during the [[1990–91 NHL season|1990–91 season]]. He only played in 36 games and as a result the Flyers missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, finishing fifth in the Division and three points short of a playoff spot after a late-season collapse.