The Philadelphia Flyers Are Better Than The Pittsburgh Penguins

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins has become one of the better known NHL rivalries as of late. It is a rivalry that seems to escalate every year. With each game, each playoff series, and every blogger adding his or her two cents, fuel gets added to the fire.

Many fans constantly debate which team is "better." The term "better" is arbitrary. If you look at the 2008-09 season, you could say that Pittsburgh was the better team. If you want to look at the amount of Stanley Cup wins both teams have, again, you could say that Pittsburgh is the better team.

This isn't a strong start to an article about why the Flyers are better than the Penguins but it brings up an important point that needs to be made—when making a comparison, apples can't be compared to oranges. A few winning seasons and a Stanley Cup do not suddenly make you the benchmark for NHL success. Nor do a few future hall-of-famers suddenly make you a dynasty.

Many Pittsburgh Penguins fans are still drunk off their most recent Stanley Cup, and they have every right to be. However, it would behoove many a Penguins fan to heed the words of Ernest Hemingway.

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

The Penguins will have their hands full again this year, especially with their Atlantic division rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. In their drunken stooper, many Penguins fans are predicting a return to the finals and even another Cup win. Amidst their predictions they make it a point to note the Penguins' recent success over the Flyers. Many fans have even become so intoxicated with success that they are claiming that the Penguins are far greater than the Flyers and always have been. 

I have tried to reason with many to no avail. As a result, I felt it was my duty as a Philadelphia Flyers fan to do some investigating to really figure out who the better franchise is. After some extensive and somewhat tedious research, I have come to two conclusions: 1.) the Philadelphia Flyers are in fact the better franchise; and 2.) the Pittsburgh Penguins have had a tremendous amount of talent in their organization over the years.

First, let's define the term "better." The better team would most likely have the following:

• Overall team success (history of wins, losses, goals for, goals against, etc.);
• Overall vs. team success (the results of every match-up between both clubs); and
• Overall team accomplishments (Stanley Cups, conference championships, etc.).

To decide the better team, a comparison of both clubs will be drawn in all of these areas and an advantage point will be given to the team that comes out on top. Once the analysis is complete, some conclusions can be drawn as to who the better team is.

Let's begin, shall we?

All-time regular season statistics—a look at all-time wins, losses, etc. for both clubs.

Flyers: 1621 wins; 1118 losses; 458 ties; 64 OT losses; 3764 points; 0.577 win%; 11024 goals for; 9590 goals against.

Penguins: 1360 wins; 1452 losses; 383 ties; 65 OT losses; 3168 points; 0.486 win%; 10946 goals for; goals against N/A.      

Advantage = Flyers 1 - Penguins 0

Flyers all-time record vs. Penguins—how the Flyers have performed against the Penguins during regular season play throughout the history of both clubs.

132 wins (89 home, 43 away) vs. 75 losses (22 home, 53 away)

30 ties (eight home, 22 away); 5 OT losses (two home; three away)

891 goals for (505 home, 386 away) vs. 739 goals against (312 home, 427 away)

Advantage = Flyers 2 - Penguins 0

Stanley Cup Championships—what it's all about.

Flyers: two (1973-74; 1974-75) vs. Penguins: three (1990-91; 1991-92; 2008-09)

Advantage = Flyers 2 - Penguins 1

Conference Championships—number of conference championships both teams have won (consists of two different trophies due to the Flyers moving to the Eastern Conference prior to the 1981-82 season).

Flyers: 6+3=8

Campbell Bowl (Western Conference)—1967-68; 1973-74; 1974-75; 1975-76; 1976-77; 1979-80

Prince of Whales Trophy (Eastern Conference)—1984-85; 1986-87; 1996-97

Penguins: four

Prince of Whales Trophy (Eastern Conference)—1990-91; 1991-92; 2007-08; 2008-09

Advantage = Flyers 3 - Penguins 1

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