NHL: The 12 Greatest Philadelphia Flyers Of All-Time
The Philadelphia Flyers have been synonymous with "hatred" during their 44 years in the NHL. They've been hated by their opponents and the rest of the hockey world, besides their loyal Broad Streeters. They've seen many greats pass through the organization during their history. Because of players like Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent and countless others, they've been able to write loads of their own history.
Through the years, the Flyers have been very successful. Their "glory days," though, came in their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in the 1970s. Led by Clarke, Parent and Bill Barber among others, the Flyers were the best team in the league in those days. While they've still enjoyed much success, the elusive Stanley Cup is bugging them. Heartbreaking Finals losses to Edmonton, Chicago, Detroit and the New York Islanders have since plagued the organization.
Now with a plethora of talent and depth, the Flyers are looking for a return to the top of the NHL. A new wave of Flyers which includes Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Sergei Bobrovsky are willing to lead the team back to their "glory days."
Here are some of the greatest players to come through the organization.
Honorable Mention: Dave Schultz
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Dave "The Hammer" Schultz: what a way to start out the list as an honorable mention. Schultz defined the Flyers of the '70s. His style is still reminiscent of today's Philadelphia Flyers. That "Broad St. Bullies" moniker was earned through Schultz and his aggressive play. Schultz defined an era and status that the Flyers have carried through all these years.
While Schultz wasn't much of a scorer, he protected top players so they could in fact score. Schultz scored 51 goals during his four years as a Flyer, though.
His 472 penalty minutes in the Flyers' Cup winning season of 1974-'75 still stands as a record. Never has a more intimidating presence ever been felt (wearing Orange and Black) than Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.
Honorable Mention: Pelle Lindbergh
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Pelle Lindbergh was called on to become the next Flyers' great between the pipes. He was, in many ways, expected to be a continuation of his idol Bernie Parent. This was cut short, however, when Lindbergh was killed in a drunk driving accident at the young age of 26.
The young Flyer phenom saw his entire life flash right before him and, boom, that was it. For a man who had everything at such a young age, it all ended far too prematurely. From the beautiful wife to the fast, expensive, custom-made sports car, and everything in between, Lindbergh had it all, literally. Sometimes when your at the top of your game (both in life and sports) you need to settle down and put things in perspective. Lindbergh, unfortunately, learned this the hard way in 1985 on the on that cold November morning.
Many still speculate just how great he would've been as a Flyer. The world will have to forever ponder, but in the meantime remember the moments that Pelle left them breathless.
12. Brian Propp
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Brian Propp's infamous "guffaw" was one thing that Philadelphians will always remember him by. He also led the great Flyer teams of the '80s to lots of success. A perennial 40-goal scorer in those days, Propp left his mark on Flyers history.
This undersized winger enjoyed his best seasons in Philadelphia, yet he even played in the WHL with the Brandon Wheat Kings. Propp goes down as one of the greatest Flyers in history and his signature "guffaw" will always be remembered.
11. Eric Lindros
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How can "The Big E" make this list? How can't "The Big E" make this list? This was the debate that was going back and forth in my head before making this pick. It was a tough one, but my childhood hero (Lindros) ultimately won out.
Over several seasons, Lindros was the most dominant player in the NHL. He also was blessed to play on the game's best line during those years. Infamously dubbed "The Legion of Doom," no one wanted to defend them. When Lindros wanted to, he could most certainly bring his A-game.
His amazing size and physical presence was felt to make the Flyers a fearsome bunch. As captain, Lindros didn't disappoint during the first few promising seasons. Soon enough, though, mommy and daddy became involved and oops, there goes the legacy. Sorry Eric for hating you, but had you manned up, you could've been one of the greats.
10. Mark Recchi
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Mark Recchi is one of the most underrated players in NHL history. Always crafty and effective, "Rex" was a pleasure to watch in Philadelphia during his two tenures. The Flyers were fortunate to have this small, skillful grinder around for a number of years.
Recchi has averaged nearly one point per game during his career and has been solid wherever he's went. He's always an asset to his team and had some great years in Philadelphia. Recchi was great at feeding top scorers like Lindros, John Leclair and many others, but he himself was also a top scorer.
9. Eric Desjardins
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Eric Desjardins was the catalyst of the defense in Philadelphia for a lot of years. Though he was oftentimes worn down, Desjardins was a two-way threat. As a power-play quarterback, Desjardins' offensive mindset worked as an advantage.
The 1995 trade that brought Desjardins, John Leclair and Gilbert Dionne to Philadelphia was one of the best in franchise history. When you consider that a few years later, Recchi, who they originally traded, had returned, the Flyers "robbed" the Canadiens.
8. Reggie Leach
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"The Riverton Rifle" was the most undervalued part of the great "LCB Line" of the Cup days. That's not the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board either folks. That's Leach-Clarke-Barber, the most feared line of the 1970s that won consecutive Cups.
Leach scored loads of goals for the Flyers and had one of the hardest shots in NHL history. He scored over 300 goals as a Flyer and was one of the all-time leaders in team history in several offensive categories.
7. Tim Kerr
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One of the top scorers of the 1980s, Tim Kerr was all offense. He was one of the most prolific goal scorers in Flyer history. Kerr once scored four goals (three of which came on the power play) in one period against the New York Rangers in a playoff game at The Garden.
Kerr reached the 50-goal plateau four times during his Flyer career. In the 1985-86 season, he scored 34 power play goals, setting an NHL record.
6. Ron Hextall
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Ron Hextall embodied Flyer hockey perfectly. Perhaps no Flyer goalie wanted to be a skater/player more than Hextall. This rookie phenom followed in the wake of Lindbergh's death and did so admirably. Throughout his career, "Hex Stood Tall." He even scored two goals with the Flyers.
Hextall always looked to assert himself into the offense and ended up on the score-sheet consistently. The Flyers enjoyed some high times during Hextall's reign, nearly winning the Cup a couple of times. His rookie season was probably his best, but this doesn't take away from a solid career in the Flyer net. "Hexy" truly was one-of-a-kind.
5. John Leclair
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John Leclair set up shop right in front of the net. This was his office, so to speak, and led to many of his 406 goals. He's one of the greatest American goal scorers ever and was also part of that great 1995 trade with Montreal.
Leclair topped 40 goals consistently as a member of the "Legion of Doom" line. Sometimes, though, unfortunately too often, he'd go out quietly in the playoffs. Leclair remains a very beloved player in Philadelphia.
4. Mark Howe
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Mark Howe, the son of "Mr. Hockey" Gordie, was one gutsy defenseman. His leadership of the Flyer defense during the '80s set the bar going forward. His play on offense set the standard for what defensemen were capable of doing. On defense, Howe was equally as good.
This All-Star defenseman remains a snub in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Howe is unquestionably the greatest Flyer defenseman of all-time and deserves to be immortalized into Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame.
3. Bill Barber
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Bill Barber was often overshadowed by linemate Bobby Clarke throughout his career. This didn't stop him from being a top scorer for the Flyers, though. He was a very skilled forward and benefited greatly off of the selfless captain Clarke.
Barber was great at drawing penalties and took the "dive" to a whole new level. This only added to teams' growing hatred towards the Flyers. Barber became a superstar in Philadelphia and scored around 400 goals here. Impressively, Barber never scored less than 20 goals in an NHL season.
2. Bernie Parent
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Bernie Parent was the true leader of the Cup teams. Parent is still a very active part of the Flyers' family and is one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's so approachable and is just a great guy to be around. That being said, he was an even better goaltender.
Without Parent, the Flyers are still searching for their first Stanley Cup. His dominance in consecutive seasons helped the Flyers to two Cups. No one was better than Bernie nor will they ever be. He remains the greatest Philadelphia Flyer netminder ever! The saying is so true: "Only God saves more than Bernie Parent."
No player has had a greater influence on the organization than Parent. This says a lot about who the Flyers are as he's a great model to follow for them.
1. Bobby Clarke
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Bobby Clarke is Philadelphia Flyer hockey. He captained the greatest period in team history and won three MVPs during that time as well. For this small diabetic, hockey was often a stretch. With so many teams passing up on him on draft day, the Flyers gambled and never looked back. Instantly, Clarke became the heartbeat of the Flyers and willed them to history. They were able to win Cups on intimidation.
Later on, he transformed from "Bobby" to Bob and became the Flyers' GM. Even there, Clarke's willingness to win didn't stop. His gutsy moves were the key to more fruitful periods in Flyer history. He is undoubtedly the greatest Flyer of all-time. Clarke was a great two-way player and always played with an "edge" that helped the Flyers to success.
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