Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Franchise history

After years of clamoring for an NHL franchise, Philadelphia finally got one when the league expanded in 1967 for the first time in 40 years. The new teams were hampered by restrictive rules that kept all major talent with the "Original Six". The Flyers' top goal scorer that first season, Leon Rochefort, scored only 21 times.

Related Topics:
1967 - Original Six

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All six new franchises were placed into the "Western Division", where the Flyers finished first in their inaugural season. They would be upset by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs.

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The Flyers would prove by the early 1970s that they could challenge the original six. Bobby Clarke would emerge as the expansion teams' first superstar as they became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1974, defeating the Boston Bruins in six games. The Flyers, however, were derided by other teams (and lionized by their fans) for being the "Broad Street Bullies" (after home ice The Spectrum's location on Philadelphia's Broad Street): Seven players racked up over 100 penalty minutes during that Cup-winning season, and one (Dave "The Hammer" Schultz) sat in the box for 348 minutes--the equivalent of almost six whole games.

Related Topics:
1970s - Stanley Cup - 1974 - Boston Bruins - The Spectrum - Broad Street

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The approach worked though - they won the Cup again the next year, defeating the Buffalo Sabres, as Dave Schultz set a record for penalty minutes (472). In 1976, they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the finals, and would make at least the second round of the playoffs every year until 1982.

Related Topics:
Buffalo Sabres - 1976 - Montreal Canadiens - 1982

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In 1980, with second-year forward Ken Linseman leading the team in scoring, they would make the finals again, but would lose to the New York Islanders on Bob Nystrom's overtime goal in game 6. The Islanders' fourth goal in that game remains in dispute by Flyers fans to this day, as the Islanders were clearly offside, but no whistle was forthcoming. It was also during this season that the Flyers were undefeated for a North American professional sports record 35 straight games (25-0-10), a record that still stands more than 25 years later.

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The Flyers would return to the finals in 1985, behind the goaltending of Pelle Lindbergh (who led the league with 40 wins) and two 40-goal scorers, Tim Kerr and Brian Propp. They would prove to be no match for the Edmonton Oilers however, losing in five games.

Related Topics:
1985 - Tim Kerr - Brian Propp - Edmonton Oilers

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Lindbergh would die in a car accident just after the start of the 1985-86 NHL season, and the Flyers would lose in the first round of the playoffs to a Cinderella New York Rangers team. A rejuvenated Flyers team (with Ron Hextall as goaltender) would return to the finals in 1987, but lose again to the Oilers, in seven games.

Related Topics:
1985-86 NHL season - New York Rangers - Ron Hextall - Goaltender - 1987

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The Flyers stumbled in 1988, finishing third in the Patrick division (after a first-place finish the previous three years). Coach Mike Keenan was fired and replaced by Paul Holmgren in 1989, Kerr and Rick Tocchet would score 40 goals, and the Flyers would make the Wales conference finals before losing to the Canadiens.

Related Topics:
1988 - Mike Keenan - Paul Holmgren - Rick Tocchet

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They would not make the playoffs again for another five years, despite winning the arbitration battle for Eric Lindros against the New York Rangers. Lindros, Mikael Renberg, Rod Brind'Amour, Eric Desjardins, Gilbert Dionne and John LeClair (LeClair, Dionne and Desjardins acquired mid-season in a trade with Montreal for Mark Recchi) would shine in the abbreviated 1994-95 NHL season season as the Flyers made the conference finals before losing to the New Jersey Devils. Two years later, they won the Eastern Conference, but lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals.

Related Topics:
Eric Lindros - Mikael Renberg - Rod Brind'Amour - Eric Desjardins - Gilbert Dionne - John LeClair - Mark Recchi - 1994-95 NHL season - New Jersey Devils - Detroit Red Wings - Stanley Cup

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The Flyers would get high-scoring right winger Mark Recchi back in time for the 1999 playoffs (after a very successful three-year stint in the early 1990s), and they would lose the first round series to the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite giving up only nine goals in the six-game series. In 2000, the Flyers made it back to the conference final on the heels of an amazing goaltending performance by rookie Brian Boucher. They went up three games to one in the series, but lost the last three games to the New Jersey Devils (4-1, 2-1, and 2-1).

Related Topics:
1999 - Toronto Maple Leafs - 2000 - Brian Boucher - New Jersey Devils

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This would set off a string of disappointing postseasons, as well as erratic goaltending from Boucher, who would be replaced by Roman Cechmanek, a former star goalie in the Czech Republic. In 2001, they again lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, which featured a matchup between former Czech National Team teammates Dominik Hasek and Roman Cechmanek, as well as an 8-0 loss in the final game of the series. The next season, the Flyers would again lose in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the Ottawa Senators. Roman Cechmanek, much maligned for giving up "soft goals", took most of the blame for this loss, despite lackluster play from marquee players such as Adam Oates, Mark Recchi, and John Leclair. Leclair and Recchi failed to record a single point in the series.

Related Topics:
Roman Cechmanek - Czech Republic - 2001 - Buffalo Sabres - Dominik Hasek - Ottawa Senators - Adam Oates - Mark Recchi - John Leclair

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During the offseason, GM Bob Clarke would clean house, firing coach Bill Barber and hiring former Cup winner and Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock. There were also a few roster moves, with former rookie sensation Brian Boucher being dealt to the Phoenix Coyotes for Michal Handzus and goaltender Robert Esche, a career backup.

Related Topics:
Bill Barber - Dallas Stars - Ken Hitchcock - Phoenix Coyotes - Michal Handzus - Robert Esche

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In 2003, the Flyers endured a seven game first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but would lose once again to the Ottawa Senators in a gutsy six game series. The Flyers did not escape the playoffs without controversy, however, as Roman Cechmanek, despite allowing fluky goals, publicly lambasted his team for playing poorly against the Senators. Cechmanek would be traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the offseason for a third round draft choice, despite having the second-best goal-against average in the league over his three years in Philadelphia.

Related Topics:
2003 - Toronto Maple Leafs - Ottawa Senators - Los Angeles Kings

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With the departure of Cechmanek, the Flyers signed free agent journeyman goaltender Jeff Hackett, but would lose him midseason due to vertigo. The 2003-2004 season saw the Flyers trade for Mike Comrie and then deal him just 21 games later to the Phoenix Coyotes for Sean Burke, Prospect Ben Eager and Branko Radivojevic. During this time, Robert Esche quickly established himself as a number one goalie, and led the Flyers to the conference final for the first time since the 1999-2000 playoffs, where they lost in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Related Topics:
Jeff Hackett - Mike Comrie - Sean Burke - Ben Eager - Branko Radivojevic - Robert Esche - Tampa Bay Lightning

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On March 5, 2004, the Flyers became the first NHL team not in the Original Six to score 10,000 goals. That same game, the Flyers and the Ottawa Senators got into several brawls and set an NHL record for the most penalty minutes in a game with 419, breaking the mark of 406 set on February 26, 1981 by the Minnesota North Stars and Boston Bruins.

Related Topics:
2004 - Original Six - Penalty - 1981 - Minnesota North Stars - Boston Bruins

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On August 3, 2005, the Flyers signed former Colorado Avalanche star Peter Forsberg to a 2 year deal. The Flyers had drafted Forsberg 14 years previously, but had traded him to the Quebec Nordiques in the massive Eric Lindros deal. The Flyers went on to sign Jamie Storr, Derian Hatcher, Mike Rathje, and Jon Sim.

Related Topics:
Peter Forsberg - Quebec Nordiques - Eric Lindros - Jamie Storr - Derian Hatcher - Mike Rathje - Jon Sim

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