Philadelphia Flyers
The first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, the Broad Street Bullies of Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. They are the second NHL team to represent Philadelphia, with the first team, the Philadelphia Quakers, only playing one season in 1930–31. The team plays its home games at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, an indoor arena they share with the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Part of the 1967 NHL expansion, the Flyers are the first of the expansion teams in the post-Original Six era to win the Stanley Cup, victorious in 1974 and again in 1975. Since their two Stanley Cup victories, they have been in the Final five other times, most recently in 2010.
- draft_year
- 2008
- draft_round
- 6th
- draft_pick_overall
- 178th
- flyers_debut_date
- April 22, 2011
- flyers_contract_extension_date
- April 17, 2013
- flyers_extension_value
- $1.5 million
- flyers_ext_term_years
- 2
- bruins_trade_date
- Following the 2014–15 season
- bruins_trade_return
- third-round pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft
- bruins_suspension_2016_games
- 5
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Flyers play their home games on Broad Street, first at the Spectrum from 1967 until 1996, and then at Xfinity Mobile Arena since 1996. Their association with Broad Street, along with the players consistently brawling with other teams, earned them the nickname 'Broad Street Bullies' during the 1970s.
In Their Own Story
Rinaldo's time in Boston began after he was traded to the Bruins following the 2014–15 season in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft. His tenure there was turbulent; on March 1, 2016, he received a five-game suspension for an illegal hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cédric Paquette, resulting in a $51,829.25 pay forfeiture. After clearing waivers and being sent to the Providence Bruins, he faced immediate further discipline on March 4, 2016, receiving a match penalty for intent to injure against Bridgeport Sound Tigers defenceman Kane Lafranchise, leading to an indefinite suspension later reduced to five games for a head-targeting hit. He left the organization as a free agent after two seasons, having spent the entire 2016–17 campaign in the minors.
Reader's Guide
The Flyers were founded as part of the 1967 NHL expansion. Ed Snider, then vice-president of the Philadelphia Eagles, conceived the idea after seeing Boston Bruins fans lining up for tickets at the Boston Garden in 1964. The team name 'Flyers' was suggested by Snider's sister Phyllis and announced on August 3, 1966. In their early years, the Flyers selected Bernie Parent, Ed Van Impe, and Gary Dornhoefer in the 1967 expansion draft. Bobby Clarke was drafted 17th overall in 1969. The team introduced the tradition of playing Kate Smith's 'God Bless America' on December 11, 1969. Under coach Fred Shero, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, becoming the first expansion team to do so.
Did You Know?
- The Flyers' nickname 'Broad Street Bullies' was coined by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin on January 3, 1973.
- The Flyers introduced the tradition of playing Kate Smith's 'God Bless America' on December 11, 1969, as a way to defray national tensions during the Vietnam War.
- Bernie Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1974 after shutting out the Boston Bruins in game six of the Stanley Cup Final.
More in Great Rivalries & Feuds
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