Philadelphia Flyers

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. The nickname was coined by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin on January 3, 1973, after a 3–1 brawling victory over the Atlanta Flames. On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced a tradition of playing a recording of Kate Smith singing 'God Bless America' instead of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' with specific games, initially done by Flyers Promotion Director Lou Scheinfeld as a way to defray national tensions at the time of the Vietnam War.

In Their Own Story

The game itself was secondary to the brawl. Philadelphia won 5–3, with goals from Claude Lapointe, Mark Recchi, Danny Markov, Kim Johnsson, and Alexei Zhamnov. But the third period saw 409 penalty minutes assessed—another NHL record. After the seventh fight, the crowd booed when a face-off didn't immediately produce violence, then cheered as Mark Recchi hit Wade Redden, sparking fights between Recchi and Bryan Smolinski and between John LeClair and Redden. The officials needed 90 minutes after the game to sort out all the penalties. The brawl directly led to a new NHL rule for the 2005–06 season: anyone instigating a fight in the final five minutes would receive a one-game suspension.

Reader's Guide

The Flyers were founded as part of the 1967 NHL expansion. Their debut season was 1967–68, losing 5–1 to the California Seals on October 11, 1967. They won their division with a sub-.500 record despite playing their last seven home games on the road due to a storm damaging the Spectrum's roof. Key early players included goaltender Bernie Parent, Ed Van Impe, Gary Dornhoefer, and Bobby Clarke, who was drafted 17th overall in 1969. The Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1973–74 (defeating the Boston Bruins in six games) and 1974–75. Bernie Parent won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1974. Bobby Clarke won the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP after the 1972–73 season.

Did You Know?

• The Flyers' name was suggested by Ed Snider's sister, Phyllis, and announced on August 3, 1966.
• The Philadelphia Quakers, the city's first NHL team, played only one season in 1930–31, compiling a record of 4–36–4, the fewest wins in an NHL season.
• The Flyers set an NHL record for most ties in a season (24) in 1969–70.
• Rick MacLeish became the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season, in 1972–73.