1975 Stanley Cup

Lore & Background

Buffalo defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–1 in the quarterfinals and the Montreal Canadiens 4–2 in the semifinals to advance to the final. Philadelphia defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4–0 and the New York Islanders 4–3 to make it to the final. Bernie Parent was the outgunned Flyers' best player, allowing only 12 goals in the six games, capped with a shutout. He became the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for two consecutive years. Since Parent, only two players have also won consecutive Conn Smythe Trophies: the Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux in the Penguins' Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992 and Sidney Crosby in the Penguins' 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championships. In the deciding game six played in Buffalo, the Sabres' offensive big guns rained shot after shot on Parent in an all-out effort to turn the series around, but Parent remained perfect. He stopped French Connection linemates Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin on a 2–1 late in period two that had Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart screaming into his microphone: Out come the Sabres...two on one...Perreault and Martin with just Dupont back...Perrault to Martin...He's in...Shot!....save by Parent...and he hangs on!...Oh baby! The dramatic stop by Parent took the offensive energy out of the Sabres and the Flyers scored two third-period goals to take the championship.

In Their Own Story

The Spectrum in late May 1975 smelled of cold air, hot coffee, and 19,000 people holding their breath. The crowd noise was a living thing—a low, rolling thunder that never broke, just swelled and receded with every shift. On the ice, the puck skidded across the frozen surface in short, desperate bursts. A Bruins forward drove the net, the stick clacking against the crossbar, and the entire arena exhaled in a single, shuddering gasp. Then Clarke, face buried in the boards, lifted his head, spat a mouthful of ice, and pointed down the ice. The Flyers' line surged forward, Leach carrying the puck with that low, hard, relentless stride, and the Spectrum erupted into a roar that shook the glass. The horn sounded. The players piled in. And somewhere in the chaos, a kid in a Flyers jersey in the third row was screaming so hard his voice had gone completely raw.

Reader's Guide

The third game of the series was the Fog Game. Due to unusual heat in Buffalo in May 1975, and the lack of an air conditioning system in the auditorium, portions of the game were played in heavy fog. During stoppages of play, rink employees skated around the arena ice carrying bed sheets in an attempt to dispel the fog. Players, officials, and the puck were invisible to many spectators. The fog began to form just minutes after another odd incident: A bat in the arena, which flew above and around the players for the majority of the game, until Sabres center Jim Lorentz killed it with his stick. Many superstitious Buffalo fans considered this to be an 'evil omen', pertaining to the result of the series. The game continued and the Sabres won thanks to Rene Robert's goal in overtime. The 1975 Stanley Cup was presented to Flyers captain Bobby Clarke by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Flyers 2–0 win over the Sabres in game six.

Did You Know?

• The 1975 Flyers are the last Stanley Cup championship team to be composed solely of Canadian players.
• Bernie Parent became the first player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for two consecutive years.
• The third game of the series was the Fog Game, played in heavy fog due to unusual heat and lack of air conditioning.
• A bat flew around the arena during the third game until Sabres center Jim Lorentz killed it with his stick.