Rick MacLeish
The Flyers' first pure goal-scoring sniper and two-time Stanley Cup champion.
Richard George MacLeish (January 3, 1950 – May 30, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings. He played 12 seasons in Philadelphia, winning the Stanley Cup twice with the Flyers in 1974 and 1975. His 53 goals in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Flyers is a franchise record that he shares with Bill Barber.
- Position
- Defenseman
- Primary Team
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Stanley Cups
- 1974, 1975
- Dynasty Era
- Early-to-mid 1970s
- Playing Style
- Physical, stay-at-home, shot-blocking
- Team Identity Role
- Defensive anchor / enforcer of the blue line
Lore & Background
MacLeish was the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season (1972–73), adding 50 assists for 100 points, finishing fourth in league scoring. He led the Flyers in playoff scoring during both Stanley Cup championships. Known for his whipping wrist shot and smooth skating, he was described as the Flyers' first pure goal-scoring 'sniper.' In the 1973 playoffs, he scored an overtime winner in Montreal after intercepting a pass that Frank Mahovlich lost in a puddle of water.
In Their Own Story
The Spectrum was packed, the air thick with cigarette smoke and the smell of fresh-cut ice. It was the third period of a 1974 Finals game, the Flyers trailing by one, and the Blackhawks were pressing. MacLeish skated back through the neutral zone, stick dragging, eyes locked on the puck carrier. He didn't race. He didn't need to. He simply turned his shoulders, dropped his hip, and met the winger in the blue line with a two-handed check that sent the man tumbling into the boards. The puck bounced loose. MacLeish was already turning, already skating forward, already making the next play. The crowd roared—not because it was a highlight, but because it was *MacLeish*. That was the Flyers. That was the dynasty. And he would do it again in the next period, and the one after, and the one after that, until the final buzzer and the confetti fell.
Reader's Guide
MacLeish was a forward, not a defenseman. His value was measured in goals and points, not hits or blocked shots. He is remembered for offensive production, including a 50-goal season, and for his wrist shot and gliding style. He did not anchor the defensive core; he was a center who scored key goals, including the only goal in the 1974 Stanley Cup-clinching game.
Did You Know?
- MacLeish scored 53 playoff goals for the Flyers, a franchise record shared with Bill Barber.
- He was the first Philadelphia Flyer to score 50 goals in a single season.
- In April 1978, MacLeish suffered a cut neck requiring 80 stitches after sliding into Marcel Dionne's skate, but returned to the lineup days later.
- MacLeish died on May 30, 2016, at age 66 from meningitis, kidney failure, and liver failure.
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