1997 Eastern Conference Final Game 3 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The 1997 playoff clash that ended with a standing ovation for a rival legend.
The Flyers–Penguins rivalry, also known as the Battle of Pennsylvania, is a National Hockey League (NHL) rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Both teams compete in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The rivalry began in 1967, when teams were introduced into the NHL's "Next Six" expansion wave. The rivalry exists due to divisional alignment and geographic location, as both teams play in the state of Pennsylvania. The Flyers and Penguins met in the Stanley Cup playoffs four times in 11 years from 2008 to 2018, strengthening the rivalry.
Quick Facts
- Series
- 1997 Eastern Conference Final (Round 3)
- Format
- Best of 7
- Flyers captain
- Eric Lindros
- Flyers key offense
- John LeClair, Eric Desjardins
- Penguins key offense
- Mario Lemieux
- Jaromir Jagr
- Ron Francis
- Penguins goaltender
- Tom Barrasso
- Series outcome
- Flyers advance to the Stanley Cup Final
Lore & Background
The rivalry continued during the 1990s with the arrival of Eric Lindros in Philadelphia, which gave the Flyers a counterbalance against Lemieux. Further divisional realignment split the teams up again in , and the Penguins spent the next five seasons in the Northeast Division. Lindros and Jagr were tied for 70 points; the League scoring lead in , but Jagr won the Art Ross Trophy for having scored three more goals than Lindros (32 to 29). Lindros, however, won the Hart Memorial Trophy that season as League MVP, with Lemieux winning it the following season in , with Lindros as first runner-up.
During that same season, the Flyers won the Eastern Conference's crown by one point in the standings, despite Pittsburgh having 49 wins to Philadelphia's 45. The two teams met again in the playoffs, in the 1997 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Flyers won in five games, and Lemieux subsequently retired for the first time at the end of the series. After game five, Lemieux skated around the ice and received a standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd.
He previously received a standing ovation from the Philadelphia crowd in March 1993 after returning from radiation treatments.
Reader's Guide
The 1997 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the Flyers and Penguins was won by the Flyers in five games. The series marked the first playoff meeting between the teams since the Patrick Division finals in . The Flyers' victory led to Mario Lemieux's first retirement.
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