| Philadelphia Flyers | |
|---|---|
 2025–26 Philadelphia Flyers season | |
 | |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Metropolitan |
| Founded | 1967 |
| History | Philadelphia Flyers 1967–present |
| Home arena | Xfinity Mobile Arena |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
 | |
| Team colors | Burnt orange, black, white[1][2] |
| Media | NBC Sports Philadelphia NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus Peacock WPEN (97.5 The Fanatic) WMMR |
| Owner | Comcast Spectacor |
| General manager | Daniel Briere |
| Head coach | Rick Tocchet |
| Captain | Sean Couturier |
| Minor league affiliates | Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) Reading Royals (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 2 (1973–74,1974–75) |
| Conference championships | 8 (1974–75,1975–76,1976–77,1979–80,1984–85,1986–87,1996–97,2009–10)[note 1] |
| Presidents' Trophies | 0[note 2] |
| Division championships | 16 (1967–68,1973–74,1974–75,1975–76,1976–77,1979–80,1982–83,1984–85,1985–86,1986–87,1994–95,1995–96,1999–00,2001–02,2003–04,2010–11) |
| Official website | nhl |
ThePhiladelphia Flyers are a professionalice hockey team based inPhiladelphia. The Flyers compete in theNational Hockey League (NHL) as a member of theMetropolitan Division in theEastern Conference.[3] The team plays its home games atXfinity Mobile Arena in theSouth Philadelphia Sports Complex, an indoor arena they share with thePhiladelphia 76ers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and thePhiladelphia Wings of theNational Lacrosse League (NLL). Part of the1967 NHL expansion, the Flyers are the first of theexpansion teams in the post-Original Six era to win theStanley Cup, victorious in1973–74 and again in1974–75.
The Flyers' all-timepoints percentage of 56.8% (as of the2023–24 NHL season[update]) is the fourth-best in the NHL, behind only theVegas Golden Knights,Montreal Canadiens andBoston Bruins.[4] Additionally, the Flyers have the most appearances in the conference finals of all 26 expansion teams (16 appearances, winning 8), and they are second behind theSt. Louis Blues for the most playoff appearances out of all expansion teams (40 out of 56 seasons).[4]
The Flyers have played their home games onBroad Street since their inception, first at theSpectrum from 1967 until 1996, and then at Xfinity Mobile Arena since 1996. The Flyers have hadrivalries with several teams over the years. Historically, their biggest adversaries have been theNew York Rangers, with an intense rivalry stretching back to the 1970s. They have also waged lengthy campaigns against theNew York Islanders in the 1970s and 1980s, the Boston Bruins in the 1970s and 2010s, theWashington Capitals, since their days in thePatrick Division,[5][6] as well as theNew Jersey Devils, with whom they traded the Atlantic Division title every season between1994–95 and2006–07, and with their cross-state rivals, thePittsburgh Penguins, which is considered by many to be the best rivalry in the league.[7][8][9]
Prior to 1967, Philadelphia had only iced a team in the NHL in the1930–31 season, when the financially strugglingPittsburgh Pirates relocated in 1930 as thePhiladelphia Quakers, playing at The Arena at 46th and Market Streets. The club, garbed in orange and black like today's Flyers, was coached byJ. Cooper Smeaton, who was to be elected to theHockey Hall of Fame 30 years later, for his far more notable role as an NHL referee. Among the young Quakers' skaters in 1930–31 was another future Hall of Famer in 19-year-old rookie centerSyd Howe. The Quakers' only "claim to fame" was to establish a single season NHL record for futility which has stood ever since, by compiling a dismal record of 4–36–4, still the fewest games ever won in a season by an NHL club. The Quakers quietly suspended operations after that single dreadful campaign to again leave the Can-Am League'sPhiladelphia Arrows as Philadelphia's lone hockey team. The Quakers' dormant NHL franchise was finally canceled by the league in 1936.[10][11]
In 1946, a group led byMontreal and Philadelphia sportsmanLen Peto announced plans to put another NHL team in Philadelphia, to build a $2.5 million rink to seat 20,000 where thePhillies' former ballpark stood at Broad and Huntingdon Streets, and to acquire the franchise of the oldMontreal Maroons.[12] The latter was held by the Canadian Arena Company, owner of theMontreal Canadiens. However, Peto's group was unable to raise funding for the new arena project by the league-imposed deadline, and the NHL cancelled the Maroons franchise.[13][14][15]
While attending a basketball game on November 29, 1964, at theBoston Garden,Ed Snider, the then-vice-president of thePhiladelphia Eagles, observed a crowd ofBoston Bruins fans lining up to purchase tickets to see a last-place ice hockey team.[16] He began making plans for a new arena upon hearing the NHL was looking to expand due to fears of a competing league taking hold on the West Coast and the desire for a new television contract in the United States. Snider made his proposal to the league, which chose the Philadelphia group – including Snider, Bill Putnam, Jerome Schiff and Philadelphia Eagles ownerJerry Wolman – over theBaltimore group.
On April 4, 1966, Putnam announced that there was going to be a name-the-team contest.[17] Details of the contest were released on July 12.[17] Snider's sister, Phyllis, thought that a name that fits well with Philadelphia was "Flyers." Instead of going through with the naming contest, Ed Snider took his sister's advice.[18] The team name was announced on August 3.[17]
The new teams were hampered by restrictive rules that kept all major talent with the "Original Six" teams. In the1967 NHL expansion draft, most of the players available were either aging veterans or career minor-leaguers before expansion occurred. Among the Flyers' 20 selections wereBernie Parent,Doug Favell,Bill Sutherland,Ed Van Impe,Joe Watson,Lou Angotti,Leon Rochefort andGary Dornhoefer. Having purchased the minor-leagueQuebec Aces, the team had a distinctlyfrancophone flavor in its early years, with Parent, Rochefort,Andre Lacroix,Serge Bernier,Jean-Guy Gendron,Simon Nolet andRosaire Paiement among others. Beginning play in1967–68, the Philadelphia Flyers made their debut on October 11, 1967, losing 5–1 on the road to theCalifornia Seals.[19] They won their first game a week later, defeating theSt. Louis Blues on the road, 2–1.[20] The Flyers made their home debut in front of a crowd of 7,812, shutting-out their intrastate rivals, thePittsburgh Penguins, 1–0 on October 19.[21] Lou Angotti was named the firstcaptain in Flyers history, while Rochefort was the Flyers' top goal scorer after netting a total of 21 goals. With all six expansion teams grouped into the same division, the Flyers were able to win the division with a sub-.500 record despite being forced to play their last seven home games on the road due to a storm blowing parts of theSpectrum's roof off.[22] However, playoff success did not come so quickly, as the Flyers were upset by St. Louis in a first-round, seven-game series.
Angotti left the team in the off-season, being replaced by Van Impe as team captain. Led by Van Impe and the team-leading 24 goals of Andre Lacroix, the Flyers struggled during their sophomore season by finishing 15 games under .500. Despite their poor regular season showing in1968–69, they made theplayoffs. They again lost to St. Louis, this time being dispatched in a four-game sweep. Not wanting his team to be physically outmatched again, majority owner Ed Snider instructed general managerBud Poile to acquire bigger, tougher players.[16] Whilehead coachKeith Allen soon after replaced Poile as general manager, this mandate eventually led to one of the most feared teams to ever take the ice in the NHL. The keystone of those teams was acquired when the Flyers took a chance on a 19-year-old diabetic fromFlin Flon, Manitoba,Bobby Clarke, with their second draft pick, 17th overall, in the1969 NHL amateur draft. Keeping to Snider's mandate, the team also drafted future enforcerDave Schultz 52nd overall.
By the time training camp came around, it was clear that Clarke was the team's best player, and he quickly became a fan favorite. His 15 goals and 31 assists in his rookie season earned him a trip to theNHL All-Star Game. Despite his arrival, the team struggled in1969–70, recording only 17 wins – the fewest in franchise history and set the NHL team record for most ties in a season (24). They lost the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot to theOakland Seals, missing the playoffs for the first time.
On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced what became one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording ofKate Smith singing "God Bless America" instead of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before important games. The perception was that the team was more successful on these occasions, so the tradition grew. The move was initially done by Flyers Promotion Director Lou Scheinfeld as a way to defray national tensions at the time of theVietnam War: Scheinfeld noticed that people regularly left their seats and walked around during the anthem, but showed more respect and often sang along to "God Bless America". As of the close of the 2016–17 season, the Flyers have a record of 100–29–5 when "God Bless America" was sung prior to Flyers home games.[23]
In1970–71, the Flyers had bounced back from the previous season and returned to the playoffs, but were swept by theChicago Blackhawks in the first round. Even though the team had improved their record in his second season behind the bench, head coachVic Stasiuk was replaced byFred Shero in the off-season. The team was involved in a three-way trade that sent Bernie Parent to theToronto Maple Leafs while receivingRick MacLeish from the Boston Bruins.
The team began to shift to a more aggressive style of play while also dominating on offense during this time. Bobby Clarke continued to progress as he led the team in scoring in1971–72 and became the first Flyer to win an NHL award, theBill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. However, in the season's final game, the Flyers needed a win or a tie against the second-yearBuffalo Sabres to beat out Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot. The score was tied late in the game, but with just four seconds on the clock, former FlyerGerry Meehan took a shot from just inside the blue line that eluded Flyers goaltenderDoug Favell.[24] The Flyers lost the head-to-head tiebreaker to Pittsburgh and missed the playoffs.
As it turned out, it was the last time the Flyers missed the playoffs for 18 years. In the1972–73 season the Flyers got rid of the mediocre expansion team label and instead became the intimidating "Broad Street Bullies", a nickname coined by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of thePhiladelphia Bulletin on January 3, 1973,[25] after a 3–1 brawling victory over theAtlanta Flames that led Chevalier to write in his game account, "The image of the fightin' Flyers spreading gradually around the NHL, and people are dreaming up wild nicknames. They're the Mean Machine, the Bullies of Broad Street and Freddy's Philistines." Cafone wrote the accompanying headline: "Broad Street Bullies Muscle Atlanta."[26] That same month, Clarke was the youngest player (at that time) in NHL history to be named team captain, replacing Ed Van Impe. Rick MacLeish became the first Flyer to score 50 goals in a season and the Flyers recorded their first winning season.
An overtime goal byGary Dornhoefer in game five turned the tide of their first-round series with theMinnesota North Stars in the Flyers' favor, as the Flyers got their first playoff series win in six games. However, they were outmatched in the semifinals by the Montreal Canadiens, losing in five games. After the season, Clarke became the first expansion team player to be awarded theHart Memorial Trophy as the NHL'smost valuable player.
Goaltender Bernie Parent returned to the franchise in the off-season, and the Flyers proved that the expansion teams could challenge the Original Six in1973–74. The Bullies continued their rough-and-tumble ways, led by Dave Schultz's 348 penalty minutes, and reached the top of theWest Division with a record of 50–16–12. The return of Parent proved to be of great benefit, as he established himself as one of if not the best goaltender in the league after winning 47 games, a record which stood for 33 years.[27] Since the Flyers, along with Chicago, allowed the fewest goals in the league, Parent also shared theVezina Trophy with Chicago'sTony Esposito.
Come playoff time, the Flyers swept the Atlanta Flames in four games in the first round. In the semifinals, the Flyers faced theNew York Rangers. The series, which saw the home team win every game, went seven games. Fortunately for the Flyers, they hadhome-ice advantage as they advanced to theStanley Cup Final by winning game seven and in the process made history by becoming the first expansion team to win a playoff series over an Original Six team.
Their opponent,Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins, took game one in Boston, but Bobby Clarke scored an overtime goal in game two to even the series. The Flyers then won games 3 and 4 at home to take a 3–1 series lead, though Boston won game five to stave off elimination. That set the stage for game six at the Spectrum. Kate Smith appeared in person before game six to sing her rendition of "God Bless America", even miming a "knockout punch" after her performance. The Flyers picked up the lead early when Rick MacLeish scored a first-period goal. Late in the game, Orr hauled down Clarke on a breakaway, a penalty which assured the Flyers of victory. Time expired as the Flyers brought theStanley Cup to Philadelphia for the first time. Parent, with his shutout against Boston in game six, won theConn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.[28]
Under the1974–75 season, Dave Schultz topped his mark from the previous season by setting an NHL record for penalty minutes with 472. Clarke's efforts earned him his second Hart Trophy and Parent was the lone recipient of the Vezina Trophy. The Flyers as a team improved their record slightly with a mark of 51–18–11, the best record in the NHL. After a first-round bye, the Flyers easily swept the Toronto Maple Leafs and were presented with another New York-area team in the semifinals, theNew York Islanders. The Flyers looked to be headed toward another sweep after winning the first three games. However, the Islanders fought back by winning the next three games, setting up a deciding seventh game. The Flyers were finally able to shut the door on the Islanders, winning game seven, 4–1.
Facing Buffalo in theStanley Cup Final, the Flyers won the first two games at home. Game three, played in Buffalo, went down in hockey lore as "The Fog Game" due to an unusual May heatwave in Buffalo that forced parts of the game to be played in heavy fog, as Buffalo's arena lacked air conditioning. The Flyers lost games 3 and 4, but won game five at home in dominating fashion, 5–1. On the road for game six,Bob Kelly scored the decisive goal and Parent pitched another shutout (a playoff record fifth shutout) as the Flyers repeated as Stanley Cup champions. Parent also repeated as the playoffs MVP, winning a second consecutive Conn Smythe Trophy.
The highlight of the1975–76 season had no bearing on the season standings. On January 11 at the Spectrum, the Flyers, as part of theSuper Series '76, playeda memorable exhibition game against the Soviet Union's dominantCentral Red Army team. As the Bullies had put intimidation to good use the past three years, the Flyers' rugged style of play led the Soviets to leave the ice midway through the first period, protesting a hit onValeri Kharlamov, whom Clarke had slashed on the ankle in the famousSummit Series '72, by Ed Van Impe. After some delay, the Soviets returned after they were warned that they would lose their salary for the entire series. The Flyers went on to win the game rather easily, 4–1, and were the only team to defeat the Red Army outright in the series. After that win, the Spectrum became known as the "most intimidating building to play in and has the most intimidating fans." Head coach Fred Shero proclaimed, "Yes we are world champions. If they had won, they would have been world champions. We beat the hell out of a machine."[29]
The Flyers recorded the best record in team history (points-wise) with a record of 51–13–16 and set the record for most consecutive home wins in regulation (20). The LCB line, featuringReggie Leach at right-wing, Bobby Clarke at center andBill Barber at left-wing, set an NHL record for goals by a single line with 141 (Leach 61, Clarke 30, Barber 50). Clarke, on his way to a third Hart Trophy, set a club record for points in one season with 119. Heading into the playoffs, the Flyers squeaked past Toronto in seven games and defeated Boston in five games, with game five featuring a five-goal outburst by Leach, the "RivertonRifle", to head to a third-straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. However, the Flyers did not come close to a third straight championship without an injured Bernie Parent, as they ran into an up-and-coming dynasty in Montreal, and were swept in four-straight games. Despite the loss, Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for scoring a record 19 goals in 16 playoff games.
Dethroned, the heyday of the Broad Street Bullies began to come to an end, as prior to the1976–77 season, tough-guy Dave Schultz was traded to theLos Angeles Kings. Despite a slight drop-off in performance, the Flyers dominated thePatrick Division with what proved to be their fourth-straight division title. After disposing of Toronto in six games, the Flyers found themselves in the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season. Pitted against Boston, the Flyers lost games 1 and 2 at home in overtime and did not return home as they were swept in four straight games. The Flyers lost their hold on the Patrick Division in1977–78 and settled for second place. After sweeping theColorado Rockies in two games in the preliminary round, the Flyers moved on to beat Buffalo in five games. They then faced Boston in the semifinals for the second consecutive season, and lost again, this time in five games. Following the season, the Flyers were stunned when head coach Shero left to become general manager and head coach of the New York Rangers. As compensation for Shero, the Flyers received the Rangers' first-round draft pick in1978.
Bob McCammon, who had just coached the Flyers' first yearAmerican Hockey League (AHL)Maine Mariners farm club to aCalder Cup title, replaced Fred Shero behind the bench. After a slow start in1978–79, the Flyers switched McCammon withPat Quinn, Shero's previous assistant coach, who had replaced McCammon with the Mariners. Adding to the problems, Bernie Parent suffered a career-ending eye injury. The Flyers rallied under Quinn and finished in second place. Matched up against theVancouver Canucks in the preliminary round, the Flyers won the series in three games. The Flyers' season came to an end against Fred Shero's Rangers in a five-game quarterfinals loss.
The Flyers began the1979–80 season with a somewhat controversial move by naming Clarke a playing assistant coach and giving the captaincy toMel Bridgman. While Clarke was against this initially, he accepted his new role. The Flyers went undefeated for a North American professional sports record 35-straight games (25–0–10), before losing 7–1 to the Minnesota North Stars, a record that still stands to this day.[30] The streak started after the team was 1–1 on October 14, and ended on January 7, 1980.[31] In doing so, the Flyers wrapped up the Patrick Division title with 14 games to spare and the first overall seed in the playoffs. Their regular season success continued into the playoffs, as the Flyers swept a youngWayne Gretzky and hisEdmonton Oilers in the first round, then went on to get revenge against Fred "The Fog" Shero and his Rangers by beating them in five before disposing of Minnesota in five to lock up a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. Facing the Islanders for the Cup, the Flyers ultimately lost in six games onBob Nystrom's overtime Stanley Cup-winning goal. The result of the series was marred by controversy, as the Islanders wereoffside on the play that resulted in their second goal, but the call was not made. LinesmanLeon Stickle admitted after the game that he had blown the call. After a tough, five-game preliminary round series win against theQuebec Nordiques, the team's1980–81 season came to an end as they lost in the quarterfinals to theCalgary Flames in seven games.[32]
Soon the last of the Broad Street Bullies guard moved on. Gone were the likes of Leach, MacLeish, Dupont, Kelly, Jimmy Watson and finally Barber and Clarke in 1984, and taking their spots over the next few seasons were young talent such asBrian Propp,Tim Kerr,Dave Poulin,Pelle Lindbergh andMark Howe, who upon arrival instantly became the Flyers' top defenseman for the next decade.
Over the next three seasons the team would suffer early playoff exits and manage to win only one playoff game during that span. They were eliminated two years in a row in1981–82 and1982–83 by the New York Rangers and then were swept by theWashington Capitals in1983–84. Following the loss to Washington, Bobby Clarke retired from play and was named vice-president and general manager of the team.Mike Keenan, a relative unknown at the time, was hired in 1984 to coach the team, and named second-year player Dave Poulin team captain.
Behind the goaltending of Pelle Lindbergh (who led the NHL with 40 wins and was the first European to win the Vezina Trophy),[27] the Flyers won a franchise-record 53 games – best in the NHL – during the1984–85 season. The Flyers rolled through the playoffs by sweeping the Rangers in three games, defeating the Islanders in five and beating Quebec in six to return to theStanley Cup Final. Though they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers in game one by a score of 4–1 at home, Edmonton won the next four games and the series.
A month into the1985–86 season, Pelle Lindbergh was killed in a car accident. The team rallied and showed perseverance by garnering the best record in the Wales Conference and matching their win total (53) from the previous year. Tim Kerr scored 58 goals and the defense pairing of Howe andBrad McCrimmon led the League in plus-minus, a +85 and a +83, respectively.Bob Froese filled in admirably in net for Lindbergh, being named a second Team All-Star and sharing theWilliam M. Jennings Trophy with teammateDarren Jensen. Despite their regular season success, an emotionally exhausted Flyers team lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Rangers in five games.
During the1986–87 season, the Flyers were rejuvenated by the ascension of 22-year-old goaltenderRon Hextall.[27] In his rookie season, he became the third Flyers goaltender to win the Vezina Trophy, joining Parent and Lindbergh. With Hextall providing the critical stops at crucial times, the Flyers captured a third-straight Patrick Division title, and were able to gain revenge on the Rangers by beating them in six games in the division semifinals, as well as surviving a tough seven-game test from a gritty Islanders club, in the division finals. The Flyers then defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Canadiens in a fiery six-game series (notable for a famous bench-clearing brawl during the game six warmup) to win the Wales Conference and return to theStanley Cup Final. As was the case two seasons prior, the Flyers became decimated by injuries, the most significant of which was losing Kerr for the remainder of the playoffs. After falling behind three games to one in the Stanley Cup Final, the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit on the road in game five to extend the series, then won game six at home with another late-game comeback. However, they could not overcome the odds a third time and eventually succumbed to the Oilers, 3–1, in game seven. Hextall was voted playoffs MVP, the second time a Flyer won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite being on the losing team (the other being another Manitoban, Reggie Leach, in 1976).[note 3]
The Flyers stumbled in1987–88, finishing third in the Patrick Division (after a first-place finish the previous three years). Hextall became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal by firing the puck into an empty net in a December 8 game against Boston. In their first-round playoff series with Washington, the Flyers blew a 3–1 series lead as Washington forced a game seven. They then blew a 3–0 lead in game seven as Washington won in overtime 5–4. It was because of this playoff collapse that "Iron Mike" was fired.Paul Holmgren was named Keenan's replacement, the first time a former Flyer was named the club's head coach.
Despite finishing at the .500 mark in1988–89, the Flyers made the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season. Facing first-place Washington in the first round, the Flyers pulled off the upset in six games. Ron Hextall managed to score another empty-net goal in the waning moments of game five, becoming the first NHL goaltender to score a goal in the playoffs. The Flyers then defeated Pittsburgh in seven games to make the conference finals before bowing out to Montreal in six games.
The1989–90 season got off to a bad start for the Flyers, and continued to get worse. Hextall missed all but eight games due to suspension for attackingChris Chelios at the end of the Montreal playoff series the previous spring, contract holdout issues, and injury. Holmgren replaced Dave Poulin as captain in December withRon Sutter, which led to Poulin's (and later that season, Brian Propp's) trade to Boston. As a result, the Flyers missed theStanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 1972. Bobby Clarke, having been with the Flyers organization since he was drafted in 1969, was fired and replaced as general manager byRuss Farwell.
Ron Hextall continued to be hampered by injuries during the1990–91 season. He only played in 36 games and as a result the Flyers missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, finishing fifth in the Division and three points short of a playoff spot after a late-season collapse.
Prior to the1991–92 season, the Flyers acquiredRod Brind'Amour from St. Louis. Brind'Amour led the Flyers in goals (33), assists (44) and points (77) in his first season with the club. With Ron Sutter gone to St. Louis in the Brind'Amour trade,Rick Tocchet was named team captain. As the Flyers continued to flounder, Paul Holmgren was fired midway through the season and replaced byBill Dineen, father of FlyerKevin Dineen. On February 19, the Flyers and Pittsburgh made a major five-player deal which featured Tocchet – who never grew comfortably into the role of captain – heading to Pittsburgh andMark Recchi coming to Philadelphia. Recchi recorded 27 points in his first 22 games as a Flyer, but the team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, due in large part to an awful road record (10–26–4). With Tocchet traded, the Flyers remained without a captain until Kevin Dineen was named to the post in 1993–94, and instead went with three alternate captains.
In June 1992, the Flyers persuaded Bobby Clarke to return to the team as senior vice president afterJay Snider won the hard-foughtarbitration battle for1991 first overall pickEric Lindros against the Rangers. It was determined that Quebec had made a deal with the Flyers before making a deal with the Rangers. In order to acquire Lindros' rights, the Flyers parted with six players, tradingSteve Duchesne,Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall,Kerry Huffman,Mike Ricci,Chris Simon, a1993 first-round draft pick (Jocelyn Thibault), a1994 first-round draft pick (Nolan Baumgartner) and $15 million to Quebec. While Lindros became a preeminent star in Philadelphia, the trade proved heavily lopsided in favor of the Nordiques – soon to become theColorado Avalanche – providing the core of their two Stanley Cup teams and an unprecedented eight-straight division championships, with Forsberg becoming a franchise player.
The trio of Lindros, Recchi andBrent Fedyk formed the Crazy Eights line in Lindros' first two years in the NHL, the eights being the player's jersey numbers (88, 8 and 18 respectively). In1992–93, Recchi set the franchise record for points in a season with 123 (53 goals and 70 assists) and Lindros scored 41 goals in 61 games. After struggling early, the Flyers made a run at the playoffs, but came four points short of the last spot. Head coach Bill Dineen was fired at the season's end, while Clarke left town again to become general manager of the expansionFlorida Panthers.
For1993–94,Terry Simpson was hired as the new head coach in hopes of returning the Flyers to the playoffs after four consecutive off-years. Mark Recchi recorded 107 points (40 goals and 67 assists) and Lindros 97 (44 goals and 53 assists), whileMikael Renberg set a Flyers rookie record with 82 points. Offense was generated yet the Flyers still failed to clinch a playoff berth, again falling four points short of the final playoff spot. Jay Snider stepped down as president, forcing his father Ed Snider to take over day-to-day operations.
The elder Snider had decided he had seen enough of Farwell as general manager, and began courting Bobby Clarke to leave his general manager post with Florida to return to Philadelphia. Farwell's last move as general manager was firing Simpson after a lackluster performance. Clarke returned to the general manager position prior to thelockout-shortened1994–95 season and immediately began putting his stamp on the team. New head coachTerry Murray replaced Kevin Dineen as team captain with Lindros prior to the start of training camp. In order to shore up the defense, Ron Hextall was re-acquired from the Islanders and high-scoring winger Recchi was traded to Montreal forEric Desjardins,Gilbert Dionne andJohn LeClair early in the abbreviated season.
The Flyers initially struggled out of the gate, going only 3–7–1 through their first 11 games while being outscored 34–22. Lindros and LeClair then teamed with Renberg to form theLegion of Doom line, a mix of scoring talent and physical intimidation. In their 37 games (including the 3–1 victory on February 11, 1995, against the New Jersey Devils), the Flyers went 25–9–3 and outscored their opponents 128–98 en route. Lindros tiedJaromir Jagr for the regular season scoring lead (though Jagr won theArt Ross Trophy with more goals), and captured the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP. The playoff drought came to an end as the Flyers won their first division title in eight years and clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference. After dispatching Buffalo in five and sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champion Rangers, the Flyers were upset in the conference finals to the eventual Stanley Cup championNew Jersey Devils in six games.
Lindros eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time in1995–96, gathering 115 points, and LeClair scored 51 goals, as the Flyers repeated as Atlantic Division champs and clinched the top seed in the East. Facing the eighth-seededTampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers dropped two of the first three games. They rallied by winning three straight games to win the series. After taking two of the first three games against theFlorida Panthers in the second round, the Flyers were defeated in overtime in game four and double-overtime in game five. An upstart Florida club with stellar goaltending fromJohn Vanbiesbrouck ended the Flyers' season in game six.
The Flyers said goodbye to the Spectrum and prepared to open a new arena – theCoreStates Center – for the next season. The1996–97 season started off slowly, as Lindros missed 30 games, but LeClair still managed to score 50 goals for the second consecutive year, while the mid-season acquisition of defensemanPaul Coffey gave the Flyers a veteran presence.[33] Despite finishing just one point shy of a third straight Atlantic Division title, the Flyers blitzed their way through the first three rounds of the playoffs, dominating Pittsburgh, Buffalo and the Rangers all in five games apiece to win the Eastern Conference championship, and clinch a berth in theStanley Cup Final for the first time since1986–87. Despite having home-ice advantage, the Flyers were swept in four-straight games by theDetroit Red Wings. The goaltending tandem of Hextall andGarth Snow fared poorly in the Cup Final, as both conceded soft goals, and Murray's strategy of alternating starters in goal was criticized. After game three, which was a 6–1 loss, Murray blasted his team in a closed-door meeting and then described to the media that the Flyers were in a "choking situation", a remark which angered his players and likely cost Murray his job, as his contract was not renewed. In July, Mikael Renberg was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, in exchange forChris Gratton, thus splitting up the famed Legion of Doom line. The trio of Lindros, LeClair and Renberg scored a combined total of 666 points in 547 regular season games.
The man picked to replace Murray as coach,Wayne Cashman, was deemed ill-suited for the job as the Flyers played inconsistently throughout the1997–98 season. With 21 games to go in the season,Roger Neilson took over as coach while Cashman was retained as an assistant. John LeClair was able to score at least 50 goals for the third consecutive year (netting 51), the first time for an American-born player, and goaltenderSean Burke was acquired at the trade deadline. Burke proved ineffective in net, as the Flyers were eliminated in the first round by Buffalo in five games.
In the off-season, the Flyers went looking for a new goaltender. Burke was let go and Hextall was about to enter his final season as a backup. They chose to sign former Panther John Vanbiesbrouck as the starting goaltender. The1998–99 season was marred by a life-threatening injury sustained by Eric Lindros onApril Fools' Day during a game against theNashville Predators, a season-ending injury later diagnosed as a collapsed lung. Up until that point, Lindros was having an MVP-type season with 40 goals and 53 assists in 71 games. Without Lindros, the Flyers had trouble scoring in the playoffs even after having re-acquired Mark Recchi at the trade deadline. Although Vanbiesbrouck allowed 9 goals to Joseph's 11 allowed, the Flyers lost their first-round series with Toronto in six games.
The1999–2000 season was one of the most tumultuous seasons in franchise history and the tumult actually started three months prior to the start of the regular season. In the span of a few days in July, longtime broadcaster Gene Hart died due to illness and defensemanDmitri Tertyshny, coming off his rookie season, was fatally injured in a freak boating accident.[34] Head coach Roger Neilson was diagnosed with bone cancer, forcing him to step aside in February 2000 to undergo treatment, so assistant coachCraig Ramsay took over as interim coach for the rest of the season; Neilson later recovered but was informed that he would not return. In January, longtime Flyer and fan-favorite Rod Brind'Amour was traded to theCarolina Hurricanes in exchange forKeith Primeau, with the intention of acquiring a big center to complement Lindros. Meanwhile, the strife between Flyers management (particularly Clarke) and Lindros, continued to worsen. Less than a month after Ramsay took over, Lindros suffered his second concussion of the season. He played several games after the initial hit and afterwards criticized the team's training staff for failing to initially diagnose the concussion after it happened. It was after this that the Flyers' organization decided to strip Lindros of the captaincy on March 27 and name defenseman Eric Desjardins the team's captain.
With Lindros out indefinitely, the Flyers rallied to overcome the distractions and a 15-point deficit in the standings to win the Atlantic Division and the top seed in the East on the last day of the regular season. They easily defeated their first-round opponent, Buffalo, in five games. Primeau's goal in the fifth overtime of game four against the team's second-round opponent, Pittsburgh, turned that series in the Flyers' favor as they won in six games, coming back from a 2–0 series deficit. After dropping game one to New Jersey in the conference finals, the Flyers won three-straight games to take a 3–1 series lead. However, New Jersey won game five. In game six, Lindros returned to the lineup for the first time since March in another losing effort. Early in game seven, Lindros was handed another concussion and leaving the Philadelphia crowd deflated after being on the receiving end of a controversial hit byScott Stevens. Without him, the Flyers lost the decisive game 2–1. It was the second time in franchise history the team lost a series after being up 3–1. Lindros never again wore a Flyers uniform, as he sat out the following season awaiting a trade.
Craig Ramsay was named the permanent head coach as Neilson was not asked to return for the2000–01, which became a matter of some controversy. Ramsay lasted only until December when he was replaced by former Flyer great Bill Barber.Brian Boucher, who as a rookie backstopped the Flyers' playoff run the previous season, could not duplicate his performance and lost the starting goaltending job toRoman Cechmanek, a former star in theCzech Republic. The performance of Cechmanek, worthy of a Vezina nomination, along with Bill Barber winning theJack Adams Award as head coach of the year, helped the Flyers stay afloat, but they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Buffalo in six games.
In the off-season, the Flyers re-vamped their lineup by signingJeremy Roenick and finally trading Eric Lindros to the Rangers forKim Johnsson,Jan Hlavac,Pavel Brendl and a2003 third-round draft pick (Stefan Ruzicka). Desjardins stepped down as team captain eight games into the season and was replaced by Primeau. The Flyers began2001–02 with high expectations and with Roenick leading the team in scoring, the Flyers finished with an Atlantic Division title. The power play was one of the NHL's worst however, soAdam Oates, the third leading point-producer in the League at the time, was acquired from Washington at theNHL trade deadline. However, it was of no benefit as the Flyers could not muster much offense, scoring only two goals in their five-game, first-round playoff loss to theOttawa Senators. It turned out there was much discontent in the locker room as Bill Barber was fired. The Flyers hired a proven winner when they turned to formerDallas Stars and Stanley Cup-winning head coachKen Hitchcock.
In2002–03, Roman Cechmanek had a 1.83goals against average (GAA) and the Flyers acquiredSami Kapanen andTony Amonte prior to the trade deadline; however, they fell one point short of a second straight Atlantic Division title. Consequently, the Flyers endured a long, brutal seven-game first-round matchup with Toronto that featured three multiple overtime games, all in Toronto. After winning game seven, 6–1, the Flyers fought Ottawa in the second round with equal vigor as they split the first four games of the series, with Cechmanek earning shutouts in both wins. His inconsistency showed through, however, as he allowed ten goals in the final two games, and Ottawa advanced in six games. He was later traded to Los Angeles for a2004 second-round draft pick during the off-season despite having the second-best GAA in the League over his three years in Philadelphia.
Free-agent goaltenderJeff Hackett was signed from Boston to replace Cechmanek and challenge backupRobert Esche for the starter's spot in2003–04, but he was forced to retire in February due tovertigo. During the course of the season, serious injuries suffered by both Roenick (broken jaw) and Primeau (concussion) in February forced the Flyers to trade for Chicago'sAlexei Zhamnov, who filled in well and kept the Flyers afloat. On March 5, 2004, the Flyers set an NHL record in a game against Ottawa where they set a combined record of419 penalty minutes in a single game. Esche entrenched himself as starter and remained in that position even after the Flyers re-acquired Sean Burke from thePhoenix Coyotes as the Flyers clinched the Atlantic Division title over New Jersey on the last day of the season. Though solid in net, Esche's performance was trumped by the play of captain Keith Primeau in the playoffs. Primeau led the Flyers past the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils in five, Toronto in six on their way to the conference finals, and a matchup with Tampa Bay. Despite winning game six on the late-game heroics of Primeau and wingerSimon Gagne, the Flyers came up short once again, losing game seven in Tampa, 2–1.
With the NHL preparing for looming labor unrest, the Flyers let their leading scorer, Mark Recchi, leave for Pittsburgh during the off-season. Unsure about the future, the Flyers were unsure about his worth. TheNHL lockout forced the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season. The Flyers were one of the more active teams once the NHL lockout came to an end. Replacing the high-profile names of Amonte, LeClair and Roenick were superstarPeter Forsberg, along with defensemenDerian Hatcher andMike Rathje, as well as several players from the Calder Cup-winningPhiladelphia Phantoms. When all was said and done, the team had experienced a turnover of nearly two-thirds of the roster.
The Flyers began the2005–06 NHL season with lofty expectations. Despite being hampered by injuries prior to and during the season, the Flyers lived up to those expectations in the first half of the season, reaching the top of the league standings in January while simultaneously holding a 10-point lead in the Atlantic Division. TheDeuces Wild line of Forsberg, Gagne, andMike Knuble recorded 75, 79 and 65 points respectively while Gagne, with Forsberg feeding him, scored a career-high of 47 goals. However, the injuries began to accumulate and take their toll, the most crippling of which was Keith Primeau's season-ending concussion. Derian Hatcher served as interim captain for the remainder of the season. The Flyers had been first in the league prior to the Olympic break, where an injury to Forsberg occurred. All told, the Flyers were third in the NHL with 388 man-games lost to injury, tops amongst playoff teams.[35] The second half of the regular season was defined by a record hovering around .500, sending the Flyers on a steady slide in the standings. The Flyers fell short of an Atlantic Division title, finishing second by tie-breaker to New Jersey, drawing the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with fourth-seeded Buffalo. The Flyers lost the series in six games.
The Flyers' 40th anniversary season turned out to be the worst in franchise history. The Flyers tradedMichal Handzus to Chicago, lost Kim Johnsson to free agency and Eric Desjardins and team captain Keith Primeau retired in the off-season. Peter Forsberg replaced Primeau as team captain, but a chronic foot injury developing in last season's Olympics had him in and out of the lineup throughout the season and limited his effectiveness. Eight games into the regular season and with a record of 1–6–1, general manager Bobby Clarke resigned and head coach Ken Hitchcock was fired. Assistant coachJohn Stevens replaced Hitchcock and assistant general manager Paul Holmgren took on Clarke's responsibilities on an interim basis.
The changes did little to improve the Flyers fortunes in2006–07 as setting franchise records for futility became the norm. They had several multiple-game losing streaks, including a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak and a 13-game home losing streak that stretched from November 29 to February 10. Ultimately, the Flyers finished with a 22–48–12 record, the most losses and the worst winning percentage in franchise history, and the worst record in the league. They also set the NHL record for the biggest points drop off in the standings in a one-year span (101 points in 2005–06 to 56 points in 2006–07, a difference of 45 points). The Flyers lost the2007 NHL draft lottery to the Chicago Blackhawks and received the second overall selection.
With the team clearly on the verge of missing the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, Paul Holmgren set his sights on rebuilding the team and preparing for the future. Forsberg, unwilling to commit to playing next season, was traded to Nashville forScottie Upshall,Ryan Parent and 2007 first- and third-round draft picks at the deadline. Veteran defensemanAlexei Zhitnik was traded to theAtlanta Thrashers for prospect defensemanBraydon Coburn, while disappointing off-season acquisitionKyle Calder was sent to Detroit via Chicago in exchange for defensemanLasse Kukkonen. The Flyers also acquired goaltenderMartin Biron from Buffalo for a 2007 second-round pick. Given wide praise for his efforts, the Flyers gave Holmgren a two-year contract and removed the interim label from his title.
Before the2007–08 season began the Flyers made a trade that sent the first-round draft pick they had acquired in the Forsberg trade (23rd overall) back to Nashville in exchange for the rights to negotiate with impending unrestricted free agentsKimmo Timonen andScott Hartnell. Both were subsequently signed to six-year contracts. After much speculation about whether the Flyers would keep or trade the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft, the Flyers opted to keep it, using it to select New Jersey nativeJames van Riemsdyk.
The Flyers wasted no time in addressing their free-agent needs. On July 1, the Flyers signed Buffalo co-captainDaniel Briere to an eight-year, $52 million contract. Continuing to revamp their defensive core,Joni Pitkanen andGeoff Sanderson were traded to Edmonton in exchange for Oilers captainJason Smith andJoffrey Lupul. Smith was later named Flyers captain on October 1.
The season began in the image of theBroad Street Bullies era, with multiple-game suspensions handed out to five separate players, the most serious being 25-game suspensions to bothSteve Downie andJesse Boulerice for two separate incidents. A 7–3 start in October and a 9–3–1 January run had the Flyers near the top of both the Division and Conference standings. However, a disastrous ten-game losing streak in February, reminiscent of such a streak the previous season, nearly derailed the Flyers' year. An 8–3–4 run in March, coupled with two huge wins over New Jersey and Pittsburgh over the final weekend of the regular season, put the Flyers back in the2008 playoffs as the sixth seed, setting up a first-round matchup with Washington. After taking a three-game-to-one lead over the Capitals, Washington then won games 5 and 6 to force a deciding game seven in Washington. After an evenly fought game, the Flyers ultimately won the series in overtime via a Joffrey Lupul powerplay goal. The Flyers then drew a matchup with heavily favored Montreal in the second round. Despite being outshot a majority of the series, the Flyers upset the Canadiens in five games, advancing to the conference finals for the first time since2003–04 to face Pittsburgh. Before the start of the series, the Flyers suffered a fatal blow when it was learned that Kimmo Timonen was out with a blood clot in his ankle. Coupled with a gruesome facial injury to Braydon Coburn in game two, Pittsburgh ran roughshod over the Flyers' depleted defense and jumped out to a 3–0 series lead. The Flyers won game four at home to stave off elimination, and although Timonen returned for game five, Pittsburgh finished off the Flyers in five games.
The Flyers began the2008–09 season by namingMike Richards the 17th captain in team history on September 17, with Jason Smith having departed to Ottawa as a free agent. The Flyers were looking to build on the success of the previous season, but instead got off to an 0–3–3 start. However, despite a solid December and January and finishing with four points more than the year before, for the most part, the 2008–09 Flyers played inconsistently and looked like different teams,[citation needed] playing at the top of their ability one night and a sub-par performance the next. Derian Hatcher missed the entire regular season and playoffs with a knee injury, and Steve Downie was traded to Tampa Bay withSteve Eminger, whom they had previously acquired in a trade with Washington prior to the season for defensemanMatt Carle. Two pleasant surprises were the emergence of rookie centerClaude Giroux and defensemanLuca Sbisa, who was drafted by the Flyers in June with the 19th overall pick acquired from theColumbus Blue Jackets in exchange forR. J. Umberger, a victim of team salary cap constraints. Scottie Upshall also found himself the victim of such a crunch; he was traded to Phoenix in exchange forDaniel Carcillo at theNHL trade deadline.
Despite holding on to the fourth seed in the East for much of the season, thanks to a 4–5–1 finish to the season, highlighted by a home loss to the Rangers on the last day of the regular season, the Flyers slipped to the fifth seed and lost home-ice advantage in their first-round series with Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh dominated the Flyers in game one, and despite a better effort by the Flyers in game two, Pittsburgh came to Philadelphia with a 2–0 series lead. The Flyers were the better team in games three and four, but Pittsburgh gained a split in Philadelphia and took a 3–1 series lead. After a decisive 3–0 win in game five, the Flyers jumped out to a 3–0 lead in game six, but promptly fell victim to the inconsistencies that plagued the team all season and gave up five unanswered goals in a season-ending 5–3 loss. Giroux led the team in scoring in the playoffs. Jeff Carter ended the regular season with 46 goals, second in the NHL after Washington'sAlexander Ovechkin. Mike Richards just missed out on theFrank J. Selke Trophy in the closest vote in the history of the award.
The Flyers began the2009–10 season with some major changes, allowing goaltenders Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki to depart via free agency, replacing them with former Ottawa netminderRay Emery and former Flyer Brian Boucher, and significantly upgrading the defense with the addition ofChris Pronger from Anaheim. Pronger came at a price, however, costing the Flyers Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and the Flyers' first-round draft picks in both2009 and2010 drafts. The season began in earnest, though it soon unraveled with mediocre play that cost head coach John Stevens his job in December 2009.Peter Laviolette was hired as his replacement in order to reinstitute accountability and restore success to the Flyers, though the results were not immediate; the Flyers suffered a 2–7–1 stretch immediately following his arrival. Injuries took a major toll on the Flyers, withBlair Betts, Daniel Briere, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen all missing significant numbers of games, though no position was nearly affected as much with injuries as goaltending. Emery suffered a hip injury in December, played sporadically afterwards and ultimately underwent season-ending surgery. Boucher suffered a hand injury shortly thereafter, which allowed journeyman goaltenderMichael Leighton to step in and make an immediate impact. Leighton went 8–0–1 in his first ten starts, including a tough 2–1 overtime loss in the2010 Winter Classic to Boston atFenway Park on New Year's Day. However, Leighton was forced out of the line-up in March with a high ankle sprain, necessitating Boucher's return as starter. All told, seven different goaltenders suited up for the Flyers at various points throughout the year. Mediocre play down the stretch forced the Flyers into a do-or-die shootout with the Rangers in the final game of the regular season. Boucher stopped final shooterOlli Jokinen to clinch the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with New Jersey.
Boucher and the Flyers consistently outplayedMartin Brodeur and New Jersey and pulled off the upset in five games. However, the victory was costly, as Carter suffered a broken foot and Gagne a broken toe in game four, whileIan Laperriere suffered a grievous facial injury by blocking a shot in game five. The Flyers then faced sixth-seeded Boston in the second round, and despite playing at an even level with the Bruins, the Flyers found themselves in a 3–0 series deficit. Gagne returned in game four and scored in overtime to force a game five, which the Flyers won convincingly, 4–0. Boucher suffered MCL sprains during the game in both knees which forced Leighton back into net in his first time suiting up since March. Boucher and Leighton became the first goaltenders since 1955 to share a playoff shutout. A 2–1 Flyers win in game six forced a game seven in Boston. Falling behind 3–0 in game seven, the Flyers pulled off the biggest comeback in both franchise and League history, winning 4–3 on a late goal by Gagne to join the1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs, the1974–75 New York Islanders and the2004 Boston Red Sox as the only sports teams to win a playoff series after trailing 3–0.
In the conference finals, the Flyers had home-ice advantage as they faced eighth-seeded Montreal. Leighton became the first Flyers netminder to record three shutouts in a series, and Carter and Laperriere returned to the lineup as the Flyers won the Eastern Conference Championship in five games, advancing to theStanley Cup Final for the first time since1997 to face the Chicago Blackhawks. Dropping two close games inChicago, the Flyers returned home to win game three in overtime and game four to even the series. A convincing 7–4 win by Chicago in game five, however, put the Flyers one game away from elimination. A late goal by Scott Hartnell in game six forced overtime, butPatrick Kane scored just over four minutes into overtime to eliminate the Flyers and give Chicago their first Stanley Cup since1961.Ville Leino, acquired in a mid-season trade from Detroit, set the Flyers rookie playoff scoring record and tied the NHL record with 21 points. Briere led the NHL playoff scoring race with 30 points, one point ahead ofConn Smythe Trophy winner,Jonathan Toews.
Coming off the close loss to Chicago in the Cup Final, the Flyers traded Gagne to Tampa Bay to clear up cap space, acquiredAndrej Meszaros from Tampa Bay in a separate trade and signed free agentSean O'Donnell to shore up the defensive corps. The Flyers started the2010–11 season with rookie goaltenderSergei Bobrovsky from theKontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia, who recorded an opening-night win in his NHL debut against Pittsburgh and had steady numbers throughout the season. Boucher remained as the team's backup goaltender, while Leighton played one game in December after recovering from a back injury before being demoted toAdirondack in theAmerican Hockey League (AHL). The Flyers led both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference for the majority of the season, and challenged Vancouver for the overall NHL lead.Kris Versteeg was brought in from Toronto to add additional offense for the stretch drive and playoffs. However, lackluster play throughout March and April, coupled with a broken hand suffered by Chris Pronger in late February that ended his regular season, cost the Flyers the top seed in the East during the last week of the regular season, although the Flyers hung on to win their first Atlantic Division title since2003–04 and clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Flyers drew Buffalo in the first round. Bobrovsky played well in a 1–0 game one loss, but was replaced in game two by Boucher, who held on for a 5–4 Flyers win. Boucher played well in a game three win and a game four loss, but was replaced himself in a favor of Leighton during a bad first period in game five, which Buffalo won in overtime. Pronger returned to the lineup and Leighton started game six, but was replaced by Boucher after a poor first period, though nonetheless the Flyers went on to win in overtime and forced a game seven, which Boucher started. The Flyers dominated Buffalo, 5–2, and became the first team to win a playoff series starting three different goaltenders since1988. The Flyers then drew arematch with the Boston Bruins in the second round. Boston dominated the Flyers in game one, where Boucher was again replaced, this time by Bobrovsky. Pronger again left the lineup with an undisclosed injury, while Boston won game two in overtime and again dominated the Flyers in game three to take a 3–0 series lead. Bobrovsky started game four, but there was no comeback like in their previous meeting, as Boston completed the sweep. The Flyers tied an NHL record with seven playoff in-game goaltender changes, and were the only NHL team not to record a shutout in either the regular season or playoffs.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made two franchise-altering trades within the span of an hour on June 23, 2011, trading Mike Richards to theLos Angeles Kings forBrayden Schenn,Wayne Simmonds and a2012 second-round draft pick, and Jeff Carter to Columbus for their2011 first-round pick (with which the Flyers selectedSean Couturier), 2011 third-round pick (with which the Flyers selectedNick Cousins) andJakub Voracek. Later that same day, Holmgren addressed the Flyers' long-standing goaltending issues by signing the Phoenix Coyotes'Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51 million contract. On July 1, the Flyers signed Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract,Maxime Talbot to a five-year contract andAndreas Lilja to a two-year contract. Additionally, Chris Pronger was named Flyers captain; however, 13 games into the2011–12 season, he was lost for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs with severe post-concussion syndrome. Bryzgalov's play ranged from spectacular to sub-par, including being benched in favor of Sergei Bobrovsky for the Flyers' 3–2 loss to the New York Rangers in the2012 Winter Classic, but also being named NHL First Star for the month of March. Twelve rookies suited up for the Flyers during the season, with the play of Couturier, Schenn andMatt Read standing out impressively.[according to whom?]
The Flyers drew Pittsburgh in the first round of the2012 playoffs, a series in which the two teams combined for an NHL-record 45 goals in the first four games and a total of 309 penalty minutes in an intense, fight-filled series. The Flyers pulled off the upset in six games against a heavily favored Pittsburgh team. In the second round against New Jersey, the Flyers were heavily favored to win the series, but the Flyers' run-and-gun style of play was stymied by the Devils' forechecking and defense, and, although they won the first game at home in overtime, the Flyers lost four games in a row and were eliminated in five. Briere and Giroux ended the playoffs tied with five other players for the League lead in playoff goals with eight, despite their team being eliminated in the second round.
The team began thelockout-shortened2012–13 season by naming Claude Giroux captain on January 15, 2013, and starting off at 0–3–0, their worst start in 17 years.[36] The franchise finished at a record of 23–22–3, fourth in the Atlantic and tenth in the East. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since the 2006–07 season and only the ninth time in team history. During the off-season, the Flyers used their two contract buyouts allotted by the new leaguecollective bargaining agreement on Bryzgalov and Briere, and signed free agents Mark Streit (four years, $21 million) and Vincent Lecavalier (five years, $22.5 million).
On October 7, head coach Peter Laviolette and assistant coachKevin McCarthy were both fired just three games into the2013–14 season after the team again began the season 0–3–0. Assistant coachCraig Berube, who previously played for the Flyers and served two stints as head coach of the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, was named the new head coach, whileJohn Paddock and former Flyer Ian Laperriere were announced as Berube's assistants.[37] The team went 42–27–10 with Berube behind the bench, clinching a playoff berth and ultimately losing in seven games to the New York Rangers in the first round of the2014 playoffs.
On May 7, 2014, the club announced that general manager Paul Holmgren had been promoted to president, with assistant general manager Ron Hextall filling his vacancy. Hextall laid out a new plan for the franchise to develop players from within their system, rather than through outside acquisitions.[38] In order to free up valuable cap space,Scott Hartnell was traded before the start of the2014–15 season, followingBraydon Coburn andKimmo Timonen being traded away mid-season.
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The Flyers did not qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three seasons in 2014–15, and head coach Berube was subsequently fired after the season.[39] The Flyers finished with 33 wins and 31 losses for 84 points.[40] On May 18, 2015, the Flyers hired the former head coach of theUniversity of North Dakota men's team,Dave Hakstol. Hakstol had been North Dakota's coach for the past eight seasons, during which he accumulated a 289–143–43 record and led the school to theNCAA tournament in each season at the helm. In the2014–15 NCAA season, the university went 29–10–3 and advanced to theFrozen Four for the seventh time during Hakstol's tenure.[41]
The Flyers began the2015–16 season with a record of 4–2–1 in their first seven games. They found themselves outside of the playoff picture near the halfway point of the regular season, but a second-half surge, including a combined record of 17–7–5 in February and March, placed them into playoff position. On the second-to-last day of the season, the Flyers clinched the final wild-card playoff berth with a win over Pittsburgh and an Ottawa win over Boston, which consequently eliminated the Bruins from playoff contention. The Flyers faced Washington in the first round, losing the first three games of the series. The Flyers would rally to win the next two games, but lost the series in six games.
On April 11, 2016, Flyers longtime chairman, co-founder, and former majority owner Ed Snider died after a two-year battle with bladder cancer.[42][43][44] In the2016–17 season, the Flyers won ten straight games during the months of November and December. However, they fell out of the playoff picture after that streak ended, struggling in the standings and letting other teams get ahead of them. They were eliminated from playoff contention during the last two weeks of the regular season, becoming the first team to miss the playoffs after having a winning streak of ten or more games in the process.
Despite finishing sixth in their division, they won the second overall pick in the2017 NHL entry draft lottery with just a 2.4% chance to win that particular pick. They used this pick to selectNolan Patrick from theBrandon Wheat Kings. In the2017–18 season, the Flyers rallied from a 10-game losing streak early in the season to finish in third place in the Metropolitan Division but lost to Pittsburgh in six games in the first round of the2018 playoffs. They clinched a playoff spot on the last game of the season, at home against the Rangers, winning 5–0 with the help of a Claude Giroux hat trick. In that game, Giroux became the first Flyer to have a 100-point season since Eric Lindros in 1995–96, finishing second in league scoring and fourth in MVP voting, while Couturier was a finalist for the Selke Trophy, and Simmonds was a finalist for theMark Messier Leadership Award.
After failing to meet expectations to start the2018–19 season, Ron Hextall was fired as general manager.[45] Two weeks later, Dave Hakstol was fired as head coach after the Flyers' 12–15–4 start to the season.[46]Chuck Fletcher was hired as the team's general manager on December 3, 2018, and would later be named the team's president, after Paul Holmgren stepped down from the role.[47][48] Due to racial controversy involving vocalist Kate Smith, at the end of the 2018–19 season, the Flyers removed her statue from outside the stadium and stopped playing her version of "God Bless America".[49] The Flyers fell apart as the season went on, missing the playoffs.
Heading into the2019–20 season, the Flyers hired coachAlain Vigneault and signed forwardKevin Hayes in the hopes of bringing the team to cup contender status again. Opening day took place in the Czech Republic, Voracek's birthplace. The Flyers beat the Blackhawks 4–2. The Flyers started off the season very well, tying a team record for the best November in team history with a record of 10–3–4.[50] The Flyers produced consistent, cohesive hockey throughout the season. One of the most notable progressions in the team was the chemistry of the team and the success of the second line, which consisted ofScott Laughton, Kevin Hayes, andTravis Konecny. In February, the team pulled away from the pack of Wild-Card spot chasers and reached second place in the Metropolitan Division following a home win against the Rangers that put their February record at 9–3. The Flyers ended up with a nine-game winning streak, losing at home against the Boston Bruins, the NHL's points leader. The Flyers were scheduled to play at Tampa Bay on March 12, but the NHL suspended all games earlier in the day due toCOVID-19 concerns. The Flyers were second in the Metropolitan Division, only 1 point behind the Capitals.
The Flyers entered the2020 playoffs "bubble" in Toronto as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, meaning they had clinched a playoff appearance and were to play in a seeding round-robin between the top four teams of the conference. The Flyers beat the Bruins in the first game 4–1, the Capitals in the second game 3–1, and the Lightning in the third game 4–1 to claim the number first seed in the conference for the first time since the1999–2000 season. Despite high expectations after sweeping the round-robin play, going 0 for 11 on the power play was a detriment to the team's play.[51] Regardless, they went into the first round against the 12th-seeded Canadiens, who had beat the fifth-seeded Penguins in the qualifying series, with much confidence. The Flyers jumped to a 3–1 series lead behind young goaltenderCarter Hart, who recorded two consecutive shutouts in games 3 and 4. Montreal won game five to extend their season, but the Flyers went on to win the series in six games. In the second round against the New York Islanders, the Flyers fell behind 3–1 in the series partially due to lack of production from the top two lines. The Flyers would rally to tie the series with an overtime win in game five and a double-overtime win in game six, but the Islanders shut out the Flyers 4–0 in game seven to end their season.
Despite having lost in the playoffs, the team had very high expectations entering the2020–21 season. The NHL did not begin the season until January 13, 2021, due to the ongoing global pandemic. NHL divisions would be temporarily realigned due to travel restrictions, placing the Flyers in theEast Division.[52] The team managed to finish the first month of play tied for first place in the league, with a 7–2–1 record. However things began to unravel as the season continued. The team fell out of playoff contention by early March and would finish the season with the most goals scored against in the league. Management vowed to address the issues the team had suffered during the season by making several trades and free agent signings. On July 17, 2021, the team traded Nolan Patrick andPhilippe Myers to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defensemanRyan Ellis.[53] The following week the team traded for defensemanRasmus Ristolainen from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange forRobert Hagg, a2021 first-round pick, and a2023 second-round pick; and traded Voracek back to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forwardCam Atkinson.[54][55] The team also signed veteran defensemanKeith Yandle, back up goaltenderMartin Jones and forwardDerick Brassard to short-term deals.[56][57]
The Flyers began the2021–22 season off to a steady pace by winning six out of the first ten games of the season, however once again things would start to fall apart for the team. Newly acquired Ryan Ellis was placed on injured reserved on November 16 and would be out for the remainder of the season, due to a lower body injury sustained in the preseason.[58] The team then went on a ten-game losing streak at which point Alain Vigneault was fired from head coaching duties following a 7–1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and replaced by assistant coachMike Yeo.[59] The team would show a brief sign of resurgence under Yeo before the team collapsed again by losing a franchise record thirteen games in a row.[60] In early February, center Sean Couturier was ruled out for the rest of the season after completing back surgery for an injury sustained earlier in the year.[61] On March 17, longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux played in his 1,000th career NHL game, a 5–4 home victory over the Nashville Predators, becoming the second Flyer in history to play 1000 games with the franchise.[62] On March 19, Giroux was traded along withConnor Bunnaman,German Rubtsov and a2024 fifth-round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange forOwen Tippett, a 2024 first-round draft pick, and a 2023 third-round pick.[63] The team finished the season with the fourth worst record in the league going 25–46–11, failing to make the playoffs.
John Tortorella was hired as the team's new head coach, signing a four-year contract.[64] Before the beginning of the2022–23 season it was announced that Ryan Ellis would once again sit out for the season with a possible career ending injury.[65] To make matters worse it was announced soon after that Sean Couturier would require a second back surgery and also be forced to sit out for the entire season.[66] The team would once again have a modest start to the season by finishing the month of October with an 8-4-2 record. However the team was unable to capitalize on their early momentum and fell in the standings with a ten-game winless streak in the month of November. On March 10, general manager Chuck Fletcher was fired and assistant general manager Daniel Briere was named interim general manager.[67] The team finished the season with a record of 31–38–13, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year.
After the season ended the organization began a complete overhaul of the front office. On May 11, 2023, the team hired former FlyerKeith Jones as president of hockey operations and named Daniel Briere as general manager of the team.[68] Soon after the team fired longtime player development coachesKjell Samuelsson and John Riley, as well as senior advisorMike O'Connell.[69]
On April 4, 1966, Bill Putnam – a member of the Philadelphia group that was selected by the NHL for one of the six new franchises – announced a name-the-team contest andorange, black and white as the team colors.[70][71] Wanting what he referred to as "hot" colors, Putnam's choice was influenced by the orange and white of his alma mater – theUniversity of Texas at Austin – and the orange and black of Philadelphia's previous NHL team, theQuakers.[71] Also announced on April 4 was the hiring of a Chicago firm to design the team's arena.
Details of the name-the-team contest were released on July 12, 1966.[71] Ballots were available at local Acme Markets grocery stores – sponsor of the contest.[71] The top prize was an RCA 21" color television, with two season tickets for both the second- and third-prize winners, and a pair of single-game tickets for the next 100 winners.[71] Among the names considered behind the scenes were Quakers, Ramblers and Liberty Bells. The first two were the names of previous Philadelphia hockey teams and – given the connotations of losing (Quakers) and the minor leagues (Ramblers) – were passed over. Liberty Bells, although seriously considered, was also the name of a local race track. Bashers, Blizzards, Bruisers, Huskies, Keystones, Knights, Lancers, Raiders and Sabres were among the other names considered.[71]
It was Ed Snider's sister Phyllis who named the team when she suggested "Flyers" on a return trip from a Broadway play.[71] Ed knew immediately it would be the winning name, since it captured the speed of the game andwent well phonetically with Philadelphia.[71] On August 3, 1966, the team name was announced.[71] Of the 11,000 ballots received, more than 100 selected Flyers as the team name and were entered into a drawing to select a winner.[71] Alec Stockard, a nine-year-old boy fromNarberth, Pennsylvania, who had spelled it "Fliers" on his entry, won the drawing and was declared the winner.[71]
With the name and colors already known, Philadelphia advertising firm Mel Richmann Inc. was hired to design alogo andjersey.[71] With Tom Paul as head of the project, artist Sam Ciccone designed both the logo and jerseys to represent speed.[71] Ciccone's winged "P" design – four stylized wings attached to a slanted "P" with an orange dot to represent a puck – was considered the "obvious choice" over his other designs, which included a winged skate.[71] Ciccone's jersey design, a stripe down each shoulder and down the arms, represented wings.[71] The flying "P" has remained the same since the beginning (excluding minor tweaks to the shade of orange) and was ranked the sixth-best NHL logo in a 2008Hockey News poll.[72] The Flyers unveiled a 3D version of this logo with metallic accents during the2002–03 season which was used on orangethird jerseys until the end of the2006–07 season.
As with his logo design, Ciccone'sjersey design was meant to represent speed.[71] Thehome jersey was orange with a white stripe down each shoulder and down the arms (meant to represent wings)[71] with a white number on the back and black sleeve numbers. Theaway jersey was white with orange striping, an orange number on the back and white sleeve numbers. Other than a few minor alterations to thenumbers and the switch the NHL made to wear white at home and dark on the road for1970–71, this general design was used until the end of the1981–82 season.
The Flyers unveiled second-generation jerseys for the1982–83 season. The main difference was the increased width of the shoulder and arm stripes with black trim added to the border of the stripes. Also, a pinstripe (black for the white jersey, orange for the dark) was added to the bottom of each sleeve. With the exception of a similarly designed black jersey replacing the orange and the NHL switching back to wearing darks at home and whites on the road prior to2003–04, this design was used until the end of the2006–07 season.
Many NHL teams started using third jerseys during the mid-1990s and the Flyers unveiled a black third jersey that was similar in design to their second-generation jerseys during the1997–98 season. During the2000 Stanley Cup playoffs, the black jersey became the primary dark jersey with the orange jersey being retired after the2000–01 season (although it was worn for one final game early in the following season on Halloween night). In2002–03, a new orange third jersey was introduced which was a radical departure from any jersey the Flyers had used before. Unique striping and fonts were used along with the aforementioned metallic 3D logo and the first use of a color other than orange, black or white on a Flyers jersey – silver/gray. These jerseys were used until the end of the2006–07 season.
The Flyers, along with the rest of the NHL, unveiled newRbk Edge jerseys prior to the2007–08 season. The black jersey featured white shoulders with orange and black sections at the elbow and black cuffs. The white road jersey featured orange shoulders with black and white sections at the elbow, and black cuffs.[73] The Flyers unveiled a new orange third jersey based on their1973–74 jerseys during the2008–09 season, featuring white player nameplates with black letters which were used occasionally during that season.[74] This uniform replaced the black jerseys as the primary home jersey during the2009 Stanley Cup playoffs and the subsequent2009–10 season. The team wore the 1973–74 white jersey – reverse of their current home uniform but with a black nameplate with white lettering – at the2010 Winter Classic versus theBoston Bruins atFenway Park. For the2010–11 season, the Winter Classic jersey was adopted as the team's primary road jersey and the team's alternate black jersey was retired.
In January 2012, for their secondWinter Classic appearance – this time against theirarch-rivals theNew York Rangers atCitizens Bank Park – the Flyers wore a traditional sweater design in orange with cream and black trim, featuring a cream nameplate with black lettering, as well as black numbers. It also contained a neck tie string which no other Flyers jersey has had before it. This design was later adopted as a third jersey for the2014–15 season.
For the 2016–17 season, the Flyers retired their Winter Classic third jerseys in favor of a commemorative 50th-anniversary jersey. The uniform is white with orange and black striping, along with gold numbers, black nameplate with white lettering bordered in gold, and the classic Flyers logo with gold borders. The franchise's founding season is inscribed on the neckline.
The Flyers wore a black uniform for the2017 Stadium Series, featuring enlarged black numbers with white trim, orange striping on the sleeves and tail, and orange nameplate with black lettering. The said uniform will become the team's third uniform option starting in the2018–19 season.
During the2019 Stadium Series, the Flyers wore orange and black uniforms minus the white elements. The black helmets also featured an enlarged Flyers logo on both sides.
For the 2020–21 season, the Flyers released a special "Reverse Retro" alternate uniform. The design was a callback to the darker burnt orange jersey they wore from 1982 to 2001; however, the white and black colors on the sleeves and numbers were reversed. In the 2022–23 season, the Flyers' "Reverse Retro" uniform was based on their early 1980s uniforms, but with black and orange relegated to the logo and lower sleeves.
The Flyers unveiled a new uniform design ahead of the 2023–24 season, reverting to the burnt orange shade they wore with the 1984–2007 uniforms. This design featured wider shoulder and sleeve stripes, single-colored sleeve numbers (black on the home uniform, white on the road uniform), and a black bottom stripe, all of which were visual nods to previous Flyers uniforms. The contrasting nameplate was also retained. The black alternate first used in the 2017 Stadium Series was also kept in circulation.[1]
The Flyers'2024 Stadium Series uniform featured a white base with the primary logo crest in front, thick black and orange sleeve stripes, orange numbers on the shoulders and back, and black nameplates which stretch from shoulder to shoulder.[75]
The Flyers were the first and one of only two NHL teams (theHartford Whalers being the other) to wearCooperalls, hockey pants that extend from the waist to the ankles, in 1981–82. They wore them the following season as well, but returned to the traditional hockey pants in 1983–84 due to Cooperalls being banned from the NHL for safety reasons.
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The Flyers debuted a short-lived skating mascot named "Slapshot" in 1976 but dropped the character by the next season. Slapshot was the first mascot in Flyers' team history beforeGritty, although the team did occasionally employ the services of "Phlex", the then-mascot of the team's minor-league affiliatePhiladelphia Phantoms (1996–2009), who became theAdirondack Phantoms (2009–2014) and are now re-branded theLehigh Valley Phantoms, playing in thePPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[citation needed]
On September 24, 2018, the Flyers introduced their new mascot, "Gritty", a seven-foot tall, fuzzy orange creature.[76]
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Flyers. For the full season-by-season history, seeList of Philadelphia Flyers seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2020–21 | 56 | 25 | 23 | 8 | 58 | 163 | 201 | 6th, East | Did not qualify |
| 2021–22 | 82 | 25 | 46 | 11 | 61 | 211 | 298 | 8th, Metropolitan | Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 82 | 31 | 38 | 13 | 75 | 222 | 277 | 7th, Metropolitan | Did not qualify |
| 2023–24 | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 87 | 235 | 261 | 6th, Metropolitan | Did not qualify |
| 2024–25 | 82 | 33 | 39 | 10 | 76 | 238 | 286 | 8th, Metropolitan | Did not qualify |
Updated November 14, 2025[77][78]
The Philadelphia Flyers recognize an affiliation with a number of inductees to theHockey Hall of Fame, including 14 former players and seven builders of the sport. The seven individuals recognized as builders by the Hall of Fame includes former general managers, head coaches, and owners.[153] Inducted in 1984, Bernie Parent was the first Flyers-affiliated player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.[153]
In addition to players and builders, members of Philadelphia's sports media have also been recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1997,Gene Hart, asports announcer for the Flyers, received theFoster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame for his contributions to hockeybroadcasting.[154] In 2013, Jay Greenberg of thePhiladelphia Daily News was awarded theElmer Ferguson Memorial Award for his work in hockeyjournalism.[155]
Players
Builders
The Flyers haveretired six of their jersey numbers and taken others out of circulation.Barry Ashbee's number 4 was retired a few months after his death from leukemia.[156]Bernie Parent's number 1[note 4] andBobby Clarke's number 16 were retired less than a year the players' retirement, whileBill Barber's number 7 andMark Howe's number 2 were retired shortly after their inductions into theHockey Hall of Fame. The number 31, last worn by goaltenderPelle Lindbergh, was removed from circulation after Lindbergh's death on November 11, 1985, but it is not officially retired.[158] The NHL retiredWayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the2000 NHL All-Star Game.[159] In 2018, the Flyers retiredEric Lindros' number 88.[160]
| No. | Player | Position | Career | Date of retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernie Parent | Goaltender | 1967–1971, 1973–1979 | October 11, 1979 |
| 2 | Mark Howe | Defense | 1982–1992 | March 6, 2012 |
| 4 | Barry Ashbee | Defense | 1970–1974 | October 13, 1977[156][161] |
| 7 | Bill Barber | Left wing | 1972–1984 | October 11, 1990 |
| 16 | Bobby Clarke | Center | 1969–1984 | November 15, 1984 |
| 88 | Eric Lindros | Center | 1992–2000 | January 18, 2018[160] |
Established in 1988, the FlyersHall of Fame was designed to "permanently honor those individuals who have contributed to the franchise's success."[162] Candidates for the hall are nominated and voted upon by a panel of media members and team officials.[162] To date, 28 former players and executives have been inducted.[163]
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history.[164] Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note:Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
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These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins.[165] Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note:GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OT = Overtime losses; GA = Goal against; GAA = Goals against average; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts
| Player | GP | W | L | T | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Hextall | 489 | 240 | 172 | 58 | — | 1,367 | 2.91 | 13,026 | .895 | 18 |
| Bernie Parent | 486 | 232 | 141 | 104 | — | 1,141 | 2.43 | 13,820 | .917 | 50 |
| Steve Mason | 231 | 104 | 78 | — | 36 | 540 | 2.47 | 6,614 | .918 | 14 |
| Carter Hart | 227 | 96 | 93 | — | 29 | 625 | 2.94 | 6,630 | .906 | 6 |
| Wayne Stephenson | 165 | 93 | 35 | 22 | — | 424 | 2.77 | 4,114 | .897 | 10 |
| Roman Cechmanek | 163 | 92 | 43 | 22 | — | 306 | 1.96 | 3,963 | .923 | 20 |
| Bob Froese | 144 | 92 | 29 | 12 | — | 370 | 2.74 | 3,678 | .899 | 12 |
| Pelle Lindbergh | 157 | 87 | 49 | 15 | — | 503 | 3.31 | 4,432 | .887 | 7 |
| Pete Peeters | 179 | 85 | 57 | 20 | — | 532 | 3.20 | 4,751 | .888 | 5 |
| Doug Favell | 215 | 76 | 87 | 37 | — | 559 | 2.79 | 6,746 | .917 | 16 |
Also known as the Battle of Pennsylvania, the Flyers–Penguins rivalry is considered by many to be one of the most intense rivalries in the NHL. Both teams entered the league in1967 with the Flyers finding success in the league early on while the Penguins struggled in the early years. The Flyers record against the Penguins from 1967 to 1989 was 89–36–19, and most notably during this time the Penguins had a 42-game winless streak at the Spectrum, lasting from 1974 until 1989. The two teams met for the first time in the playoffs in the1989 division finals, where the Flyers defeated the higher-seeded Penguins in seven games. The teams faced each other again in the1997 conference quarterfinals, with the Flyers winning the series in five games. Penguins legendMario Lemieux decided to retire at the end of the series for the first time and left the ice to a standing ovation in Philadelphia after game five. The Flyers would go on to win over the Penguins again in the2000 conference quarterfinals, most remembered forKeith Primeau scoring the game-winning goal in the fifth overtime period of game four, becoming the third longest playoff game in league history with a total game time of 152 minutes. The Penguins first playoff victory against the Flyers came during the2008 conference finals, winning the series in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. The two teams would meet again in the playoffs the following year in the2009 conference quarterfinals, with the Penguins defeating the Flyers in six games. The rivalry would come to a boiling point during the2012 conference quarterfinals when both teams combined for an NHL record 45 goals in the first four games of a playoff series, as well as accumulating 309 penalty minutes. Game three saw a total combined 158 penalty minutes between the two teams, as well as multiple suspensions. The Flyers went on to win the series in six games. The Penguins defeated the Flyers in the first round of the2018 playoffs in six games, with the Penguins outscoring the Flyers 28–15. The rivalry has been showcased during theNHL Stadium Series outdoor games in2017 atHeinz Field in Pittsburgh and in2019 atLincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
In the beginning there was Bernie.
he announced his resignation on May 22, 1978
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