Flyers' History: Nostalgia Thread

[jghockey]

The Flyers best chance to win the Cup during the Lindros era was in 1995. Teams were once again afraid to play us after we acquired LeClair and Desjardins. After five long years, the Flyers rolled into the playoffs where they brushed aside Buffalo in 5 and swept the Rags. The Flyers were the hottest team in the playoffs.

Next comes the infamous New Jersey series. Flyers seize the momentum after winning two in Jersey to tie the series heading into game 5 at the Spectrum. With game 5 tied with 40 seconds left, Claude Lemeiux scores from the neutral zone on Hextall. Talk about a deflating, soul crushing goal. If that shot is stopped, I still believe we win that series and we win the Cup against an overconfident Detroit team. I still haven't really forgiven Hextall for that goal.

They probably would have won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and/or 2000 had they gotten Mike Richter or Curtis Joseph and improved their defense.

 

[CHIMO]

Hey everyone! I’m a long-time hfboards lurker and finally started posting last year. I’m from Calgary and am a die hard Flames fan. However, when I grew up in the 90’s, the Flames were awful. I decided I would follow the Flyers as well due to Lindros, Leclair and Hextall. My passion for the Flyers remains to this day. I found this thread a few days ago and have really enjoyed looking through it. Thank you for all your posts.

Listening to the Mike Keenan podcast episodes where he talked about coaching the Flyers reignited my interest and love for those 80’s Flyers teams. I’ve been watching a lot of their old playoff games on YouTube. Even though I was born in ‘87, I feel a connection to those teams. I was really pulling for Flames/Flyers in 2004- I truly would have been happy either way. Anyway, I really appreciate all these memories being shared. I’m working on my time travel device so I can go back to the ‘87 finals...

 

[lancer247]

Outside the two Cup years, maybe the greatest (most exciting, most memorable, most joyous, whatever) moment in our history.

JJ game winner was the loudest I have ever heard the Spectrum. The place exploded.

 

[BiggE]

JJ game winner was the loudest I have ever heard the Spectrum. The place exploded.

That goal and game are one of my 5 favorite Spectrum Flyers memories.

The other 4:

January 1976, the Flyers beat the Soviet Red Army team 4-1. By the time the Russians returned to the ice, they were afraid to touch the puck. You could see the fear in their eyes

April 1985, 1st round, game 1 of the playoffs. The Flyers beat the Rags in OT and win their first playoff game since game 1 in 1982.

May 1985, Dave Poulin picks off a pass and goes on to score while 2 men short against the Nordiques in the 85 conference final. For just a second after he scored, you could hear a pin drop; and then the place exploded. One of the most breathtaking goals I’ve ever seen.

May 1987, game 7, division final against the Isles. Lathered up with DMSO and wearing a flak jacket, Dave Poulin plays with broken ribs and leads the Flyers to a 5-1 smoking of the Islanders. The first period was something to behold as Dave Brown opened the scoring followed by Brian Propp and the not exactly offensively gifted Brad Marsh scoring shorthanded during the same penalty kill!

I loved that old building!

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Unfortunate end result as a Flyers’ fan but that building was electric during this series.

If you were a neutral fan you were surely treated to a good series between two good teams just trading blows in seven games.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Not Flyers but the NHL in general. So much nostalgia as a kid. The Yzerman bullet against the Blues/Fuhr, the Stars/Oilers rivalry, the Avalanche/Red Wings rivalry, etc.

 

[Angry Hockey Dad]

10 Briere fist pumps /10

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I remember this being a big regular season win.

 

[swami24]

JJ game winner was the loudest I have ever heard the Spectrum. The place exploded.

I was in the 3rd level, and it was shaking so much I had to grab my seatback

 

[BiggE]

Lets have some fun. Best Flyers lineups, first and second teams, by decade. Since the 60s were only a couple of years, I’m gonna lump them in with the 70s

67-68 thru 78-79

First team
G- Bernie Parent
D- Ed Van Impe
D- Barry Ashbee
LW- Bill Barber
C- Bobby Clarke
RW- Reggie Leach

Second Team
G- Doug Favell
D- Jimmy Watson
D- Bob Dailey, narrowly over Joe Watson and Andre Dupont
LW- Ross Lonsberry
C- Rick Macleish
RW- Gary Dornhoefer

79-80 thru 88-89

First team
G- Pelle Lindbergh
D- Mark Howe
D- Brad McCrimmon
LW- Brian Propp
C- Dave Poulin
RW- Tim Kerr

Second team
G- Ron Hextall
D- Brad Marsh
D- Doug Crossman by a hair over Kjell Samuelsson
LW- Murray Craven
C- Ron Sutter
RW- Rick Tocchet edges out Ilkka Sinisalo by a hair

89-90 thru 98-98

First team
G- Ron Hextall
D- Eric Desjardins
D- Chris Therien
LW- John Leclair
C- Eric Lindros
RW- Mikael Renberg

Second team
G- Garth Snow, yeah it’s a weak field
D- Garry Galley
D- Petr Svoboda
LW- Shjon Podein
C- Rod Brindamour
RW- Mark Recchi edges out Kevin Dineen

99-00 thru 08-09

First Team
G- Roman Cechmanek, he has the numbers
D- Eric Desjardins
D- Kim Johnsson
LW- Simon Gagne
C- Mike Richards
RW- Mike Knuble

Second team
G- Robert Esche, again it’s a weak field though I did consider Marty Biron and Boosh
D- Marcus Ragnarsson, always thought he was criminally underrated
D- Eric Weinrich by a nose over Pitkanen, Niinimaa and Hatcher
LW- John Leclair
C- Jeremy Roenick barely beats out Primeau and Jeff Carter. Considered Forsberg, but one year and a few games the following just wasn’t enough
RW- Mark Recchi narrowly over Sami Kapanen

09-10 thru 18-19

First team
G- Steve Mason, if not, who else?
D- Kimmo Timonen
D- Braydon Coburn
LW- Scott Hartnell
C- Claude Giroux
RW- Jake Voracek

Second team
G- Michal Neuvirth, not much else to choose from cept Bryz, lol
D- Chris Pronger
D- Ivan Provorov edges out Ghost and Matt Carle
LW- Brayden Schenn
C- Danny Briere, his playoff numbers give him the edge over Couts
RW- Wayne Simmonds

What will be the top team from 19-20 thru 28-29, maybe....

G- Carter Hart
D- Ivan Provorov
D- Phil Myers
LW- Oskar Lindblom
C- Morgan Frost
RW- Travis Konecny

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

The last 20 years has been one endless river of mule piss.

 

[Magua]

The last 20 years has been one endless river of mule piss.

At least the mule piss river is sterile. Sterility is an underrated organizational quality.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

At least the mule piss river is sterile. Sterility is an underrated organizational quality.

 

[Beef Invictus]

At least the mule piss river is sterile. Sterility is an underrated organizational quality.

Sterile is very safe.

 

[lancer247]

Lets have some fun. Best Flyers lineups, first and second teams, by decade. Since the 60s were only a couple of years, I’m gonna lump them in with the 70s

Second team
G- Garth Snow, yeah it’s a weak field
D- Garry Galley
D- Petr Svoboda
LW- Shjon Podein
C- Rod Brindamour
RW- Mark Recchi edges out Kevin Dineen

I don’t have time to research right now but there has to be a better 2nd team option the Podein.

 

[BiggE]

Weren’t many top LWs in the 90s other than Leclair. Eklund and Craven were both gone a year or so into the decade and Fedyk fizzled out pretty quick. Who else would you consider? Second line LW was a revolving door until Gagne came along in 99. Podein at least worked his tail off and was a quality checker and PKer.

Looking purely at numbers, you could give it to Eklund, but he put up his points during those years on bad teams that went nowhere. Podein at least was a contributor on playoff teams.

 

[CHIMO]

Sorry to bring up some bad memories, but what was the deal with the ‘88 team, who lost to Washington in that G7 overtime? Were they tuning out Keenan by that point? Bad luck? Losing to another really good team? Were they favoured to go to the Finals again/as good as the ‘87 team?

 

[Redpath]

Does anyone remember Sami Kapanen scoring back-to-back overtime goals in 2005-06? His Wikipedia makes brief mention of it, but not the fact that they were on back-to-back nights, too. Even crazier, and maybe I remember incorrectly, but the goals were nearly identical too (Handzus to Kapanen tips). Can anyone else remember this? I can only find video of the first night's winner against Atlanta, but not the second against Carolina.

 

[Boxscore]

JJ game winner was the loudest I have ever heard the Spectrum. The place exploded.

Without question.

 

[CHIMO]

Just ordered the Flyers 50th anniversary book by Jay Greenberg. Really looking forward to diving in. I’m keeping my eyes peeled online for a legit late 80’s/early 90’s Tocchet or Hextall jersey. Hope you all have a great start to 2021 and thanks for all your fantastic posts!

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Just ordered the Flyers 50th anniversary book by Jay Greenberg. Really looking forward to diving in. I’m keeping my eyes peeled online for a legit late 80’s/early 90’s Tocchet or Hextall jersey. Hope you all have a great start to 2021 and thanks for all your fantastic posts!

Have you read Full Spectrum yet? Flyers at 50 is basically a sequel, so I recommend you start with Full Spectrum.

Both definitely worth a read for any Flyers fan.

 

[CHIMO]

Have you read Full Spectrum yet? Flyers at 50 is basically a sequel, so I recommend you start with Full Spectrum.

Both definitely worth a read for any Flyers fan.

Yep, I vividly remember getting it from the library when I was a kid. Wouldn’t hurt to give it another read. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[lancer247]

Just ordered the Flyers 50th anniversary book by Jay Greenberg. Really looking forward to diving in. I’m keeping my eyes peeled online for a legit late 80’s/early 90’s Tocchet or Hextall jersey. Hope you all have a great start to 2021 and thanks for all your fantastic posts!

great book. I lost it moving from my old house but it was a great book.

 

[swami24]

Without question.

I mentioned being there, and it was the loudest I ever experienced, but a close second was when the Phila Wings won the lax title in OT in 95, in a packed Spectrum.