Flyers' History: Top 10s in Flyers history and other recollections

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@BiggE

Two more should you be of interest:

Most injury prone (Kerr, Lindros, Dornhoefer):
Best body checkers​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And here we go, the Top 10 best 2 way forwards in Flyers history. Please note, this is best 2 way forwards, not best defensive forwards. In order to make this list, a player needs to be able to both put up significant offensive production while also excelling in the defensive part of the game. Being good at both facets of special teams is also a plus, and, of course, what they did in the playoffs counts a lot.

And here we go!!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ross Lonsberry
Rick Macleish
Mel Bridgman
Brian Propp
Murray Craven
Simon Gagne

10. Rod Brind'amour
Brind'amour put up 601 points in 633 games as a Flyer and did a fine job defensively as well. He was also a top notch penalty killer.

9. Eric Lindros
Some folks don't think of the big guy as a great defensive forward, but here's the thing: It's pretty damned hard for the other team to score when the puck is in their zone and when Eric Lindros was on the ice, the puck was usually in the other team's zone. Lindros, especially in his prime, was a nearly unstoppable force whenever he was on the ice, and while +/- is a flawed stat, you don't go +188 in 486 games if you aren't controlling play while you're on the ice.

8. Claude Giroux
Giroux, much like Lindros, doesn't get enough credit for his defensive play, but he should. He is excellent on the pk, doesn't shirk in his backchecking and still has managed to average nearly a point per game in nearly 900 contests.

7. Keith Primeau
Primeau really hit his stride in Philly once Ken Hitchcock took over as the Flyers HC. From 2002-2004, Primeau was as good a shut down center as there was in the NHL yet he still put up solid offensive numbers. His play in all 3 zones during the 2004 playoff run was fantastic.

6. Ron Sutter
If Sutter had been a more consistent point producer, he'd be near the top of this list. Sutter excelled defensively and gave other teams top pivots fits. He was also a fantastic penalty killer and was runner up for the Selke trophy in 1986.

5. Mike Richards
Richards is one of the 3 best penalty killing forwards in team history (along with Bobby Clarke and Dave Poulin) and also excelled at matching up with the opponent's top center. He also put up 349 points in only 458 games as a Flyer and finished in the top 10 for the Selke trophy 4 times.

4. Bill Barber
Arnie was just as good defensively as he was offensively and that is saying a lot. Not too many players have ever put up 420 goals and 883 points in 903 games while also excelling defensively. Bill Barber is the best all around winger to ever wear the orange and black and it was pretty much a coin toss between him and the guy at #3 on this list

3. Sean Couturier
If Couturier keeps playing at the overall level he has for the last few seasons, he will finish his career at #2 on this list, but as of today, he's still 3rd. Couts is a beast defensively, drives possession and puts up 1st line offensive production at ES. IMO, he is neck and neck with Patrice Bergeron for best 2 way center in the NHL.

2. Dave Poulin
Poulin though never a true #1 center, often had to fill that role by default for the Flyers and he did an excellent job. He put up 394 points in 467 games and very little of that came on the pp. He was a true old school warrior and a tireless worker in all 3 zones. He is also the best penalty killing forward that I ever saw.

1. Bobby Clarke
Clarkie is not just the best 2 way forward in Flyers history, he's one of the top 3 or 4 in NHL history and his Selke trophy in 1983 was long overdue! Clarke was supremely talented offensively but he probably could have put up even more production except that he would never sacrifice good defensive play to chase stats. Clarke finished his career +507 in 1144 games and also scored 358 goals and 1210 points in those contests. Clarke was routinely matched against the NHLs best pivots and he routinely got the better of them. He was one of a kind.

And there you have it, as always please let me know what ya think and feel free to post your own list.

Excellent summation again. Mel Bridgman would make my top ten list somehow. Barber was exceptional, could be as high as #2 on my list. Also, Gary Dornhoefer shouldn't be overlooked on that awesome second line with Lonsberry and MacLeish. His body checks were tribute to his style of play.

 

[BiggE]

@BiggE

Two more should you be of interest:

Most injury prone (Kerr, Lindros, Dornhoefer):
Best body checkers​

I’m not sure how you’d quantify most injury prone, but I’ll give it some thought. Best bodycheckers will be a fun one!

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I’m not sure how you’d quantify most injury prone, but I’ll give it some thought. Best bodycheckers will be a fun one!

Unlucky, injuries followed them. Not sudden career-ending injuries like Ashbee or Parent. But someone who maybe you said "No, not again!"

 

[BiggE]

Unlucky, injuries followed them. Not sudden career-ending injuries like Ashbee or Parent. But someone who maybe you said "No, not again!"

Hmm, Barber, Kerr, Hextall and Howe quickly come to mind. Dornhoefer and Lindros too.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Hmm, Barber, Kerr, Hextall and Howe quickly come to mind. Dornhoefer and Lindros too.

Bob Dailey and Michal Neurvirth as well.

 

[BiggE]

Without any long explanations, here are 10 Flyers who both seemed to get injured a lot and often at the worst possible times

Gary Dornhoefer
Jimmy Watson
Bob Dailey
Tim Kerr
Ilkka Sinisalo
Mark Howe
Ron Hextall
Eric Lindros
Petr Svoboda
Michal Neuvirth

I’ll work on best bodycheckers next

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Without any long explanations, here are 10 Flyers who both seemed to get injured a lot and often at the worst possible times

Gary Dornhoefer
Jimmy Watson
Bob Dailey
Tim Kerr
Ilkka Sinisalo
Mark Howe
Ron Hextall
Eric Lindros
Petr Svoboda
Michal Neuvirth

Good list. I can't debate much since those are the players I would have mentioned. Maybe as an extension Frank Bathe and for a backup goalie Bob Froese seemed to be injured occasionally.

 

[BiggE]

And here we go, the Flyers top 10 bodycheckers of all time. Of course this is totally subjective, but I based my rankings on who did the best of overall job of consistently using hard hits for their maximum effectiveness.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Gary Dornhoefer
Brad McCrimmon
Trent Klatt
Derian Hatcher
Paul Holmgren

10. Mel Bridgman
The feisty center hit hard and effectively

9. Radko Gudas
Gudas was born 20 years too late, but in a light hitting era, he stands out

8. Derrick Smith
Smith excelled at flying in on the forecheck and using a hard hit to knock the Dman off the puck

7. Zak Rinaldo
While he often hit both late and high, he also often changed the momentum of games with his big hits and he often forced opponents into worrying more about him than in making a good play

6. Mike Richards
Richards hit like a guy who was 6’2 210 and he hit a lot. In his prime, he was extremely difficult to play against

5. Ed Van Impe
Eddie hit with everything he had, shoulder, hip, elbow, stick and he hit to hurt. If you don’t believe me, just asked the members of the 1976 Soviet Red Army team

4. Dan McGillis
McGillis was a master of throwing big hard legal hits that effectively separated the puck carrier from the puck.

3. Rick Tocchet
Toc stood a shade under 6 feet but he packed a solid 205 on his frame and his motor was always on full. His hits hurt and often changed the momentum of the game.

2. Bob Kelly
The Hound was a 5’10, 200 lbs bowling ball on skates who went out of his way to steamroll every opposing player. His board rattling hits were guaranteed to bring the Spectrum faithful to their feet.

And in the top spot.....

1. Eric Lindros
There is no one even close. Lindros was 235 pounds of pure fury and his hits and strength were legendary. Lindros hit so hard that you’d involuntarily wince when he threw em. Dmen would blatantly let up and let Big E get to pucks first purely out of fear. Prior to the concussions, he was simply a force of nature.

And there ya have it. You know the drill and I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments

 

[Kermit the Prog]

And here we go, the Flyers top 10 bodycheckers of all time. Of course this is totally subjective, but I based my rankings on who did the best of overall job of consistently using hard hits for their maximum effectiveness.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Gary Dornhoefer
Brad McCrimmon
Trent Klatt
Derian Hatcher
Paul Holmgren

10. Mel Bridgman
The feisty center hit hard and effectively

9. Radko Gudas
Gudas was born 20 years too late, but in a light hitting era, he stands out

8. Derrick Smith
Smith excelled at flying in on the forecheck and using a hard hit to knock the Dman off the puck

7. Zak Rinaldo
While he often hit both late and high, he also often changed the momentum of games with his big hits and he often forced opponents into worrying more about him than in making a good play

6. Mike Richards
Richards hit like a guy who was 6’2 210 and he hit a lot. In his prime, he was extremely difficult to play against

5. Ed Van Impe
Eddie hit with everything he had, shoulder, hip, elbow, stick and he hit to hurt. If you don’t believe me, just asked the members of the 1976 Soviet Red Army team

4. Dan McGillis
McGillis was a master of throwing big hard legal hits that effectively separated the puck carrier from the puck.

3. Rick Tocchet
Toc stood a shade under 6 feet but he packed a solid 205 on his frame and his motor was always on full. His hits hurt and often changed the momentum of the game.

2. Bob Kelly
The Hound was a 5’10, 200 lbs bowling ball on skates who went out of his way to steamroll every opposing player. His board rattling hits were guaranteed to bring the Spectrum faithful to their feet.

And in the top spot.....

1. Eric Lindros
There is no one even close. Lindros was 235 pounds of pure fury and his hits and strength were legendary. Lindros hit so hard that you’d involuntarily wince when he threw em. Dmen would blatantly let up and let Big E get to pucks first purely out of fear. Prior to the concussions, he was simply a force of nature.

And there ya have it. You know the drill and I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments

No quibbling over this list. The Hound was so much fun to watch. A Human Pinball, as Gene Hart used to call him. Kelly epitomized someone who played for the sheer joy of just being on the ice. You could almost feel a "Yee-haw!" whenever he was out there. And if you needed someone to go snipe hunting with, he was your guy.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@BiggE

Good job again. I'd put Gary Dornhoefer in the top ten and add Barry Ashbee and Glen Cochrane.

 

[baudib1]

I think if you're rating the physical impact of hits, Rinaldo definitely deserves to be mentioned as he was a rare combination of speed and strength. But if you're talking about effectiveness, eh, I would question his inclusion. I was thinking of guys like McCrimmon and Smith from the 80s teams.

Lindros was just on another level. I remember Jeremy Roenick, as a young phenom who could score, skate and hit hard, just bouncing off 19-year-old Lindros during Canada Cup. And things like Lindros utterly destroying Michel Petit in a series-deciding game against Tampa where he got No.1 star without getting a point. He was a monster.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

I think if you're rating the physical impact of hits, Rinaldo definitely deserves to be mentioned as he was a rare combination of speed and strength. But if you're talking about effectiveness, eh, I would question his inclusion. I was thinking of guys like McCrimmon and Smith from the 80s teams.

Lindros was just on another level. I remember Jeremy Roenick, as a young phenom who could score, skate and hit hard, just bouncing off 19-year-old Lindros during Canada Cup. And things like Lindros utterly destroying Michel Petit in a series-deciding game against Tampa where he got No.1 star without getting a point. He was a monster.

18 year old Lindros during that Canada Cup.

 

[baudib1]

18 year old Lindros during that Canada Cup.

meh I was gonna look it up but got lazy.

 

[Appleyard]

There are some hilarious Lindros hits where he destroys a guy... and the guys team-mate tries to run him, like clearly charging... and Lindros just looks at them, shifts his weight and sends them flying without really even checking them. So ridiculous. One vs Penguins and one vs someone else.

He also had a great hipcheck too.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

There are some hilarious Lindros hits where he destroys a guy... and the guys team-mate tries to run him, like clearly charging... and Lindros just looks at them, shifts his weight and sends them flying without really even checking them. So ridiculous. One vs Penguins and one vs someone else.

He also had a great hipcheck too.

That happened during Lindros’ rookie year at Vancouver. One the Canuck players on that play was Dana Murzyn, who was a physical defenseman with good size. Murzyn and his teammate were like flies that smashed into a windshield after Lindros checked them.

Lindros was a great fighter. Lindros would have been the league’s most feared enforcer if his only skill was his fists. But you don’t want your best player in the box and Lindros had to restrain himself from pounding the likes of Rich Pilon, Igor Ulanov and Domi.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

That happened during Lindros’ rookie year at Vancouver. One the Canuck players on that play was Dana Murzyn, who was a physical defenseman with good size. Murzyn and his teammate were like flies that smashed into a windshield after Lindros checked them.

Lindros was a great fighter. Lindros would have been the league’s most feared enforcer if his only skill was his fists. But you don’t want your best player in the box and Lindros had to restrain himself from pounding the likes of Rich Pilon, Igor Ulanov and Domi.

He had the two most enormous hands in the history of humanity. It would have been like getting hit with cinder blocks.

 

[BiggE]

Lists I’m considering:

Hardest working Flyers of all time

The 10 most important non player members of the Flyers organization of all time

The 10 greatest single game performances in Flyers history

10 guys I wish had never played for the Flyers.

Let me know which one you want next

 

[baudib1]

10 guys I wish never played for the Flyers, just to stir up Capt. a bit.

 

[BiggE]

10 guys I wish had never, ever, worn the orange and black.

10. Paul Coffey
That 87 Oilers team broke my heart. He was part of that. Case closed

9. Pat Falloon
How did this fat balloon go 2nd overall in the draft? What a waste of talent

8. Andrew MacDonald
Bad enough they traded for this putz, but then they kept running him out there for years! Sure, he’s a good guy, but um, he’s not good at PLAYING THE f***ING GAME!

7. Pavel Brendl
All the talent in the world but no heart whatsoever. One of the laziest players I ever saw

6. Kyle Calder
Still can’t believe they traded Handzus for this sack of garbage. Horrible trade, horrible player

5. Alexandre Daigle
Another heartless f***. Blessed with all the talent in the world and he never bothered to care enough to use it.

4. Ken Linseman version 2
Linseman was a dirty player the first time he was in Philly, but at least he could play. Version 2 was a brokedown piece of garbage and I’m still pissed at Clarke for trading Dave Poulin for him.

Now we move down to a whole new level of scum

3. Ulf Samuelsson
I booed this piece of shit every time he was on the ice. A cheap shot artist and total scumbag who should have never been acquired, he made me sick

2. Marc Bureau
After what he did to Petr Svoboda, the only way I wanted to see Bureau was laying on the ice screaming in agony. What the hell were they thinking?

And, all by himself in the bowels of hell....

1. Billy Tibbets
They traded a classy guy in Kent Mandeville for a no talent, convicted rapist! A rapist!! Seriously, this move alone should have cost Clarke his GM job. Disgusting on every level!

And there you have it. The list of shame!

 

[baudib1]

I'll do mine:

5. Alexander Daigle
4. Mike Bullard
3. Brandon Manning
2. Paul Coffey
1. Andrew MacDonald

 

[PhlthyRich]

10 guys I wish had never, ever, worn the orange and black.

10. Paul Coffey
That 87 Oilers team broke my heart. He was part of that. Case closed

9. Pat Falloon
How did this fat balloon go 2nd overall in the draft? What a waste of talent

8. Andrew MacDonald
Bad enough they traded for this putz, but then they kept running him out there for years! Sure, he’s a good guy, but um, he’s not good at PLAYING THE f***ING GAME!

7. Pavel Brendl
All the talent in the world but no heart whatsoever. One of the laziest players I ever saw

6. Kyle Calder
Still can’t believe they traded Handzus for this sack of garbage. Horrible trade, horrible player

5. Alexandre Daigle
Another heartless f***. Blessed with all the talent in the world and he never bothered to care enough to use it.

4. Ken Linseman version 2
Linseman was a dirty player the first time he was in Philly, but at least he could play. Version 2 was a brokedown piece of garbage and I’m still pissed at Clarke for trading Dave Poulin for him.

Now we move down to a whole new level of scum

3. Ulf Samuelsson
I booed this piece of shit every time he was on the ice. A cheap shot artist and total scumbag who should have never been acquired, he made me sick

2. Marc Bureau
After what he did to Petr Svoboda, the only way I wanted to see Bureau was laying on the ice screaming in agony. What the hell were they thinking?

And, all by himself in the bowels of hell....

1. Billy Tibbets
They traded a classy guy in Kent Mandeville for a no talent, convicted rapist! A rapist!! Seriously, this move alone should have cost Clarke his GM job. Disgusting on every level!

And there you have it. The list of shame!

Honorable mention Vinny?

 

[BiggE]

Honorable mention Vinny?

Nah, I didn’t hate Vinny. He’s a classy guy who tried as hard as he could, but had just lost a step. A bad signing? Sure, but not a guy that I could hate.

 

[baudib1]

Coffey is the only Flyers player I actively booed and yelled at, and I did it loud enough that he could hear me. That dude was such a shadow of his former self it was disgusting. It was hard to believe he had played pro hockey for 15+ years and seemingly had no idea about the basics of his position. He wasn't even that good on the power play.

 

[baudib1]

Coffey is the only Flyers player I actively booed and yelled at, and I did it loud enough that he could hear me. That dude was such a shadow of his former self it was disgusting. It was hard to believe he had played pro hockey for 15+ years and seemingly had no idea about the basics of his position. He wasn't even that good on the power play.

On second thought, maybe Carkner too.