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

[BiggE]

Add Al Hill's first game. Six points. No one has surpassed it since. You get one shot at a first game. Doesn't matter if your name is Gretzky, Orr, Howe or Hill.

Minor correction , it was 5 points, 2 goals and 3 assists. Still unbelievable though and one of the most shocking debuts of any pro player.

 

[BiggE]

Was Kyle Calder or Mike Comrie considered?

Lol, forgot all about Comrie. Now that I think about it, wish I could forget Calder too!

I threw that one together really quick so I’m sure I missed quite a few guys.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Minor correction , it was 5 points, 2 goals and 3 assists. Still unbelievable though and one of the most shocking debuts of any pro player.

Yes, good catch.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

View attachment 296463

Cowboy Bill Flett:

 

[Strawberry Fields]

Top 10 names in Flyers history.

Branko Radivojevic is very high up, if not number one, without thinking about it too hard. Antero Niittymaki and Oskars Bartulis as well from recent history.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Top 10 names in Flyers history.

Branko Radivojevic is very high up, if not number one, without thinking about it too hard. Antero Niittymaki and Oskars Bartulis as well from recent history.

Jukka Pekka Seppo would have won this in a landslide if he ever came over, but ...

1. Wes Walz wins.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Top 10 names in Flyers history.

Branko Radivojevic is very high up, if not number one, without thinking about it too hard. Antero Niittymaki and Oskars Bartulis as well from recent history.

Vyatcheslav Butsayev by any spelling.

Barry Tabobodung, a draft pick who died at a young age, his exuberance at the draft was beyond compare. His foot got stuck in a chair.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Vyatcheslav Butsayev by any spelling.

Worst name ever: Kimbi Daniels.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Worst name ever: Kimbi Daniels.

Since playing for the Flyers, he appeared on the roster of approximately 20 different teams. He must have a lot of stickers on his luggage.

 

[BiggE]

Worst name ever: Kimbi Daniels.

Peter Peeters still makes me laugh. His parents were just cruel.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Jukka Pekka Seppo would have won this in a landslide if he ever came over, but ...

1. Wes Walz wins.

12 games of Zarley Zalapski is enough to vault him to #1 for me.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Some off the top of my head, in no order cept (vaguely) chronological

Allen Stanley
He was hall of fame player who spent most of his career with Toronto. By the time he got to Philly in 68 though, he was over 40 and pretty much done.

Rob Ramage
He was, due to injury, pretty much done when he got to Philly. In his prime though, he was a borderline top pair guy

Al Secord
He was a pretty good goal scorer in Chicago but here, at the end of his career, he was a generic 4th liner.

Dale Hawerchuk
Hawerchuk didn’t suck in Philly, he was actually pretty good but his ravaged hip had cost him a couple of steps and he was nowhere near the superstar he was in his prime.

Paul Coffey
Coffey was really good for a few games but after getting run over by teammate Eric Lindros, he was never the same and was probably playing with post-concussion symptoms the rest of that season

Derian Hatcher
Hatch didn’t suck in Philly, but his ravaged knees took away whatever speed he once had and he was far from the dominant top pair shutdown guy he was in Dallas

Vinnie Lecavalier
We all know how that worked out. A terrible signing in retrospect, VLC had lost a step and just couldn’t keep up anymore.

Nick Schultz
A solid top four guy in his prime in Minnesota, he was a middling bottom pair guy in Philly

Chris Stewart
A few years back, Ol Biceps was one of the NHLs better power forwards. Today? Today he’s basically an AHL 4th liner masquerading as an NHL player. Cut the cord Chuck!

I'd put Hal Gill in here somewhere

 

[mja]

Top 10 Hak's hacks - Where are they now edition?

10. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

2017-18	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL	72	6	10	16	14	5	20	0	3	3	14
2018-19	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL	76	6	9	15	6	2	6	0	0	0	2
2019-20	Colorado Avalanche	NHL	36	6	6	12	10	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

9. Valteri Filppula

2018-19	New York Islanders	NHL	72	17	14	31	16	19	8	0	4	4	2
2019-20	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	38	3	11	14	12	-27

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

8. Robert Hagg

7. Christian Folin

2018-19	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	19	0	4	4	11	1	--	--	--	--	--
2019-20	Laval Rocket*	AHL	7	0	0	0	0	-3
2019-20	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	5	0	1	1	2	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

6. Dale Weisse

5. Andrew MacDonald

2019-20

Bern SC

Swiss-A

13

0

1

1

12

-4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

4. Ryan White

2016-17	Arizona Coyotes	NHL	46	7	6	13	70	-8	--	--	--	--	--
2016-17	Minnesota Wild	NHL	19	2	1	3	14	-8	3	0	0	0	4
2017-18	San Diego Gulls	AHL	21	3	6	9	52	4	--	--	--	--	--
2017-18	Iowa Wild	AHL	23	2	6	8	57	-9	--	--	--	--	--
2018-19	Manitoba Moose	AHL	27	5	2	7	57	-4	--	--	--	--	--
2019-20	Manitoba Moose	AHL	6	0	0	0	4	-3

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

3. Chris Vande Velde

2017-18	Lukko Rauma	SM-liiga	27	6	10	16	10	-1	--	--	--	--	--
2018-19	Salzburg EC	Austria	37	10	21	31	28	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

2. Jori Lehtera

1. Brandon Manning

 

[BiggE]

Top 10 Hak's hacks - Where are they now edition?

10. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

2017-18	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL	72	6	10	16	14	5	20	0	3	3	14
2018-19	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL	76	6	9	15	6	2	6	0	0	0	2
2019-20	Colorado Avalanche	NHL	36	6	6	12	10	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

9. Valteri Filppula

2018-19	New York Islanders	NHL	72	17	14	31	16	19	8	0	4	4	2
2019-20	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	38	3	11	14	12	-27

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

8. Robert Hagg

7. Christian Folin

2018-19	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	19	0	4	4	11	1	--	--	--	--	--
2019-20	Laval Rocket*	AHL	7	0	0	0	0	-3
2019-20	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	5	0	1	1	2	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

6. Dale Weisse

5. Andrew MacDonald

2019-20

Bern SC

Swiss-A

13

0

1

1

12

-4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

4. Ryan White

2016-17	Arizona Coyotes	NHL	46	7	6	13	70	-8	--	--	--	--	--
2016-17	Minnesota Wild	NHL	19	2	1	3	14	-8	3	0	0	0	4
2017-18	San Diego Gulls	AHL	21	3	6	9	52	4	--	--	--	--	--
2017-18	Iowa Wild	AHL	23	2	6	8	57	-9	--	--	--	--	--
2018-19	Manitoba Moose	AHL	27	5	2	7	57	-4	--	--	--	--	--
2019-20	Manitoba Moose	AHL	6	0	0	0	4	-3

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

3. Chris Vande Velde

2017-18	Lukko Rauma	SM-liiga	27	6	10	16	10	-1	--	--	--	--	--
2018-19	Salzburg EC	Austria	37	10	21	31	28	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

2. Jori Lehtera

1. Brandon Manning

Fantastic!

 

[baudib1]

When the Flyers called up Hextall, there was talk that the team could always find great young goalies. Can you imagine?

Whatever you want to say about Clarke, he had guts in his early days as a GM. The team was coming off a 110-point season and had won the Jennings Trophy. He trades his starting goalie in division to hand the reins over to a rookie who was, quite clearly, a little weird.

 

[baudib1]

If I was going to rank the 10 best pure fighters in team history, it would be:

Honorable Mentions:
Jack McIlharghy
Craig Berube
Ed Hospador

10. Glen Cochrane
Cochrane fought with reckless abandon and was actually a pretty decent Dman when he was able to stay out of the box.

9. Wayne Simmonds
Pound for pound, the stick legged Simmer was of the toughest players in team history and he routinely fought players who outweighed him by 30 lbs or more

8. Eric Lindros
The Flyers didn’t want him fighting too much but when the big guy dropped the gloves, it was bad news for the other guy. His destruction of multiple Lightning players in the 96 playoffs was epic

7. Rick Tocchet
A classic old school power forward, Toc could throw down as well as anyone. His bouts with Wendell Clark were amazing

6. Mel Bridgman
As MSE mentioned, his fights with Terry O’Reilly were a sight to behold. I really can’t remember Bridgman ever getting beaten cleanly.

5. Donald Brashear
Brash would have made a great Bullie. He was actually a pretty solid player and defensively responsible, but his fists won him an NHL job. Never forget, Ottawa didn’t find their courage in the famous brawl game until Brashear was ejected

4. Dave Schultz
Schultz was pure brutality unleashed. Playing in a much less regulated era, he was known for his vicious headbutts and his taped fists. His beatdown of Dale Rolfe in the 74 playoffs took the heart out of the Rangers. As MSE pointed out, Schultz was a also a fine player (he was a point per game scorer in Junior). He was at his best in the 74 playoffs, especially in game 2 of the finals.

3. Paul Holmgren
Early in Homer’s career, Dave Schultz was traded to LA. In his first game he and Homer dropped the gloves and Holmgren won decisively. Holmgren probably won half his fights from just his menacing stare alone. He was not a guy to mess with and he is solely responsible for Ken “The Rat” Linseman surviving his rookie year

2. Behn Wilson
Wilson was supremely skilled and strong on his skates, but his lack of all around hockey sense and bonehead lapses in judgements always held him back. When it came to fighting, he was a terror. Wilson had some great bouts with the Rags Nick Fotiu (a former gold gloves boxer) and he’s one of the few guys I ever saw beat the Isles Clark Gillies clean. He was known for his jackhammer knockout punch

1. Dave Brown
A 6’5 220 southpaw, Brown used his strength and great reach to his advantage. Rarely have I seen a guy that big with hands that fast. Very few guys wanted any part of Brownie and most who did regretted it. Brown also worked his tail off to be a better player and over the years he went from being a pure goon playing 4-5 minutes per game, to a smart, defensively responsible winger who could take a regular shift.

And there you have it, let me know what you all think.

If I had to win a hockey fight to save my life I'd pick Brown over anyone. He played in an era when teams had professional enforcers and you could always count on him to take on and beat the Jay Millers and Chris Nilans of the league.

 

[BiggE]

If I had to win a hockey fight to save my life I'd pick Brown over anyone. He played in an era when teams had professional enforcers and you could always count on him to take on and beat the Jay Millers and Chris Nilans of the league.

He’s certainly one of the best I ever saw. It’s a toss up between Brown and Bob Probert for me.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

Some off the top of my head, in no order cept (vaguely) chronological

Allen Stanley
He was hall of fame player who spent most of his career with Toronto. By the time he got to Philly in 68 though, he was over 40 and pretty much done.

Rob Ramage
He was, due to injury, pretty much done when he got to Philly. In his prime though, he was a borderline top pair guy

Al Secord
He was a pretty good goal scorer in Chicago but here, at the end of his career, he was a generic 4th liner.

Dale Hawerchuk
Hawerchuk didn’t suck in Philly, he was actually pretty good but his ravaged hip had cost him a couple of steps and he was nowhere near the superstar he was in his prime.

Paul Coffey
Coffey was really good for a few games but after getting run over by teammate Eric Lindros, he was never the same and was probably playing with post-concussion symptoms the rest of that season

Derian Hatcher
Hatch didn’t suck in Philly, but his ravaged knees took away whatever speed he once had and he was far from the dominant top pair shutdown guy he was in Dallas

Vinnie Lecavalier
We all know how that worked out. A terrible signing in retrospect, VLC had lost a step and just couldn’t keep up anymore.

Nick Schultz
A solid top four guy in his prime in Minnesota, he was a middling bottom pair guy in Philly

Chris Stewart
A few years back, Ol Biceps was one of the NHLs better power forwards. Today? Today he’s basically an AHL 4th liner masquerading as an NHL player. Cut the cord Chuck!

How about Dennis Ververgaert? Wasn't he viewed as a huge disappointment after being acquired from Vancouver in 1979? Ververgaert was only 27 at time, had finished 4th in the 1974 Calder voting and was three years removed from a 37 goal season. Keith Allen must have believed Ververgaert would perform to his potential on a contending team.

Here are two more names I thought of who were washed up by the time they came to Philly:

Ulf Samuelsson
In his prime, Ulf was hated for his mouth, his stick work, illegal hitting and unwillingness to fight. Ulf is still a curse word in Boston thanks to his knee on knee hit on Cam Neely in the 1991 playoffs. By the time Ulf arrived in Philadelphia in 1999, he was shell of his former self and a non-factor.

Petr Nedved
Nedved, a career underachiever, appeared in 49 games over parts of two seasons in 2006 and 2007. To obtain Nedved, Clarke surrendered Dennis Seidenberg, who would go on to have a solid career over the ensuing decade.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

How about Dennis Ververgaert? Wasn't he viewed as a huge disappointment after being acquired from Vancouver in 1979? Ververgaert was only 27 at time, had finished 4th in the 1974 Calder voting and was three years removed from a 37 goal season. Keith Allen must have believed Ververgaert would perform to his potential on a contending team.

Here are two more names I thought of who were washed up by the time they came to Philly:

Ulf Samuelsson
In his prime, Ulf was hated for his mouth, his stick work, illegal hitting and unwillingness to fight. Ulf is still a curse word in Boston thanks to his knee on knee hit on Cam Neely in the 1991 playoffs. By the time Ulf arrived in Philadelphia in 1999, he was shell of his former self and a non-factor.

Petr Nedved
Nedved, a career underachiever, appeared in 49 games over parts of two seasons in 2006 and 2007. To obtain Nedved, Clarke surrendered Dennis Seidenberg, who would go on to have a solid career over the ensuing decade.

I was thinking of the guys I hated before they came here and I knew I was forgetting a big one, and it's ****ing Ulf. But since it's Christmas ...

TOP 10 FAVORITES

Tied 1st:
Peter Zezel
Derrick Smith
Dave Poulin
Doug Crossman
Scott Mellanby
Ilkka Sinisalo
Mark Howe
Pelle Eklund
Ron Hextall
Bunny

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Some off the top of my head, in no order cept (vaguely) chronological

Allen Stanley
He was hall of fame player who spent most of his career with Toronto. By the time he got to Philly in 68 though, he was over 40 and pretty much done.

Rob Ramage
He was, due to injury, pretty much done when he got to Philly. In his prime though, he was a borderline top pair guy

Al Secord
He was a pretty good goal scorer in Chicago but here, at the end of his career, he was a generic 4th liner.

Dale Hawerchuk
Hawerchuk didn’t suck in Philly, he was actually pretty good but his ravaged hip had cost him a couple of steps and he was nowhere near the superstar he was in his prime.

Paul Coffey
Coffey was really good for a few games but after getting run over by teammate Eric Lindros, he was never the same and was probably playing with post-concussion symptoms the rest of that season

Derian Hatcher
Hatch didn’t suck in Philly, but his ravaged knees took away whatever speed he once had and he was far from the dominant top pair shutdown guy he was in Dallas

Vinnie Lecavalier
We all know how that worked out. A terrible signing in retrospect, VLC had lost a step and just couldn’t keep up anymore.

Nick Schultz
A solid top four guy in his prime in Minnesota, he was a middling bottom pair guy in Philly

Chris Stewart
A few years back, Ol Biceps was one of the NHLs better power forwards. Today? Today he’s basically an AHL 4th liner masquerading as an NHL player. Cut the cord Chuck!

Considering Stanley's age I wouldn't say he "sucked" which was the original intent of the post.

Would you consider Bryzgalov? Considering the hopes.

Darryl Sittler was a good acquisition but the Flyers did zip when he was here though of course not his fault but the trade didn't help the team during the three playoffs.

Paul Lawless, a first round pick by the Whalers, wasn't great prior but lasted eight games with the Flyers before Mike Keenan said "Now I know why Hartford traded him."

Ververgaert should be on the list especially since Keith Allen cherished him prior to getting him.

 

[BiggE]

Really hard to pick only 10 for an all time Flyers favorite player list, but here goes nothing!

Honorable Mentions
Paul Holmgren
Pelle Lindbergh
Rod Brind’amour
Sean Couturier

10. Ron Hextall
Hexy only cared about one thing, winning. Can still hear him clanging his stick off the posts during every stoppage in play

9. Claude Giroux
He’ll finish his career as one of the greatest Flyers of all time. If he can lead them to a Cup, he’ll probably move a few spots up this list.

8. Eric Desjardins
Silky smooth and always classy. As Captain, he handled the end of the Lindros era about as well as anyone could have handled it.

7. Dave Poulin
The classy warrior and 2nd greatest captain in team history. Trading him for Ken f***ing Linseman still infuriates me today! Poulin was held in the highest regard by his teammates for constantly playing through injury. His 2 man down shorty against Quebec in the 85 playoffs was epic.

6. Bill Barber
Younger fans don’t realize just how good a player Bill Barber was. In the mid to late 70s Barber was the best LW in the NHL. A fantastic pp QB, he was talented enough to drop back and play defense if needed. A complete player, Barber excelled at every facet of the game.

5. Kimmo Timonen
The Finnish Warrior was a throwback to earlier era. Kimmo was silky smooth, smart and played through all kinds of nasty injuries. He’s another player who was both universally respected and loved by teammates

4. Tim Kerr
The big guy was a goal scoring machine, especially on the powerplay. In an era where mugging was legal, he scored 224 goals over a 4 year period. If he had played under today’s rules, he might have scored 300. A true stoic, I’ll never forget his first game back after the tragic death of his wife Kathy. As the Spectrum’s ovation got louder and louder, Kerr finally looked at the linesman and silently gestured for him to drop the puck. Kerr never cared a whit about the spotlight, he just wanted to score goals and win games.

3. Mark Howe
Howe was, by far, the best defenseman to ever wear the orange and black. Howe did everything well and he’s one of the classiest players in team history too. He routinely played nearly 30 minutes a night and as long as he was on the ice, the Flyers could play with anyone. It’s criminal that he never won a Norris trophy

2. Bobby Clarke
No one, in any sport, ever wanted to win more than Robert Earle Clarke. Clarkie would have all but killed himself to win a hockey game. In street clothes, no one would ever guess that this slight, bespectacled man was a world class athlete, but he was. From 72-73 through 75-76, Clarke piled up 429 points, was a 3 time 1st team all star, won 3 Hart trophies and led his team to 2 Stanley Cups. When they made Bobby Clarke, they broke the mold.

1. Bernie Parent
Every young Flyers fan in the mid 70s had the bumper sticker: Only The Lord Saves More Than Bernie Parent! His was the first Flyer sweater I ever owned and he was the first pro athlete that I worshipped as a hero. Bernie was cool as a cucumber and completely unflappable. From 1973-1975 he played as well as any goalie who ever lived. Including playoffs, he put up 30 shutouts and 113 wins over those 2 seasons and won both the Vezina and Smythe trophies both seasons. Looking back, he really should have also won the Hart trophy in 73-74 too. Parent will also always be remembered in Flyers lore for turning to Joe Watson after a frantic sequence during the 74 finals and saying “some fun, eh?” Bernie, you are still my hero.

 

[baudib1]

Top 10 favorite Flyers

10. Ron Sutter
9. Keith Primeau
8. Sean Couturier
7. Claude Giroux
6. Mikael Renberg
5. Mark Howe
4. Ron Hextall
3. Tim Kerr
2. Eric Lindros
1. Shayne Gostisbehere

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Top 10 favourite Flyers (starting in '92, since that's when I became a fan):

Just missed the cut: Forsberg, Knuble, Carter, Briere, Biron, Sanheim

10) Shjon Podein
9) John LeClair
8) Jake Voracek
7) Rod Brind'Amour
6) Eric Desjardins
5) Sean Couturier
4) Simon Gagne
3) Kimmo Timonen
2) Claude Giroux
1) Eric Lindros

 

[Vikke]

Top 10 favourite players:
1. Claude Giroux
2. Eric Lindros
3. Kimmo Timonen
4. Simon Gagne
5. Mike Richards
6. Sean Couturier
7. Chris Pronger, despite a short stint.
8. Ghost
9. Tommy Söderström. Random, but he always replied to my letters and sent back autographed cards and stuff when I was a kid.
10. Probably Mikael Renberg.

HM: Brent Fedyk, because I wore #18 playing hockey when he was here and I had a bunch of his hockey cards.
Steve Mason.

 

[BiggE]

Lol, can tell y’all’s age from the lack of Broad Street Bullies love