The Philadelphia Flyers were part of the first expansion in NHL history. The team won two Stanley Cup championships within ten years of their foundation but has not won one since.
The Flyers have had a bevy of great teams and players throughout their history. From Bobby Clarke's champions to Claude Grioux's close calls, which teams fall in the top ten in franchise history?
Greatest Flyers team of all time: 1974-75
The best team in Flyers history is the Stanley Cup Champion 1974-75 squad. The team was led by Clarke, who won the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player after a 116-point season. The Flyers tied the Sabres and Canadiens with 113 points but won the most games to snag the top overall seed.
They earned a bye into the quarterfinals and started the playoffs by sweeping the Toronto Maple Leafs. They beat the New York Islanders in game seven of the semi-final and took down the Sabres in the Stanley Cup Final. This is the most impressive championship because there were two extra teams in the league and four extra games in the regular season. Despite their long season prior, the Flyers still got it done.
#2: 1973-74
The first championship in Flyers history takes the number two spot on the list. Goaltender Bernie Parent was the star of this season, winning the Vezina Trophy for top goaltender and the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. He posted a 1.89 goals against average in the regular season and a 2.02 number in the playoffs.
They took a similar path in 1974 that they would in 1975. They swept the Atlanta Flames in the first round, beat the New York Rangers in seven games in the semi-final, and beat the Bruins in six games in the Cup Final. Clarke led the regular season in scoring and Rick MacLeish led the way with 13 goals in the playoffs.
#3: 1975-76
A season synonymous with the Montreal Canadiens clocks as the third-best season in Flyers history. The Habs set the record for wins and points in a season and beat the Flyers in the Cup Final. Clarke won the Hart Trophy again with a 119-point season, his career high. Parent made way for Wayne Stephenson in net, who won 40 of his 66 starts.
It took seven games for the Flyers to eliminate the Maple Leafs in the first round. They then dispatched the Bruins in five games before being swept by the Canadiens, crushing the hopes of a third straight championship. Reggie Leach put up one of the best playoffs ever, scoring 19 goals in 16 games. He won the Conn Smythe in a losing effort, the third time in history that had happened.
#4: 1979-80
Remember that time the Flyers lost in the Cup Final to a budding dynasty? After losing to the Canadiens to start their run of four straight Cups in '76, the Flyers got back in 1980. They lost to the Islanders in overtime in game six, the first of New York's four consecutive Stanley Cups.
Ken Linseman was the star of the team now, leading the team with 79 regular season points and 22 playoff points. Leach continued as a star goal scorer, potting 50 goals in the regular season. The team's 116 points rank as the second most in franchise history, behind '75-'76, and it marked the last Final appearance for five seasons.
#5: 1996-97
Breaking out of the 1970s, the 1996-97 team made it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in a decade. John LeClair led the regular season with 50 goals, 47 assists, and 97 points. Eric Lindros missed time with an injury and still scored the second-most points on the team. They finished in second place in the Eastern Conference with 103 points.
The playoffs started with a series against their rival Penguins, which the Flyers won in five games. They then beat the Rangers and Capitals in five games to march to the Cup Final. They were swept by the powerhouse Red Wings, but it still goes down as a great season.
#6: 1984-85
The Flyers put together a first-place regular season and lost to a dynasty in the Cup Final in 1984-85. Seriously! Tim Kerr led the way with 54 regular-season goals and added 10 more in the playoffs, both team highs. Their 113 points were the most in the entire league, earning them home-ice advantage for the entire playoffs.
They then rolled through the playoffs, sweeping the Rangers, ending the Islanders' run for a sixth straight Cup Final appearance in five, and beating the Quebec Nordiques in six games in the semi-final. They won game one of the Cup Final but lost the next four games to lose the Stanley Cup to Gretzky's Oilers.
#7: 1986-87
The third of Edmonton's four Cups with Gretzky also came against the Flyers. Philadelphia finished first once again in the Eastern Conference with 100 points. Kerr led the way once again with 58 goals and 97 points while Dave Poulin had a team-high 45 assists. However, it was young goaltender Ron Hextall who became the star of these teams.
Hextall was just 22 years old in 1986. He won the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Rookie team, was a first-team All-Star, and won the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP. It was the third time in franchise history a goalie had won the Conn Smythe and the second time a player won in a losing effort. While Hextall never won another Vezina, 1986-87 will go down as one of the best rookie years a goalie has ever had.
#8: 2009-10
In their most recent trip to the Stanley Cup Final, the Flyers lost to a team on the verge of a great championship run. The first of the Blackhawks' three Cups in the Jonathon Towes/Patrick Kane era came against the Flyers. The series is best remembered for Kane's series-winning overtime goal and was the final run in Chris Pronger's Hall of Fame career.
Mike Richards led the team in regular season points and current general manager Daniel Briere notched 30 postseason points to lead the attack. Pronger was the story, dragging another team to the Cup Final while playing over 29 minutes per night at 35 years old. They finished seventh in the East, beating the heavily favored Devils in the first round, the Bruins in seven games in the second round, and the Canadiens in five games to reach the Final.
#9: 1999-00
The 1999-00 season ended in the conference final despite a first-place finish. The New Jersey Devils were on their way to their second championship when they beat the Flyers in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final in Philadelphia. Mark Recchi led the team in points with 91 and the entire league with 63 assists.
The Flyers did not face elimination in the first two rounds, beating the Sabres in five games and the Penguins in six games before running into the Devils. This era of Flyers team never won the Stanley Cup but this is one of their best seasons.
#10: 2003-04
Another first-place team that lost in the conference final, the 2003-04 Flyers epitomize the dead puck era. Only one player, Recchi, scored over 60 points yet they had three goalies put up stellar numbers. Robert Esche, Jeff Hackett, and Sean Burke all played at least 15 games and posted save percentages over .905.
They once again did not face elimination in the first two rounds, beating the Devils in five games and the Maple Leafs in six. They then traded punches with the Lightning in the conference final, alternating wins through Tampa's game seven win.
Follow Us
Subscribe