Flyers Faithful presents the final installment of a seven-part series examining and celebrating the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers, arguably the best NHL championship pairing of the last 30 years. The idea of the noble loser is a fairly recent concept. For ages lost in history as the winners got to write the story of their own glory and perpetuate it throughout successive generations, praising the vanquished was an unknown art. Certainly in the whole history of Philadelphia sports, there were few instances of our losers giving it all and coming up that little …

Flyers Faithful presents the sixth in a seven-part series examining and celebrating the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers, arguably the best NHL championship pairing of the last 30 years. Have you ever visited a mine or a cave in a state or national park, or ever been somewhere you could hear an echo seem to repeat forever? Or somewhere the concussion of a noise or a beat ringing out into the distance doesn’t seem to fade as physics demand while the minutes roll on? That’s what South Philadelphia sounded like to nine-year-old ears at …

Flyers Faithful presents the fifth in a seven-part series examining and celebrating the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers, arguably the best NHL championship pairing of the last 30 years. Pride and confidence are great things to display in the right quantities, in the right time. And karma can be a real bitch. One game away from claiming their third Stanley Cup in four seasons, the print media in Alberta’s capital simply lost its mind on Tuesday and published parade plans for a few days hence. “Coming home to our adoring fans, the scene was …

Flyers Faithful presents the fourth in a seven-part series examining and celebrating the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers, arguably the best NHL championship pairing of the last 30 years. Tell the truth. You don’t remember anything about Game 4 except 1) the Flyers lost and 2) the completion of the action from the above picture. More on that later. Sufficiently chastened after blowing the Mother of all Leads less than 48 hours earlier, the Edmonton Oilers came back with a more complete game plan and much better execution to assume a 3-1 series edge. …