October 7, 1990. An otherwise unremarkable day in the history of the universe. In hockey circles, It was the Philadelphia Flyers’ 1990-91 home opener, played against the Detroit Red Wings after opening the year with two straight losses at Boston and New Jersey. In and of itself, that 7-2 victory played out in front of a sell-out crowd wasn’t notable, unless you count falling behind 2-0 early and then scoring seven straight goals. What did make it special was, it was the official retirement ceremony for Bill Barber’s #7. Honored first towards the tail end of the 1985-86 season for his 13 years …
The Lost Season
Nursing the heartbreak of a Stanley-Cup caliber Flyers season that came to a screeching halt with a stupefying early playoff exit is a rare and beautiful thing. Although the Flyers have prided themselves on not shitting the bed in the postseason after being near the top of the NHL standings, it has been known to occur every once in a blue moon. Like in the early 1980′s. Tucked in between the Year of the Streak that ended in a loss to the Islanders in the Finals and the Mike Keenan-led surprise 1985 Cup finalists, was four deeply disappointing years that saw a …
Tocchet’s unexpected burst of offense still a Flyers record
Three hat tricks in the span of four games. Eleven total goals. A road trip to remember for Flyers fans old enough to stay up late and watch it. If you work up a short list of Orange and Black snipers, it’s easy to think of Reggie Leach, Rick MacLeish, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, John LeClair, Simon Gagne and now Danny Briere. But Rick Tocchet? Strange but true. Tocchet played 18 memorable NHL seasons, and was paired alongside some bona-fide Hall-of-Fame talent for a good portion of that time, but he wasn’t always the complete player that everyone now retroactively …
Spectrum Memories: Sometimes They Come Back
To celebrate my 25th year of hockey fandom, I will occasionally step into the way-back machine and write about events in the Flyers’ past. For the balance of the season, I will be dipping into the well to ruminate about some things related to my love of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in general about the fan experience as a youngster. This is the sixth in the series of Spectrum Memories. Losing a family member or a friend to relocations, sickness or death is never a good experience, and the emotions are very raw and fresh when you’re a kid. Thankfully, my rather small family …
Spectrum Memories: December weekend afternoons
To celebrate my 25th year of hockey fandom, I will occasionally step into the way-back machine and write about events in the Flyers’ past. For the balance of the season, I will be dipping into the well to ruminate about some things related to my love of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in general about the fan experience as a youngster. This is the third in the series of Spectrum Memories. One of the statistical, or actually, calendrical oddities of having a Flyers single-season matinee ticket plan in the years my family did was that there never seemed to be any December …
Propp has been where Howard is now
When it comes to Philadelphia sports, good most always isn’t good enough. The mantra is amplified when players who are identified as leaders in terms of how gaudy their statistics are, don’t come through as often as is demanded. It is something Ryan Howard is going through right now as the Phillies strive towards their third consecutive World Series berth, but it is familiar territory that one respected former Philadelphia Flyer knows well. Brian Propp can surely relate. Howard finished the five-game 2008 World Series by hitting 6-for-21 (.286) with three home runs and six batted in, spurring the Phillies …
Flyers’ bottom five games in new buildings
To celebrate the fact that the Penguins will open up the new CONSOL Energy Center tonight by welcoming the Flyers, I’ve decided to dip into the history machine again and pull out what I think are the five best and worst games the club has played in new arenas. Yesterday’s post featured the best game. Today, I write about bottom five games. 1. December 6, 1992 – Senators 3, Flyers 2 @ Ottawa Civic Center Pelle Eklund and Claude Boivin scored for the Flyers but the story was that a club in the middle of their five-year playoff drought brought …
Flyers’ top five games in new buildings
To celebrate the fact that the Penguins will open up the new CONSOL Energy Center on Thursday by welcoming the Flyers, I’ve decided to dip into the history machine again and pull out what I think are the five best and worst games the club has played in new arenas. Today’s post will feature the best game. The worst games will be published tomorrow. 1. February 3, 1996 – Flyers 7, Blues 3 @ Kiel Center The bad news was that feared sniper Brett Hull scored the first and last goals of the game. The good news was how Philly …