intheslot

3) Today in Flyers History: December 7

1972: A four-point effort from Bobby Clarke spurs the Flyers to a 6-2 home win over the Minnesota North Stars. Clarke erased an early deficit with an unassisted goal, and later set up a pair of tallies by "Cowboy" Bill Flett as well as a power play goal by defenseman Tom Bladon. Rick MacLeish scored a second period power play goal for his 17th goal of the season en route to the first 50-goal season in Flyers' history.

1985: Bob Froese records a 23-save shutout as the Flyers blank the New York Rangers, 4-0, at the Spectrum. Two goals apiece by Murray Craven and Brian Propp were more than enough. In the meantime, Bo Berglund (two assists, plus-two, one shot on goal, ice time on the second line) had the best game of his brief seven-game tenure as a Flyer after being recently acquired in the trade that sent Todd Bergen to the Minnesota North Stars.

Bobby Brink

.

Today in Flyers History: December 3 edition

1969: Jim Johnson scored a surprise hat trick, recording his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the season in a 7-1 road rout of the Los Angeles Kings. In the same game, Simon Nolet notched a pair of goals while rookie center Bobby Clarke scored the third goal of his NHL career.

1978: Two goals and an assist by Don "Big Bird" Saleski power the Flyers to a 7-2 home win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Defenseman Bob "the Count" Dailey also has a three-point night with a goal and two assists, while Rick MacLeish tallied a pair of goals.

1984: Bob Froese made the most of a start at Madison Square Garden, recording 31 saves in a 6-2 win over the Rangers. The Flyers shrugged off a Jan Erixon goal in the opening half minute of the game to score the next four goals. Team captain Dave Poulin (two goals, one assist) and Peter Zezel (one goal, one assist) led the charge. Brian Propp notched his 16th goal of the season to start a hot streak in which he racked up three goals and seven points over a five-game span.

3) Today in Flyers History: The Barry Cummins Incident

California Seals rookie defenseman Barry Cummins learned a painful lesson about the lengths the Flyers were willing to go to defend one another, especially team captain Bobby Clarke. At 11:32 of the second period of a game between the Flyers and Seals at the Spectrum on December 2, 1973, one of the most notorious moments of the Broad Street Bullies era took place at 11:32 of the second period with the Flyers leading 2-1.

Frustrated by an unpenalized high stick from Clarke, Cummins swung his stick at Clarke's head, opening a bloody 24-stitch gash on Clarke's head. The Flyers' retaliation was immediate and severe. Numerous Flyers players descended upon Cummins all at once, beating him to a pulp and walling off the Seals players who tried to assist Cummins. After the line brawl and another round of fights a few minutes later, the visiting Seals went down meekly, 5-1.

Rick MacLeish, Dave Schultz, Ross Lonsberry, Bill Flett and Simon Nolet scored for the Flyers. Orest Kindrachuk collected three assists. Bernie Parent stopped 28 of 29 shots to earn the win.

 
6) Today in Flyers History: December 1, 1974

n one of the most lopsided games in franchise history, the defending Stanley Cup champion Flyers whipped the woeful Kansas City Scouts by a 10-0 count at the Spectrum on December 1, 1974.

Ross Lonsberry and Bill Barber scored two goals apiece, while Bobby Clarke racked up a shorthanded goal and two assists. Philly also got goals by Gary Dornhoefer, Bill Clement, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Orest Kindrachuk, and Dave "the Hammer" Schultz.

Bernie Parent was scarcely tested in earning a 22-save shutout. The Flyer compiled a 47-22 shot advantage for the game as KC goalie Pete McDuffe absorbed all 10 goals that Philly scored. The Flyers led 5-0 after the first period and 9-0 at the second intermission.

4) November 30 in Flyers History:

1972: "Cowboy" Bill Flett had two goals and an assist in a 5-5 home tie with the Atlanta Flames. Linemates Bobby Clarke (two goals, one assist) and Bob "the Hound" Kelly (two assists) also enjoyed multiple point games while Rick MacLeish had the Flyers other tally. Philadelphia held a 5-3 lead early in the third period but a miscue by goaltender Doug Favell and a double-deflection goal resulted in a tie.

1978: Wayne Stephenson recorded a 17-save home shutout of his former team, the St. Louis Blues. Blake Dunlop, rookie Behn Wilson and team captain Bobby Clarke supplied the goal support.

1983: Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Clarke took turns dominating a 3-3 tie in Edmonton. Every time Gretzky set up or scored a goal to forge a lead for the Oilers, Clarke responded in kind to pull the Flyers even. Dave Poulin supplemented Clarke's two-goal performance while Edmonton's Paul Coffey scored in the final minute of the third period. Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr made 40 saves to 32 by Philly's Bob Froese.

1990: A two-goal performance by Rick Tocchet and a shorthanded goal by Keith Acton keyed a 5-1 home win over the New York Rangers. Pelle Eklund racked up three assists while Kjell Samuelsson and Murray Craven tallied one goal apiece.

1995: Held off the board for nearly the first 59 minutes of play, the Legion of Doom could be contained no longer by the Toronto Maple Leafs in their final shift of the game. With the score tied 2-2 and time ticking down under two minute, the Legion kept Toronto hemmed in its own end of the ice for nearly 50 seconds until Mikael Renberg scored his 15th goal of the season to put Philly ahead to stay with 1:03 remaining in the game. Rod Brind'Amour and Brent Fedyk (power play) also scored for Philadelphia.

1996: Trailing 1-0 at the first intermission, the Flyers roared back to score three goals in the second period to take control of a game that ended in a 4-3 road win in Ottawa. Rookie Dainius Zubrus scored his third NHL goal, followed by tallies from Rod Brind'Amour (power play), Shjon Podein and Trent Klatt. Garth Snow saw just 17 shots for the game, stopping 14 to earn the win. The Flyers peppered Ottawa's Damian Rhodes with 37 shots.

5) Today in Flyers History: November 27

1974: Flyers Hall of Fame right winger Reggie Leach scores the first hat trick of his Flyers career in a 6-2 home win over the Detroit Red Wings. The goals were the 7th, 8th and 9th he would score on the way to a 45-goal season in his first season for Philadelphia. The "Riverton Rifle" would go on to notch eight hat tricks (combined regular season and playoff) in his Flyers career.

1977: The Flyers earned a 2-0 win at the Spectrum over the Los Angeles Kings. Wayne Stephenson recorded a 17-save shutout, while Mel Bridgman and Ross Lonsberry scored the goals. On the same night, defenseman Joe Watson played his 700th game as a Flyer. In 11 seasons with the Flyers (1967-68 through 1977-78), Watson recorded 36 goals and 162 assists for 198 points and 397 penalty minutes in 746 regular season games. Today, Watson's games played total stands second in Flyers' franchise history, surpassed only by Chris Therien's 753 regular season games as a Flyer. Andre "Moose" Dupont holds the franchise record for playoff games played by a defenseman, with 108. Jim Watson, Joe's younger brother, is second with 101. Joe Watson was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on Feb. 22, 1996. Jim Watson was inducted on February 29, 2016.

1982: Pelle Lindbergh notches his first career NHL shutout, making 22 saves in a 4-0 road win over the Los Angeles Kings. Mark Howe, Lindsay Carson, Ron Flockhart and Ray Allison score the goals.

2) Today in Flyers History: November 26

1967: In a clash of first-year expansion teams, the Flyers pummeled the Los Angeles Kings at the Spectrum by a 7-2 count. Seven different Flyers players lit the lamp: Leon Rochefort (power play), Pat Hannigan, Ed Hoekstra, Garry Peters, Joe Watson, Bill Sutherland and Gary Dornhoefer. Five Philadelphia players enjoyed multiple-point games. Bernie Parent (25 saves) took a shutout into the third period before a pair of LA goals temporarily trimmed the Flyers lead from five to three goals. Late goals by Sutherland and Dornhoefer restored the five-goal margin.

1975: Shrugging off an early 1-0 deficit, the Flyers broke loose for four goals in the second period in route to a 7-3 home rout of the Atlanta Flames. Rick MacLeish and Reggie Leach notched two goals apiece, while Don Saleski, Bob Kelly and Orest Kindrachuk also scored. Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber had two assists apiece. Late in the first period, Atlanta Flames defenseman Pat Quinn (later the Flyers head coach) traded off high sticks with Clarke, precipitating fights at the end of the period.

3) Today in Flyers History: Nov. 24

1973: Bernie Parent prevailed in a goaltender's duel with the St. Louis Blues' John Davidson in a 1-0 Flyers road win. Parent stopped all 31 shots by St. Louis, while Davidson turned back 27 out of 28 Flyers shots. Ross Lonsberry's goal with 18 seconds remaining in the second period stood as the game's only marker for either side.

1985: Flyers captain Dave Poulin recorded the fourth hat trick of his career, while Illka Sinisalo notched a pair of goals in a 7-4 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ron Sutter and Murray Craven each scored one goal apiece. Mark Howe earned a pair assists and finished the night at plus-three.

1993: The Flyers exploded for six goals in the second period en route to a 9-2 home blowout of the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. Mark Recchi had five points, Garry Galley had four points and Kevin Dineen recorded a hat trick. Andre Racicot was in net for eight of the nine Philadelphia goals.

4) November 23 Flyers Alum birthday: Simon Nolet

Skilled and hard-working forward Simon Nolet was born on November 23, 1941 in St. Odilon, Quebec. The affable Nolet was a sometimes overlooked but valuable member of the Flyers organization as both a Stanley Cup winning player and, many years later, a scout.

The Flyers acquired Nolet's rights on May 8, 1967 when they purchased the American Hockey League's Quebec Aces to be their top farm team. A two-time 20-goal scorer during the early years of the Flyers franchise, Nolet dressed in 358 regular season games and 31 playoff tilts for Philadelphia over parts of seven seasons. Best known as a two-way forward with good skating ability, Nolet had 93 goals and 108 points for the Flyers. He was a member of the 1973-74 team that won the Stanley Cup.

Nolet, who had three career hat tricks, also represented the Flyers in the 1971-72 NHL All-Star Game. That season, Nolet tallied 23 goals and 43 points in a season limited by injury to 67 games.

With Nolet's role starting to diminish in his 30s, the Flyers left the French-Canadian forward exposed to the 1974 expansion draft. He was claimed by the Kansas City Scouts (who later twice relocated to become first the Colorado Rockies and then the New Jersey Devils). Nolet played out his career with the Scouts, Pittsburgh Penguins and Rockies.

After his playing days ended, Nolet returned to the Flyers in 1990 when he was hired as a scout after years of scouting for the Quebec Nordiques. It was a role at which he'd excel over the next 20 years, heavily scouting the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and doing extensive cross-over work in various other junior leagues as well as international tournaments.

Most notably, Nolet's scouting career is best remembered as being one of the Flyers' scouts who, along with Dennis Patterson and others, strongly recommended the Flyers' first-round selections of Simon Gagne with the 22nd overall pick of the 1998 NHL Draft and Claude Giroux with the 22nd pick of the 2006 Draft.

Coincidentally, Nolet and Gagne's father, Pierre, were old friends and teammates with the Quebec Aces in the 1960s (Quebec was the Flyers first farm team). That did not directly influence Nolet's opinion of the player, but it did give the scout some background on the character of the player's family upbringing. In the 2010s, Nolet started to do less traveling and focused his scouting efforts within Quebec. He retired in 2018.

5) Today in Flyers History: Hextall Becomes Flyers Winningest Goalie (Nov. 20, 1998)

On this night 22 years ago, the Flyers recorded a 3-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Victorious goaltender Ron Hextall turned back 18 of 19 shots, and flirted with a shutout for 50-plus minutes. Dan McGillis, Petr Svoboda and Colin Forbes scored for the Flyers.

Hextall earned the 233rd regular season win of his two-stint Flyers career, moving past Hockey Hall of Famer and fellow two-stint Flyers goalie Bernie Parent for the most wins in franchise history.

For his regular season career with three teams, Hextall posted a 296-214-69 record and a 2.97 goals against. As a Flyer, he had a 240-172-58 record with a 2.91 GAA and .895 save percentage.

A member of the Flyers Hall of Fame, Hextall still holds the Flyers record for wins (296) and games played as a goaltender (489). Thirty-seven of Hextall's career wins came during his Vezina Trophy-winning rookie season of 1986-87. He would also record 31 wins twice (1995-96, 1996-97) and 30 wins twice (1987-88 and 1988-89) as a Flyer.

5) Today in Flyers History: Hextall Becomes Flyers Winningest Goalie (Nov. 20, 1998)

On this night 22 years ago, the Flyers recorded a 3-1 road win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Victorious goaltender Ron Hextall turned back 18 of 19 shots, and flirted with a shutout for 50-plus minutes. Dan McGillis, Petr Svoboda and Colin Forbes scored for the Flyers.

Hextall earned the 233rd regular season win of his two-stint Flyers career, moving past Hockey Hall of Famer and fellow two-stint Flyers goalie Bernie Parent for the most wins in franchise history.

For his regular season career with three teams, Hextall posted a 296-214-69 record and a 2.97 goals against. As a Flyer, he had a 240-172-58 record with a 2.91 GAA and .895 save percentage.

A member of the Flyers Hall of Fame, Hextall still holds the Flyers record for wins (296) and games played as a goaltender (489). Thirty-seven of Hextall's career wins came during his Vezina Trophy-winning rookie season of 1986-87. He would also record 31 wins twice (1995-96, 1996-97) and 30 wins twice (1987-88 and 1988-89) as a Flyer.

5) Today in Flyers History: First Fighting Majors in Franchise History (Nov. 19, 1967)

he team that later came to be known as the Broad Street Bullies were not especially aggressive in their earliest years of existence. Through the first 15 games of their inaugural 1967-68 season, the Philadelphia Flyers did not engage in a single full-blown fight. There were, of course, scrums and various confrontations along the way, but nothing that escalated to the point of fighting majors.

That changed in game 16, as the Flyers hosted the rough-and-tumble St. Louis Blues - the team that would soon become the new expansion team's earliest archrival - at the Philadelphia Spectrum. In a harbinger of many fierce battles to come between the soon-to-be archrivals, a multi-player fight -- Pat Hannigan and Larry Zeidel on the Philadelphia side, Gordon Kannegiesser and Noel Picard for St, Louis -- erupted immediately after the final horn.

4)Today in Flyers History: Gene Hart Inducted in HHOF (November 17, 1997)

On November 17, 1997, legendary Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto after his selection as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. At the time, he was the sixth member of the Flyers organization to be inducted into the "big" Hall.

There was much more to Gene Hart than "just" being a Hall of Fame announcer. He been a high school teacher and was a lover of opera and languages, and sometimes made on-air references to his other passions.

Hart also worked a wide variety of other jobs over the years, ranging from a stint as a car salesman, a repo man, a rock-and- roll disc jockey, a water clown and a dolphin-show emcee in Atlantic City. Until his father's death, Hart's family operated the famous water circus on Steel Pier; his father was a Hungarian acrobat while his mother (a former Viennese opera singer) was part of a high-dive act featuring a diving horse.

Although fondly remembered for being rotund during his broadcasting career, Hart was actually a surprisingly good athlete in his own youth. While attending Pleasantville High School in South Jersey, he was an all-state baseball player and also played football. Later, he officiated high school basketball and football. Hart fell in love with hockey early in life, following the New York Rangers and even keeping personal statistics. However, he did not work within the sport until he was hired by the NHL expansion Flyers team in 1967.

In the summers of his youth, Hart worked with his family's act on Steel Pier in a variety of capacities, including as part of a diving clown act known as Binswanger's Bathing Beauties. It was while doing the diving act that he met his wife, the former Sara Detwiler, who was earning some extra money by diving with the horses on the Pier.

After attending Trenton State College and earning his teaching degree, Hart served in the Army for several years. Upon his discharge, he returned to South Jersey. When the Flyers hockey team was created in 1967, he served first as a public address announcer and then as a color commentator working with play-by-play man Stu Nahan (yes, the same Stu Nahan who later became a broadcasting icon in Los Angeles and was featured in the "Rocky" movies as the television boxing commentator).

In the early days, the Flyers had to pay for their own air time and only the third period of games was broadcast. There is a quote from Hart in the memorial display at the Wells Fargo Center pressbox that he used to pray the game wouldn't be a blowout heading into the third period.

Before long, Hart took over the play-by-play duties; the role with which he became synonymous. In the meantime, for many years, he continued to teach high school in addition to broadcasting.

There were many times he took red-eye flights back from road games with barely enough time for a cat nap before he had to get ready to teach class in the morning. All the while, he never let his preparations for games slip.

As the Flyers blossomed from expansion team to Stanley Cup champion, the team (and Hart) took hold in Philadelphia's sporting conscience. Over the years, Hart gave voice to the many highs and lows the team experienced, ranging from the Broad Street Bullies years to the transitional period and the near-miss teams of the Mike Keenan era. He provided fans with solace and comfort after the deaths of Barry Ashbee and Pelle Lindbergh, and could make even a hard-fought loss seem valiant for the effort.

Even as he experienced health problems, including a pair of heart bypass surgeries, Hart kept right on working.

In 1988, the Flyers stopped simulcasting their broadcasts. At that point, the longtime team of Hart and Bobby Taylor was moved to radio only, while Mike "Doc" Emrick and Bill Clement handled TV duties. In 1993, Hart returned to television for two final seasons. Jim Jackson (who eventually became the team's television play-by-play man, and continues to hold the post to this day) was hired after Emrick's departure. Hart's final season as the Flyers voice was in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. Jackson took over on TV thereafter.

In total, Hart called more than 2,000 Flyers games. He called five Stanley Cup finals (1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987), five NHL All-Star Games, and two of the series pitting NHL stars against Soviet teams. In 1997, Hart was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame (a photo of him wearing his Hall of Fame blazer at his HHOF induction sits front and center in the memorial display at the Wells Fargo Center press box).

Gene Hart battled a host of health problems in later life, and passed away on July 14, 1999. He was such a beloved local figure that a public memorial service was held and broadcast on local television for those who could not attend.

5) Today in Flyers History: Nov. 16

1967: The first-year expansion club continues its remarkable run against Original Six teams as the Flyers earn a 3-2 win at the Spectrum over the New York Rangers. Doug Favell leads the way with an excellent 30-save performance. Leon Rochefort, Ed Van Impe and Ed Hoekstra score for the Flyers, while Don Blackburn chips in a pair of assists.

1973: The Flyers play a tougher-than-expected contest with the lowly California Seals but leave Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a 2-1 win on a tiebreaking goal in the third period by "Cowboy" Bill Flett. Rick MacLeish's first period shorthanded goal serves as the only other Flyers' score, but Bernie Parent (23 saves on 24 shots) makes the narrow margin hold up after Flett restores the lead.

1975: The Flyers earn a 3-1 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens at the Spectrum as Wayne Stephenson (26 saves) ably substitutes for injured Bernie Parent and the Flyers pepper Hall of Fame netminder Ken Dryden with 49 shots. After Guy Lafleur gives the Habs an early lead, the Flyers bounce back for goal by Bob "the Hound" Kelly, Rick MacLeish and Gary Dornhoefer (empty net).

1976: Bernie Parent earns a 27-save shutout and makes a 1-0 lead on an early tally by Orest Kindrachuk stand up the rest of the way. Mel Bridgman adds a late empty net goal to complete a 2-0 win at the Spectrum over the Detroit Red Wings. The shutout is Parent's 41st in the NHL and 37th as a Flyer over his two stints with the team.

On this day in 1984, the Philadelphia Flyers retire #16 in honor of Flyers great Bobby Clarke.

2010: The Flyers announced the signing of Jeff Carter to an 11-year, $58 million ($5.27 million cap hit) contract extension. After the 2010-11 season and before a no-trade clause was eligible to kick in under CBA rules, the Flyers traded Carter to Columbus in the deal that brought Jakub Voracek, a 2011 first-round pick (Sean Couturier) and a 2011 third-round pick (Nick Cousins) to Philadelphia.

2013: One night after Steve Mason shut out the Ottawa Senators on the road, the Flyers continued their climb out of an early-season hole by going into Pittsburgh and claiming a 2-1 regulation win over the Penguins. Ray Emery (30 saves) was brilliant in goal, and Brayden Schenn scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season on even strength and power play goals.

2018: A 30-save performance by Roberto Luongo, including 16 saves in the third period, is just enough for Florida to hold off the host Flyers, 2-1. Jakub Voracek broke up Luongo's shutout bid but the Flyers could not find an equalizer after trailing 2-0.

On this day in 1985, star Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh crashed his Porsche 930 Turbo. He would die the following day at just 26 years old.

On this day in 1942, NHL legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard debuts. His first NHL point comes just 36 seconds into the game.

7) Today in Flyers History: October 30, 1969

On this night in 1969, Flyers rookie Bobby Clarke scored his first career NHL goal. It came in his seventh career game. The Flyers and Rangers skated to a 3-3 tie at the Spectrum. Hinting at his future reputation for scoring in the clutch, it was the 20-year-old rookie from Flin Flon, Manitoba, who scored with 3:24 left in the third period to forge the tie after the Flyers were unable to protect an early 2-0 lead and found themselves trailing late in the game.

Set up by top-line center Andre Lacroix, Jean-Guy Gendron and Lew Morrison scored first period goals for Philadelphia to build a 2-0 lead before the Rangers struck for the next three goals. Bernie Parent stopped 32 of 35 shots to earn the tie. Eddie Giacomin turned back 31 of 34 for the Rangers.

4) Today in Flyers History: October 26

* 1969: Bernie Parent battled his childhood idol (and subsequent goaltending mentor) Jacques Plante to a draw in a 0-0 tie between the Flyers and St. Louis Blues at the Spectrum. The 24-year-old Parent stopped all 25 shots he faced, while the 40-year-old Plante turned back all 26 shots fired on his net. A crowd of 13,032 attended the game, which was one of the most memorable nights of Parent's early career; almost on par with being the winning goaltender in the Flyers' first game in Montreal during the inaugural 1967-68 season.

The backstory: When Parent was growing up in the Rosemont section of Montreal, Jacques Plante's sister lived on the same street as the Parent family's home. Bernie and his friends idolized the star goaltender. They were too nervos to approach Plante directly, however, when he would periodically make a visit to his sister's home. Instead, they would hide behind the bushes to get a glimpse of the Montreal Canadiens star walking inside.

Years later, when Parent was traded by the Flyers to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1970-71 season, Plante became his teammate. Despite a reputation for being a loner, Plante took a liking to Parent and mentored him to go from being a good NHL goaltender to one of the all-time greats. In the late 1970s, Plante became a part-time goaltending coach for the Flyers; the first goalie coach in franchise history.

* 1975: Bill Barber racked up his second career hat trick as the Flyer pummeled the New York Rangers, 7-2, at Madison Square Garden.

* 1986: Rookie goaltender Ron Hextall ran his record to 5-1-0 as the Flyers down the Minnesota North Stars at the Spectrum, 4-1. He yielded only a Dino Ciccarelli power play goal late in the second period among the 30 shots he faced. Ilkka Sinisalo (power play), Peter Zezel, Lindsay Carson and Rick Tocchet (power play) provided the goal support

* 2002: Just 16 seconds after the opening faceoff of a 6-2 Flyers road win over the New York Islanders, Justin Williams put the Flyers ahead 1-0. Fifteen seconds later, Michal Handzus made it 2-0. The two goals in 31 seconds set a franchise record for the fastest two goals from the start of a game; the third-fastest in NHL league history.