NHL Team Guide: Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers were part of the NHL’s 1967 expansion, which doubled the size of the league to 12 teams. Of the 25 teams to join the NHL after the Original Six, the Flyers have the most appearances in the conference finals at 16. The Flyers brutal style of play in the 1970s and the fact that they played their home games on Broad Street in Philadelphia earned them the nickname “Broad Street Bullies.”
Flyers fans can catch national broadcasts on TV at NBC and NBCSN. Fans can watch regional broadcasts of the Flyers complete NHL schedule on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Philadelphia games are available for live streaming on the MyTeams app and at NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com.
NHL Standings
When the Flyers joined the NHL, they were members of the West Division, which included all the new expansion teams. Currently, Philadelphia is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference along with its biggest rivals – New York Rangers, Washington, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh.
Championship History
Of all the NHL’s expansion teams, the Flyers are second to the St. Louis Blues in the number of playoff appearances. Philadelphia has qualified for the postseason in 39 of 52 seasons. The Flyers won their first of 16 division titles in their very first year of existence (1967-68). They won four in a row between 1973 and 1977, the glory days of the “Broad Street Bullies.”
Philadelphia has won conference championships a total of eight times. The most recent was during the 2009-10 season. The Flyers have two Stanley Cup victories winning back-to-back championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75. Philadelphia was also the first expansion team in the post-Original Six era to win a Stanley Cup.
Home of the Flyers
As mentioned, the Flyers play their home games on Broad Street. They started at the Spectrum up until 1996 and then moved to their current home, the Wells Fargo Center. The arena is part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex which includes Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and Xfinity Live! The Wells Fargo Center has a capacity of 19,306 for hockey games.
Best of the Flyers
Philadelphia has 13 former players in the Hockey Hall of Fame and has had several greats through the years. Bobby Clarke is recognized as one of the greatest Flyers of all-time and is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. In 15 NHL seasons, all with Philadelphia, Clarke scored 358 goals and 1,210 points. Clarke won three Hart Trophies as the league MVP and captained both Flyers’ Stanley Cup winners. He was voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
Philadelphia has had some of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. Ron Hextall, who played 11 seasons in Philadelphia, has the most wins in franchise history with 240. As a rookie in 1986-87, Hextall won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. He led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals where they lost in seven games to Edmonton. Hextall is one of only five players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) despite losing in the Stanley Cup Finals. He was also the first NHL goalie to score a goal in the regular season and in the postseason.
Bernie Parent was in goal for the Flyers two Stanley Cup victories. He is second on the franchise’s wins list with 232. Parent led the Flyers to the two Stanley Cups in 1973-74 and 1974-75 and won the Vezina Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy in both seasons.
Author: Dan Anderson