Storyline: It’s tough being a Philly sports fans, no matter the team or sport. The Philadelphia Flyers have had their share of down years with a lot of poor management decisions. But with good, young talent things may be changing.
Courtesy: flyers.nhl.com
The Philadelphia Flyers have been the primary hockey team in Philadelphia since 1967. There have been other teams, like the Philadelphia Blazers and the Philadelphia Phantoms, but none was NHL material. The Flyers have given Philadelphia great memories, too, from back-to-back Stanley Cup wins to those goals scored by the great Ron Hextall. Suffice it to say that over the years the Orange and Black have also brought tears to the eyes of Philadelphians.
But there’s a pattern in the Flyers story, a pattern that dates back to the late 80s. It’s this: being a Flyers fan–or fan of any Philly team–is tough. The last time we went to a Stanley Cup Final we lost in Game 6 (at home in OT) to the Chicago Blackhawks. What a heart breaker! It’s like that still.
What happened to the Philadelphia Flyers?
I believe the year was 1988. The Flyers’ goaltender, Pelle Lindbergh, had just won the Vezina Trophy as best goalie. Lindbergh was a great, young goaltender. He had worked with Bernie Parent to take his team to a Stanley Cup Final, which he did that year. We didn’t win the Cup but, hey, we had the best goalie in the league.
That would soon change. About a month later Lindbergh was driving home from a South Jersey bar when he crashed his Porsche into a guardrail. He was killed instantly. The best goalie in the NHL was gone, and we were all shocked and heartbroken. Although our backup goalie was Ron Hextall, we couldn’t get over the loss of Pelle. It was such a hard thing to grasp for this thriving team. He was one of only three great goaltenders in the team’s history and only one of them has a Stanley Cup.
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Then there was the 1991 NHL draft. The Quebec Nordiques drafted Eric Lindros first overall. In an attempt to win, the Flyers traded 6 men, two picks, and $15 million cash to get the young phenom. How exciting! We got the next ‘big thing’ in hockey and Flyers fans could taste a third championship. Eric Lindros, all 6’4, 220 lbs. of him, was an animal. He captained the team for the majority of his stay in Philadelphia, but couldn’t produce. Meanwhile, the Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado to become the Colorado Avalanche. One of the players involved in the trade, Peter Forsberg, was on that Colorado team. He became a superstar, arguably the best player of the time. Colorado, not Philly, wins a Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, Lindros didn’t live up to expectations. He led the Flyers to one Stanley Cup final (’97), but that series lasted only four games (we were swept by the Detroit Red Wings).
In 1999 the Flyers played the New Jersey Devils in the playoffs. During that series Lindros did what he had done many times before: he broke the one rule of skating–never skate with your head down. The Devils’ captain that year was Scott Stevens, a big defender who could lay a hit on anyone. Lindros broke ‘the rule’ and was absolutely slaughtered by Stevens. Lindros suffered a concussion, his first of many. In 2000 we traded Lindros to New York for Kim Johnsonn and another player. That was the end of ‘the Lindros era’ in Philly.
Courtesy: philly.com
Philadelphia isn’t known for great goaltending–other than Bernie Parent, Pelle Lindbergh, and Ron Hextall. In 2011 the Flyers signed undrafted free agent, Sergei Bobrovski, from Russia, a very young goaltender who only spoke one word of English–his nickname, Bob. The kid could play. He was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) to Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes. An undrafted free agent as runner-up for the Calder…that’s unheard of. We kept Bob for another season and he won a lot of games for us.
But during the 2012 off-season GM Paul Holmgren traded Bobrovski to the Columbus Blue Jackets … and he did so for almost nothing. That left Philly with Ilya Bryzgalov and Brian Boucher in goal. The Flyers didn’t make the playoffs in the ’13 lockout-shortened season, but guess who won the trophy for best goalie of the year (the Vezina)? Yes, it was Sergei Bobrovski–the same Sergei Bobrovski that we traded in the off-season. This guy, who could’ve been the answer to the Flyers goaltending problems, was gone. Instead, we buyout Bryzgalov and trade for Steve Mason, who isn’t bad, but also isn’t “Bob.”
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A big contributor to the Flyers’ lack of success is Paul Holmgren, former GM and current president of the team. He let go so much potential: Bobrovski, James van Riemsdyk, Matt Carle, Ben Holmstrom, Jason Akeson, and the list goes on. He lets players like those go and then brings in guys like Luke Schenn and Steve Downie–players who don’t fit the team. JVR was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Luke Schenn. Toronto clearly won that trade. Yes, Holmgren has brought in players like Chris Pronger, Jakub Vorecek, Claude Giroux, and Wayne Simmonds, but the city of Philadelphia still hates him with a passion. That’s when the team brought in former Flyer goaltender, Ron Hextall, to control the team. That’s worked so far because as long as it isn’t Holmgren, Philadelphians are happy.
The city of Philadelphia has had its ups and its downs when it comes to sports, especially hockey. The Flyers have shown that they can win, but they just don’t do enough of it. The Flyers need to make major changes and, looking at their minor league system, the future looks bright.
It has been a long and bumpy ride. Let’s hope the journey eventually leads to a smooth finish in a Stanley Cup Final.
