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Philadelphia Flyers: The Golden Anniversary

By Steven Pugmire

Apr 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn (10) during the third period against the Washington Capitals in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. The Capitals won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn (10) during the third period against the Washington Capitals in game six of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. The Capitals won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Flyers will be entering their fiftieth year of hockey this coming fall.  Ed Snider, may he rest in peace, brought Flyers hockey to Philadelphia in 1967.

Acme Markets held a contest to determine the team name, and the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup only six years after their inaugural season after beating the Boston Bruins in ’73 and ‘74.  The Flyers repeated the following year after beating the Buffalo Sabres in ’74 and ’75 and have had roller coaster seasons ever since.  These seasons include 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2006, and 2010.

Here is a brief run-down of events to get us to the fiftieth season.

  • 1976:  Stanley Cup loss against Montreal.
  • 1980:  Stanley Cup loss against the Islanders.
  • 1985:  Stanley Cup loss against Edmonton.
  • 1987:  Stanley Cup loss against Edmonton.
  • 1997:  Stanley Cup loss against Detroit.
  • 2006:  Worst record in the league.
  • 2010:  Stanley Cup loss to the Blackhawks.

This looks terrible.  Let’s talk about it.

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to Montreal in 1976 after winning the Cup during the 1973-1974 and 1974-1975 seasons back to back, so that should take the sting away a little bit.  A three-peat is incredibly difficult in any sport.  There were teams like the Leaf’s and the Canadiens that pulled it off, but that was prior to NHL expansion in ’64 and ’65.  There were not that many teams.

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The Philadelphia Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 1980, but lost to the Islanders, but the Cup losses between Montreal and the Islanders were not consecutive – unlike the Cup wins the Flyers had from ’73 to ’75.

The Cup losses in 1985 and 1987 were against Edmonton teams that held the rights to a player who goes by the name of Wayne Gretzky.  If that is not a pass to lose the Stanley Cup, then nothing else qualifies.  Those Philadelphia Flyers teams were good.  Those Edmonton teams just had the best player in the game before or since.

Arguably, the worst two Cup losses in team history happened within the past nineteen years against Detroit in 1997 and Chicago in 2010.  The loss against Detroit hurt because the Philadelphia Flyers had home ice, but were swept regardless.  The loss against the Blackhawks hurt because of the general collapse, and that it is the most recent Stanley Cup loss the Flyers have.

So what generates excitement coming into the golden anniversary after these terrible years?  A loyal fan base who watched its team make the playoffs during a year they were not supposed to on the back of a rookie defensive prospect.

If you were to speak to most Philadelphia Flyers fans at the beginning of the 2016 season, then most fans would probably tell you that a playoff birth was not on their radar and that 2016 was a rebuilding or retooling year.  What a pleasant way to be wrong.

Shayne Gostisbehere probably needed his hip surgery because he carried the team into the playoffs on his back, and as it stands the Philadelphia Flyers enter the draft next week to build on this excitement in anticipation of their fiftieth season this coming fall.  The word on the street is that Hextall will take a forward all other things considered equal.  The draft will push excitement further into the off-season, and the nature of the golden anniversary will perpetuate that excitement as well.

It is a good time to be a Philadelphia Flyers fan.  The team announced there will be an anniversary jersey and an alumni game this past February among other events for the fall, and the only downside to the jersey is that fans have only seen the shoulder patch and must wait until October for the full reveal.  The Flyers know what they are doing because I want this jersey already.

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The two best things to look forward to during the golden anniversary are the in-house prospects who are developing their game, and that the Philadelphia Flyers and their fans will honor the memory of Ed Snider.

The team will play for his memory this fall, and the fans will cheer in response – honoring the orange and black and his memory in the process.  That is Philadelphia.  That is Flyers hockey.

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