Section 215
Fansided

Flyers: Debating the franchise’s top rivalries

By Kevin Lagowski

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 23: The Philadelphia Flyers head out for the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - FEBRUARY 23: The Philadelphia Flyers head out for the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins
BOSTON – JANUARY 01: Staff Sergeant Ryan R. LaFrance (C) drops the ceremonial first puck (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Boston Bruins

The case for: The Flyers and Bruins will be linked forever thanks to the 1974 Stanley Cup Final, after which the Flyers tasted championship glory for the first time. The teams met three more times in the playoffs in the 1970’s to ratchet up the intensity even more. Then there was the 2010 playoff meeting between the clubs, which produced the most epic and memorable comeback in Flyers history. As a bonus, this rivalry featured the Flyers’ best win of the 2019-20 season when Brad Marchand forgot something important.

The case against: There’s a reason I jumped from those ’70’s playoff series right to 2010, as the teams went 32 years between postseason clashes. No, a rivalry doesn’t have to be all about the playoffs, but frequent meetings would certainly help its case. Plus, as painful as it is, let’s not forget how thoroughly the Bruins beat down the Flyers in the 2011 playoffs as payback for their collapse the previous year. In my mind, that takes a good amount of shine off of the 2010 comeback. Since that time, the Bruins have been an elite team while the Flyers have struggled to even make the playoffs until this season.

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