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, New Jersey Devils
NEWARK, NJ – OCTOBER 1: Scott Hartnell #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers scores a goal against Martin Brodeur #30 of the of the New Jersey Devils (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images) /

New Jersey Devils

The case for: They were the absolute biggest thorn in the Flyers’ side for the better part of a decade, and they very well may have been the deciding factor that kept the Eric Lindros-era Flyers from hoisting the Cup. From their meeting in the 1995 Eastern Finals to the 2000 rematch that featured Scott Stevens crushing everyone’s souls, the pain factor of this is off the charts. The Flyers did get a measure of revenge with playoff wins over the Devils in 2004 and 2010, with New Jersey coming out on top in the clubs’ most recent postseason clash in 2012. Throw in the geographical proximity I mentioned earlier, and the Devils have a fairly strong case here. The images of Devils players like Stevens and Martin Brodeur are always a surefire way to enrage Flyers fans.

The case against: Of all the teams we’re considering, the Devils have existed for the shortest amount of time, so we’re completely discounting the first 15 years or so of Flyers history. Also, if we look at very recent history, the Devils have been even worse than the Flyers for most of the last few years, so it feels like these teams haven’t played a meaningful game against each other in quite a while. The lack of recent impact hurts.

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