What’s new with the Philadelphia Flyers? That’s what this page is all about.
The Team Spirit Line Change website begins where the Team Spirit books end.
That’s because hockey never stands still … And I can never squeeze everything I want into 48 pages!
Take a look at some of the Flyers collectibles I have in my home.
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Updates
2021-22 Season
February 05, 2022: Claudie Giroux was named MVP of the NHL All-Star Game. He was the third Flyer to win the award. The first two were Reggie Leach in 1980 and Wayne Simmonds in 2017.
January 25, 2022: Ironman Keith Yandle set a new NHL record when he took the ice for the 965th game in a row. He broke a record held by Doug Jarvis since the 1980s.
Season Preview: Defense is an important part of success in the NHL, and in this area the Flyers have nowhere to go but up in 2021–22. Philly’s back line has a group of experienced newcomers playing in front of Carter Hart, who will have to improve his play in goal. As always, the team will rely on Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier to provide scoring punch.
2020-21 Season
Season Recap: The Flyers had a winning record but missed the playoffs. Captain Claude Giroux tied James van Riemsdyk and Jakub Voracek for the team lead with 43 points. Sean Couturier overcame early-season injuries to be named the Flyers’ MVP and Ivan Provorov was the club’s best defenseman.
February 28, 2021: Head coach Alain Vigneault won the 700th game of his career. He has guided the Canucks and Rangers to the Stanley Cup Finals during a career that began in 1997.
Season Preview: Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom are healthy and should give the club a boost. Goalie Carter Hart is looking forward to another excellent season, while Sean Coutourier is hands-down the best two-way player in the NHL. Anything short of the Stanley Cup Finals will be a disappointment for Philly fans.
2019-20 Season
Season Recap: The Flyers finished with the best record in the Metropolitan Division but ran into a red-hot Islanders team in the playoffs. After falling behind 3 games to 1, they fought back with two thrilling overtime victories before losing Game 7. During the regular season, Philadelphia had a powerful offense, with four high-scoring lines. Captain Claude Giroux, Sean Coutourier, Scott Laughton, and Travis Konecny—all centers—were the key to the team’s success.
Season Preview: Philadelphia goes into 2019–20 with an explosive team, led by Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, Oskar Lindblom, and newcomer Kevin Hayes. Flyers fans are also expecting a breakthrough season from 21-year-old goalie Carter Hart—and keeping their fingers crossed that the defense pulls together in front of him.
2018-19 Season
Season Recap: Despite an impressive mid-season winning streak, the Flyers finished with a .500 record of 37–37–8, which left them without a playoff slot. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Sean Coutourier led the offense, but overall Philadelphia scored 37 fewer goals than their opponents. Rookie goalie Carter Hart was sensational at times, giving Philadelphia fans great hope for the future.
Season Preview: It has been a long time since the Flyers had success in the playoffs, but this could be the year. Philadelphia has two excellent forward lines, a solid defense and a ton of good-looking prospects—including 20-year-old goalie Carter Hart. Until Hart is ready to play in the NHL, the team will have to make do with so-so goaltending. One of the most exciting players for the club should be Nolan Patrick, who turned a lot of heads last season as a rookie.
2017-18 Season
Season Recap: The Flyers returned to the playoffs in 2017–18, led by Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Travis Konechy. Giroux topped 100 points and was part of the MVP conversation much of the season as the leader of a fast-improving team that sent seven different rookies onto the ice. Problems in goal and on the penalty kill hurt the Flyers much of the season, and in their first-round playoff loss to the Penguins.
Season Preview: The Flyers surrounded their core of stars players with inexperienced players and just missed the playoffs in 2016–17. Will the story be the same this year? If Wayne Simmonds can continue his great scoring and young stars Travis Konecny and Oskar Lindblom ramp up their games, Philly has a good chance of making a playoff run.
2015-16 Season
Season Recap: The Flyers won 41 games behind a talented group of forwards that included Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schen and captain Claude Giroux. Young defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere also had a fine season. The Flyers did not go far in the playoffs, however, falling to the Capitals in the opening round.
Season Preview: Are Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek the most dangerous duo in the NHL? Flyers fans think so. Steve Mason gives Philadelphia reliable goaltending, while some young players seem ready to step into impact roles. All this adds up to an exciting year for the Flyers—if Mark Streit and the other defensemen take a big step forward in their play.
2014-15 Season
Recap: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Mark Streit, Wayne Simmonds, and Steve Mason enjoyed solid seasons, but Philadelphia fell a few wins short of the playoffs. The Flyers scored on more than a quarter of their power plays at home, but away from home the team never quite found its rhythm.
January 25, 2015: Jakub Voracek tied a record with six points in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. He scored three goals and had three assists to tie the mark first set by Mario Lemieux.
Season Preview: Captain Claude Giroux is out to prove that being a Hart Trophy finalist last year was not a fluke. He leads a solid core of players into battle, including forward Wayne Simmonds and goalie Steve Mason. Philly’s key players are all still young, so the team has a great future. The question is whether that future is now.
2013-14 Season
Season Preview: The Flyers grabbed the #1 free agent over the summer, Vincent Lecavalier. They also traded for defenseman Mark Streit before he declared free agency and wrapped him up with a new contract. Philly will also be looking for a big year from Bratden Schenn, one of the NHL’s biggest prospects a few years ago. The FLyers team leader will be Claude Giroux, and they will need him to be on top of his game to deal with the Bruins, Penguins, and Rangers.
More Go-To Guys
Rick MacLeish — Center/Left Wing
Born: 1/13/1950
Played for Team: 1970–71 to 1980–81
The Flyers got Rick MacLeish in a trade for Bernie Parent. By the time Parent returned to Philadelphia, MacLeish was one of the top scorers in the league. He was the first Flyer in history to score 50 goals in a season.Dave Schultz — Left Wing
Born: 10/14/1949
Played for Team: 1971–72 to 1975–76
Dave Schultz was the most famous member of the Broad Street Bullies. He set a record with 472 penalty minutes one year. But Schultz was more than a bully—two years earlier, he scored 20 goals for Philadelphia.Tim Kerr — Right Wing
Born: 1/5/1960
Played for Team: 1980–81 to 1990–91
When Tim Kerr got hot, no one could stop him. Between 1983–84 and 1986–87, he netted 224 goals for the Flyers. One opponent joked that the only way you could stop Kerr was to wrap chain around his legs.Pelle Lindbergh — Goalie
Born: 5/24/1959
Died: 11/11/1985
Played for Team: 1981–82 to 1985–86
In 1984–85, Pelle Lindbergh won the Vezina Trophy and a First-Team All-Star. Early the following year, he was killed in a car accident. Lindbergh was the first European goalie to be named the NHL’s top goaltender.Rick Tocchet — Right Wing
Born: 4/9/1964
Played for Team: 1984–85 to 1991–92
Rick Tocchet helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals in his rookie year, with his physical play. Within a few seasons, he became better known for his scoring touch. Tocchet scored between 30 and 45 goals four years in a row with Philadelphia.Mark Recchi — Right Wing
Born: 2/1/1968
Played for Team: 1991–92 to 1994–95 & 1988–89 to 2003–04
Mark Recchi scored 53 goals in his first full season with Flyers. In his second stint with the team, he was a dependable 20-to-30 goal scorer. Recchi still holds the team record with 123 points in 1992–93.Simon Gagne — Left Wing
Born: 2/29/1980
Played for Team: 1999–00 to 2009–10 & 2012–13
Simon Gagne scored 30 or more goals four times for the Flyers ans was an All-Star twice. In 2004–05, he had his best year as a member of the Deuces Wild line, which featured Gagne (12), Peter Forsberg (21) and Mike Knuble (22).Travis Konecny — Center/Right Wing
Born: 3/11/1997
First Season with Team: 2016–17
Travis Konecny proves that good things can come in small packages in the NHL. He is a smart passer, good shooter, and quick skater who is always looking for ways he can help the Flyers win. In 2020, Konecny was picked to play in the NHL All-Star Game.
More Fun Facts
IRONMAN
After joining the Flyers in a trade with the St. Louis Blues, Rod Brind’Amour set a team record by playing in 484 games in a row. He filled in as captain when Eric Lindros and Kevin Dineen were out of the lineup, and became one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. In 1993–94, Brind’Amour led Philadelphia with 35 goals and 62 assists.TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
NHL general managers work 365 days a year. But few have ever been busier than Paul Holmgren was during one 24-hour period in the summer of 2011. The former forward-turned-GM traded young star Mike Richards to the Kings for Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, and a second-round draft pick. Next, he traded Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets for Jakub Voracek and a first-round pick. Before the day ended, Holmgren also signed free agent goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a long-term contract.SUPER SCORERS
The Flyers were known for the hard checking and fighting skills during the 1970s. Few remember that, in 1975–76, the LCB Line of Reggie Leach, Bobby Clarke, and Bill Barber combined for 141 goals. At the time, no line in history had ever scored more than 140 points.
League Leaders
GOALS
1975–76 — Reggie Leach — 61ASSISTS
1974–75 — Bobby Clarke — 89*
1975–76 — Bobby Clarke — 89
1999–00 — Mark Recchi — 63* Tied with another player
POINTS
1994–95 — Eric Lindros — 70** Tied with another player
GOALS-AGAINST
1973–74 — Bernie Parent — 1.89
1974–75 — Bernie Parent — 2.03
1985–86 — Bob Froese — 2.55
1995–96 — Ron Hextall — 2.17
1999–00 — Brian Boucher — 1.91PLUS/MINUS
1975–76 — Bobby Clarke — + 83
1985–86 — Mark Howe — + 85
1996–97 — John LeClair — + 44
In the Stanley Cup Finals
SEASON | OPPONENT | RESULT |
---|---|---|
1973–74 | Boston Bruins | Won 4–2 |
1974–75 | Boston Sabres | Won 4–2 |
1975–76 | Montreal Canadiens | Lost 0–4 |
1979–80 | New York Islanders | Lost 2–4 |
1984–85 | Edmonton Oilers | Lost 1–4 |
1986–87 | Edmonton Oilers | Lost 3–4 |
1996–97 | Detroit Red Wings | Lost 0–4 |
2009–10 | Chicago Blackhawks | Lost 2–4 |