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

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’s first two years with the Flyers had a lot of fans grumbling—he only scored 3 goals. In his third year, they had no complaints. He scored 50! (Topps, Inc.)

In the 1984–85 playoffs, Tim Kerr scored four goals in eight minutes against my Rangers. He was truly unstoppable. (Author’s Collection)

This “throwback” card shows Mark Recchi in his prime with the Flyers. He once played on a line with Brent Fedyk and Erick Lindros. Each player had the number 8 on his uniform, so fans called them the Crazy 8’s. (The Upper Deck Company)

  • 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).

More Fun Facts

This card shows Paul Holmgren as a player. He played right wing for the team in the late-70s and early 80s. In 1980, against the Islanders, he became the first American-born player to net a hat trick during the Stanley Cup Finals. (Topps, Inc.)

  • 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

Geez, you’d think Bobby Clarke would have put his teeth in before posing for this photo! (O-Pee-Chee Ltd.)

You can tell from the haircut and uniform number that this 1973-74 card shows Bernie Parent during his earlier years with the team. By this time he was wearing #1 and had long hair and a bushy moustache. (Topps, Inc.)

  • GOALS
    1975–76 — Reggie Leach — 61

  • ASSISTS
    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 — 1.91

  • PLUS/MINUS
    1975–76 — Bobby Clarke — + 83
    1985–86 — Mark Howe — + 85
    1996–97 — John LeClair — + 44

In the Stanley Cup Finals

This copy of The Hockey News celebrates Philly’s first Cup win. I have all the Hockey Newses going back to the mid-1960s. (The Hockey news)

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

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