Five Things Flyers Fans Must Do: Part Two
By Brian Nestel
After the hoopla and shenanigans subside with the NHL free agency and draft, hockey talk starts to come to a lull until September. Writers dig for stories, hoping that something is said or done that can make people tune in and read. Most of the time in late July and early August, that is not the case. And I crave for hockey talk all the time, as I’m sure you do as well. I developed a five part series that I feel can make for pretty easy debate. This five part series deals with five things I believe every Flyers fan should experience at least once in their lifetime. This is in no particular order, because each one of them is special in its own right. So without further ado, I present to you the second of five: Own the Flyers 10 Greatest Games DVD Collection.
The Philadelphia Flyers are rich in history. One of the most storied franchises in the NHL, the orange and black have played in many classic games. Some have been Stanley Cup Finals games, others regular season games that ended up meaning something special. And Flyers fans love their history about the team. The older crowd loves to talk about how they got to see Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent lead a team to two Cups. They remember J.J. Daigneault blowing the roof off in Game 6 against Edmonton at the Spectrum. And who can forget Keith Primeau in the fifth overtime against Pittsburgh?
For the Flyers 40th anniversary in 2007, the team released a boxed set of the teams 10 greatest games. And I believe that every Flyers fan young and old should own this set. Why? Because how else are you going to see the Flyers win a Stanley Cup while you’re alive? Kidding, of course. But if you’re a 21 year old like myself, you can’t say you’ve seen Clarke and Dave Schultz play a game. And for the younger generation, they were just being born when Simon Gagne scored in overtime of Game 6 against Tampa Bay. By owning this set, Flyers fans can watch and relive these games in their entirety and understand how important they are to the Flyers history.
But what about something for those who were alive to see all of these games? Well, one you are lucky to have seen such history. But two, it’s fun to look back and see games that you witnessed live, especially of such importance. You can watch the Flyers clinch their first cup against Boston on DVD while telling you’re children or grandchildren how you got into the Spectrum through the backdoor and saw the game for free, and afterwards hopped into the locker room and drank from the Stanley Cup. That story is highly unlikely of course, but you can tell them how you felt the night of each of these games.
And sure, the Flyers haven’t come through with a Stanley Cup in quite some time. So when they lose, it does sting, especially in the playoffs. So what better way to pick yourself up then to watch one of these games that make you happy when you watch them? It’s a guaranteed Flyers win every time.
The 10 games that are included are as followed:
1. May 19, 1974 – Flyers defeat Boston, 1-0, to win Stanley Cup
2. May 4, 2000 – Keith Primeau scores a goal in the 5th overtime period at Pittsburgh
3. May 27, 1975 – Flyers defeat Buffalo, 2-0, to win second Stanley Cup
4. January 11, 1976 – Flyers defeat Soviet Red Army Team, 4-1
5. May 20, 2004 – Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne each score a goal as the Flyers defeat Tampa Bay in Game Six
6. May 4, 2004 – Jeremy Roenick scores a goal in overtime at Toronto to win game, 3-2, and series 4-2
7. December 22, 1979 – Flyers win at Boston to set NHL record for longest undefeated streak (29 games)
8. May 28, 1987 – J.J. Daigneault scores the game-winning goal vs. Edmonton in Game Six of Stanley Cup Finals
9. May 9, 1974 – Bobby Clarke scores in overtime at Boston
10. April 13, 1985 – Tim Kerr scores four goals in second period of playoff game at NY Rangers
Now of course, this was done in 2007, and there have been many great games since that time. I mean, there was that whole come from behind thing against the Bruins and sometime about a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2010. And in 2017, it will be the Flyers 50th anniversary and they might even create a new set. But if you want to see for the first time some of the greatest games in Flyers history, or relive them like you were there, Flyers fans must own the 10 Greatest Games of All Time.