Philadelphia Flyers 50 Greatest Moments in History

49. Flyers Legion of Doom is Born

Written by Marc Naples

The Philadelphia Flyers entered the 1994-95 season with renewed optimism.  An NHL giant of the 70s and 80s, the Flyers had now missed the playoffs 5 seasons in a row.  They had good reason to believe they would return to prominence this season, largely because of the budding stardom of Eric Lindros.  At 21, Lindros seemed ready to dominate the NHL. He would furthermore be supported by Mark Recchi, Rod Brindamour, and Mikael Renberg.  Recchi was coming off the most prolific 2 season stretch by any Flyer since Bobby Clarke.  Renberg had recently set the franchise record for points by a rookie, and Brindamour seemed an ideal two-way centerman.

Despite these expectations, the season started very poorly.  After consecutive 3-0 losses to bad teams in Florida, GM Bobby Clarke had seen enough.  He abruptly sent Mark Recchi to Montreal for the now notorious package of Eric Desjardins, John LeClair and Gilbert Dionne. Of the 3 acquisitions, LeClair was perhaps the least exciting.  Starting as a checking center in Montreal, he looked like a depth forward in the NHL.  After the trade, the Flyers started to improve, but there was neither any sign of impending magic.

On February 25, 1995, coach Terry Murray decided to try a new line.  Playing against his former team, LeClair would join Renberg and Lindros, as Murray essentially put all his biggest forwards on the ice together.  The rewards were immediate. LeClair scored a hat trick and the line scored 8 points in total in a dominant 7-0 victory over a stunned Canadiens team.  This victory sparked the Flyers and the new line to a phenomenal run the rest of the season which continued until the Conference finals.  Though Renberg’s time on the line was derailed by injuries in the following seasons, the line was one of the best of the decade.

Next: Number 48: Stanley Cup Victory 1974