Today in Flyers History: Philadelphia wins franchise’s first Stanley Cup
On this date in Flyers’ history, the team defeated Boston to capture their first Stanley Cup.
The Philadelphia Flyers became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup when they defeated Boston in 1974. A 1-0 shutout by Bernie Parent led the way.
The goal scored just over six minutes into the first period held up throughout the rest of the game. It was Rick MacLeish that scored that fateful goal, a tip-in off a shot from Andre Dupont. The goal came via a power play as Boston’s Terry O’Reilly had been called for hooking.
This was the first of two consecutive Stanley Cup victories by the team. But this victory will stand up as the best for quite some time. Defeating an original six franchise was a truly impressive feat. Especially with a team that featured superstars such as Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
Parent, who was impressive in this game, took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He posted a 12-5 record, along with a 2.02 GAA and .933 SV% in those 17 games. The clinching victory was his second shutout during the playoffs.
To get to this moment, the Flyers would dominate the Atlanta Flames in the first round. They outscored the team 17-6, sweeping them in four games.
The following round against the New York Rangers wasn’t as easy. The home team would win every game in the series. Parent grabbed his first shutout of the playoffs during the opening game of the series. The Flyers would come out victorious in seven games, leading to their battle with Boston.
The Bruins had the Flyers number during the season, winning the season series 3-1-1. So it wasn’t going to be an easy matchup. The teams would split the first two matchups, with Philadelphia winning the second game in overtime. They would then win the next two games fairly handily. Boston winning the fifth game would lead us to that fateful night on May 19, 1974.
MacLeish’s first period goal led to the famous call by Gene Hart uttering these words for the first time.
"“Orr shoves it down the ice. Parent makes the save. Ladies and gentlemen, the Flyers are going to win the Stanley Cup! The Flyers win the Stanley Cup! The Flyers win the Stanley Cup! The Flyers have won the Stanley Cup!”"
Fans would end up joining the celebration on the ice as Bobby Clarke and Parent would be the first to lift the Stanley Cup. A more formal celebration would take place the following day as a crowd of around two million people would line down Broad Street.
That night will forever go down as the best moment in Flyers franchise history. Winning it again the next season made this moment even sweeter.