Flyers, I Choose You! 5 Pokémon that remind us of the Philadelphia Flyers
By Mike Zawisza
#4: Tyranitar
Tyranitar is a fearsome Rock and Dark-type pocket monster from the series’ 2nd Generation of games. Following the initial success of Pokémon Red and Blue, Nintendo and GameFreak released Pokémon Gold and Silver as sequel games in 1999 to much fanfare.
This Godzilla look-alike immediately separated itself from the pack and proved that it could hang with the OGs, and even outpace them at times.
This is similar to how the Flyers came onto the scene as an expansion franchise in 1967 and saw success relatively quickly. From the moment they entered the league, the Flyers were perennial playoff contenders and in just their seventh season of operation, took home Lord Stanley’s Cup.
While the Flyers haven’t won it all since the 70s, they still remain a playoff contender more often than not and sport the league’s third-highest winning percentage, behind the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens.
Similarly, Tyranitar remains a major player in Pokémon’s ever-growing online competitive scene and sees usage by many of the top players. While hundreds of new Pokémon have helped balance the game and restrain Tyranitar from being as dominant as it once was, it still shows that it deserves mention among the best of the best.
The aforementioned Rock typing is also a nod to Bernie Parent and the stifling defense of the Flyers of old, while the Dark typing mirrors the Flyers status as “villains” over the course of the franchise, but specifically in the 70s.
Like Tyranitar, the Flyers started as the new kids on the block but eventually grew into a staple of the league.