CHRIS THERIEN
Therien was a hard-nosed defenseman who appeared in 756 games for the Flyers, which still stands as the fifth-most in franchise history and most by a defenseman.
Making up one half of the famous “Rico and Bundy” pairing along with Éric Desjardins, Therien was selected by the Flyers in the third round of the 1990 NHL Draft. Therien would make his NHL debut in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, playing in all of Philadelphia’s 48 games and registering three goals and 10 assists in his rookie campaign and was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie First Team for his efforts.
Therien’s career highs in scoring would come the next season in 1995-96 as he scored six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 82 games. However, Therien would not be exactly known for his scoring, but rather his strong defensive play and his ability to lay body-on-body and play as physically as anyone on the ice.
Standing at a firm 6’5″ and weighing in at 235 pounds, Therien was a wrecking ball on skates and endeared himself to the Flyers fanbase because of his hard play and strong work ethic, two things that Philadelphians heavily admire in a player.
The Ottawa native recorded 29 goals and 130 assists for 159 points in his 756 games with the Flyers in two different stints with the team that were only separated by an 11-game cup of coffee with the Dallas Stars in 2004. The Flyers traded Therien for a 2004 8th-round pick and a 2005 3rd-round pick before returning in free agency for 2005-06.
In Therien’s post-playing life, he has still been around the Flyers as he previously worked as a color commentator on the radio for Flyers games for 97.5 The Fanatic before moving to NBC Sports Philadelphia and working as the inside-the-glass analyst on television broadcasts. He then moved to a studio analysis role for Flyers pre-game and post-game shows with NBCSP before being let go last year.
Therien has been involved in some capacity with the Flyers for the better part of 30 years and has remained a fan favorite and a delight to see at Flyers events.