Broad Street Buzz
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Twelve Potential Flyers Hall of Famers: Part Two

By Jacob Modugno

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Danny Briere #48 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates during the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 02: Danny Briere #48 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates during the game against the Ottawa Senators at the Wells Fargo Center on March 2, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
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ANDRÉ DUPONT

A former eighth overall selection in the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, Dupont arrived in Philadelphia in 1972 after he was traded by the St. Louis Blues along with a 1973 3rd-round pick for Brent Hughes and Pierre Plante.

The left-handed defender was one of the toughest players on the Flyers and was no stranger to dropping the gloves either as he reached triple digits in penalty minutes every season in his 7.5 years with Philadelphia, posting a career-high of 276 during the team’s second consecutive Stanley Cup run in 1974-75.

Dupont suited up in Orange and Black 549 times in his career from 1972 to 1980, scoring 42 goals and 135 assists for 177 points in that stretch. He also racked up 1,505 penalty minutes, by far the most by a defenseman in franchise history and third all-time among all Flyers players behind Rick Tocchet and Paul Holmgren.

Dupont’s shining moment with the Flyers came in Game 2 of the 1974 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins. The Bruins were leading in the game 2-1 when the Flyers pulled goaltender Bernie Parent for an extra attacker, and with just 52 seconds left in the third period, Dupont was able to rifle home a shot by Boston netminder Gilles Gilbert to tie the game at 2-2 and show off his famous “Moose Shuffle” celebration.

The Flyers would go on to win the game in overtime thanks to Bobby Clarke and they eventually won the Stanley Cup in six games. Dupont was a part of both the 1974 and 1975 squads that won Stanley Cup championships as well as the 1976 squad that made it to the Final and lost to the Canadiens. He was also on the 1980 team that went unbeaten for an NHL record 30 straight games and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the New York Islanders.

Dupont appeared in 108 postseason games for Philadelphia, recording 13 goals, 15 assists, and 306 penalty minutes. His 108 games are tops in franchise history for defensemen and fifth overall, and his 306 PIM also lead all defensemen and rank third overall only behind Dave Schultz and Rick Tocchet.

Dupont was a fierce and impactful player in the Broad Street Bullies era of Flyers hockey and has been overlooked as one of the better defensemen in team history despite helping the team win both of their Stanley Cups, and a Flyers Hall of Fame induction would be more than worthy for him.

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