5. The Simpsons- Treehouse of Horror IV (Season 5, Episode 5)
The Broad Street Bullies live on in folklore on in folklore into the present day, despite the tedious Stanley Cup drought that has plagued the franchise since their golden era in the mid-1970s.
The Bullies were the enemies of the NHL, the bad boys who were loved in Philly but hated by every other NHL team and fan base. After back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975, they were chosen to play the Soviet Red Army team during a showcase trip to North America. The Flyers embarrassed the Soviet stars, who even refused to take the ice at one point in the game for fear of the Flyers brutally physical style.
The Simpsons, never failing to drop witty references, lumped the Bullies in with some interesting company.
In the fifth season Halloween special, Homer Simpson sells his soul to the devil for a donut. The devil, who is revealed to be religious neighbor Ned Flanders in an ironic twist of fate, takes Homer to trial to collect his due. Flanders is afforded the opportunity to pick “The Jury of the Damned,” featuring historical villains like Benedict Arnold, John Wilkes Booth, and Blackbeard the pirate.
He saves his most gruesome choice for last by introducing the starting line of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers. The reference to a team that regularly took pride in being the enemy is plenty of reason for Flyers fans to be good sports about the gentle jab.
4. This is 40 (2012)- Four Flyers Cameo Appearances
Former Flyers winger and current Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere embodied every cliche about the toughness of hockey players. He blocked a shot with his face during the 2009-10 season and returned to the same game with over 50 stitches and a makeshift cage.
He decided once wasn’t enough and blocked another shot on the penalty kill during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
His famous (or infamous) missing teeth landed him an obscure cameo in Judd Apatow’s This Is 40 in 2012. He appeared alongside James van Riemsdyk and former Flyers Scott Hartnell and Matt Carle.
The group meets the characters played by prominent actresses Megan Fox and Leslie Mann, and Fox even tries on Laparriere’s dentures in an oddly comedic scene that pays proper homage to one of the gutsiest players in franchise history.