The last time someone was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame was back in 2016. Jim Watson watched his number go up into the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center. Five years later, the team will add two more banners when it inducts Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet.
The Flyers organization first began the selection process for a new class of inductees on August 31st. From there, five former members of the organization were listed as finalists. Members of the current Flyers Hall of Fame, team alumni, members of the front office, broadcasters, and those from the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association were in charge of selecting those who would be officially honored.
For Holmgren, this is the second honor that he has received within the last few months. In early September, he was named to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and will be a member of their 2021 class. He not only played for the U.S. squad, but he also served as an assistant coach (1996, 1998), assistant general manager (2006, 2016), general manager (2006), and was selected to join the Men’s National Team Advisory Group in 2009. He also received the Lester Patrick Trophy in 2014 in recognition of his service to hockey in the United States.
Holmgren has also held numerous hats while with the Flyers organization. He began as a player from 1975-84. During that time, he appeared in 500 games while posting 138 goals and 309 total points. He had seven different playoff appearances with the Flyers, most notably appearing in 18 games and posting 20 points during the 1979-80 postseason. The team went to the Stanley Cup Final that year.
After finishing his playing career with the Minnesota North Stars, he came back to the organization as an assistant coach from 1985-88 and then became the head coach from 1988-92. He would return over 10 years later and serve as the general manager from 2006-1), and was even the president of the organization as well from 2014-19. He is currently a senior advisor to Dave Scott, who is the Comcast Spectacor Chairman and CEO/Governor of the Flyers.
"“Right now, I really truly don’t know how to put it into words, other than to say that it’s truly an honor. Dave mentioned Bob Clarke, Bernie Parent, and Bill Barber. To be in a group with players of that ilk, of that mold, of that character, and of that level is truly what makes it great to me.”"
Rick Tocchet embodied what it meant to play for the Flyers organization. He spent parts of 11 seasons with the team and is the all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat tricks for the franchise and the league itself. While primarily known as a fighter, Tocchet did develop himself as a scorer as well, posting 232 goals and 508 points in 621 games. During his rookie season in 1984, he helped take the Flyers to the 1985 Stanley Cup Final before they would fall to the Edmonton Oilers.
Once he hit his third season in the league, Tocchet was consistently scoring over 20-goals a season. He posted a then career-high 45 goals during the 1988-89 season, going on to break that high in 1992-93 (48 goals). His best season with the Flyers, production-wise, came the following season when he scored 96 points.
But a slow start during the 1991-92 season saw Tocchet traded to the Penguins. He would go on to play for Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, and Phoenix before he finished his final three years back where it all started. It is an organization that Tocchet owes a lot to for developing him into the player and man that he became.
"“Yeah, I have tasted other organizations, whether coached or played. When I was a 19-year-old kid, going into my first game, and you have an owner of Ed Snider, you have a general manager of a Bobby Clarke. Then you have the legends that they won those two cups. It really helped my career. I don’t know if I got drafted somewhere else, if it would have gone as good as this. I don’t think so. I just think the way that the Flyers, and Homer touched on this, it is a family. People throw that word around in organizations, but this is truly a family, for years.”"
After his playing career, Tocchet served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche (2002-05), Phoenix Coyotes (2005-08), Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-09), and Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-2017). He was most recently the head coach for the Arizona Coyotes (2017-21). He will now serve as a studio analyst for the NHL on Turner Sports.
He and Holmgren will watch their names go up into the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center during a pre-game ceremony ahead of the Flyers matchup against the Flames on November 16th.