In 1993-94, the Flyers were graced with a wonderful surprise on ice. Despite leading all NHL rookies in scoring, Mikael Renberg finished third in the Calder Trophy voting behind the winner, New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, and Edmonton forward (and future Devil) Jason Arnott. His stats are still something to behold as he holds the Flyers record for points by a rookie (82) and is second only to Eric Lindros (41) in goals scored (38).
All of this begs us to ask the question: Are any of our young phenoms the next Renberg? And if so, which Renberg are we getting?
First of all, let’s put this in context. Renberg was blessed with being paired up with a great set of linemates: Lindros and John LeClair. But to be fair, that pairing didn’t always work out. Just ask Dainius Zubrus how well he performed in Philly with those two guys on the line (answer: he didn’t…19 goals in parts of three seasons).
Something on that line clicked. The speed of Renberg, the power of Lindros, and the pinpoint accuracy of LeClair. They were dubbed the “Legion of Doom” and they ushered in the next era of Flyers hockey following the Bullies Era and the 80s Era. However, it would not be sustained and this group only brought the Flyers to one Stanley Cup Championship; falling to the mighty Detroit Red Wings in four games.
Renberg was a part of that. After his rookie year, he put up good numbers, but nothing like his rookie season. In the strike shortened season of 1994-95, Renberg had posted 26 goals and 31 assists in just 47 games. That’s really good. The following season, his numbers dipped to 23 goals and 20 assists. After that, 22 goals and 27 assists. During the Stanley Cup run in 1997, he had five goals and six assists in the playoffs.
This is when Bobby Clarke stepped in and made one of the worst trades in Flyers’ history. Clarke, seething at the Stanley Cup loss, wanted to improve the team by targeting Tampa Bay’s restricted free agent Chris Gratton. Tampa didn’t re-sign him and the Flyers won him; although it would cost the team four first round picks. Instead of doing that, Clarke traded Renberg and Karl Dykhuis to the Lightning for Gratton.
The Gratton trade turned into an epic disaster. Unrealistic expectations for Gratton, placed on him by Clarke, led to a disappointing year wherein he scored just 22 goals; down from 30 the year before. Clarke got mad and “undid the trade” the next season after Gratton scored one goal and seven assists in 26 games. Gratton was sent back to Tampa with Mike Sillinger for Renberg and Daymond Langkow. Langkow would go on to be a solid forward for Philly and would end up being involved in one of the best trades this team would ever make.
But for Renberg, he was different. He had been dealing with some nagging injuries. He wasn’t as fast as he once was. His scoring touch was gone. Despite being just 26 years old, he could barely scrape together 10 goals and was gone from the first line to serve on second and third line roles. At the 2000 trade deadline, he was shipped to Phoenix so the Flyers could reacquire Rick Tocchet. He played until the NHL lockout in 2004 and then played in the Swedish leagues before hanging it up.