Remembering the Flyers Duo of Eric Desjardins and Chris Therien

There has been a lot of talk recently about the state of the Philadelphia Flyers defense. Much of this has to do with the recent trade of Ivan Provorov and what the defense will look like next season. Will young players like Cam York, Egor Zamula, and Ronnie Attard finally make that leap forward? Will Tony DeAngelo or Travis Sanheim be around next year? Will the Flyers use one of their first round draft picks on a blueliner? Can Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen build on the success they showed this year? Will they sign a free agent or swing a trade for an available defender like Brent Pesce, Noah Hanifin, and Erik Karlsson? 

Several of the discussions about the Flyers defense eventually comes back to Provorov and how good he “really was“. Many have argued that he was only as good as the player he was paired up with. For example, when he was paired up with Matt Niskanen or Ryan Ellis, before he got hurt, he was a dynamic defender. When he was paired up with Justin Braun, Ristolainen, or York, he wasn’t as good.

So, it got me thinking. When was the last time that the Flyers had a great pair that worked together? The first pair that came to my mind was Eric Desjardins and Chris Therien. For the better part of a decade, the two would play opposite each other on the ice. They formed the first line of a defense that complimented the Legion of Doom Era Flyers.

Therien was a third round pick in 1990 and would make his debut with the big club in 1994, after the NHL lockdown had ended. He was never a big points getter; topping out at six goals in 1995-96 and 24 points in 96-97. That wasn’t his role. He patrolled the blueline. He had just one season, his final one, where he had a negative plus/minus rating. He was physical without being stupid and reckless, putting his team down a man. He was 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. While not Zdeno Chara sized, he was one of the bigger defenseman of the mid 1990s.

For whatever reason, Therien seemed to shine whenever he played Jaromir Jagr and the Penguins. If Jagr was on the ice, Therien was going to be nearby. If you saw Jagr on your screen, Therien was also in the picture.  Therien was about the same size as Jagr, but not bulky or slow like other big defenders.

Of him, Jagr said:

“He knew I could not beat him and that gave him confidence. Sometimes, if a guy has no confidence, they back up. Beat him once, hes thinking about and he gives you more room. Its like a boxer. He can dominate, but all it takes is one hit. He can beat me five games but the one time I beat him, then he is thinking about it. Didnt happen much with him.”

And then on the other side of the ice was Desjardins. Desjardins was the finesse to Therien’s size.  He was slightly smaller at 6’1″ and 205 lbs, but he could skate like he was born with them laced to his feet. He would use his abilities to win seven Barry Ashbee Trophies as the Flyers best defender; nobody, not even Hall of Famer Mark Howe, won more.

He arrived in Philly with John LeClair in a trade for Mark Recchi after the NHL lockout. Having been part of the Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup champion team, it was hoped that he could help bring some leadership to the Flyers. For the next 11 years, he was the heart and soul of this team, including taking a stint as team captain.

He was never a scorer like Brian Leetch or Paul Coffey, but he would help to transition the team over from defense to offense. He would be named to two all-star games for his efforts. His best offensive season came in 1999-2000 when he scored 55 points. Twice, he set a career high of 15 goals.

Desjardins wasn’t an offensive powerhouse, but he did enough to help the Flyers to become one of the premier teams of the NHL. More importantly, he didn’t make costly mistakes. Likewise, having Therien alongside him as backup would allow Desjardins the opportunity to move the puck forward.

The Flyers have had a lot of fine defenders since these two both retired. Chris Pronger was a bruiser and should have his jersey retired. Kimmo Timonen was a fan favorite for years. Kevin Hatcher was at the tail end of his career, but still was effective.

It’s been a while since the Flyers had a defensive pairing that was so dominant. Hopefully with the new administration in place, Philly can find a pair that could roam the ice with the same kind of effectiveness.