ChatGPT ranks the Top-10 Philadelphia Flyers of all-time

A.I. chatbot ChatGPT took the internet by storm this year after its official launch on Nov. 30, 2022. The highly-detailed, conversation-style bot has notoriously been used to write prompts or papers for students, but apparently it knows a little bit about sports too. According to ChatGPT, these are the top-10 Philadelphia Flyers players of all time:

#10: Dave Schultz, “The Hammer”, LW, Flyers: 1972-1976

ChatGPT says…

“Known as the “Hammer,” Schultz was a tough enforcer and a key part of the “Broad Street Bullies” era.” – ChatGPT

Dave Schultz, the Flyers’ 52nd overall pick in the 1969 NHL draft, was a rule-breaker and a game-changer during his playing days – literally. Nicknamed “The Hammer”, Schultz made his Flyers debut in the 1971-1972 season and would quickly become one of the most feared enforcers in NHL history.

Schultz spent the next four full years of his career with the Flyers, and achieved some notable feats along the way. The winger won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Flyers in 1974 and 1975, and also set the NHL record for penalty minutes in a season with his 472 in the 1974-75 season. With all of the rule changes and safety precautions in the modern NHL, it’s highly unlikely Schultz’ record ever gets broken.

Schultz was also known to wear wraps on his hands to protect himself from injuries in fights, but the NHL quickly picked up on this and eventually banned it after it became popular amongst the enforcer crowd. Later, this would be dubbed the “Schultz Rule”.

Schultz left the Flyers after four short, spirited years in the City of Brotherly Love, but not before he permanently cemented his place in Flyers lore.

#9: Reggie Leach, “The Chief”, RW, Flyers: 1974-1982

“Nicknamed the “Riverton Rifle,” Leach was a prolific goal-scorer and played a vital role in the team’s success.”  – ChatGPT

Reggie Leach missed out on winning the 1974 Stanley Cup alongside Schultz, but the Flyers made sure they had Leach for the 1975 Cup. Leach became a Flyer on May 24, 1974 when the California Golden Seals sent him to Philadelphia in exchange for Larry Wright, Al MacAdam, and a 1974 first-round pick.

Despite starting his career with the Boston Bruins and the Golden Seals, the Riverton, MB native’s best playing days were easily those spent in Orange and Black. The Flyers won a Stanley Cup in Leach’s first season with the team. The team had a bid for a three-peat struck down the following year in 1976 when they were swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the final, but Leach still won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP.

In doing so, Leach became the third player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team. Roger Crozier of the Detroit Red Wings and Glenn Hall of the St. Louis Blues achieved this before him, and Ron Hextall of the Flyers and Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are the only two to have done this since. Out of the five, Leach is the only skater to have accomplished this rare feat.

606 games, 306 goals, and 514 points later, “The Chief” named for his Ojibwa heritage, spent one year with the Red Wings before calling it quits.

#7: Rick MacLeish, C, Flyers: 1971-1981

“Skilled center who played a major role in the Flyers’ championship victories in the 1970s.” – ChatGPT

Rick MacLeish was one of the Flyers’ first true dominant centers, and routinely found himself amongst the team’s leading scorers. The 5’11” forward was originally drafted by the Bruins in 1970, but was acquired by the Flyers in a three-way trade involving the Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and goaltender Bernie Parent. Ironically, Parent would return to the Flyers in 1973 and play some of the best hockey of his career, winning two Stanley Cups alongside MacLeish.

MacLeish became an NHL regular for the first time in his career in the 1972-73 season, where he became the first Flyers player to score 50 goals in a single season. The center also had exactly 50 assists, joining Bobby Clarke as the second Flyer in team history to score 100 points, five days after Clarke had achieved 100 himself.

MacLeish has been regarded as one of the team’s first elite goal-scorers, and his numbers show it. Across nine full years with the Flyers, MacLeish scored 30 or more goals seven times. He ranks sixth all-time amongst Flyers in goals (328), seventh all-time in assists (369), and fifth all-time in points (697). MacLeish tragically passed away in 2016 after fighting meningitis and suffering damage to his organs.

#6: Ron Hextall, G, Flyers: 1986-1992, 1994-1999

“Talented goaltender and the first goalie to score a goal in an NHL game, played a crucial role for the team.” – ChatGPT

Ron Hextall looked to be one of the NHL’s upper-echelon goaltenders early in his career, but injuries had other plans for him. Although it was only for a short time, Hextall dominated the late 80’s.

Hextall was drafted 119th overall in the 1982 draft and first made the Flyers in the 1986-87 season. That year, the enigmatic goaltender was named an NHL All-Star, received votes for the Hart Trophy, and won both the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Vezina Trophy. Ultimately, Hextall lost the Calder Memorial Trophy to Los Angeles Kings winger Luc Robitaille, who had two more first-place votes and five more second-place votes.

With his Conn Smythe win, Hextall became the fourth player, second Flyer, and third goaltender in NHL history to be awarded the trophy as a member of the Stanley Cup-losing team. In short, he was simply dominant in his first year of play, which could accurately be attributed to his unconventional and revolutionary style of play, which was later emulated by Martin Brodeur.

Hextall struggled to stay healthy after 1989 and was later traded to the Quebec Nordiques for Eric Lindros in 1992. After one year in Quebec and one year with the New York Islanders, Hextall triumphantly returned to the Flyers and had a dominant 1995-96 season. Despite this, the Canadian shot-stopper could not get over his inconsistencies and was unable to earn the lion’s share of playing time in the crease.

Truthfully, ChatGPT dropped the ball on this one. Hextall was great for a bit and is definitely a Flyers legend, but he’s ranked too highly here.

#5: Bill Barber, LW, Flyers: 1972-1984

Bill Barber did not enjoy a super long career by any means, but the Flyers legend was wildly productive during his time there. Barber was a remarkably strong player at both ends of the ice, and even received Selke votes on two occasions.

The Hockey Hall of Famer was drafted seventh overall by Philadelphia in 1972 and made the Broad Street Bullies’ roster straight away. In his first pro season, Barber scored 30 goals and 34 assists in just 69 games. In today’s league, any player who can do that is usually a slam-dunk for the Calder Memorial Trophy. Instead, Barber finished in second-place behind Steve Vickers, who is… not a Hockey Hall of Famer.

Barber spent his entire 12-year career with the Flyers, and of course played a huge role in helping the franchise score two consecutive Stanley Cups. During his prime, the sniper was regularly amongst the league’s leading scorers, and had a 112-point season in 1975-76. Knee surgery forced Barber to retire at the age of 31, but he was already well established as one of the greatest players in franchise history at that point.

If that wasn’t enough, Barber would briefly appear behind the bench as Flyers head coach in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, and won the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s best coach for the 2000-01 season. Barber was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and had his number 7 retired by the Flyers in 1990.

#4: Eric Lindros, C, Flyers: 1992-2000

In one of the largest trades and biggest spectacles in NHL history, Eric Lindros was a Philadelphia Flyer, and an all-time great one at that. Despite playing 13 years in the NHL, Lindros managed to appear in just 760 games – an average of just 58 games a year. Because of his injury problems, Lindros remains one of the biggest ‘what if’s in hockey history.

“Dominant forward with a unique combination of size, skill, and physicality, a Hart Trophy winner.” – ChatGPT

Lindros joined the Flyers as a 19 year old in 1992 and immediately scored 40 goals (41 to be exact) – something he would do three more times in Philadelphia. At 6’4″, 240 pounds, Lindros was a menace to play against, and the burly forward scored 90 or more points three times, including a 115-point 1995-96 season. One year prior to that, Lindros won the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league’s MVP and Most Outstanding Player – the latter as voted by the NHL Players Association. Bobby Clarke is the only other Flyer to win the two awards at any point.

Lindros was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016, and had his number 88 retired on Jan.18, 2018. As a Flyer, he finished ninth all-time in goals (290), tied seventh (MacLeish) all-time in assists (369), and sixth all-time in points (659). However, Lindros is the franchise’s all-time leader in points-per-game, averaging 1.36.

Without injury, Lindros could have been one of the all-time greats, period.

#3: Mark Howe, D, Flyers: 1982-1992

That Howe name sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Mark Howe is the son of all-time great Gordie Howe, but make no mistake – Mark Howe made his own name for himself through his play and his leadership.

“Versatile defenseman with exceptional offensive and defensive skills, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.” – ChatGPT

Howe was originally drafted by the Bruins in 1974, but never played for them. Instead, Mark played with his father in the long-defunct World Hockey Association, and stayed there from 1973 to 1982, when he joined the Flyers via trade. From there, Howe was named an NHL All-Star in his first season and finished second in Norris voting. Howe was in the top-10 of Norris voting results for five consecutive seasons, but never actually won the trophy.

The Detroit, MI product spent 10 years with the Flyers and paved the way for modern two-way defensemen that particularly excelled at scoring points. Mark stayed with Philly until 1992, when he departed to spend his twilight years with Gordie’s Red Wings.

Howe sparkled offensively, but does not hold a significant place in team history in that regard; he is 10th all-time in assists (342). However, he is second in franchise history in plus-minus with an astounding +351, which goes to show how responsible Howe was at both ends of the ice.

Howe became a Flyers Hall of Famer in 2001, a United States Hockey Hall of Famer in 2003, a Hockey Hall of Famer in 2011, and had his number 2 retired by the Flyers in 2012.

#2: Bernie Parent, G, Flyers: 1967-1971, 1973-1979

Like a few other players on this list, Bernie Parent started his career with the Bruins, but made his name and his money with the Flyers. Parent was technically drafted by the Flyers, in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, and thus became one of the original Flyers.

“One of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, a key figure in the Flyers’ championship successes.” – ChatGPT

After spending three very strong years of his career in Philadelphia, the team dealt him in a three-team trade that yielded the Flyers Rick MacLeish. Parent spent two years with the Toronto Maple Leafs and one year with the *checks notes* Philadelphia Blazers before returning to the Flyers.

Then, Parent turned his play up several notches, winning the Conn Smythe and the Vezina two years in a row as the Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Parent had always been good, but this two-season run built his case for being amongst the NHL’s best-ever goaltenders.

The Hockey Hall of Famer retired as a Flyer in 1979 following an eye injury, and was inducted into the Hall in 1984. Parent’s number 1 was also retired by the Flyers in 1979. Following his retirement, Parent spent his time mentoring a young Hextall and the late Swedish goaltender Pelle Lindbergh.

#1: Bobby Clarke, C, Flyers: 1969-1984

According to ChatGPT, Bobby Clarke is the best Flyer of all time. This may be highly contentious, but that sounds about right. All jokes aside though, this means that a lot of notable Flyers also missed out on this top-10, including Claude Giroux. For what it’s worth, when I prompted ChatGPT for a top-20, it ranked Giroux 11th.

“Legendary captain, playmaker, and leader who helped lead the Flyers to two Stanley Cup championships.” – ChatGPT

With Giroux now with the Ottawa Senators, all of Clarke’s Flyers records will remain intact for the foreseeable future. Some of those records include most assists (852), most points (1210), best plus-minus (+506), most short-handed goals (32), most playoff games played (136), most playoff assists (77), and most playoff points (119). Only Clarke and Lindros have won the prestigious Hart Trophy and Lester B. Pearson/Ted Lindsay Award as members of the Flyers.

The Captain joins fellow two-time Stanley Cup Champions Barber, Leach, MacLeish, Parent, and Schultz on this list, and their successes seem to have played a big part in their placements on this list. Clarke’s spot at the top was always reserved, though.

At this point, it’s likely impossible that any player ever surpasses Clarke’s legacy in Orange and Black, and if it does happen, it will be a very long time before it happens. A player capable of doing that is not currently on the team’s NHL roster, that is for certain. At this time, Clarke is still working with the Flyers as a senior advisor alongside Bill Barber, Paul Holmgren, and Dean Lombardi.