Broad Street Bullies
 

I've often heard that memories formed in childhood tend to last a lifetime. This, for me, is a good thing.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia during an era when the city had four great sports teams. The Phillies were in the playoffs five times before my 12th birthday, winning the World Series when I was 8. The 76ers won the NBA title when I was 11. The Eagles were perennial contenders and made it to Super Bowl XV.

And, of course, there were the Philadelphia Flyers. While I was a little too young to properly enjoy it, they won back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals when yours truly was a preschooler.

They put a physically dominant, rough-and-tumble team on the ice for the better part of a decade. Their style of play was best described by coach Fred Shero, who told the Flyers to "take the shortest route to the puck and arrive in ill humor."

Pictured here are some of my treasured cards of the 1970s Broad Street Bullies. I'll scan some more and post them in this thread eventually. In the meantime, show 'em if you got 'em.

I can add these ones.

Like you, I was much too young to remember much from back in the Philly's hay days, but I do remember the name, The Broad Street Bully's, very well.
They didn't have the most skilled players compared to some other teams, but through grit, determination and toughness, they got things done.

I am old enough to remember them. There were certainly two schools of thought with them. The 1976 Stanley Cup was almost about the bruising style of the Flyers vs. the skill of the Canadiens.

I am not passing judgement at all, but I do recall there were a lot of hockey fans who were cheering for the Canadiens who normally would not cheer for them. Dick Irvin tells that story quite well.

here is a card from my collection as a kid, as I collected those years.
Attachment 430382

I remember the Broad Street Bullies too well.

They capitalized on flaws in the rule book to intimidate their opponents. They perfected the art of taking out their opponent's top players with their "lesser skilled" players. Anti-violence rules were put in place because of Flyers tactics (instigator penalties,elimination of bench clearing brawls).

The main reason why their style worked was the man between the pipes. Bernie Parent. For 2 seasons, he was unbeatable.

In the 1975 Finals the Sabres thoroughly outplayed the Flyers but the Sabres could get nothing behind Parent, meanwhile Sabre netminding was horrible. Shero called the Sabre goalies "a couple of basket cases".

I was one of the ones that cheered when the Canadiens won in 1976.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20PSA%206.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...s%20Clarke.jpg

Clarke reminds me of Joe Montana: when you look at the stats they are not all time great but he got the job done, set the tone, and made his team into winners. Even internationally; he was the one who slashed Kharlamov in the Summit Series.

Tom, agreed, but we think you understate the case. '70s Flyers were the filthiest, cheap-shottingest
aggregation of goons ever to disgrace a major league rink. Too bad, because it worked, and they had enough
talented, skilled guys to win without all the crap. We despised those Philly teams, but liked and respected
guys like Crisp, Leech, and MacLeish. Parent was great -- we saw a lot of him previously with Toronto.
He was excellent in the '75 Final, too, but we wouldn't say Sabres outplayed Philly -- overall, about even up,
but Flyers mostly kept Buffalo to the perimeter, with Parent not having face enough tough chances in close.
Shero knew how to say things to get under an opponent's skin, and yes, Desjardins was soft in the Sabre nets,
but the aging Crozier was sharp even despite playing injured (which is why Desjardins got most of the starts).

Adam, we can't call a guy a "winner" if in order to "win" he deliberately breaks the ankle of the best player
on the opposing team (pretty much on orders from Sinden, another guy deserving of contempt).

Parent
 

Parent was incredible those two seasons. I know Montreal swept them in 1976 but 3 of the games were one goal games and the last was 5-3. I can't help but wonder what would have happened had a healthy Parent been in net and not Wayne Stephenson.

I am not a Flyers fan at all but Bobby Clarke has my utmost respect. Say what you will about the way he played the game but Ken Dryden said the only two people he ever saw who could dominate a game were Bobby Orr for his skill and puck possession and Bobby Clarke for the mood and intensity he brought to the game. That is saying an awful lot.

Flyers were also missing Rick Macleish in the playoffs in 1976. Why was Macleish never at least considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame? 8th man in history to score 50 goals in a season and was the leading scorer in the playoffs both years the Flyers won the Cup.

Who would you rather have playing center for you in a clutch playoff game? Macleish or HOFER Bernie Federko?

Years later Sabre General manager Punch Imlach once said:
'If I want to fill the arena I'll take Gil Perreault. If I want to win I'll take Bobby Clarke"

Not a fan of Clarke at all. I guess he was the type of player you hated but would love to have on your team. Terry O'reilly comes to mind as another.

I would have to agree about the play being close. Game 1 was when the Sabres outplayed the Flyers. Flyers only had 8 SOG early in the 3rd when they "Solved" Desjardins.

Crozier came to the rescue in game 3 after Desjardins allowed a 70 footer from Saleski in the famous Fog game.

Desjardins then allowed a goal from an impossible angle to sniper Schultz to start pivotal game 5. I need counseling.

Crozier wasn't injured, he suffered from Pancreatis that made his availability unpredictable. By December 1975 he was through. He was 26-4-1 in the regular season over his final 3 seasons. If Healthy Desjardins wouldn't have seen a minute of action.

Bill Barber gets no love?

I bled black and orange in the 70's and 80's. Anyone remember the "Streak"?

Yes, I remember it well. My favorite Ray Stevens song. Hit #1 in the Billboard top 100 hits in the spring of 1974 a few weeks before the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup.

Sorry but not that streak. I am talking about the 35 games in a row without a loss. Almost a half year of playing without a loss. Just unreal. One coach, I think was Don Cherry at the time said.........Barnes, Busniak, Bathe? Who are they? Norm Barnes would dive face first if he had to to block shots.

"Streaking" was quite popular in the 70s, if I'm not mistaken. :eek:

Flyers also streaked for a 20 game stretch between 11/16/1976 and 1/1/77. They lost on a Monday night 1/3/1977 in a nationally televised game (on the Hughes network) at the Forum against the Canadiens. Poor Bernie Parent faced 55 shots.

Those Flyers sure liked to streak back then.

Correct, we knew that and should have said "ill" but that felt like it begged for a longer explanation.
Crozier's pancreatitis eventually turned into pancreatic cancer, which killed the Little Carpenter of Uxbridge
twenty years later.