Top 50 Philadelphia Flyers
Doesn’t it seem like Philadelphia always had a hockey team, or at the very least always should have?
They actually did for a time as they had the Philadelphia Quakers for one season in the 1930-31 Season but in 1967 they were part of the first wave of planned expansion in 1967 with five other teams. Each team had varying levels of success but it was the Flyers that would become the first with not only a real identity (The Broad Street Bullies) and would become the first to win a Stanley Cup, which they accomplished in back-to-back years in 1974 & 1975.
The Flyers have not won since but they have been in the Finals five times since (1977, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997 & 2010) and have one of the most desiccated fanbases in Hockey.
This list is up to the end of the 2023/24 season.
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
In terms of overall statistics, Bobby Clarke belongs at the top but it is not exactly a landslide. However in terms of what embodies the Phiadelphia Flyers this wasn’t even close.
There were basically two careers for Bernie Parent and the Philadelphia Flyers.
A member of the Philadelphia Flyers for all twelve seasons of his NHL career, Bill Barber provided scoring punch for the Broad Street Bullies and the years beyond. Barber is the all-time leading Goal Scorer (420) for the Flyers and the six time All Star was also a three time…
This rank might be a little controversial based on a few factors. Eric Lindros did not play more than 500 Games with the Flyers.
When you are the son of Gordie Howe it can be expected that you are just “Gordie’s son”, but this was not the case for Mark Howe, a Hockey Hall of Famer in his own right and one hell of a blueliner.
John LeClair had already won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens before he arrived to Broad Street but when he was traded early in the 1994-95 season, the Habs probably had no idea what they really gave up, as LeClair would emerge as one of the elite power forwards…
The Philadelphia Flyers are a celebrated franchise in the NHL, and if we are to state (and we are) that Claude Giroux is the best player they had in a decade (which is the 2010s), that means an awful lot.
Like John LeClair, Eric Desjardins arrived in Philadelphia after winning a Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens and he would anchor their defensive corps for years.
Third all-time in franchise history in Points (849) and Points per Game (1.07) was the offensive star for the Philadelphia Flyers throughout the 1980’s. The Left Winger would have four seasons of 90 or more Points but was also adept at checking and the defensive aspect of the game. He…
Rick MacLeish spent the 1970’s with the Philadelphia Flyers where he parlayed his slick wrist shot and two way play to compliment the Broad Street Bullies. Early in his career, he had a 50 Goal and 50 Assist season for an even 100 Point campaign, all of which were career…
Simon Gagne would spend the majority of his National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers and he would score 535 of his career 601 Points with the team.
Ron Hextall made history in many ways. First off he was the first grandson of a former NHLer to lace up in the league. He was the first Goalie to score a Goal and not because he was credited with one but because his shot went into the net. He…
Mark Recchi had an interesting career in regards to his career with the Philadelphia Flyers and the other teams he played for. The Right Wing would post his best individual seasons as a Flyer but he was a three time Stanley Cup Champion with three other teams (Pittsburgh in 1991,…
Tim Kerr went undrafted yet his tenacious play and the way he overcame injury after injury would earn him a permanent spot in the Philadelphia Flyers lineup. Maybe spot isn’t the right word as slot might be more accurate as that is where he would find himself in front of…
The First Nations star from Manitoba played for the California Golden Seals for a few seasons before he arrived in Philadelphia but arguably nobody foresaw what he would accomplish in the City of Brotherly Love.
Watson played in the National Hockey league for ten seasons and all of them were with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Rod Brind’ Amour played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League, 9 of which were as a Philadelphia Flyer. Brind’ Amour would actually play more longer with Carolina and arguably had more success there but he had better individual statistics with Philly.
After three years with Columbus, Jakub Voracek was traded in a transaction that proved to be very beneficial to Eastern Pennsylvania. The product of the Czech Republic has had two 80 Points seasons as a Flyers the first of which (2014-15) would see him be a First Team All NHL…
Joe Watson was chosen by Philadelphia in the Expansion Draft from the Boston Bruins and the original Flyer would become a stabilizing blueline presence from day one of the organization. Watson would be named to two All-Star Games and he was a large part of the team’s Stanley Cup win…
Rick Tocchet began and ended his playing career with the Philadelphia Flyers which sandwiched seasons in Pittsburgh (where he would win a Stanley Cup), Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and Phoenix but he would score 508 of his 952 Points in the National Hockey League with the Flyers. Tocchet was a…