On May 24th, 1980 the Flyers fell to the New York Islanders 5-4 in overtime and lost their Stanley Cup Finals series 4 games to 2. It was a disappointing loss after the Flyers 116-point regular season and record 35-game unbeaten streak. Flyers fans will always remember the missed offside call that could have changed the outcome. Linesman Leon Stickle acknowledged the missed call and apologized afterward. A coach’s challenge back then would’ve been nice!
Bernie Parent – Flyers/Goalie (1967-71, 1973-79) Widely regarded as one of the all-time best goaltenders in NHL history, Bernie Parent put together back-to-back seasons in 1973-74 and 1974-75 that earned him two Vezina Trophies (best goaltender) and two Conn Smythe Trophies (playoff MVP), and was instrumental in the Flyers winning their only two Stanley Cups to date. Parent had two stints with the black and orange 1967-68 to 1970-71 and 1973-74 to 1978-79. An accidental high stick struck Parent’s right eye through the mask opening and ended his career. Parent was a five-time NHL All Star and was inducted into the Hockey HOF in 1984. The Flyers retired Parent’s #1 on October 11th, 1979 and inducted him into the team’s HOF in 1988.
Sixers/Nationals Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes was born today May 19th, in 1928 in The Bronx, NY. He not only won an NBA Championship with the Franchise in 1955 (Syracuse Nationals) but was also NBA Coach of the Year (Sixers) in 1966.
On May 18th, 1983, Sixers Andrew Toney led the way with 30 points as the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 115-103. The game 5 win knocked off the Bucks and sent the Sixers to their 8th NBA Finals.
On May 16th, 1976, the Flyers fell to the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 and were swept in the Stanley Cup Final, ending the Flyers two-year reign. Flyers Reg Leach scored 4 goals in the 4-game series giving him an NHL record 19 goals for the playoffs. Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs, and remains the only non-goalie to win the award for the Stanley Cup Finals losing team.
On May 16th, 1985 the Flyers defeated the Quebec Nordiques 3-0 in game 6 of the Wales Conference Final, winning the series 4 games to 2. The win sent the Flyers to their 5th Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
On May 16th, 1980 the Sixers fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 123-107 in game 6 of the NBA Finals. The Sixers lost the series 4 games to 2. It was their 6th NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.
On May 14th, 1987 the Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 to take the Wales Conference Final 4 games to 2. The win sent the Flyers to their 6th Stanley Cup Final appearance.
On May 14th, 2010 the Flyers finished the near-impossible feat of winning a seven game series after being down 3 games to 0. The Flyers lost the first three games to the Boston Bruins and were down 3-0 in game 4. A well-timed timeout by Flyers coach Peter Laviolette got the Flyers focused on getting the next goal. The Flyers came back to win the game 5-4 in overtime and took the next three games, winning the series in 7.
On May 13th, 1975, Flyers Rick MacLeish scored a hat trick and the Flyers defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 in game 7 of their Stanley Cup semi-finals series. The win put the Flyers in their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final, a series with the French Connection-led Buffalo Sabres.
