On May 25th, 1997 the Flyers defeated the New York Rangers 4-2 to win their Eastern Conference Championship 4 games to 1. Eric Lindros had a hat trick in game 3, and 5 goals in the series. It was the 1st time the Flyers defeated a Wayne Gretzky-led team in the postseason. The win sent the Flyers to their 7th Stanley Cup Final.
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.
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.
