Ice Hockey Fans, pretty much all of Canada, rejoice! It’s time for Hockey season and that means it’s time for us to learn about the history of our very own Philadelphia Flyers! Here are some fun facts to get you pumped up and ready to hear that very loud and long buzz… SCORE!
- Originally the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team moved to Philadelphia in 1930/31 and became… you guessed it… the Philadelphia Quakers.
- On Christmas day in 1930 the police had to break up a
fight on the ice between the Quakers and the Boston Bruins… and we wonder why those two towns have the rowdiest fans! - The Great Depression caused the Quakers to eventually fold and it was another 40 years before Philadelphia would get another Hockey team.
- Finally reestablished in the 1960s Bill Putnam and Ed Snider, the franchise owners of the team, wanted a fresh start for Philadelphia and announced a contest on July 12, 1966 to give them a new name. In the meantime Snider’s sister Phyllis came up with “Flyers” by watching people skate on the ice one day and the name stuck. The contest continued but it was Phyllis’s suggestion that won out.
The Flyers debuted with a loss to the California Seals on October 11th 1967.- 1969/70 was Bobby Clarke’s first season, he was the first Flyer to make it to the All Star Game that year.
- The Flyers took home the coveted Stanley Cup twice in consecutive seasons, 1973-74 and 1974-75.
- The teams longest running and most intense rivalry is with the New York Rangers, it dates back to the 1970s.
- The Nickname “Broad Street Bullies” was given to the team in the 1972-73 season by Jack Chevalier and Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin after a particularly bloody match up with the Atlanta Flames.
- Ed Snider, famed owner of the team, passed away last season.
fight on the ice between the Quakers and the Boston Bruins… and we wonder why those two towns have the rowdiest fans!
The Flyers debuted with a loss to the California Seals on October 11th 1967.We Are Supported By:
