Yesterday, the NHL's chief judge and executioner, Brendan Shanahan, suspended Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand for 5 games following his hit on Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo last Saturday afternoon, in what was one of the best games of the season.
There has been quite a bit of discussion about the play, and as usual, the hockey world seems split almost 50/50 as to whether Shanahan made the right call. For what it's worth, I think it was the right call.
To recap, Sami Salo and Brad Marchand were both heading towards a loose puck along the boards. It was a very similiar situation to one which had taken place a mere 15 seconds previously. In the first play, both players went shoulder to shoulder, with the result being that the much larger Salo outmuscled Marchard in the battle for the puck.
In the second instance, Marchand lowered his body and hit Salo near the back of the left knee, causing the latter to flip "arse over tea kettle", suffering a shoulder injury and a concussion in the process.
While the infraction is termed clipping, in common hockey parlance it is called submarining and is viewed as being one of the more dangerous and less honourable plays.
Some have said that in the play Marchand was simply put himself in a defensive position preparing for a big hit. It is in an argument that I don't buy because you can clearly see Marchand drive his shoulder through Salo's body, hardly a defensive maneuver.
Others have said that Shanahan's suspension of Marchand is too long. Again, I disagree.
One of the main arguments for NHL teams for retaining the services of players whose main, if not only purpose, is to fight, is that they are necessary to act as policemen to prevent, or at least counteract, the actions of players who regularly use illegal, and dangerous, tactics on the ice. Players such as Marchand.
Brendan Shanahan has clearly stated, over and over, since the season began, that the NHL is striving to do away with on-ice vigilantism and justice making by ensuring that the league lives up to its responsibility in terms of player safety by making sure that illegal and dangerous acts are dealt with seriously.
So, the message is clear. Submarining is something that the NHL takes seriously. Do it, and expect to have to pay the consequences.
- A few years back I worked for a car rental agency at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport in Montreal. Among our customers were a few that the company deemed to be VIPs, and as such their cars would be driven up directly to the doors for them. Among these people was the general manager of a National Hockey League team.
He spoke with a thick French accent, had a raspy voice, and a gruff manner. Some of the girls who worked at the counter were actually kind of intimidated by him. "He always looks angry", one of them said.
Over the course of a few months, I got to know him a little bit. As someone who follows hockey a somewhat, I would say things like "Nice win over Detroit last Tuesday", or, "I see that so-and-so scored his 100th point this week", and a short conversation would take place.
One time, I mentioned to him that I had read somewhere that he was renowned for being able to remember the birth dates of virtually every player who had played in the NHL over the course of the last 50 years. "Was this true?", I asked. "Try me", was the reply.
In almost Rain Man-esque fashion, he answered "March 28, 1948" "February 29th 1936" and so on, correctly matching birth day to player.
As the months wore on, he began to throw trivia questions my way. Smiling and nodding when I got the answer right, shaking his head in disappointment when I got the answer wrong.
A few months after I left that job, one of the women who worked there with me gave me a call. "That old hockey guy left a package here for you, he didn't know your name, but when he gave the description, I knew he was talking about you.".
When the package finally made its way to me, I opened it up to find a St-Louis Blues golf shirt, and a note "Good luck with your new team. Prof"
Ronald "Le Prof" Caron, former General Manager of the St-Louis Blues, and NHL scouting legend, died yesterday at the age of 82. He was born on December 19th 1929.
There was a time, not that long ago, when most fans could name every building in the NHL. There were the obvious ones. The Original Six buildings. Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden. The Montreal Forum, Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. Chicago Stadium and the Olympia in Detroit.
Beyond the venerable old NHL hockey temples, expansion brought us places such as the Spectrum in Philadelphia, the Buffalo Auditorium and Forum in Los Angeles.
Most of those buildings are now gone. They have been replaced with modern amphitheaters which offer much more in terms of comfort and convenience. Luxury boxes and high end eateries certainly help bring in more revenue for the owners.
But gone are the local touches. The quirks that made the old buildings special, unique. Hockey buildings have become asepticized and boring. They are all the same. With names such as the HP Pavillion, the Honda Centre, the Verizon Centre, the Air Canada Centre. Boring...
As someone who readily admits to being a nostalgic type, I miss the weird seating arrangement of Maple Leaf Gardens (green, grey, gold?), the standing room tickets and the requisite run for the best spots at the Montreal Forum. The smell of Boston Garden, not really good or bad, just distinctive. The stairs at Chicago Stadium that led from behind the Blackhawks' bench to their dressing room.
In these days of corporate sponsorship and and out of control consumerism, I can't help but feel that all the buildings are the same. Much like our strip mall suburbs. All the same. Only the jerseys they sell are different.
There's an old adage in hockey that says that quite often the best trade you make, is the one that you don't.
As we watched players like Morgan Ellis, Brandon Gormley, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Logan Shaw head for new teams with hopes of playoff success, you have to think that the PEI Rocket received some calls inquiring about the availability of their star 19 year old forward, Ben Duffy.
Duffy, for those who may not know, recently became the franchise's career leading scorer, and is presently in 5th spot in this season's QMJHL scoring race with 59 points in 41 games. On many nights he has been one of the only, if not the only, bright spots on a young Rocket squad looking to find it's way.
He has proven himself, night in and night out, to be the kind of player that most coaches dream about. A low maintenance type of guy, who just goes out there, plays hard, and produces on a consistent basis. On a young team such as the PEI Rocket, that type of leadership can pay off handsomely as they strive to establish a competitive and winning mindset.
To be sure there will be some who say the PEI club missed an opportunity to pick up some interesting prospect, either in terms of players already in the league or in terms of high draft picks. It is a fair argument. But not one to which I happen to subscribe. To have a clear view of this, one must take a good look and see what the Rocket now has in hand.
In goal, the tandem of 18 year old (he'll turn 19 next week) Maxime Lagacé and 17 year old Antoine Bibeau, gives the team a solid presence in the nets. While Lagacé has carried to bulk of the load, Bibeau has shown that he can be relied up should the call come. His win last night in Halifax against MacKinnon, Frk, et al, shows that.
On the blue line, the club counts players who are developing, and will continue to develop in to fine hockey players. At only 16 years of age, Ryan Graves is showing that not only can he play in the league, but will likely become one of its top d-men. At only 18, Jimmy Oligny is continuing to improve. Dane Phaneuf, whom the Rocket signed for nothing, has proven himself to be a valuable addition. He is only 17 years old. Add to that Michael Abbott, 18, and recent addition Tyrone Sock, also 18, and it's easy to understand why there is justification for optimism in regards to the squad of Rocket rearguards.
Up front, Josh Currie and Victor Provencher are both 18 and are expected to continue to develop. 16 year old Yan-Pavel Laplante has shown that he will become a force in this league. 17 year old Matthew Bursey, picked up earlier this season in a trade with Shawinigan, is quickly becoming a fan favourite, with his combination of high energy play and skill.
The Rocket also count on two excellent European players. 18 year old Matej Beran, a 6'5" 210lbs center, is the club's second leading scorer, picking up an impressive 44 points in his first 41 games on North American ice. 18 year old defenceman, Tomas Pavelka, has played well as he continues to adapt to his new surroundings. He is the club's second highest scoring defenceman, behind 20 year old Marc-André Lévesque.
As of this writing, the PEI Rocket sits in 17th place in the QMJHL, 2 points out of the final playoff spot, with two games in hand. To be sure, the first few months of the season have been trying at times. As with all young teams, putting together a consistent effort over the course of a full 60 minutes has been a challenge. Let's face it, putting together a consistent effort over the course a full 60 minutes is a challenge for most hockey teams.
But there have been bright spots. You can point to some positive performances. A come from behind win in OT at the Robert Guertin Arena against the Olympiques comes to mind. As does the recent streak of 4 wins against Maritime Division opponents.You could also point to the fact that this team doesn't quit, a trait that will pay off on the long run.
Yes, the future is bright in PEI for Gordie Dwyer and his Rocket. Keeping Ben Duffy not only gives them a very real shot at making the playoffs this year, it gives them the opportunity to start next season with one of the best 20 year olds in the league. A 20 year old who will lead what promises to be a team to be reckoned with a solid core of young players who will continue to develop.
The Victoriaville Tigres defeated the visiting Quebec Remparts last night by the score of 5-4 in overtime, before 3420 fans who were treated to one heck of a hockey game.
And while this game could very likely just be a preview of a playoff series come spring, what is dominating the airwaves and papers in the land of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League today are Patrick Roy's post game comments.
In this latest episode of Roy's Rants, the Hall of Fame goaltender, Quebec City hockey icon, and Remparts coach ripped into the officials, specifically the video officials, for their decision to allow Victoriaville's 3rd goal, breaking what was then a 2-2 tie, in the second minute of the third period.
At issue for Patrick Roy is the fact that the on ice official seems to have been overruled by the video official as to whether or not the puck was kicked in by Victoriaville forward, Phillip Danault.
Whether or not the goal ultimately should have counted, it's not for me to say. And I have no real problem with the coach of a hockey team griping at the officials either during or post-game.
Patrick's detractors, and there are many, do hoewver have a point when they question whether or not it is proper for one of Quebec's most influential hockey personalities to comment in such a way in front of reporters.
Even if you don't understand French, have a quick listen to this, and read on lower if you wish.
So among all of the cursing and swearing, Patrick Roy qualifies the Victoriaville off-ice officials as what might be roughly translated as a "bunch of effin' amateurs". He goes on to say that it was a disgrace, and that the official should lose his job.
He may be right in that assessment, and he may be wrong, far be it for a regular Joe Hockey Fan like me to say.
But it's fair to question the way in which Mr. Roy went about showing his displeasure. Because rightly or wrongly, fairly or unfairly, there are many of us who believe that Patrick Roy has a responsibility as one of the game's greatest players to conduct himself with a certain degree of decorum.
It wasn't lost on me that the outburst occurred in Victoriaville, the town where legendary player, and universally recognized symbol of the classy hockey person, Jean Béliveau grew up. Can't quite imagine Le Gros Bill, as he was known in these parts, flying off the handle and cursing a blue streak in front of a group of reporters.
Make no mistake about it, Patrick Roy has been good for the QMJHL. He's a solid coach, icing a competitive squad year after year. On paper, as they say, he seems to be a legitimate candidate for a job at higher levels of the game, should he so wish.
But there are question marks. Two big question marks. Is Patrick Roy a loose cannon, and can a if so, can a loose cannon coach in the NHL?
It would be fairly easy to demonstrate that Mr. Roy has a propensity to blowing gaskets, as we say. Sure, it was many years ago, but think back to when he stormed past then-Montreal Canadiens' coach Mario Tremblay and haughtily declared to club president Ronald Corey, something along the lines of "I've played my last game for this team", thus tying the hands of the organization and forcing a trade. Hardly a graceful exit.
There was also the incident involving his son, at the time the Quebec Remparts goalie, attacked the opposing goaltender, Chicoutimi's Bobby Nadeau, and attempted to beat him senseless, even though it was clear that Nadeau wanted no part of the fight. You might argue that these were the actions of a player, and the coach is limited in his ability to control what players do on the ice, but not many buy that argument as it relates to that particular incident.
Post game blowups and verbal attacks on a wide variety of subjects have become part and parcel of Mr. Roy's coaching career. Part of it is easy to understand. He is obviously an ultra-competitive person. One does not achieve the things that he has without a very high degree of passion. He cares about winning. Deeply. It's one of the traits that made him so popular with fans.
But there are limits to what people can say, and certainly limits as to how to say things. Some cursing and swearing while voicing displeasure about a situation is one thing. Ripping into officials, calling their competence into question, and saying you hope they lose their jobs is quite another.
Surely the league officials will want to have a listen to these comments, and an appropriate penalty will be levied. You simply can't have the integrity and competency of officials called into question in such a public way.
Just ask New York Rangers coach John Tortorella. He was fined by the NHL for much milder criticism of officiating during the recent Winter Classic that pitted the Blueshirts against the Flyers a few days ago.
It's a basic fact of life. You can't go blasting the bosses or the company in public. If you don't think that's true, give it a try. Let us know how you make out.
So, to be sure, Patrick Roy crossed a line here. It's not the end of the world, but it deserves some sort of reprimand.
But ultimately the loser in all of this could end up being Patrick Roy himself.
You have to think that the people Bell Centre offices, headquarters of the Montreal Canadiens, have noticed as well.
You have to figure that eventually, if it ever gets down to deciding whether or not to approach him about coaching in Montreal, someone is going to ask the question "Is Patrick Roy well suited to coach, and represent, our hockey club?".
Stuff like last night's outburst certainly doesn't help his case.
The dust has settled somewhat since Team Canada lost its semi-final match-up against the Russians two nights ago at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Calgary by the ironic score of 6-5.
Fans have hardly had the time to conduct a proper autopsy of the heartbreaking loss to our long time international foes, that now our boys must hit the ice this afternoon in the bronze medal game against Finland.
While it is certainly true that we never send a hockey team to represent us, and our game, hoping and dreaming for a bronze medal, winning this game is very important for a number of reasons.
Beyond the facts that as a nation, it often feels as though the only thing we can really agree on is the fact that we all believe that hockey and Canada are synonymous, and that a loss today will undoubtedly send all the writers, analysts, and barroom experts in a tizzy, winning this game is important for the players.
I would suspect that being selected as a member of Team Canada is the highest honour that these young men have ever had bestowed upon them. Of the thousands and thousands of boys who play this game across the country, these are the chosen ones.It is something that they have dreamed about, and worked towards, their whole lives.
A win today and they can say that they came back hard in the 3rd period against the Russians, lost by a goal, and kept it going for one more game. A loss however, would rob them of that privilege and turn what should have been one of their lives' greatest times, into one that they'd rather forget.
And when it's all said and done, no one wants to have to live with regrets.
When HBO first brought us into the every day life of the NHL with last season's 24/7 series, which featured the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, three things really struck me.
The first was level of access that was given to the producers of the much talked about series. It seems as though nothing was off limits to the crew. Sure we got to go into the dressing rooms, coaches offices, team meetings and practice facilities, but they also brought us into the team planes, hotels, and even some of the players' homes. Filmmakers dream about having such access to their subjects.
The second thing that struck me about last season's series was Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. I'm certain that the editors of the series were wringing their hands with glee when they first sat down to look over the rough cuts of the footage they shot with the Caps bench boss.
Filmmakers looks for characters with depth. Someone who is interesting looking, in an interesting setting, doing interesting things, in an interesting way.
They certainly got that in spades with Boudreau. The sight of this short, fat, man in the midst pro athletes in the prime of their athletic lives certainly illustrated a contrast. "One of these things is not like the others" as they say on Sesame street.
The level of energy and intensity displayed by Boudreau throughout the series was also fascinating. Seemingly always in motion, always talking, always in the game. It's like the guy has no off switch.
Couldn't help but remember that television series when Bruce Boudreau was fired by the Capitals earlier this season. All the ranting and raving, and cursing and swearing wears thin after a while.
Which brings me to the third element of the series that struck me in the first, and in second, which this time features the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, is the level of language used in the shows final cut.
Specifically, the use of the word "fuck". Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the word fuck. I make use of it myself quite often. When I was in the Army, it was probably the most commonly used verb/noun/adjective.
But the boys in HBO's 24/7 take it to a whole new level. "Fuck this". "Fuck that". "Here a fuck, there a fuck. Everywhere a fuck, fuck." Holy fuck boys, enough with the fuck...
The incidental use of the word fuck, in a series chronicling a hockey team is not surprising, in fact, it's to be expected, but I take issue with the overuse of it in the editing process. It's one thing to let the f-bombs drop when it's used during speeches and on-ice action, quite another when inserted over the top of a video track simply for effect. A couple of examples of this can be found in the third episode of this year's series.
In one shot, a New York Ranger is seen throwing a hard bodycheck. Off camera, someone is heard, presumably a player on the Philadelphia Flyers bench, saying, "Fuckin' Johnny Mitchell...". In another scene, the Philadelphia Flyers score a goal. While the camera stays with the on-ice action, we can clearly hear New York coach John Tortorella exclaim "For fuck sakes" off camera.
Now, these were clearly editorial choices. Someone sat down and decided to put those particular audio clips over those particular video clips. With fuck making at least 75 to 100 appearances in the one hour episode, it is doubtful that the show would suffer by leaving a couple out.
Again, I don't have a major issue with using the word fuck in this series, but some care should be given to avoid using it too much. For fuck sakes.
In the pages of my old Hockey Digests of the 1970's, between the Stan Mikita hockey tips and the hockey school ads, you can find a couple of pages from small mail-order businesses selling hockey themed T-shirts.
The shirts have short sayings and art work printed on them. Things like "World's Greatest Rink Rat" and "Give Blood, Play Hockey".
But the T-shirt I remembered yesterday as I watched 66 year-old Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent make a special once-in-every-32-years appearance in an oldtimers/reunion/hockey celebration in Philadelphia, had a Flyers logo in the centre.
Above the logo it was written; "Only the Lord", and below the logo, "Saves More Than Bernie Parent!"
Photo: Bernie Parent waves to the 45808 fans gathered at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.
It's not certain that the Almighty would have approved of some of the tactics used by the Philadelphia Flyers, AKA, The Broad Street Bullies. But the fact is that with a team with players such as Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish, Bill Barber and Reggie Leach, and the coaching of Fred "The Fog" Shero, none of it would have been possible without Bernie Parent.
When the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974, Bernie Parent was 29 years old. Although he was born and raised in Montreal, he played his junior hockey in Ontario. He was the contractual property of the Boston Bruins and played for one of their junior teams in the OHA, the Niagara Falls Flyers. As a member of that team, he won the 1965 Memorial Cup.
He was one of the dozens of hockey prospects from the province of Quebec during the 50's and 60's who played in Ontario towns. They belonged to teams like Detroit, Chicago, the New York Rangers, and Boston. Names such as Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert, who played in Guelph. Pierre Pilote who played in St-Catharines, and Marcel Pronovost in Windsor. All players, who like Bernie Parent, are in the Hockey Hall of Fame today.
Photo: Bernard Parent smiles for the camera in this 1960's Boston Bruins picture.
In 1967, the Bruins left Bernie Parent unprotected for the expansion draft (the NHL went from 6 to 12 teams) as Gerry Cheevers was chosen by the Boston Bruins hockey department to become the next number one goalie in Boston, and thus Parent was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with their first pick.
He would play five solid, if uneventful, seasons with the Flyers before ending up in Toronto for the 1970-71 season. It was here that Parent's career took a fortunate turn that would help him blossom from solid NHL goaltender, to eventual Hall of Famer, for the Maple Leafs' other goaltender was none other than Jacques Plante. It was during his two seasons, spending every day talking to, and learning from, not only of the game's greatest goalies but also one of the game's great teachers.
Photo: Bernie Parent and Toronto defenceman Bobby Baun focus on the play in 1971.
After spending two seasons with the Leafs, the upstart World Hockey Association came calling with its rich contracts, and Parent headed back to Philadelphia, this time with the Blazers. His time with the league, much like the circuit itself, was to be short-lived, and so as the 1973-74 season began, Bernie Parent was back with the Philadelphia Flyers, and ultimately, on his way to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Parent started his second career with the Flyers by setting a new NHL record for wins in a single regular season with 47. He managed to keep a miniscule 1.89 goals against average on his way to the Vezina Trophy.
Photo: Bernie Parent in action with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1974-75 season.
In the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flyers romped through the first round, blowing out the desperately outmatched Atlanta Flames in four straight games. The highlight of the opening round was coach Fred Shero being attacked while walking down the street in Atlanta, resulting in a pair of broken glasses, a black eye, and a nasty cut that required about a dozen or so stitches. Why Fred Shero would be walking around alone in a hostile town when he had Schultz, Saleski, Kelly, and Moose Dupont more than willing and more than able to moonlight as bodyguards for a few minutes remains a mystery.
The second round was a much different story. The Flyers were up against the New York Rangers. And the New York Rangers had a hell of a hockey team. Ratelle and Gilbert brought speed, stickhandling, passing, and shooting on a par with what most teams could bring. Add Brad Park, widely considered to be the 1970's best defenceman this side of Bobby Orr.
In nets the Rangers were solid, with proven Ed Giacomin, a Madison Square Garden fixture, and a younger, talented, Gilles Villemure available as back should the need arise.
It was a hard fought series. Both literally and figuratively. It went the full seven games and there were moments of great hockey brilliance, but there was also the brawling, and the beatings, that were part and parcel of the Broad Street Bullies modus operandi.
Lost in the sorry spectacle of fights such as Dave Schultz pulling the hair of New York Rangers defenceman Dale Rolfe, and continuing on with a barrage of right hooks to the much taller, but less pugilistically experienced or talented player's head. As one Flyer's player said after the game, "if Rolfe had've been one of our guys, we would have all jumped in.".
Link to video of Dave Schultz vs. Dale Rolfe
With Bernie Parent countering every chance that the Rangers had, with great save after great save, and the brawlers running amok, the talent of Clarke, Barber, and Rick MacLeish was just too much for the Blueshirts to handle.
Prior to that series, the Philadelphia Flyers had a record of 1 win and 19 losses in the 20 games they had played in Madison Square Garden since the 1967-68 season. It was also to be the first time that a team from the expansion class defeated an Original Six team in a Stanley Cup playoff series. They had slayed two dragons, and found themselves just 4 wins away from a third.
Standing between the Philadelphia Flyers and that first Cup were the Boston Bruins. And the Bruins, were heavily favoured to win. We've since heard anecdotal references to odds in the 50-1 range for the Big Bad Bruins.
For inasmuch the same way as the Flyers were doing in 1973-74, the Bruins had done much the same just a few years earlier, that is mixed high caliber talent, solid goaltending, and pugnacity into a winning combination. The main difference was that when it came to fighting, the Flyers brought it to a whole new level. Players like Cashman, Hodge, and Vadnais, could take care of themselves when the gloves were dropped, but fighting was not constantly at the forefront of their on-ice pre-occupations.
With Fred Shero, fighting was used as a tactic to win a hockey game. Both before, and now after, Shero, fighting has mostly been either a diversion, or a result of playing a highly physical game in a restricted area. Players are skating around hard, fights are going to happen thinking. Shero used it as a way to break the opponent's will to win.
In the series against the Bruins, there was much fighting, of course, but their was also some dramatic hockey. Like in the first game, played in Boston. Bobby Orr scored the game winner, a 3-2 affair, with less than 30 seconds to go in the third period.
The second game saw the Flyers leader, Bobby Clarke score the winner in overtime, after defenceman Moose Dupont, had tied it up late in third. Clarke's goal came off a Boston turnover which had been provoked by a forechecking Dave Schultz.
Bobby Clarke scores OT winner, Game 2, 1975 Stanley Cup Finals.
The Flyers jumped into a 3-1 series lead after that, taking games 3 and 4, in the Spectrum.
Game 5 back in Boston had a fairly decisive result. The Bruins controlled the play pretty much start to finish and although they trailed 3-2 at that point, it really looked and felt as though, it was now just a question of time. That the Bruins had finally figured out the Flyers and were going to take care of business in games 6 amd 7 and bring the Cup back to Boston.
So cue Game 6, 1974 Stanley Cup Finals. The Spectrum fans are frantic. Kate Smith, is brought out to centre ice to sing "God Bless America". The Flyers had 37 wins and only 3 losses in games where Ms. Smith sang in person up to that point. When you get ready to play the biggest game in franchise history, you bring out everything you have.
But in the end, it was Bernie Parent who ended up making the difference. The Bruins dominated the Flyers on the ice. They outskated them, They outpassed them. They outshot them. The Boston Bruins just plain outplayed the Philadelphia Flyers on that Sunday afternoon in May of 1974.
The Bruins came at Parent in waves, they buzzed around his net, they fired pucks at him from all angles. Some wide open opportunitues, and some pucks through traffic. Through it all, Bernie Parent stood tall.
Highlights of Game 6, 1974 Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia 1 Boston 0.
The image that remains in this fan's memory, is one of kick saves, both with the skates and with the pads. It's a study in goaltending styles to watch video of Bernie Parent that day. He was a classic stand up goalie. It seemed the only times that his goalie pads touched the ice were when he went down to smother a puck that he had somehow managed to control. As a goalie style, it is in sharp contrast to what is seen today, no butterfly and scrambling for Bernie. It was mostly stand very square to the shooter, use your feet, and let the pads do the blocking.
The goal that Rick MacLeish scored deflecting a Moose Dupont shot from the blueline at the 14:48 mark of the first period, turned out to be all that the Flyers needed. Nothing got past Bernie Parent that day. "He was stupendous" declared Boston sniper Phil Esposito,
And so, Bernie Parent won his first Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP.
He would go on to win another the following season. This time, he also got a shutout in the clinching game, as the Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres to take their second consecutive, and last since, Stanley Cup. Bernie Parent became the first, and until Mario Lemieux did it in 1991 and 1992, the only player to have won two consecutive Conn Smythe Trophies.
In the seasons that followed, Bernie Parent struggled with injuries, his career ultimately ending following his taking a wayward stick in the right eye in a game against the New York Rangers in 1979.
While he didn't lose sight, the injury affected his ability to focus quickly, and his depth perception was adversely affected, making goaltending impossible and forcing his retirement as an NHL player.
It's as if the goaltending position has in some way always been either the key to the success, or the Achilles heel with the Philadelphia Flyers.
There have been some good goalies go through the Philly net over the years. Pete Peeters and Pelle Lindbergh come to mind. As does Ron Hextall. But there has only been one great goalie. For two marvelous seasons seasons in the mid-1970's, Bernie Parent was the best goaltender in the world, and it's not a coincidence, that the 1975 and 1975 Stanley Cups still stand as the only NHL championships in Philadelphia Flyers history.
Seeing Ilya Brzygalov, the free agent goalie who was signed by the Flyers to a 9 year, 51 million dollar pact, sitting on the bench as he watched, along with the 45 plus thousand fans, the NHL's Winter Classic. It's not a good sign when the biggest game of the year so far rolls into town and you bench 51 million bucks.
It was actually kind of a tough afternoon for the Flyers. In addition to losing 3-2 to the visiting New York Rangers, Jaromir Jagr missed the second and third periods. Looked as though he strained or pulled something. Although he's played very, very well for Philly thus far, he'll be 40 next month and who knows how long he can keep going.
If history is any guide, you can count the Flyers out as Stanley Cup champions for at least this year. Too bad for them they can't turn back the clock and bring Bernie back.
