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 2022/23 season.
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.
A three time All Star as a Philadelphia Flyers, Ed Van Impe would probably tell you himself that he was not blessed with a lot of offensive skill or fancy moves but what he did have was a plethora of toughness and a determination to keep the puck from reaching…
Jeff Carter got off to a good start in the NHL with a 42 Point season in 2005-06 and he would show solid play in his first three seasons. In his fourth season, the Centre would put his forth his best regular season where in 2008-09 he would have a…
Andre Dupont was traded midway through the 1972/73 Season from St. Louis and he would prove to be a perfect fit for Philadelphia. The Flyers were putting together the “Broad Street Bullies” and Dupont would be in the top seven in Penalty Minutes five times with Philadelphia.
Like so many good hockey players in the Mid-60’s Gary Dornhoefer struggled to find a permanent spot in the National Hockey League. The Right Wing played 62 Games for the Boston Bruins from the 1963-64 to 1965-66 season but he was never called up in the season before the 1967…
Spending all but 11 of his 764 NHL Games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Chris Therien had a very good career utilizing his imposing 6’ 5” 235 lb frame to push opposing attackers around and stifle offensive rushes. He was not a scorer but he was usually on the first line…
A member of the Philadelphia Flyers for their two Stanley Cup wins in the 1970’s, Tom Bladon was known for his devastating slapshot and for becoming the first Defenseman to score eight points in a game, which he did in 1977 against the Cleveland Barons. He would also set a…
Kimmo Timonen began his career with the Nashville Predators where he was a two-time All-Star. In 2007, Timonen and Scott Hartnell were traded to Philadelphia for a First Round Pick, who would never make it to NHL. It is easy to see who won this trade. Timonen went to his third All-Star…
Wayne Simmonds became a Philadelphia Flyer after playing his first three years in Los Angeles. Proving to be more than a solid player,, Simmonds has had two 60 Point seasons for Philadelphia and he had back-to-back 30 Goal seasons in 2015-16 & 2016-17. In that latter campaign, he would be…
A former captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, Mike Richards was a late 1st Round Pick in the 2003 Draft who would impress everyone with his two-way skills. The former Centre would have four straight 60 Point seasons (including an 80 Point one) from 2007-08 to 2010-11 where he also received…
Scott Hartnell arrived via trade from the Nashville Predators and it was a match made in heaven. The Flyers fans always love gritty power forwards (does the new mascot Gritty kind of resemble Hartnell?) and Hartnell was no different and his fun loving personality endeared him even more to the…
As of this writing, Sean Couturier is in his twelfth season in the National Hockey League all of which have been with the Philadelphia Flyers. Couturier was the eighth overall Draft Pick in 2011 and it did not take long for the Centre to prove his worth to the team. …
An imposing figure on the ice at 6’6”, Kjell Samuelsson was a physical blueliner who had his best seasons in the National Hockey League with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Brad McCrimmon may never have been an All Star when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers but he was certainly worthy of consideration. With the Flyers, he would finish in the top five three times in Plus/Minus and the top ten three times in Defensive Point Shares (including a first…
From Sweden, Mikael Renberg was a rookie sensation in 1993/94 where he would score 82 Points and was put on a line with John LeClair and Eric Lindros to form the very popular “Legion of Doom”. Renberg would never have a season like his rookie season but he would have…
Dave Poulin got off to a really slow start in hockey, which makes sense as he began his athletics as a figure skater and saw hockey as a way to get a scholarship, which he did to Notre Dame. After college he played a season in Sweden, the Flyers signed…
Traded midway through the 1976/77 season from the Vancouver Canucks, Bob Dailey may have missed the Stanley Cup days but he was still a contributor on some very good Flyers teams. The one time tallest player in hockey (6’ 5”) would have two straight 30 Assist seasons, the first of…
The season before Daniel Briere arrived in Philadelphia, he came off a 95 Point Season with the Buffalo Sabres. Briere did not hit that mark again but the Centre did have two seasons for Philadelphia of 68 or more Points and a solid .78 Points per Game Average with the…
Travis Konecny was a late First Rounder (24th Overall), by Philadelphia in 2015 and as of this writing, he is entering his seventh season with the Flyers. Relatively small in stature (5” 10”), Konecny is a surprisingly physical player, unafraid to give or take hits from other opponents, while still lighting…
From Finland, Iikka Sinisalo went undrafted though that was not that uncommon during the late 70’s. The Flyers would sign him in 1981 and he was a full time player immediately. Sinisalo would score back-to-back 70 Point seasons (73 & 76 in 1984/85 & 1985/86 respectively) and his scoring acumen…
A strong and imposing force, Behn Wilson was the 7th overall pick of the 1978 Draft and his combination of skill and size made him perfect for a Philadelphia fanbase. Wilson racked up a lot of penalty minutes often acting as the team’s enforcer but he could playmake too as…