God Bless America
A Look Back At The Philadelphia Flyers
In the mid 1960s, the National Hockey League decided to expand beyond the six teams it had. They were looking to keep possible rival leagues from starting up and becoming competition. Six new teams were added to the league. Among these teams was the Philadelphia flyers. The Flyers would end up being one of the most successful expansion teams in all of sports. Here we will take a look back at some of the rich history of this exciting franchise.
All six of the new teams were put into the same division. When the 1967-1968 season ended, Philly was in first place, even though they had a losing record. Their first appearance in the playoffs did not end the way the players or fans had hoped. They lost in the first round to the St. Louis Blues in seven games.
Things did not get better for them right away. The 1969-70 season saw only 17 wins for Philly and no trip to the playoffs. But there was one interesting tradition that came about that year. One night, Lou Schienfield, vice president of the team, played Kate Smith’s awe inspiring version of “God Bless America” in lieu of the national anthem before a game. He wanted to do something different to engage the fans who seemed distant before game time. The crowd loved it and it became a tradition that still takes place today. On a number of occasions, Kate Smith was invited to games to perform it live.
It was during the early seventies that the Flyers were dubbed the “Broad Street Bullies”. The team played its games at the Spectrum which was located on Broad Street. Moreover, they played a physical, if not a brawling style of hockey. So it is not surprising the moniker stuck.
Perhaps this moniker was inspirational to the club because their absence from playoff games did not last too long. The 1974 Flyer team stole victory from Bobby Orr and his Boston Bruins. Thus, the coveted Stanly Cup was won by an expansion team in just 7 years.
Anyone who thought that their 1974 victory was a fluke would be proven wrong in a hurry. A year later, the Bullies were right in the middle of another Stanly Cup race. After a tough and fierce series against the New York Rangers in the semis, they went on to face the Buffalo Sabres for the top prize. Philly won the Cup again by beating Buffalo in six games.
Throughout the storied, if not brief, history of the franchise many players have achieved legendary status. Topping the list is Bobby Clarke. He made his debut in 1969 and went on to become a member of the NHL’s Hall of Fame. He won three Most Valuable Player awards and is recognized by experts as one the game’s best one hundred players ever to lace up the skates.
The Philadelphia flyers have come to be known as a consistent team that is always in the game. Every year they are part of the playoff race. During hockey season it is pretty much assumed that a glance in the newspaper will show Philly at the top of division standings or at least very close to the top.
Bobbie Barton is a fitness trainer She likes SportsFanTreasures.com and recommends you check out their info on Edmonton Oilers Watch, New York Rangers Watch and Vancover Canuks Merchandise
Martina McBride – God Bless America (LIVE)
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