Flyers Franchise Has Fallen Out Of Favor: Philly Sports Chatter

WARMINSTER, PA —Remember when hockey dominated the City of Brotherly Love?

These were the days when we actually had brotherly love for the Philadelphia Flyers.

They embodied the city's toughness: bold and brash with a work mentality that they would beat you with their fists instead of scoring goals with their sticks.

The nicknames were always so cool too: The Hammer, Hound Dog, Big Bird, Moose.

These were the Broad Street Bullies and we remember them to this day. They were once the toast of the town, the only team in Philly with a winning record back in the early 1970s when I started following Philadelphia sports.

The Phillies were just promoting Mike Schmidt to the big leagues. The Sixers were coming off an awful year, making The Process look like a winning season. And the Eagles had white helmets and lots of losses.

More importantly, the Flyers were the only ones who won a championship. And they held up the Stanley Cup for two straight years.

Look it up. Has any other Philly sports franchise done that? You know the answer.

These days, the Flyers can't get out of their own way. They're usually among the league's bottom feeders. They've botched drafts. They've hired and fired coaches. And they've basically started from the drawing board nearly every few years.

And now the team is back there again.

The team fired General Manager Chuck Fletcher Friday, ending another era of a general manager who couldn't turn the team around. The list is long: Bobby Clarke, Paul Holmgren, Ron Hextall, etc.

These players were successful during their careers. Some of them had some success, but could not get the Flyers to the level of a dynasty they once were during the 1970s.

Clarke got close during the time when Eric Lindros played. Lindros is now retired and in the Hall of Fame so you know how much dust has collected on these winning seasons. It's actually been more than 40 years now since those Stanley Cup championships.

And it will probably take another decade for yet another rebuild.

The Phillies won a few World Series. The Sixers grabbed a ring. And even the Eagles won the Super Bowl. The Flyers just bathe in mediocrity. And fans have had enough. This team has fallen out of favor. People don't watch them. And people certainly don't talk about them.

Ownership knows this. They're pretty faceless where the once proud Ed Snider would beg for forgiveness.

We didn't have to worry about this in the early 1970s when the Flyers dominated and intimidated everyone with Clarke leading the way and goalie Bernie Parent making every impossible save possible.

These were the days of Dave Schultze, Andre Dupont, Bob Kelly, Reggie Leach, Jimmy and Joe Watson, Bill Barber, and Don Saleski.

These were the days of real hockey. The Flyers were goons and they were winners.

Now they aren't even a shell of their glory days. So hockey will be played each season. But don't look for the Flyers to mount a team that even has a shot at the playoffs for the next five years.