Right winger Lou Angotti had his best offensive season in 1967-68 with the Flyers, when he scored 49 points while serving as the club's first ever captain. Angotti was a no-frills two-way forward who exemplified the hard-working and competitive style that coach Keith Allen encouraged from his team.
The Flyers earned their "Broad Street Bullies" nickname for their rough play and record-breaking accumulation of penalty minutes. Pete Cafone of the Philadelphia Bulletin wrote the original headline on January 3, 1973, after a 3-1 brawling victory over the Atlanta Flames: "Broad Street Bullies Muscle Atlanta."
Dave Schultz earned the nickname "The Hammer" for his aggressive style of hockey. He was one of the most notable enforcers on the Philadelphia Flyers' famous "Broad Street Bullies", racking up 472 penalty minutes during the championship 1974-75 season. Schultz was also able to capitalize on his popularity when he recorded a local Philadelphia hit song called "The Penalty Box" in the mid 1970s.
While many players will never score 34 goals in a season, Tim Kerr scored 34 power play goals in one season (1985-86), setting an NHL record that may never be broken.
Gritty, a 7-foot (2.1 m) furry orange creature with googly eyes, was introduced on September 24, 2018. According to his official biography, Gritty emerged after construction at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers' home arena, disturbed his secret hideout. Within the months following his debut, he became an internet sensation and made appearances on several talk shows.
A three-time Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, Bobby Clarke played his entire 15-year National Hockey League career with the Philadelphia Flyers. The image of Clarke, with a toothless grin, embracing the Stanley Cup and winking following the Flyers' victory in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals is considered one of the most iconic and famous photos in the history of the sport of hockey.
On December 11, 1969, the Flyers introduced what became one of the team's best-known traditions: playing a recording of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" instead of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before important games. The perception was that the team was more successful on these occasions, so the tradition grew. The move was initially done by Flyers Promotion Director Lou Scheinfeld as a way to defray national tensions at the time of the Vietnam War: Scheinfeld noticed that people regularly left their seats and walked around during the anthem, but showed more respect and often sang along to "God Bless America".
Philadelphia made their first Finals appearance in 1974, facing the Boston Bruins, who were returning to the Finals for the third time in five years, having won the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972. The Flyers won the best-of-seven series, four games to two, becoming the first team from the 1967 Expansion to win the Stanley Cup.
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