Former Flyers coach Vic Stasiuk has died at 93
Stasiuk, who coached the Flyers from 1969-71, preceded Fred Shero and his back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1974 and 1975.
The Flyers recently lost one of the early figures of their existence as former head coach Vic Stasiuk died over the weekend at age 93.
Stasiuk, the franchise’s second head coach, directed the team from 1969-71. He succeeded Keith Allen and directly preceded Fred Shero and his “Broad Street Bullies” teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.
In 154 games behind the Flyers bench, Stasiuk amassed a 45-68-41 record (.435 points percentage). The Flyers missed the playoffs by a single point in his first season and were knocked out in the quarterfinals the following year. Stasiuk coached the likes of Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, and Rick MacLeish during his stint in Philadelphia.
A native of Lethbridge, Alberta, Stasiuk played 745 games over 14 NHL seasons, tallying 183 goals and 437 points. He played for three original six teams — Chicago, Boston, and Detroit — and was part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams with the Red Wings (1952, 1954, 1955). (Stasiuk did not make the playoff roster in 1954 but played in 42 games that year.)
He was an NHL All-Star in 1960 and finished in the top 10 in the league in goals three times. In Boston, Stasiuk, who was of Ukrainian descent, was a member of the famed “Uke line” alongside Johnny Bucyk and Bronco Horvath.
Stasiuk also coached the California Golden Seals and Vancouver Canucks following his two years as the Flyers’ bench boss.
» READ MORE: How Ukrainian immigrants built lives and community in Philadelphia