‘Goose bumps’: Former NHLers recall their playoff memories of playing for and against the Flyers in Philly

Keith Primeau scored in the early hours of the morning, in the fifth overtime, to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2000. Jeremy Roenick eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs from the 2004 playoffs, and they wouldn’t win a series for the next 19 seasons.

But those memorable moments happened on the road. On the precipice of the Flyers playing their first Stanley Cup playoff game in front of the hometown fans in exactly eight years, The Inquirer spoke with former players and coaches — on both sides of the equation — about what it’s like to play postseason hockey in Philly.

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Former NHL forward who played in 145 playoff games, including 95 with the Flyers, and won one Stanley Cup in 1992 with the Penguins.

“The buzz around the city. The way the fans outside the arena, even downtown, a lot of people are wearing orange and black. You know when the fans are into it. This fan base and this city embrace their team. I’ve seen it with the Eagles. I’ve seen it with the Phillies and Sixers. That’s what I felt as a player. It’s an extra boost when you walk around the city and have these people behind you.”

Former NHL forward who played in 124 playoff games, including 68 with the Flyers

“If you need a specific moment, I think that [2010] Game 7 comeback against Boston is probably the one I remember vividly. ... One of my coolest moments on YouTube is when you see we get scored on, and the crowd is just deflated, because they opened the [Wachovia Center for people to watch the game] and then when we score the first goal, they zoom back to Philly, and the crowd gets excited a little bit, but it’s mild. And then we make it 3-2, and it erupts. And then we make it 3-3, and the place goes bananas, and we score to make it 4-3, and you see people throwing stuff in the air, and it’s like we won a Stanley Cup.

“That was, for the longest time, one of my favorite YouTube videos to see, [how] in Boston, people just deflated, and then in Philly, no one playing on the ice, and seeing the people going bananas, watching nothing but a screen. I remember mentioning that to some of our staff people, and they were like this was our biggest nightmare, because they never expected so many people to show up at that game in Philly.”

Former NHL goalie who started in 23 playoff games, all with the Flyers

For me, it was my first time ever experiencing playing in the playoffs as a starting goalie; I had experienced playoffs, but as a backup in Buffalo. So, standing in the crease during the national anthem — Lauren Hart was one of the best — and the emotions are flowing. We started on the road in Washington in 2008, so I got that experience of playing, but then we got to Philly for Game 3, and I was like, Oh, this is something. The drive to the rink was almost like a movie, right? And you pull in, and you have fans waiting outside as you pull in to go and park. For warmup, it’s packed and fans are wearing orange shirts, and it just was very surreal, very intense, and you felt like you had everybody behind you. I know Philly fans can be very tough and very demanding and very vocal, but man, did it feel like you had an army behind you when you stepped on the ice. It was really cool.

“There was a lot of rivalry between Buffalo and Philly for a lot of years. And I remember the intensity level when you play in Philadelphia, knowing that every time you come back to the bench, somebody in the fifth row behind the hallway is yelling something at you. The coaches are being yelled at. If you come to the bench as the starting goalie during a commercial break to grab water, you’re not standing at the bench that long because you know you’re going to be hearing it, so you’re going for a skate somewhere else. That’s what Philly does. For most, it’s fun to play in those environments, but there’s definitely some who don’t like it and are intimidated by it. That’s for sure.”

Former NHL forward, who won two Stanley Cups and played in 89 playoff games, including the 2004 Eastern Conference finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Flyers.

We had dinner at a steakhouse the night before Game 3, and it was right after Philadelphia beat us 6-[2] in our building and tied the series up, and John Tortorella and Ken Hitchcock had a big thing in the paper; basically, Torts told Hitch to shut his mouth because he was yelling at some of our players. So that was a big thing going on and we land in Philadelphia, and we go to dinner as a team — we always went to a team dinner the night before a game — and fans were driving by as our team bus dropped us off, and people knew we’re eating there, and we were getting yelled at, obscenities, and then they’re yelling, ‘Torts shut your mouth, shut your mouth.’ And then ... our bus was driving down Broad Street, going to the game with a police escort, and cars were pulling over, giving us the finger, honking their horns at us. So you knew you were getting dropped off, and it was going to be a battle that day. Not only were you going to have to play against the Flyers, you’re playing against all of Philadelphia.

Former NHL goalie, who played in 43 playoff games, starting 17 all with the Flyers

“Goose bumps [during the anthem]. Honestly, it’s just an electric feeling. Big games. Game 7s, got to play in two of them in Philadelphia; lost one, won one. But amazing, amazing environments. Really, when you play in a game in Philadelphia, in a playoff game like that, and they sing, God Bless America, you know it’s big time.”

“Great experiences, great fan support. The whole city gets behind the team. There’s an energy that is, it’s hard to describe. You don’t see it during the regular season, just because there’s other things going on — Eagles football, sometimes Phillies baseball, but when it gets to springtime playoff hockey in Philadelphia, it’s a special environment, and hopefully these guys will enjoy it here this spring."

Former NHL forward who played in 122 playoff games, including 35 with the Flyers, and won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989

“They’re very passionate. There’s obviously a hardcore group and very appreciative of hard work and playoff hockey and all that. Just coming from Calgary to Philly was just a bit of a different atmosphere for me, and it was wild, and we were fortunate to have some good teams certainly vying for the Cup, but we came up short. But the crowd was fantastic, and obviously, when they are like that, they give you quite a boost for sure.”

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“The fans, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just, it’s a good crowd. I remember one time we were in the Spectrum, and I don’t think it was a playoff game, but we got booed off the ice after the first period cause we didn’t play very well. And I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ And then we came out for the second period, they’re on their feet giving you a standing ovation. It was like, you guys stunk but we’re behind you, so pick it up. That’s the type of fans they are. They know their game. They know hard work, and it’s fun to play there.”

“Philly fans are very, very passionate, and I think they’re one of the best fans in any sport in any city. Obviously, they’re fantastic in my book.”

Former NHL coach, who coached 168 playoff games, including 37 with the Flyers, and won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars

“There’s lots of loud buildings, but one thing in Philadelphia is that the fans of the Flyers, and some of the other sports too, they know they can make a difference. And they go about making that difference. So they’re hard on the visiting team, demanding of your own team, but they know they can make a difference, and you feel that when you’re on the bench.”

Former NHL forward who played in 129 playoff games, all with the Flyers, and won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975. He also coached 11 playoff games with the Flyers.

“It’s an honor, the truth of it all. I think they’re the best hockey fans around, as far as playoffs ... for sure. They appreciated our team, how our team played, and how hard we worked, and all the above. So I think we complemented what they were watching. They enjoyed watching us play and have success. And I can’t speak highly enough about them. I loved playing at the old Spectrum, and the building would be sold out, and it was electrifying to say the least.”

“The thing about the Spectrum was that the fans were right on top of you. So, from that way, I think it held 17,000 or so people. And of course, it had standing room only, and ... they played a big part in us winning.”

Former NHL forward who played in 99 playoff games, including 75 with the Flyers

It’s incredible. Everyone, I wouldn’t say, jumps on the bandwagon, but everyone’s watching every play. Everyone’s watching the highlights in the morning. Everyone is invested in this hopefully Cup run, right? And back in 2010, I had my long hair, so I was pretty recognizable, to say the least. And everyone was going, ‘Scotty, Scotty,’ all that kind of stuff when you’re walking around town, when you’re going to dinner, when you have a few days off, if you go to a Phillies game, people are cheering for you and stuff. It’s what you play for. You dream of getting in the playoffs, right? And some guys on our team haven’t even had a taste of it, right? They’re going to be playing hard, so excited for these kids to have their first taste of it, and hopefully that doesn’t overwhelm you.

Former NHL defenseman who played in 104 playoff games, including 99 for the Flyers

“It’s emotional, because you want to do a really good job for your fans in that game, because they’re so rowdy, and they’re so behind you. So you really want to do a great job, you want to play your best hockey in front of a crowd like that. But yeah, it’s emotional. Whether you’re on the bench or whether you’re on the blue line starting in a game, when you hear the anthem getting played, that’s the time when things really crank up and people realize, the puck drop is just a couple of minutes away. So that’s [when] things really ramp up, I think, is in the national anthem, and that’s where things get started. You want to follow it up with a good check or a good hit after that, and try to take that momentum from the crowd, and then spin it into the game.”

Former NHL forward who played in three playoff games, all for the Flyers

“I think the first thing that comes to mind is just the insane amount of energy that the fans bring. I only played three playoff games; that being said, I sat out for a lot of games, spent a lot of time in the press box, observing. But I think even before you get into the building, once you make it into the playoffs, there’s a hype, there’s a vibe. But once you get into the building, it’s surreal. I got this podcast that we do, Nasty Knuckles, and we talk about this all the time, just the experience for these young guys, just having that taste of playoff hockey, just to see how electric the building gets, and then riding that energy, riding that wave, it’s something special.“

“I think that just extension to the already passionate fans in Philly, but then you just crank it up a few different dimensions, right? So if Philly fans are already ruthless to begin with, it’s like on another level, and playoff time. So that ruthlessness, that passion, that aggression, just comes out 10x 20x depending on the game and the situation. .... It’s just Philly fans having an opportunity to express what Philly fans do on a heightened level, in a more energetic space. Is really what it is. They’re just as excited as the players, naturally. They spend their hard-earned money on it, and, they’re cheering the boys on, bringing the energy.”

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