Seven Greatest Victories in Flyers History

Ed Snider and the Flyers faithful would love to see this list grow by one. If the Flyers somehow manage to win the holy grail of hockey this year after barely squeaking into the playoffs and with a goaltender they claimed off waivers at midseason, the Cup clincher will have to check in at No. 3.* But until then, here's one person's list:

1.   May 19, 1974, Flyers 1, Bruins 0

Rick MacLeish tipped in a Moose Dupont wrist shot, then the Flyers dogged the Bruins all over the ice and relied on Bernie Parent to keep Boston at bay. Parent's brilliant kick save on a Ken Hodge slap shot in the closing moments preserved the victory, made Philadelphia the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, and sent an entire city into a tizzy.

2.   Jan. 11, 1976, Flyers 4, Red Army 1

For probably the only time in their bloody reign, the rest of the NHL was pulling for the defending Stanley Cup champion Flyers when the Soviet Red Army came to the Spectrum boasting a 2-0-1 record in their series against NHL teams. The Flyers, out to prove they were more than a bunch of goons, swarmed all over the Soviets, who made the mistake of returning to the ice after walking off in protest of an unpenalized check by defenseman Ed Van Impe. Rick MacLeish buried a memorable top-shelf wrist shot for one goal against celebrated goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, who was also beaten by, of all players, Joe Watson.

3. May 27, 1975, Flyers 2, Sabres 0

Bob Kelly and Bill Clement provided the scoring and Bernie Parent was flawless once again in a Finals clincher to become the playoffs MVP for the second year running as the Flyers won the series on Buffalo ice, 4 games to 2.

4. May 9, 1974, Flyers 3, Bruins 2

Bobby Clarke's goal in overtime gave the Flyers a critical 3-2 win in Game 2 to tie the Finals at a game apiece. Before this victory, Philadelphia was 0-17-2 in its previous 19 games at Boston Garden.

5. May 5, 1974, Flyers 4, Rangers 3

Anytime a Philadelphia team beats a New York team in a seventh game, it deserves inclusion on a greatest- wins list. That Dave Schultz pummeled Rangers defenseman Dale Rolfe as his Ranger teammates stood idly by and watched made it even sweeter. The victory sent the Flyers into their first Cup Finals.

6. May 14, 2010, Flyers 4, Bruins 3

If the Flyers win the Cup this year, this triumph could easily move up a notch. Down 3-0 on enemy ice in Game 7, Philadelphia clawed its way back against the Bruins to win on a Simon Gagne goal and complete a historic comeback, joining the '42 Maple Leafs, '75 Islanders, and '04 Red Sox as the only pro sports teams to win a seven-game series after losing the first three games.

7. May 4, 2000, Flyers 2, Penguins 1

Players seemed to be skating in slow motion when Keith Primeau finally scored in the fifth overtime of a second-round playoff game with Pittsburgh that finished in the wee hours of May 5. Philadelphia went on to win the series, 4-2, but lost the next round.

- Steve Kelly

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