The Flyers, as an organisation, are second to none at making their alumni feel as if they are part of a pseudo family.
Though there is hardly a metric to judge this characteristic on, the Flyers, at least from observation, do a very good job at honoring their past players. Especially when they make an appearance in front of a rocking Wells Fargo Center crowd, Philadelphia knows how to make the greats of the past feel welcome, and boy do the Flyers know this.
However, there’s one aspect of honors which the Flyers can bestow that is rarely used, and may not be used for some time: jersey retirement. The last Flyer to have his jersey number retired was Eric Lindros back in 2018, and since the Flyers primarily retire numbers based on Hall of Fame induction, it would appear we are a ways off from seeing another ceremony any time soon.
However, there is never a wrong time to hope nor speculate! So, without further ado, here are some Flyers who deserve the star treatment from the organisation (regardless of Hall of Fame status):
Claude Giroux
Starting off with an obvious candidate, Giroux already holds franchise records, and is the longest tenured captain in franchise history. By the end of his career, he’ll almost certainly have possession of either 2nd or 1st in team history in points as well.
From Bobby Clarke forgetting his name at the 2006 NHL draft, to passing Clarke’s Flyer milestones, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how long Claude Giroux has played hockey in this city. He’s a player who can connect long time and newer fans alike, and with 201 more games as a Flyer, he’ll have played the most games in the orange and black out of any other skater.
Giroux is as iconic to the Flyers as iconic gets, and he is a sure fire jersey retirement candidate.
Pelle Lindbergh
His jersey is already unofficially retired by the Flyers, and nobody has worn it since. However, in an official manner it would be nice to see Lindbergh’s name in the rafters. He is one of three Flyer goaltenders to ever win the Vezina trophy, and also holds the honour of being the first ever European goaltender to be drafted in the NHL.
We had summarised Lindbergh is the following manner in a 2019 article:
Although he began his Flyers career during the 1981-82 season, he was perhaps always destined to be a Flyer. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, Lindbergh was an avid hockey fan, and idolized Parent and his Jacques Plante style of goaltending. Lindbergh was named an NHL first team all-star, and set a standard practice for NHL goaltenders that stands to this day. Due to dehydration he suffered, Lindbergh was the first NHL goaltender to have a water bottle on ice, though this was of course criticised by coaches.
For as tragically short as his career was, Pelle Lindbergh was a catalyst for the Flyers’ success. His goaltending was superb and while not necessarily as vital during the increasingly offensive hockey style of the 80’s, Lindbergh was a key difference maker on a young team trying to win a cup.
He was truly a revolutionary goaltender in so many aspects, and he continues to impact the NHL to this day.
Brian Propp
Propp holds multiple Flyers records, and even NHL records. He was a stalwart winger on the Flyers’ teams of the 1980’s, and he sits fourth on the Flyers all time points list at 849.
Propp, for all he accomplished, is a seemingly under-appreciated player, for a guy who holds the all time record for power-play goals in the playoffs at LW (as well as all time playoff assists at that position). He’s one of only a few Flyers’ skaters (who played most of their careers in Philadelphia) who finished at above a point-per-game (even if he played mainly in the 1980’s, it is still quite impressive).
