So by now maybe you’ve read that wild simulation of a potential Flyers/Penguins playoff series from the other day.
While we’d happily engage in any hockey —let along playoff Flyers/Pens— all we can do is hope that it’s somewhere around the corner.
But while we’re stuck in the present and hockey-less, we can always look back at some awesome moments in Flyers history; and there have been plenty in April, where the franchise is normally enjoying postseason puck.
We spent last week highlighted some of the best Flyers teams not not win the Stanley Cup and one of them was the 1996-97 team. That club featured the Legion of Doom with Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and Mikael Renberg.
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The best Flyers team to not win a Stanley Cup: the case for 1996-97
Part of what made that the case for that team to be the best in franchise history not to win a Cup was how they steamrolled through the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Among those opponents they laid to waste along the way were the Penguins, who the Flyers grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals back on April 21, 1997.
Despite a 28-11 shot advantage, the Flyers trailed 2-1 after the first period with Jaromir Jagr providing both Penguins goals. But the Flyer would strike in the second, using three unanswered goals (one from Lindros and LeClair, another from Pat Falloon) as Garth Snow made 35 saves on 38 shots to take game three by a final of 5-3.
Pittsburgh would defend home ice in game four to prevent the sweep, but the Flyers would take the series with a convincing 6-3 win back home at the then-CoreStates Center in game five.
Odd stat? Four —the number of short-handed goals scored in games four and five of that series, with each team potting two each in their respective home game.
Some old time puck for the youths down below, behold those beautiful 90’s-era Flyers dark jerseys.
*As always thanks to the venerable hockeyrefernce.com for this trip back in time to simpler times*
