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Flyers Top 25 in 25: Therien; Quick Hits: Dineen, Watson, Dupre, ECHL Team

August 19, 2017, 9:52 AM ET [28 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
FLYERS TOP 25 IN THE LAST 25 YEARS: CHRIS THERIEN

The longest-tenured defenseman in Flyers' franchise history, Chris Therien was drafted by the Flyers in the third round (47th overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft. After playing three seasons for Providence College and a stint with the Canadian national team, Therien joined the Flyers for the lockout shortened 1994-95 season.

Even before Therien's longstanding defensive pairing with Eric Desjardins was formed by Terry Murray midway through Therien's third NHL season, the player nicknamed "Bundy" proved to be a mainstay on the Flyers' blueline.

Therien was an NHL All-Rookie Team selection in 1994-95 with Dmitri Yushkevich as his primary partner. He also performed well in his second season with veteran Kjell Samuelsson as his most frequent partner.

Thereafter, Therien formed a long-running and successful tandem with Flyers Hall of Famer Desjardins. After his first Flyers stint ended near the 2003-04 trade deadline when he was traded to the Dallas Stars, for whom he played 11 games, Therien returned to the Flyers for a second stint in 2005-06 before retiring.

Therien played some of the best games of his career when matched up against Pittsburgh Penguins' superstar right winger Jaromir Jagr. The 6-foot-5, 230-plus pound Therien was one of the very few NHL defensemen against whom the strapping and shifty Jagr could not muscle his way around one-on-one. A native of Ottawa, many of the other top games of Therien's career came either in his hometown when the Flyers played the Senators or when the Sens paid a visit to Philadelphia.

Therien played 753 regular season games for the Flyers; a franchise record among defensemen. He chipped in 159 points (29 goals, 130 assists), 583 penalty minutes and a combined plus-125 rating. In the playoffs, he played 99 games, posting 12 points (two goals, 10 assists), 68 penalty minutes and a plus-one rating. His best run came in 1997, when he posted seven points and a plus-14 for a Flyers team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.



Although he wasn't noted for his offensive prowess at the NHL level, Therien had very underrated mobility in the early years of his career. For example, he scored a dazzling end-to-end goal in a game against the Washington Capitals during the 1996-97 season. He also once upset John LeClair in a televised Flyers Skills Competition as he topped LeClair's 99.9 MPH blast with the competition's only shot that reached triple-digit velocity.

Therien's sister, Sarah, passed away at age 32 on June 17, 2006, following the onset of a heart arrhythmia. Since that time, the entire Therien family has been active advocates for organ donation and for the Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS) Foundation. Chris Therien has done awareness raising for Simon's Fund and other worthy causes related to sudden cardiac death in children, student athletes and young adults such as Sarah.



After his playing days, Therien remained in the Delaware Valley. He began a successful local broadcasting career, first as a radio booth analyst and then as a television between-the-benches analyst. His daughter, Isabella (nicknamed Izzy), was a standout basketball player at Cherokee High School and has been recruited to play for Loyola University.

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QUICK HITS: AUGUST 19, 2017

1) Civic Center Plaza Way in Glens Falls, NY, has officially been renamed in honor of the late Bill Dineen. Members of the Dineen family, including former Flyers captain Kevin, were on hand on Thursday for the dedication of the new Bill Dineen Way street sign.

During his prolific post-playing career, the Dineen family patriarch was the successful head coach of the Adirondack Red Wings, who played their home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center. His six-season tenure with Detroit's AHL affiliate saw the team win a pair of Calder Cup championships and enjoy two regular seasons of 99 or 100 points.

Bill Dineen, who passed away at age 84 on Dec. 10 of last year, subsequently went on to be a scout (1990-1992, 1993-1997) and head coach (for the majority of the 1991-92 season and the entire 1992-93 campaign) with the Flyers.

Bill and Kevin formed the first father-and-son tandem of head coach and player in franchise history. The Flyers acquired Kevin Dineen early in the 1991-92 season, prior to the dismissal of Paul Holmgren as head coach. Twenty-one days later, on Dec. 4, 1991, Bill Dineen was named the Flyers new head coach.

Yet another member of the Dineen clan, Kevin's older brother Peter, also has Flyers ties. Philadelphia drafted Peter Dineen, a defenseman, in the ninth round (189th overall), of the 1980 NHL Draft. Peter never played for the Flyers but broke into the pro ranks with the AHL's Maine Mariners and subsequently played for the Hershey Bears. He later dressed in a combined 13 NHL games for the LA Kings and Red Wings. Bill was his coach with Adirondack for two season (1987-88 and 1988-89).




2) Speaking of the Maine Mariners, the new Comcast-Spectacor owned ECHL club in Portland is conducting a name-the-team poll. The five finalist names are Mariners, Puffins, Watchmen, Lumberjacks and Wild Blueberries. Fans can cast an online ballot at the team's official website which has the temporary name PortlandMaineHockey.com. Danny Briere will serve as the new team's vice president of hockey operations, while Paul Holmgren is its governor. Spectra will manage the club's home venue, Cross Insurance Arena.

Here's hoping that the new team is called the Mariners in homage to the three-time Calder Cup winning AHL team in Portland that served as the Flyers' affiliate from 1977 to 1983. While affiliated with the Flyers, the Mariners won back-to-back Calder Cup championships (1977-78, 1978-79) and later reached the Calder Cup Final again in both 1980-81 and 1982-83.

At the very least, here's hoping the new team name isn't the Wild Blueberries. I'm aware that Maine is known for their abundance. The berries are tasty and also rich in antioxidants. However, as a hockey team name, "Wild Blueberries" conjures up an image of getting squashed (and leaving a stain). It would also be a challenge to design an intimidating logo with a plump blueberry on it, no matter how fearsome or "wild" it may try to be.

For that matter, Puffins isn't very intimidating either. Puffins may be colorfully attractive delights for coastal bird watchers but unless their opponents are called the Herring, the Hake, the Sand Eels or Sea Cucumbers -- none of whom can be found in the ECHL team directory -- it's not a very predatory-sounding name. Then again, there are hockey teams called the Penguins and (in Finland) the Pelicans, so I guess one never knows.

My second choice among the five finalists is Lumberjacks. There have been other sports teams by that name in the region, as logging is a traditional Maine industry along with seafaring trades. Watchmen is a decent historical name to honor the lighthouses that are part of the seafaring tradition or along the same Revolutionary War era lines as the UMass Minutemen but, in a contemporary context, is a moniker that could accidentally open a can of worms.

3) This week marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of Yanick Dupre at age 24 after a year-long struggle with leukemia. While the story is a sad one, both the Flyers and the American Hockey League made sure that the memory of the bright and talented young player has been kept alive.

When one met Dupre, two things quickly stood out. Although he was a native Quebecois whose first language was French, his English had little trace of a Quebec accent. The reason: he lived in Mississauga and Barrie, Ontario for six years during childhood and frequently spoke English outside the home. Secondly, apart from being a talented hockey player with excellent speed, Dupre was an intelligent and articulate young man, seemingly mature beyond his years.

On January 3, 1996, Dupre scored his first NHL goal -- the game-winner -- in a 3-1 Flyers road win against the San Jose Sharks. Eight nights later, Dupre scored his first and only goal at the Spectrum in the third period of a 4-4 tie with the St. Louis Blues. The French-Canadian forward started the play by intercepting a Blues headman pass near the blueline and also finished it, converting an Anatoli Semenov feed.

In April 1996, Dupre learned he had leukemia. The first warning signs anyone noticed were when the player's greatest asset - his skating ability- fell off dramatically. For weeks, he struggled to get up and down the ice and felt weak physically. The unexplained feeling of lingering sluggishness and Dupre's believe that he may have had mononucleosis set in motion a series of medical tests that led to the discovery of his actual condition.

The young man underwent chemotherapy treatment at Maison Neuve Rosemont in Montreal. Dupre suffered a lung infection that nearly killed him. The chemo treatments also left him very weak and ill.

Dupre battled onward, surviving a coma. Eventually, the leukemia went into remission and he started to feel much better. Doctors told Dupre that his chances of his survival were excellent.

Slowly Dupre started to put on weight and eventually even took to the ice again. He visited his Flyers teammates periodically, and spoke of a comeback with their AHL club.

Shortly before the 1997 Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival, Dupre made a public appearance in Philadelphia. Still nearly bald from the chemo treatments and much lighter than his playing weight but seemingly feeling much better than he had been in a long time, dropped the ceremonial opening faceoff before a Flyer game at their new home arena (then called the CoreStates Center, now Wells Fargo Center).

Dupre was received very warmly by the fans and the players on both teams. He left the ice with a big smile on face.

As his health continued to improve, Dupre announced a plan to go to Quebec and commence much more intense workouts in his effort to eventually start playing hockey again. Even if he only suited up in a single minor league game, it would be a major triumph for the courageous young man.

He also told his teammates that he planned to take a summer vacation backpacking across Europe. In the meantime, Dupre often reached out to other cancer patients -- especially the families of children with forms of pediatric cancers -- and tried to offer his support and encouragement.

Dupre regained most of the 44 pounds he lost during his cancer treatments. He confirmed to Flyers management that he would go full speed ahead in his comeback bid.

Tragically, Dupre's dream came to a crashing halt when learned that the cancer had returned. He needed to undergo the chemo again, followed by a bone marrow transplant. During the 1997 NHL playoffs, he followed the Flyers' journey to the Stanley Cup Finals from a hospital room in Quebec.

While the Flyers battled for the championship, Dupre continued to fight for his life. He underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure but his condition deteriorated despite his second brave fight for his life. He contracted an infection, which ultimately took his life. A private funeral for the immensely well-liked young man was held in Montreal several days after his passing.

Today, Dupre's memory is honored both both the Flyers and the American Hockey League.

Selected by the members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the annual Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award is bestowed upon the Flyers player who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice.

The AHL's Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, selected by the league president, is awarded annually to a player who provides tireless service to his local community. Apart from keeping Dupre's name alive, the award also recalls the way Dupre devoted himself to charitable causes both before and after his own leukemia diagnosis.

I am not afraid to admit that, while transcribing the interview Yanick's father, Jacques Dupre, did with Jay Greenberg for his Flyers at 50 book, I was nearly moved to tears by Jacques' explanation of why it means so much to the entire Dupre family that both the Flyers and the AHL honor his name with special awards.

I hope that Jay will not mind if I share this quote from Jacques Dupre that did not make the final cut for the book (there's one instead from Yanick's sister): "When Yanick was in the hospital the second time, he said to me, 'Dad, I'm never going to be remembered as a hockey player.' I think if Yanick knew how much he is remembered and honored every year, for the person he was on an off the ice, he would have been been proud. As his father, I am very proud and happy about that. He doesn't have to worry if people remember him. Every year, I see who get the trophies from the Flyers and the AHL, because it represents Yanick's memory."

In 2015-16, Wayne Simmonds won the Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. It was a big honor for me to represent the PWHA in presenting the award to Wayne; a very deserving winner. This past season, goaltender Steve Mason won the honor. The AHL's Dupre Award for 2016-17 went to San Antonio Rampage left winger A.J. Greer.

4) Happy 65th birthday wishes go out to Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Jimmy Watson. One of six sons born to Mary and Joe Watson Sr., Jim and eldest brother Joe went on become two-time Stanley Cup champions with the Flyers and the first sibling duo to earn their own inductions into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Jim also played in five NHL All-Star Games and the 1976 Canada Cup as a member of Team Canada. Joe was a two-time NHL All-Star selection.



5) I have been asked by several people this summer whether the Flyers will have any upcoming Hall of Fame inductions or jersey retirement ceremonies. The answer is that I don't know. I haven't been told of any, but that doesn't mean there aren't such plans in the works.

With the selection of Mark Recchi to the Hockey Hall of Fame, I'd think he's the most likely candidate as the next inductee into the Flyers Hall of Fame. I do not think, however, that Recchi will have his number 8 jersey retired by the Flyers.

Other candidates for Flyers Hall of Fame induction in the near future: Rick Tocchet, Paul Holmgren, Andre "Moose" Dupont and Simon Gagne.

As for the Flyers retiring number 88 in honor of Eric Lindros, keep in mind that he had his Flyers Hall of Fame induction just a couple years ago and was a very prominent participant in several of the Heritage Nights (including Hall of Fame Night and Captains Night) during the 50th Anniversary season last year as well as the Golden Anniversary Alumni Weekend events in January. Eventually, I do think number 88 will be retired.

However, unless the Flyers were to miraculously acquire Patrick Kane someday, I doubt there will be another number 88 on the Flyers, anyway. There's only been one in franchise history.
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