FLYERS ANNOUNCE 50TH ANNIVERSARY ALUMNI GAME
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary Season since the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams, the Flyers Alumni team will take on a Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni team for the 1967-68 at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 7 p.m. EST.
For the Flyers Alumni, this will be the largest gathering of multi-generation players spanning every era of team history since the Winter Classic event against the Rangers Alumni at Citizens Bank Park on December 31, 2011. Not even the February 2016 Orange vs. White game in Reading (which pitted two squads of Flyers Alumni against one another) will have had quite as many Alumni luminaries as this game.
Yesterday, the Flyers and the Flyers Alumni Association announced a partial roster of Alumni who have already confirmed their availability to play.
Goalie: Brian Boucher.
Defensemen: Mark Howe, Eric Desjardins, Jimmy Watson, Joe Watson, Brad Marsh, Kjell Samuelsson, Terry Carkner, Luke Richardson.
Forwards: Bob Clarke, Bill Barber, Reggie Leach, Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Tim Kerr, Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Murray Craven, Danny Briere, Simon Gagne, Bob "the Hound" Kelly, Orest Kindrachuk.
This is NOT the complete roster. Others will be added based on availability and the roster is subject to change. Updated, full rosters for both the Flyers Alumni and Penguins Alumni will be released closer to the game.
The list of Flyers Alumni who have already committed is spectacular. However, for those already complaining "what about (so-and-so)" on Twitter or Facebook, keep in mind that no one is being snubbed. In real life, not every living Alum of note is going to be available, for a variety of reasons. Some cannot make it to town that weekend. Others have work or family commitments or health/injury reasons.
For example, Mikael Renberg is already traveling to Toronto in November to play in the Hall of Fame game with Lindros and LeClair. Seeing as how he works full-time in Sweden, coming back overseas again two months later to play in this game might not be realistic. Rod Brind'Amour, an assistant coach with the Carolina Hurricanes, will be in Raleigh on Jan. 14 when the Canes play the New York Islanders.
Also of note: The current-day Flyers have a 1 p.m. road matinee game at TD Garden against the Boston Bruins on January 14. The Penguins, for whom Rick Tocchet is an assistant coach, have a 7 p.m. game that night.
As for other names, what typically happens in events of this magnitude is that many end up juggling other commitments but it takes time before they can confirm for certain. The released names are among those who have already said yes.
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REMEMBERING BOB "THE COUNT" DAILEY
While it's not exactly a perfect comparison, the players to whom I could best liken Bob "the Count" Dailey for those who never saw him play would be Al MacInnis and Shea Weber. Dailey did not have the same level of consistency in his game as the other two, but he had a devastating righthanded shot. With his 6-foot-5, 220-plus pound frame, he was not someone whom many opposing players wanted to tangle. If he hit you, it hurt. If you hit him, it also hurt you.
Dailey was one of the NHL's first of the monstrously sized defensemen, but he could more than just stand still and shoot hard. He developed a pretty complete game. Ice time stats were not kept in that era but, if they were, he would have right up among the NHL league leaders. Along with Jimmy Watson, who was still in his prime when Dailey arrived, the top end of the Flyers' blueline was pretty formidable when those two were healthy.
In terms of training habits, Dailey was a typical old-school player. He was a smoker, and the first thing he'd usually do after a game (after strapping on the ice packs) was light up his first postgame cigarette and crack open a can of beer. In that era of the NHL, locker room beer was almost as prevalent as rolls of stick tape.
In his too-short career, Dailey won the Barry Ashbee Trophy twice (1978-79, 1980-81) and was a two-time NHL All Star. He dealt with frequent injuries in his career but when he was healthy, he was a force.
Dailey was not in the same class as Larry Robinson or Denis Potvin but, in his best years, he was among the small handful of defensemen in the next category down. During the 1980 Stanley Cup Pllayoffs, however, Dailey didn't have to take a backseat to anyone. He was nothing less than dominant, and he somehow did it playing through a separated shoulder.
Dailey's acquisition from the Vancouver Canucks was another of Keith "the Thief" Allen's many steals. For years, Dailey was considered untouchable by the Canucks despite management's frequent impatience with the young player. Allen waited patiently. Eventually, Dailey had a falling out with management. He wanted out of Vancouver. He also made no secret about the fact that he hated the travel, which was the most arduous of any NHL team's schedule at that time.
When opportunity arose, Allen pounced before the Boston Bruins' Harry Sinden, who also had significant interest in acquiring Dailey, could beat him to the punch. On January 20, 1977, the Flyers sent still-young defenseman Larry "Izzy" Goodenough and tough guy defenseman Jack "Bucky" McIlhargey to Vancouver in exchange for Dailey.
The trade proved to be pretty lopsided in Philadelphia's favor. The promise that Goodenough (who, coincidentally, had been junior hockey teammates with Dailey on the Toronto Marlies) had shown in Philly was rarely in evidence in Vancouver and he was splitting time between the NHL and the Central Hockey League by the middle of the next season.
When he played for the Canucks, Dailey's nickname was "Moose". Upon his arrival with the Flyers, Andre "Moose" Dupont informed him, "There's only one Moose here, and that's me!" Noticing Dailey's long black overcoat, Dupont told him, "You look the Count from Sesame Street." From then on, Dailey became "the Count"; fitting not just because the Flyers' locker room had a "Big Bird" (Don Saleski), "Ernie" (Orest Kindrachuk) and formerly had a "Grouch" (Dave Schultz) but also because they counted up a lot of goals.
Injuries were the bane of Dailey's existence as a Flyer. He sustained two significant shoulder injuries. He had increasingly creaky knees that gave him trouble. On November 1, 1981 -- in the same road game against the Buffalo Sabres in which Pelle Lindbergh made his first career NHL start and finished the night in the hospital due to dehydration -- Dailey suffered a devastating ankle injury as he crashed into the boards after a bump from Tony McKegney on a race for an icing touch-up.
Dailey's ankle shattered on both sides, like a porcelain vase dropped off a table. Rushed to a busy emergency room, however, Dailey got a dose of perspective as he waited in agony for a doctor. A man who had just had part of his head shot off and whose life was in danger was taken immediately. The hockey player always kept that in mind.
Unfortunately, Dailey's ankle never improved sufficiently to allow him to play NHL hockey again. His career was over at age 28. He attempted a comeback mid-way through the 1985-86 season, but after five games with the American Hockey League's Hersey Bears, Dailey realized he could no longer keep up with the pace and do the sorts of things that once came easily to him.
For many years, Dailey continued to live in the Delaware Valley and was active in the Flyers Alumni Association. He was a good friend to all and always humble and approachable with fans. He was also appreciative of the Flyers organization, which he said was a night-and-day difference from his previous experiences, although he loved Vancouver as a city and greatly appreciated the Canucks' fans.
Bob Dailey passed away in Florida yesterday at age 63 after a long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.
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Flyers Alumni: 2016 Faceoff Against Cancer
The annual Faceoff Against Cancer fundraiser featuring the Flyers Alumni to directly benefit selected Delaware Valley cancer patients and their families will be held on September 9-10, 2016 at
Hatfield Ice (350 County Line Road, Colmar, PA 18915). In addition to the new location the event has a new two-day format.
On September 9, there will be an all-day men's hockey tournament. The next day, the main event will be held from noon to 4 p.m., featuring food, on-ice and carnival games, live music, beer and prizes. At 4 p.m. on Sept. 10, the Flyers Alumni Team game will start.
Last year's event raised approximately $88,000 that was divided among its selected beneficiaries. All recipients are local cancer patients who have unpaid medical bills related to cancer treatments and a connection to the local hockey community. Recipients are selected on the basis of financial need, and the proceeds will be donated directly to pay for their medical expenses.
For more information on tickets, donation, schedules, sponsorship and the list of prizes available this year, visit
FaceoffAgainstCancer.net.
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