Quick Hits: August 12, 2021
1) Established in 1988, the Flyers Hall of Fame has been inactive since the passing of Ed Snider in 2016. The time has finally come that there will be new inductees in the years to come. Recently, I was honored to be invited to become part of a reformulated nominating committee consisting of Paul Holmgren, Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Zack Hill, Brian Smith and myself. I was humbled to accept and am greatly excited to be a participant in the process.
As we move forward, I am not going to comment on the process. When the time comes, the new inductee(s) will be announced by the Flyers. However, I know the Flyers Hall of Fame is of great interest to many fans and wanted to proactively let folks in on the fact that new opportunities for induction are being created. Honestly, there are many worthy candidates for a long-list form let alone a short-list for a committee vote.
The current list of inductees is as follows:
1988 Mar. Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent 1989 Mar. Keith Allen, Bill Barber, Ed Snider 1990 Mar. Rick MacLeish, Fred Shero 1991 Mar. Barry Ashbee (posthumous), Gary Dornhoefer 1992 Feb. Gene Hart, Reggie Leach 1993 Apr. Joe Scott, Ed Van Impe 1994 Mar. Tim Kerr 1996 Feb. Joe Watson 1999 Mar. Brian Propp 2001 Mar. Mark Howe 2004 Mar. Dave Poulin 2008 Feb. Ron Hextall 2009 Nov. Dave Schultz 2014 Nov. Eric Lindros, John LeClair 2015 Feb. Eric Desjardins 2015 Nov. Rod BrindโAmour 2016 Feb. Jim Watson
2) The Flyers Community Caravan is coming for the first time ever to the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ, on August 17, 2021. The event starts at 5 p.m. ET.
As usual, Flyers Alumni will be on hand, along with Gritty, Andrea Helfrich and the Flyers Ice Team. Additionally, 97.5 The Fanatic will broadcast live from the event. The caravan will move down a two-mile route on the main streets of Ocean Avenue, Asbury Avenue along the downtown business district and, the boardwalk of Ocean City.
Free giveaways along the route include Flyers-themed bucket hats, flip flops, sunglasses straps, tank tops, beach towels and more.
3) On Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 (10 a.m. ET to 4 p.m.), the South Jersey Game-Worn Expo will be held at the Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford. Hockey game-worn memorabilia collectors and dealers will be on hand displaying game-worn pro jerseys, game-used sticks, pucks, gloves, skates, etc. Admission is free but donations are requested for the Flyers Warriors hockey program and proceeds from the event benefit the Flyers Warriors. To learn more, click here.
4) Today in Flyers History: August 12, 2020
One year ago tonight inside the bubble at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the Flyers prevailed, 2-1, over the Montreal Canadiens in a tense Game 1 of the 2020 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. A reasonably solid first period and a strong third-period closeout bookended a nearly disastrous second period for the Flyers.
Jakub Voracek (power play) notched the lone goal in the first period. After Shea Weber (power play, 3rd) knotted the game at 14:38 of the second period, Joel Farabee (2nd) responded at five-on-five just 16 seconds later to put the Flyers ahead to stay.
One evening before he celebrates his 22nd birthday, Flyers goaltender Carter Hart turned in a strong performance for his team as he turned aside 27 of 28 shots. He was under siege in a dominant second period for Montreal but authored 16 saves on 17 shots to prevent the game from getting away from his team.
At the other end of the ice, veteran Carey Price gave the Canadiens a chance to win. He had little chance on either of the two Philadelphia goals he allowed on 31 shots. Price also came up with a highlight reel desperation stick save on Scott Laughton in the second period.
The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. Montreal scored on their lone man advantage of the game.
Philadelphia controlled puck possession most of the period, got traffic in front of Price, scored on their 1st power play and Hart was strong when tested. In the latter half of the period, Montreal did get some forechecking pressure going, and the Flyers had some sloppy zone exits. Other than that, the Flyers pretty much had their way (shots were 11-5 in the Flyers' favor).
Provorov had layers of traffic screening Price on the game's first goal, and the puck may have been partially deflected by Paul Byron before it glanced off Voracek's leg. Claude Giroux got his first assist of the playoffs at 8:54. Travis Konecny lost a secondary assist originally credited to him after postgame video reviews showed that the puck went in off a Flyer (Voracek) after Provorov shot it.
The Canadiens turned the tide in the second period, which started ominously with a Provorov giveaway and extended offensive zone time for the Habs. Montreal the Flyers to the tune of a 17-7 shot differential. Montreal had the Flyers playing chase for much of the frame.
With Nic Aube-Kubel in the penalty box for holding, the Habs created a scramble around the net. The loose puck was poked to Weber, who buried it from point-blank range to tie the game at 14:38 of the second period.
On the next shift, a Montreal turnover, a point keep by Travis Sanheim, a deflection and then a rebound put-in by Farabee stuck a dagger in Montreal's hearts. The goal came at 14:54.
The Flyers staged an outstanding close-out period in the final stanza. Philadelphia held Montreal to just six shots -- and perhaps 2 bonafide scoring chances -- while the Flyers got a forecheck going and generated 13 shots of their own. All that was missing was an insurance goal. The Flyers had two power plays in the third period, including a 4-on-3 that lasted 1:15, but could not extend the lead.
Final shot attempts were 65 for Montreal to 57 for the Flyers. Faceoffs were 32-27 in the Flyers' favor (54%), led by Kevin Hayes going 9-for-14. Credited hits were 32-27 in Montreal's favor led by sx for Montreal's Ben Chiarot and six by the Flyers' Aube-Kubel. There were 24 recorded turnovers apiece with both the Flyers and Habs being charged with 14 giveaways and being credited with 10 takeaways (led by Montreal's Phillip Danault with four. Matt Niskanen blocked four shots for Philly while Maxime Ouellet blocked a half-dozen for Montreal.
5) Today in Flyers History: August 12, 1967
Drafted a few months earlier by the Flyers from Boston with the second overall pick of the NHL Expansion Draft, goaltender Bernie Parent became the first contracted player in team history on August 12, 1967. He signed a three-year contract paying $22,500 per season. This represented a big raise ($4,000) from what he'd made previously for the Bruins. A slew of other signings followed in the days and weeks to come as general manager Bud Poile got down to the business of getting everyone under contract. Defensemen Ed van Impe and Joe Watson, unhappy with lowball offers from Poile, ended up leaving training camp and holding out until shortly before opening night.
6) Aug. 12 Flyers Alum birthday: Rosaire Paiement (1945).