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Quick Hits: June 20, 2022
1) Speedy recovery wishes go out to Brad Marsh, who underwent emergency gallbladder surgery yesterday. He will be unable to attend today's Alumni Golf event at Dupont Country Club in Wilmington but is already on the mend.
Everything will go on today as planned, per Marshy, including the 12th "Every Child Deserves a Bike" adaptive bicycle donation and a milestone $183,000-plus contribution from the Flyers Alumni Association to the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation.
This donation will bring the total direct contribution made by the Flyers Alumni Association to Snider Hockey to an even $1 million.
Back in the days when the NHL was a much smaller league, it was a little easier for teams with stellar scouting departments to produce bumper crops of prospects in their NHL Draft classes. In 1969, the Flyers' transformation from a defensively disciplined but somewhat undersized and non-threatening team began with the Draft day selections of Flin Flon Bombers center Bobby Clarke (17th overall), Estevan Bruins defenseman Willie Brossart (28th overall), Drummondville Rangers goalie Michel Belhumeur (40th overall), Sorel Black Hawks left winger Dave Schultz (52nd overall) and Regina Pats right winger Don Saleski (64th overall).
Three years later, the Flyers had one of the best Draft crops in franchise history. With the seventh overall pick of the first round, they took Kitchener Rangers center (later moved to left wing) Bill Barber. In the second round, Keith Allen selected Edmonton Oil Kings defenseman Tom Bladon with the 23rd overall pick. In round three, the Flyers selected Joe Watson's younger brother, Calgary Centennials defenseman Jimmy Watson, with the 39th overall pick. Round four saw the Flyers select Charlottetown Islanders center/winger Al MacAdam (later traded to the Seals in the Reggie Leach deal, and a future 40-goal scorer for the Minnesota North Stars) with the 55th overall selection.
Fifty years ago today, on June 20, 1972, the Flyers held a press conference to announce the signings of Barber, Bladon, Watson and MacAdam. All four players would go on to play in at least one NHL All-Star Game in their careers. Barber became a Hockey Hall of Famer and Watson a fellow member of the Flyers Hall of Fame.
When you look back at the picks, keep in mind how fast the turnaround between rounds was in that era compared to today. Clarke was a second-round pick in his draft year; today, 17th overall is a mid-first pick. Schultz was a 5th round pick in 1969; In 2022, the 52nd overall pick will be late in the second round. On the flip side, the talent pool nowadays is much deeper than back then, because of the widespread selection of U.S, native players and European players rather than a virtually all-Canadian draft.
Today in Flyers History: 50 years ago today (June 20, 1972) the Flyers announcing the signings of their top four picks in the 1972 NHL Draft: Bill Barber, Tom Bladon, Jimmy Watson and Al MacAdam. pic.twitter.com/9eJtKz8e65
2) Today in Flyers History Part 2: June 20, 1992 (Flyers Acquire Lindros)
The 1992 National Hockey League Draft was held 30 years ago today but was overshadowed by major news involving the first overall pick of the previous year's Draft. Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques with the first overall pick of the 1991 NHL Draft, Eric Lindros declined to play for the team. A fierce bidding war ensued, with numerous NHL teams offering massive returns to the Nordiques for the rights to the highly touted teenagers. For the next year, the Nordiques declined all offers, as the prices escalated higher and higher.
Finally, in one of the biggest blockbuster deals in NHL history, the Nordiques verbally agreed to a June 20, 1992 trade with the Flyers that sent Lindros' rights to Philadelphia in exchange for NHL roster center Mike Ricci, goaltender Ron Hextall, defensemen Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman, Swedish prospect Peter Forsberg (the Flyers' 1991 first-round pick), $15 million (USD) in cash, the earlier of the Flyers' two first-round picks in the 1992 NHL Draft and the Flyers first-round picks in the 1993 (Jocelyn Thibault) and 1994 drafts (Nolan Baumgartner).
After verbally agreeing and shaking hands with the Flyers on the deal, the Nordiques turned around and decided instead to trade Lindros' rights to the Rangers. Although not revealed publicly, the New York trade offer included forward Alexei Kovalev, goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck and future star forwards Doug Weight and Tony Amonte along with similar cash compensation and draft pick assets.
With the disputed trade held up by the NHL, the Flyers selected Ryan Sittler with the seventh overall pick of the 1992 NHL Draft. On June 30, 1992, following emotionally charged arbitration hearings in Toronto, arbitrator Larry Bertuzzi ruled that the Flyers had made an enforceable trade and the Rangers deal was nullified.
To complete the trade with Philadelphia, the Nordiques accepted enforcer prospect Chris Simon (whom the Flyers had drafted in the second round of the 1990 Draft) and an additional draft choice in lieu of the pick already used by the Flyers on Sittler.
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