Joe Watson

Joe Watson was born in Smithers, B.C. a little town of Bavarian flavour approximately approximately a 12 hour drive north of Vancouver, 200 kms east of my hometown. Needless to say I grew up a big fan of the Watsons, even though they had retired before I was really old enough to have watched them play.

His father Joe Sr. was a butcher and his mother Mary ran a restaurant when she wasn't running the family farm. She was the real hockey fan of the family. Nowadays the Smithers arena is named after her.

Joe played hockey as soon as he could walk and with the winters lasting up to half a year he had plenty of time to play hockey. Joe grew up with five brothers, among them his younger brother Jimmy, who later played in the NHL alongside Joe in Philadelphia.

Joe moved up through the amateur ranks and graduated from the Estevan Bruins (SJHL) in 1963 and signed with the Boston Bruins that same year. He played for Minneapolis Bruins (CHL) the following season, and was tested in 4 games with Boston during the 1964-65 season and registered his first NHL point, but most of the time he played in Minneapolis.

During the 1965-66 season came his breakthrough. Joe was still playing for the Bruins farm team (Oklahoma) in the CHL and posted a fine season where he was selected to the 1st All-Star team. His fine performance won him a job with the Bruins the following season (1965-66). Joe did very well and appeared in 69 games, scoring 15 points, including 2 goals.

Boston was however stacked with fine defensemen, one of them was of course a rookie named Bobby Orr. Joe was exposed in the expansion draft and got picked by Philadelphia in 1967 and became a fixture on defense for Philadelphia for the next 11 seasons. Joe was an integral part of the two Stanley Cups that Philadelphia won in 1974 and 1975.

He was known for being a hard hitter and a good defensive defenseman. He wasn't nearly as talented as his brother Jim, and was very aware of that fact. Joe never tried to do anything that was beyond his capacity, he always kept it simple and did it successfully. His steady play earned him trips to the 1974 and 1977 All-Star games. Joe's fine defensive play gave him a +191 rating during his Philadelphia career, and +178 overall.

Joe, who loved to fish in the summer times back home in Smithers, actually walked out on the Flyers in 1971 due to a contract dispute. But he quickly returned to camp after receiving a phone call from the best man at his wedding, not to mention the best man in the NHL.

"Bobby Orr called and really gave me hell. He told me i could still play another five or six years, at least - reminded me I was only twenty-eight and was just reaching my prime. Then he said I had my wife to think about, not just myself."

Obviously, Watson and Orr shared a special friendship. Here's a funny story about their living relationship once upon a time:

"We shared an apartment overlooking the Atlantic Ocean," recalled Watson. "He did the cleaning and cooking and really was a great cook. Bobby had so much energy that he did most of the work. About all I did was wash the dishes and water the plants."

Interestingly, when the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974, it came at the expense of the Boston Bruins. Orr and Watson met in the back corridor to offer congratulations.

"I offered him some champagne," Joe said, "but he was dejected and said he didn't deserve it. My good gracious, he shouldn't be dejected the way he played. He kept that team together."

Of course for Watson, winning the Stanley Cup was a dream come true.

"I've been dreaming about a Stanley Cup since I was about five or six, and when Orr and I arrived in Boston together (in 1966), I thought I might have a chance. But the next year, I was here with all the rejects."

During Joe's last season in Philadelphia (1977-78) he noticed that his ice time was reduced considerably. Knowing that he was on the end of the line in Philadelphia Joe asked to be traded to a team where he could be of any help. The Flyers obliged and sold Joe to the Colorado Rockies on August 31, 1978.

Joe was thrilled over the opportunity to play for Colorado and be able to contribute with his experience. Unfortunately Joe's career ended abruptly after only 16 games in the Colorado uniform when he crashed into the boards in a November game against St. Louis. The result of the collision was that he cracked his kneecap and fractured the bone below the kneecap in no less than 13 pieces. Immediately after having crashed into the boards linesman John D'Amico saw that it was bad. D'Amico immediately instructed Joe to not move. Before Joe was rushed to a hospital two doctors splinted his leg. The break was so bad that a bone was sticking out just below his kneecap.

Joe wanted to have his knee operated by Flyers orthopedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Torg who he knew from his days in Philadelphia and whom he trusted. He had two operations and regained about 80 % of the leg's strength. It was a sad end to a fine career. After Joe's initial disappointment that his career was over he looked back and was proud of the many achievements during his career. Two Stanley Cups, two All-Star games, scoring a big goal in the famous 1976 game vs CSKA Moscow among other things.

But Joe was most proud over the fact that he had made it to the NHL during the tough six team era.

"I made it with Boston when it was a six-team league and there weren't many openings. I'm most proud of that."

Joe finished his NHL career with 216 points (38 goals and 178 assists) in 835 regular season games as well as 15 pts (3 goals and 12 assists) in 84 playoff games. He gave hockey fans a solid performance for 16 NHL seasons.

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Ed Van Impe

When Ed Van Impe laced up his skates, he underwent some sort of crazy metamorphosis. This mild-mannered, soft spoken gentleman would turn into a monster on the ice, never hesitating to to deliver his physical brand of hockey.

Van Impe, the second captain of the Broad Street Bullies, helped set the Flyer's bruising standards through his unrelenting play. He was known for his heavy open ice hits and his liberal stick work, but he never considered himself to be a goon.

"I don't want a tough guy reputation. I'd rather be known as a tough, hard working defenseman. I'd like to cut down the penalties. Some of them hurt the team," he said. In fact, that quote came in the early 1970s, prior to the arrival of the likes of Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.

While he never put up many points, Van Impe was respected for his defensive play. He was a left handed shot who was comfortable playing on the right side. He was steady defensively, sacrificing his body regularly to take out his man or block a shot. He was not in anyways flashy.

Yet Van Impe's reputation as a goon was, unfairly, cemented after his infamous hit on Soviet superstar Valeri Kharlamov. The Russian wizard was knocked out after smacking his face against Van Impe's big elbow, as the Flyers' dman would explain it.

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on May 27, 1940, Van Impe grew up idolizing Montreal Canadiens defenseman Doug Harvey. After three years in junior hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks invited Van Impe to training camp in 1960. He would spend a season playing minor pro in Calgary before relocating to Buffalo of the AHL for the next five seasons.

Van Impe finally cracked the Blackhawks lineup in 1966-67, the final season of Original Six hockey. He did very well, finishing as the runner up to some kid named Bobby Orr for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year. 

Despite his strong season, Van Impe found himself unprotected by the Hawks for the expansion draft. The Flyers quickly snapped up the tough defenseman and a year later named him team captain.

"It’s been said before but I’ll say it again, it’s a big thrill just to play in the NHL but being named captain of an NHL team is quite and honor. I’m not a holler guy. The best way I can lead this team is to go out on the ice and help win some games."

During the 1971-72 season he handed the captaincy to a young Bobby Clarke. He recognized that it was the young guys who were leading the way.

"Our team was kind of young. We didn't believe that anybody could beat us. The young guys made the older guys like me believe."

Believe they did, all the way to back to back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975.Van Impe was very much a big part of those two NHL titles.

Coach Fred Shero praised Van Impe and his decision to relinquish the C.

"His defense was never better after he gave up the captain’s role. He was right up there with the most valuable players on the team."

Hernia surgery in 1975 hurt Van Impe's already average mobility so the Flyers traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in March 1976. Later a shoulder injury suffered during training camp in 1976 forced him to retire.

Van Impe and his wife would later move to Nanoose Bay on beautiful Vancouver Island.

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Thomas Eriksson

Thomas Eriksson was the first European trained player to play for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Perhaps that should be no surprise, given that Eriksson was an aggressive defenseman with imposing size back in Sweden. He set the Djurgarden team record for most penalty minutes in a career, leading the Swedish Elite League once during the regular season and three times during the playoffs.

Mind you, that was back in Stockholm. In Philadelphia he was not nearly so physical, and certainly not by the Flyers' bruising standards, as his 107 career penalty minutes in 208 games suggest.

In fact, scouting reports back in the mid-1980s suggested Eriksson was easily over-matched along the boards because of a lack of upper body strength. He did not spend much time hitting, although he was credited with increasing his physical tempo in his final season before he got hurt. He definitely had a reputation as being soft, as teams targeted him knowing he would hurry his puck movement or abandon the puck altogether.

Skill wise he was a steady skater, though not fast and at times awkward when moving backwards. That likely had a lot to do with his play reading ability as he seemed confused at times about his role in the defensive zone. To make matters worse, speeding power forwards targeted his side of the ice as he had a reputation for turning too late.

He did carry and pass the puck well, and had good offensive anticipation. His shot was unnoteworthy and generally from the blue line, although he would try to sneak into the middle of the slot from time to time on a set play.

The Flyers drafted Eriksson in the fifth round, 98th overall in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.  They rushed Eriksson over too early, bring both him and Pelle Lindbergh overseas, and even moving popular veteran Moose Dupont to Quebec because they thought Eriksson would be ready. He spent most of the 1980-81 season in the minor leagues, and then after a single game with the Flyers in 1981-82 he was granted the right to return home to Sweden. He was home sick and clearly not mentally ready for life in the NHL and life in North America in general.

After a couple of strong seasons back with Djurgarden, Eriksson would return to Philadelphia for the 1983-84 season, feeling "older, wiser" and better prepared for life away from home.

Eriksson would spend the next three seasons playing as a depth defenseman with the Flyers until a knee injury cost him the remainder of the 1986 season. That would prove to be his final game in the National Hockey League.

Interestingly, Eriksson returned home to Sweden and that is when he really solidified his reputation as a dominant and physical defenseman in the SEL. He returned Djurgarden to the championship title three years in a row in 1989, 1990 and 1991, just like he did previously back in 1983. Not surprisingly, Djurgarden retired his #27 when his playing career was over.

He also helped the Swedish national team to the 1990 World Championship silver medal, his best finish in four attempts at that tournament. In each of those four tournaments he was named to the First All Star team.
Eriksson also twice represented Team Sweden at the Canada Cup (1981 and 1984) and at the Olympics (1980 and 1988). He helped Sweden with the bronze at both Olympic games.

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Reid Bailey

Reid "Beetle" Bailey got his nickname courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers teammates who likened the lumbering blueliner to the famous comic strip character. Bailey would play 17 games with the Flyers, plus another 14 in the playoffs. He would later make brief appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Hartford Whalers in his professional career that spanned 8 seasons. Not bad for a player who was never drafted coming out of junior hockey.

Bailey would not let that deter him, and he signed on for some adventures with the Port Huron Flags of the late 1970s IHL. The Flyers took note and signed him in 1978. A couple of years later he was helping the Flyers on a long playoff run.

The Flyers released the slow moving defenseman after 1982. The Edmonton Oilers, seeking more toughness, signed him though he never played for the team. A couple of months later he was traded to Toronto. He signed with Hartford for his final season in 1983-84.

Unlike many fringe NHL players of the era, Reid Bailey had an interesting post-hockey job. Where many guys go on to work for brewery plants, or as cola sales reps or selling insurance, Bailey became an executive with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation as well as the Harlem Globetrotters and the Ice Capades.

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Ray Allison

The 1979 NHL Amateur Draft was one of the strongest drafts in NHL history, with almost every first round pick going on the enjoy lengthy careers as above average NHL players.

One player who did not hit the mark was Ray Allison, the Hartford Whalers' first ever NHL draft selection at #18.

It would be unfair to say Ray Allison was a NHL draft bust. After all he did participate in 238 NHL contests and scored 64 goals and 157 points. Ask any scout and they'll tell you his career counts as a success from their point of view. He certainly played more games than most players who were ever drafted.

But expectations were high. He came out of the Brandon Wheat Kings organization where he starred on a line with Brian Propp and first Bill Derlago and then Laurie Boschman. In his last two years in Brandon he played in 133 games and scored 134 goals, 178 assists and 313 points, all while accumulating 443 minutes in penalties. Couple those lofty totals and the play of his fellow draft classmen, and you can see why fans in Hartford were expecting more.

Ray would make the jump to the NHL immediately in 1979-80, but he would have a disappointing year. He scored 16 goals and 28 points in 64 games in an era when the top rookies were producing a point per game or even better. The Whalers decided he needed more seasoning, and demoted him in the minors for his sophomore campaign.

By the summer of 1981 Allison was included in a huge trade with Philadelphia which saw both teams exchange draft picks and prospects in order to lure Rick MacLeish out of Philly.

Allison would play the next three seasons in Philadelphia. At times he was reunited with Brian Propp. In 1981-82 he scored over a point a game with 54 points in 51 games while playing with Propp and Ron Flockhart on the "Hi-Speed Line," although on the first day of training camp a serious cut to his elbow got infected, cost him his training camp and contributed to a slow start.

He looked primed to exploded the following year, as he led all Flyers in scoring during the training camp exhibition schedule. He would register his best NHL campaign with 21 goals and 51 points in 67 games, and registered an impressive +30.

The 1983-84 season was nothing short of disastrous for Allison. He got off to a slow start, and then severely broke his left ankle when he crashed into a goal post during a Boxing Day game in Washington. He missed most of the rest of the season, and was never the same player after that.

Allison would only play in 13 NHL contests beyond that season. He tried to make it back with years in the minor leagues while also playing in Switzerland. It was to no avail. He retired in 1990.

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Al Hill

Al Hill played in 221 NHL games with modest success, but none as famous as his first.

Hill was called up by the Flyers for a game against the St. Louis Blues on Valentine's Day, 1977. Hill went on to establish a NHL record by registering 5 points in his debut game. He scored 2 goals and 3 assists, and even had a fight to complete the "Gordie Howe hat trick."

No player had a better NHL debut.

Playing on a line with team captain Bobby Clarke and Bob "Hound Dog" Kelly, Hill struck early, opening the scoring at just the 36 second mark. He struck again in the second period, this time playing with new linemates Rick MacLeish and Gary Dornhoefer.

Hill went on to set up goals by Reggie Leach, Mel Bridgman and Bobby Clarke, as well as fighting Blues star Bill MacMillan.

It was certainly a surprise eruption of offense from Hill. The Nanaimo, BC native was never a real offensive force in junior hockey or in the minor leagues. He was never even drafted by a NHL team.

Coach Fred Shero even hinted that he “didn’t even know we had him on the team.”

Hill would return to the minor leagues for most of the next two seasons, but he did finally become a NHL regular from 1979 through 1982, though it was as a checking forward who could be plugged into any hole in the lineup. He would return to the minor leagues through 1989, with the occasional NHL call up, all with the Flyers' organization.

In 221 NHL games Al Hill scored 40 goals and 95 points.

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Brad Marsh

An awkward though powerful skating style unfairly gave Brad Marsh the reputation of being a skater slower than a tax refund cheque.

In actuality he was one of the best, if unheralded, defensive defensemen of his time.


The helmetless Marsh was popular everywhere he played. How could he not be? Every fan appreciates hard-working, blue-collar players who wear their heart on their sleeve. He may not have been the most talent player on the ice, but his obvious passion and lunch-pail approach to the game endeared him to fans.

"Marshy" was not blessed with much natural talent. That might go without saying, after all he scored only 23 goals and 198 points in 1086 NHL games. He is the lowest scoring player (excluding goaltenders) to have ever played in 1000 games.

Marsh was often mocked for his skating, as he lacked agility and gracefulness, but he was a deceptively powerful skater. He often surprised the other team by rushing the puck out of his own zone, as they fully expected him to just fire the puck off the glass and out. Otherwise, Marsh's offensive game was strictly shots from the point.

Defensively Marsh was very good. He was excellent at reading the oncoming play and using his angles very well. He was a punishingly aggressive player, although his skating would betray him as his sometimes over-aggressiveness would land him out of position and unable to recover.

Marsh was a junior standout with his hometown London Knights. The Atlanta Flames would draft Marsh 11th overall in 1978 ahead of names like Larry Playfair, Al Secord, Tony McKegney and Stan Smyl. Marsh would immediately make the jump to the NHL, playing in 257 consecutive games with the Flames (relocated to Calgary), the last 97 of which as team captain.

The Flames traded Marsh to the Philadelphia Flyers for Mel Bridgman on November 11th, 1981. Marsh would be best known as a Flyer.

"Brad was a very important leader on our team. Marshy was all about the team and never for himself," said longtime teammate Mark Howe. "He could play 20-plus minutes a game and could always be counted on to compete each and every night. He was a great shot blocker and a rugged competitor on the ice, but a gentle and kind person off the ice. Brad was always smiling and loved to be at the rink each and every day. For many years he was a mainstay on the blueline for our team and a big reason why the Flyers had a successful and competitive team in the eighties."

Marsh was pretty distinguishable out there on the ice, what with his distinctive style and unfailing desire. That, and his lack of head wear.

Marsh only temporarily experimented with wearing a helmet despite once cracking open his head after a Cam Neely-Ray Bourque sandwich hit. Despite losing a lot of blood, needing stitches and sustaining a severe concussion, Marsh was back in action 5 games later. Because Marsh had entered the NHL prior to 1979, he was permitted to continue playing without a helmet, whereas all subsequent newcomers to the league were madated to wear the helmet.

Marsh was a courageous shot blocker and dressing room leader.

"Marshy came to play every single night," said longtime teammate Dave Poulin. "What was understated was his leadership role both on and off the ice. He was an enormous positive factor in many young players'' careers."

That leadership helped keep Marsh in the NHL through 1993. the popular journeyman finished his career with short tenures with Toronto, Detroit, and Ottawa. He was Ottawa's representative at the 1993 NHL All Star game, a nice honour for the long time competitor.

Marsh was a great teammate and a great member of the community. He was frequently involved in charity work, whether it be hockey related initiatives or his golf tournament for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

"You couldn't ask for a better teammate than Brad Marsh. You also couldn't ask for a better human being," suggests former Flyer Tim Kerr. We have to agree with him.

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Claude Boivin

Before the 1988 draft, the Flyers desperately wanted to trade up into the top 10 of the draft, offering to sacrifice their 14th overall selection and a package of players/prospects to do so. The Flyers had their eyes on one of two top prospects in that draft. One was a young Finnish winger named Teemu Selänne. The other was college-bound center named of Rod Brind'Amour. The Flyers however were not able to make any deals. Brind'Amour went 9th overall to St. Louis, and became a solid player for many years, many of which were eventually in a Philly uniform as a result of a later trade. Selänne followed Brind'Amour by going 10th overall to the Winnipeg Jets. Of course Selanne went on to smash the NHL rookie scoring record and became one of the most feared snipers of his day. The Flyers also missed out on Jeremy Roenick and Martin Gelinas.

The Flyers ended up with Claude Boivin, one of the bigger busts in Flyers draft history. Boivin was highly touted after a strong first year in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He scored 23 goals and 49 points while piling up 233 penalty minutes. His draft position was enhanced by a strong playoff showing by Boivin and his team as the Voltigeurs played deep into the playoffs. Boivin's 5 goal, 8 point post season was highlited by his strong play along the boards and in front of the net.

After being drafted, Boivin returned to Drummondville but disappointed by not taking his game to the next level. He scored 20 goals and 56 points with 218 PIM. He played strong, but was expected to play at a much higher level.

Boivin had a strong final season in 1989-90 with the Laval Titan. He scored 24 goals and 51 assists with 309 PIM plus had a strong playoff with 7 goals and 13 assists in 13 games.

Claude played his first professional season with the Flyers farm team in Hershey. He scored 13 goals but impressed with 32 assists for 45 points. There was hope that Boivin may yet develop into a top player like was first hoped when he was drafted. Knee injuries did not help.

Boivin made the Flyers in 1991-92 but played a limited 3rd or 4th line role. He scored 5 goals and 18 points in 58 games, with 187 PIM. He had an injury filled 1992-93 season with Philly and started the 1993-94 year with the Flyers before a late season trade saw him go to Ottawa. With Ottawa he played 18 games over the next two years before he retired.

Boivin didn't have the skating skills or puck skills to play at the NHL level. Because he didn't skate well enough he couldn't do a good job as a role playing mucker and grinder either. In short he earned his lofty draft position because of an overachieving playoff in his draft year, but rarely showed that form again.

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Larry Zeidel

Larry Zeidel was hockey's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

On the ice he was the evil Mr. Hyde and off the ice he was the nice Dr. Jekyll. He received the tag of "The fastest stick in the Midwest" and it wasn't because of his slick stickhandling. Larry had a reputation of using his stick as a spear whenever he felt it necessary, which was quite often.

No other professional player was involved in more stick swinging incidents than Larry. His most famous one came in the NHL against Bruins Eddie Shack. Both combatants tried to scalp each other after Shack had made racial remarks against Larry, who was Jewish. In another stick swinging incident that happened in the WHL it was Larry and Willie O'Ree (the first black player in the NHL) who tried to chop off each others heads. WHL's league president Al Leader almost expelled Larry from the league.

So how come that Larry became such a rough player? Larry had two explanations for this.

"I guess there are a couple of reasons. First, I played some senior hockey in Quebec City and we could play well and win, but the fans would rather have us involved in a real brawl and lose the game. There were a lot of rugged guys in the league at that time, too, so maybe it was partly a matter of survival. The other thing is that there's the big thing of being young and having stars in your eyes. The clubs themselves are as much or more to blame. They play up the tough guys. Guts, guts, guts is all you hear from a lot of coaches and managers, even as early as junior. I was playing for some coaches and managers who would tell me ' go get him ' ,so I did "

To Larry's defense it has to be said that he tried to clean up his "bad boy" image late in his career, but it was tough to convince the referees and opponents about that. Late in his career Larry explained how hard it was to get "straight".

" I feel my past is haunting me now, even though I'm trying very hard to avoid penalties. After you're regarded as a tough guy, every rough kid who comes along wants to make a name for himself, too, and because you've got that reputation, you're the target."

Larry was tough and fearless. During one game in 1955 he blocked a shot with his head that caught him in the temple. He continued to play but was later ejected from the game which probably saved his life. It was later revealed that he had sustained a serious skull fracture. In his early years Larry played for Porcupine Combines (NOHA), Verdun Maple Leafs (QJHL), Barrie Flyers (OHA), Quebec Aces (QSHL) and Saskatoon Quakers (SSHL). It was during his days in Saskatoon that he picked up his nickname "The Rock".

Larry made his NHL debut during the 1951-52 season for the Detroit Red Wings. His start couldn't have been better. He immediately won a Stanley Cup with Detroit that year. Larry also played a couple of games for Detroit in 1952-53 before being sold to Chicago in 1953. In Chicago he played one full season (53-54) before he was traded back to Detroit again. Larry spend the next 13 seasons in the minor leagues before being picked up by the expansion Philadelphia Flyers in 1967. He played very steady in Philadelphia and finished with a strong +12 rating for the expansion team. After a couple of games for Philly in 1968-69 he decided to retire, almost 41-years old.

Larry was one of the most controversial players of his time who had a sharp stick, elbows and tongue. He dished out a lot of blows but also was on the receiving end of many. Simply put, Larry didn't take any crap from anybody.

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Bill Clement

Known in the United States as a longtime staple of NHL television broadcasts in the United States, Bill Clement also had a solid - although not extraordinary - NHL career, winning two Stanley Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers as a back line center. But even before Clement retired from the game, it was obvious what he was going to do after hockey.

Clement broke into pro hockey in 1970-71 with the AHL Quebec Aces. The Aces were a Philadelphia farm team, and the Flyers had made Clement their 1st choice, 18th overall in 1970. Bill led the Aces in scoring (19-39-58) in what would prove to be their final season.

The next season, he split his time between the Flyers and the AHL Richmond Robins. He became a full-time Flyer in 1973-74 and as a result became forever a member of the immortal "Broad Street Bullies." Although Clement was anything but a bully. He tallied only 383 penalty minutes in 719 contests. Instead, his job was to kill off all those penalties that the Bullies took. He was an excellent penalty killer, combining a superior defensive understanding of the game and good skating skills to carve a niche in the NHL for 11 seasons.

Bill was traded to the Washington Capitals for the 1975-76 season in a trade that saw the Flyers and Caps swap 1st round picks. That trade was seen as brilliant at the time, as the two time defending Stanley Cup champions had secured the 1st overall selection in the draft in exchange for Clement and Don McLean. Unfortunately the player the Flyers took, Mel Bridgman never proved to be a superstar, though he did have a long, serviceable career. On the other hand Clement's stay in Washington was very short. He played in just 46 games before he moved on again. In that short time he proved to be one of the Caps' best players, and was even selected to represent them team in the annual All-Star game.

Clement finished the season with the Atlanta Flames in exchange for a 1st round draft pick (which turned out to be Greg Carroll), Jean Lemieux and Gerry Meehan. It would be the last time Clement changed organizations, although he did find himself moving once again in 1980 when the team transferred from the state of Georgia to Calgary, Alberta. Clement continued to be an effectively nice player for the Flames, and even returned to the NHL All-Star Game again in 1978.

As mentioned, as his playing career wound down, Clement was laying the groundwork for his next career: broadcasting. While still playing for the Flames, he was a guest commentator for games telecast on cable’s fledgling USA Network. Bill first joined ESPN in 1986 serving as a game analyst, but returned to Philadelphia in 1988 to help broadcast Flyers games on PRISM (now Comcast) for four years. During that time, Clement also did games for two stations locally. For his work covering the 1992 NHL playoffs for SportsChannel America, Clement won the CableACE Award, an honor equivalent to the Emmy for American cable stations. He has also appeared as a hockey analyst for NBC, TNT, the Madison Square Garden Network and Canada’s CTV.

Clement re-joined ESPN for the 1992-93 season as its NHL studio analyst. A professionally trained actor and model, Clement can list over 250 nationally televised commercials in the United States on his resume and has been active on the motivational speaking circuit for nearly a decade. He even appeared in a soap opera, ABC’s "All My Children," in 1986. His most famous television appearance would definitely have to be this bug spray commercial:



Although Bill Clement was never in the running for major accolades during his NHL career, after he hung up his skates he became a major spokesman for the game through broadcasting. His contributions to the game - particularly in the United States - have not gone unnoticed.

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Doug Favell

Ever wonder who was the first goalie to paint his goalie mask? The answer is Doug Favell.

Now don't get too excited. His paint job was pretty lame compared to today's fancy paint jobs. Playing for the Philadelphia Flyers at the time, Doug painted his completely white mask Flyer Orange for Hallowe'en. I bet Doug had no idea what he started when he did that.

Doug Favell is best known for being the Flyers original goalie along with the legendary Bernie Parent. the two provided strong goaltending in the expansion Flyers formative years. Unfortunately for Favell, after 6 seasons with the Flyers, Doug was traded prior to the Flyers winning their two Stanley Cups in the mid 1970s.

Born on April 5, 1945 in St. Catharines, Ontario Doug was picked up by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft from the Boston Bruins organization. Doug had never played for the Bs but had put up impressive performances in 2 years with the Bruins farm teams.

Doug had a great rookie year, slightly better than Parent even. He recorded a career best 2.27 GAA and 4 shutouts in 37 games. He had a 15-15-6 record. Parent on the other hand had a similar year - 16-17-5 with 2.48 GAA and 4 more shutouts.

Doug struggled the next two years as Parent became the starting goalie, playing in most of the games. Favell saw little playing time over those two years, playing in just 36 contests, winning only 7.

Doug got to be the full time starter in 70-71 when Bernie Parent was traded midway through the year. He had another good year He finished the year with a 16-15-9 record. In 71-72. He played in 54 games, recording a 2.80 GAA and a career high 5 shutouts along with a 18-25-9 record. In 1972-73 Favell had a career high 20 wins against 15 losses and 4 ties, with a 2.83 GAA and 3 shutouts.

That proved to be Favell's final season in Philadelphia. Favell proved to be a good goalie, but not a great goalie. The Flyers were becoming a strong contender but were not getting the spectacular goaltending needed to take the Flyers to new heights in the playoffs..

Favell was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, ironically to complete the trade which saw the Flyers reacquired Bernie Parent. Favell played two decent years with the Leafs. In the meantime the Flyers won the next two Stanley Cups without him.

Prior to 76-77, Doug joined the Colorado Rockies, a new team that formed out of the old Kansas City Scouts. Doug was between the pipes for the Rockies first win on October 5, 1976. Otherwise highlights were few and far between in Denver. Favell won only 21 games in 3 seasons with the awful Rockies.

By the 1978-79 season Favell was demoted to the minors where he spent most of the season. He hung up his blocker and goal pads after that season.

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Dominic Roussel

The story of Dominic Roussel is a tremendously interesting one. Unfortunately its not for his on ice accomplishments, but rather a weird turn of events involving his family.

On the ice, Roussel has had a rather forgettable career. Aside from the 1993-94 season where Dominic played in 60 games - winning 29 of them while losing 20, with 5 ties - Roussel was a backup goalie at best, often spending time in the minor leagues

One who watched Roussel in 1993-94 wonders what happened to the guy. Okay, maybe he wasn't good enough to be a NHL starting netminder, but he played well that year and looked capable of being one of the better backups at the very least. Yet his career went downhill so very fast.

Part of it had to do with the return of Ron Hextall to Philadelphia. The goalie who had so spectacularly wowed the NHL in the late 1980s was traded to Quebec - and later New York Islanders - as part of the big Eric Lindros deal. The Flyers felt they needed better goaltending than what Roussel could offer at that time, and weren't willing to wait for Roussel to develop further. They jumped at the chance to get the more experienced Hextall back in their nets.

But at the same time Roussel seemingly disappeared from the face of the hockey planet. After playing 19 games in 1994-95, he inexplicably played just 16 games over the next 3 years. He was briefly spotted in a couple of minor league stops, as well as Europe and the Canadian national team.

It turns out Roussel's personal life was going badly awry, as his own father was screwing him out of his financial security.

The trouble began unknowingly in 1993 when Andre Roussel took control of his son's career, replacing Gilles Lupien as his agent and financial representative.

"I spent a year talking to people trying to find a new agent, but I couldn't find anyone I was comfortable with," said Roussel.

If you couldn't be comfortable with your own father, who could you be comfortable with?

"My dad said he would do it. He had experience negotiating contracts in his job at Hydro Quebec so I thought it would be OK. I figured he would be fine as far as honesty was concerned."

Andre Roussel quickly quit his job with the intention of supporting himself, wife Pauline and other son Stephane, with the fees he would receive as Dominic's agent. However Dominic was certainly no superstar who commanded a 7-figure contract. It would be awfully hard for the three of them to support themselves on the 3-4% agents fee on Roussel's $400,000 contract.

For the 1994-95 season Dominic wanted a long term contract, but his father only got him another 1 year contract again at $400,000. The following year son followed father's advice, and held out for a million dollar contract. The Flyers were "only" paying starting goalie Ron Hextall $900,000 that year, so such a contract demand was ludicrous.

"My dad wanted too much," said Dominic. "He went too high"

The Roussel's finally settled for $600,000 for the season, but in the meantime the Flyers acquired Garth Snow to do their backup work. Dominic spent most of the year watching the Flyers play in the stands.

That's when Dominic fired his own father and hired professional agent Ron Weiss.

"I wanted my dad to do something to get me playing or get me traded, but he could do nothing" reasoned Dominic.

A week after hiring Weiss, Roussel was sent to the minors so he could play, and then was traded to the Winnipeg Jets. However trying to reestablish himself as a bonafide NHL goalkeeper again quickly became the least of Dominic's worries, as Weiss uncovered Andre Roussel's dirty secret.

While acting as an agent, Andre formed a company and obtained power of attorney and bought three pieces of property, two in Hull Quebec, and 1 in Montreal. Dominic was also shocked to learn that his parent were the beneficiaries of his life insurance policy, not his wife and kids.

Dominic filed a lawsuit against his father and in late 1997 recovered the properties that were purchased with his money. Another suit was filed in 1999 to recover $250,000 which was was owed to the goaltender. In a weird turn of events, Andre launched a counter suit against his own son for $1.7 million in damages. This included $55 000 a year for 15 years for lost wages for quitting his job at Hydro Quebec; $250,000 for loss of family life caused by Dominic's suit, $100,000 in legal fees and other such damages.

Needless to say, relations between Dominic and his dad are now strained.

"I didn't want to sue my dad, but I had to," a saddened Dominic explained. "I really love my parents. The tough thing for me was realizing (the love) was one sided. I trusted my dad like I would trust no one else."

David Poile, of the expansion Nashville Predators, heard about the story, and offered Roussel a try out.

"I had heard about his story and figured he could come to Nashville and write a happy ending to it." said Poile. "He had a great training camp and as it turned out was not only good enough for us to consider keeping him as one of our two goalies, another team was interested too."

That team was the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, whom Roussel played with for 3 seasons before finishing his NHL career with 8 games in Edmonton. He extended his hockey career by playing in Germany until 2003.

So how has Roussel gotten through all this?

"What got me through all this was my faith in God. That and the support I have received from my wife."

An eternal optimist, Dominic hopes to patch up his relationship with his parents.

"I hope one day they will come to me and say, 'We did this, we're sorry, let's move on.' I could forget everything if they would do that."

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Tom Bladon

Tom Bladon was a hard shooting, offensive minded defenseman best known for his days with the Philadelphia Flyers. Nicknamed "Bomber" because of how hard he could shoot the puck, Bladon broke Bobby Orr's record for most points in one game by a defenseman.

Bladon had 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in an 11-1 romp by the Flyers over the Cleveland Barons on December 11, 1977. 4 seasons earlier Bobby Orr had set the record when he had 3 goals and 4 assists in a 10-2 win over the New York Rangers. Paul Coffey has since tied Bladon's record with a 2 goal, 6 assist effort in a 12-3 win by the Edmonton Oilers over the Detroit Red Wings late in 1986.

Needless to say, that puts Bladon in some select company!

However Bladon is never really mentioned when it comes to elite defensemen such as Orr and Coffey. Although he was probably the top offensive defenseman of the Philadelphia Flyers during their two Stanley Cup victories in the mid-1970s, he's an often forgotten about member of that team as well.

Bladon broke into the league as a rookie in 1972-73, one year after his Edmonton Oil Kings fell just short of capturing the Memorial Cup. Bladon stepped into the Philadelphia and was a bit of an oddity on the Broad Street Bullies. He was anything but a real physical player, instead he relied on skill.

Bladon scored 11 goals and 42 points in an impressive rookie campaign. He slipped somewhat during the Cup years - scoring 12 goals and 34 points in 1973-74 and 9 goals and 29 points in 1974-75, although his plus/minus went through the roof with career highs 42 and 45 respectively.

Bladon's numbers improved as the team tried to get a little younger following the two championships. Bladon got more ice time and responded with 14 goals and 37 pints in 1975-76, and then with 10 goals and a career high 43 assists for a career high 53 points in 1976-77 - the year he broke Bobby Orr's record.

Bladon stepped back to reality in 1977-78 when he scored 11 goals and 35 points in what proved to be his final season in Philadelphia. He failed to raise his goal totals to double digits just once in 6 seasons in Philly, a true feat for a defenseman.

Bladon was never able to duplicate his success once he left Philadelphia however. This is due partly to the fact he was moved so often. Over the next three years he would play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings, not to mention the Wings farm team in Adirondack (AHL). Tom admitted that this was a very tough time in his life, and he opted to retire.

Retirement wasn't any easier for Tom however, although he soon adjusted. He went back home to his native Edmonton and worked for United Van Lines in their head office for 11 years before moving to Victoria where he got into the sporting goods business.

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Derian Hatcher

Derian Hatcher announced his retirement in the summer of 2009.

The post-NHL lockout world was not made for Derian Hatcher, and it showed. In fact, he was the poster boy of old warriors who could not play in the "new NHL." But in the years of the ultra-physical, tight checking NHL leading up to that time, Hatcher was one of the biggest, baddest and most feared men in hockey.

And one of the most effective. He was a tower of power with Dallas when he captained the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup. He was also a starring figure for the Americans at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. For a good portion of the 1990s he was a top 10 defenseman in the NHL.

He was always amongst my favorite players. From his effort and intensity, to his surprisingly effective hockey mind, he was a player I know I tried to emulate when playing street hockey and floor hockey back in the 1990s. I was too old to keep up with the young whippersnappers I played with, but I took great pride in my defensive play and my physicality, even though there was no hitting supposedly allowed.

Derian Hatcher would have been proud of me.

I liked Hatcher because he was a force. He was huge at 6'5" and 225lbs, and he hit like a Mack truck. He kept the slot clean of defenders back in the pre-lockout era when you could do so by any means necessary. Hatcher invented many of those means.

He was fearless in his intimidating physical game, demanding respect and room. He also had a real mean streak - just ask Jeremy Roenick. I could not imagine how scary it would be for a forward coming down Hatcher's wing, fully knowing he was going to jar every bone of your body and enjoy it. Hatcher intimidate me at home sitting on my couch.

Hatcher was intelligent about it though. He knew when to stay out of the penalty box, despite what his career 1581 penalty minutes might suggest. He picked his spots, knowing he was too valuable to his team. He was a real work horse, eating up big minutes in all key situations.

Hatcher was a real old school defenseman. He would have fit in wonderfully in long ago eras of Tim Horton or Fern Flaman or Terry Harper. He was almost that good. In a game which demands toughness, Derian Hatcher was the toughest.

Defense was Hatcher's specialty. He had a good head for the offensive game, just not the legs. His skating was laboured, so he learned early not get himself into spots where he could not hurry back. Instead he smartly positioned himself so that the play came to him.

He had good hands for such a big man. He had a good first pass and could handle the puck in traffic. He was a regular on the power play thanks to a smart wrist shot that he more often than not got on net. Occassionally he would move off the line and crash the net with his big body.

He was also a great leader. It was Hatcher that captained the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999. He was also a key contributer to USA's World Cup of Hockey victory in 1996.

Unable to use his stick and body so liberally in the post-lockout NHL, an aging Hatcher was exposed as a player who was unable to keep up in the "new NHL." I think that was a bit of an unfair label for him. Injuries really took their toll, most notably to his knees which slowed down the already-lumbering big man even more. Had Hatcher stayed healthy I think he would have been just fine in the "new NHL."

Derian Hatcher was a very good defenseman in the NHL, the type of defenseman every team in the league wishes they had. He could play on my team any day of the week.

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Dick Cherry

Every hockey fan knows who Don Cherry is - the loud obnoxious TV personality and former very successful coach of the Boston Bruins. But few people know who Dick Cherry is.

"People are forever coming up and asking me, 'Hey, aren't you Don's brother?' " explained Dick. "I've been called 'Don's brother' so often in recent years that I sometimes think my initials are D.B. Thankfully, people in Kingston still know me as Dick, which truly is my first name."

While Dick lives in the very big shadow of his brother, he was actually a better player - 149 times better if you compare NHL games played totals. Don only appeared in one NHL game in his long minor league career. Dick too played mostly in the minors, but appeared in 149 games - 8 with Boston and 141 with Philadelphia.

"Most people around Kingston realize that I played a couple of years in the NHL," says Dick. "In fact, there was actually a time when folks around here referred to Don as my brother!"

That was back in 1968 through 1970 when Dick benefited from NHL expansion. The long time minor leaguer finally caught on as a limited defenseman and fulltime penalty killer with the young Flyers.

Dick initially sat out the first NHL season to teach elementary school in Kingston. He had initially retired from hockey in 1963 after 6 seasons in the minors to teach school. He came out of retirement in 1966-67 to play with the Oklahoma City Blazers of the CHL but returned to the halls of education.

Dick jumped a Flyers offer of $22,000 contract with a guarantee to play in the NHL .

"That was a hell of a lot of money in those days," recalled Cherry. "I went to the school director and asked him for a leave of absence to play in the NHL and the thought it was a great idea. So, off I went to Philadelphia.

Cherry earned a niche as a penalty killer but also popped in an impressive 9 goals in his rookie year, helping the Flyers reach the playoffs. His biggest goal came during the opening game of the 1969 playoffs against St. Louis.

"I scored a goal against Jacques Plante of the Blues" Dick remembers. "We ended up losing the game 5-2, but it was quite a thrill to get a goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Its a memory I'll keep with me the rest of my life."

Dick played another full season in Philly in 1969-70. His numbers dipped to 3 goals and 4 assists in 68 games. In the off-season he was reclaimed by the Boston Bruins in a intra-league draft. Dick was reluctant to leave the Flyers, as he knew there was little chance he'd play in Boston. He decided to play one more year, even though he'd return to Oklahoma City in the minor leagues "just to be eligible for NHL pension benefits" before retiring for good at age 34.

Dick returned to teaching full time and later became a principal.

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Behn Wilson

Behn was born in Toronto, Ont. Named after his grandfather who was from Scotland thus explaining how he got the H in his name.

When growing up his sports activities never centered around any particular sport. Hockey would eventually become the No. 1 sport for Big Behn. Along with his sports interest was his interest in school as well. When he enrolled at the University of Toronto it was to pursue his interest in pre-medicine. Behn's parents encouraged him to not let sports consume all of his time. When he was in grade 2 he started going to speech and drama courses, something that he really liked. He studied Shakespeare and many of the classical plays. He took Canadian poetry and did phonetics and speech therapy

But when Behn put on his skates his poetry was gone with the wind. He was mean and tough. Opposite players hated to play against Behn, who always was ready to deliver a devastating hit or a sneaky punch. He was a brutally punishing hitter, and smashing fighter. But playing that way every shift is not easy, not even for someone of Wilson's size. He was often criticized letting up on players, especially players significantly smaller than him.

Though he had a reputation as a thug, he actually had the makings of a very good player. He was a good skater for such a big man, blessed with speed and balance, although lacking great agility. He also had a low, heavy slap shot from the point and knew when to pinch in off of the blue line. When he was on his game he was a top four defenseman on any team in the league.

But Wilson was enigmatic, not able to play to his potential many nights. He hurried his decisions, often making bad passes in all three zones which resulted in turnovers and odd man breaks against. As one NHL analyst once said, " Behn Wilson has all the talent and a full deck of cards to go with it. His only problem is the cards are shuffled the wrong way."

Behn played his junior career for three OHA teams between 1975-78: The Ottawa 67's, Windsor Spitfires and Kingston Canadians. He played a total of 163 games in which he scored 154 pts. (35+119) and picked up 470 Pim's.

Philadelphia had traded their veterans Orest Kindrachuk, Ross Lonsberry and Tom Bladon for Pittsburgh's 1st round choice in 1978. Philadelphia liked what they saw in the young defenseman. He not only displayed fine overall skills but was big (6'3" 210 Ibs) and tough as nails, so they used the 1st round choice to select Behn 6th overall in the 1978 draft.

Behn didn't disappoint and had a fine rookie season (1978-79) playing all 80 games scoring 49 points, including 13 goals. He not only contributed fine offensively but also engaged in numerous fights against players like Tiger Williams, Willi Plett and Gary Howatt. He eventually ended up with 197 PIMs in his rookie season. Behn played five seasons for Philadelphia and reached a career high in 1981-82 with 16 goals, 47 assists and 63 points, as well as 237 PIM's.

Behn's reputation however wasn't the best in the league. He was responsible for several questionable altercations and Philadelphia felt it was better for him to move on. He was traded to Chicago in June 1983 for Doug Crossman and Philadelphia's 2nd round choice in 1984 (Scott Mellanby) in the 1984 draft.

Often playing with Keith Brown, Behn continued his hard nosed style of play in Chicago and had three very solid seasons on the Blackhawks blueline before sitting out the entire 1986-87 season with a back injury. He eventually returned for the 1987-88 season but it was evident that his back wasn't 100%. After the season Behn announced his retirement, only 29 years old.

Wilson went into business for himself after hockey. He had been studying economics from the University of Toronto during his off-seasons while still in the NHL.

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Lindsay Carson

Lindsay Carson was often knocked as being enigmatic. Despite some decent skills, he never managed to establish himself as more than a nice role player in his 6 1/2 seasons in the NHL.

The 6'2" 190lb native of Oxbow, Saskatchewan was an excellent skater, blessed with good speed. He was a good stickhandler and possessed a heavy shot. However Carson lacked the on ice vision and creativity to do much with the puck once his fine attributes allowed him to acquire it.

Defensively Carson was pretty good, but would often cheat just a bit hoping to use his speed to capitalize on a turnover. Physically Carson was inconsistent. He benefited from playing most of his career with the big and bad Philadphia Flyers of the 1980s. Often he'd give a guy an extra little shot or piece of the stick knowing that one of his brash teammates would bail him out.

Carson was drafted 56th overall in the 1979 Entry draft. After an impressive 4 year career in the WHL with Saskatoon and Billings and one season in the minor leagues, Carson made the Flyers team on a full time basis in 1982-83. However due to the Flyer's strong depth, he was quickly labeled as a role player on the Flyer's 3rd or 4th lines. Over the course of his career he would also see lots of time on the left wing.

Aside from an injury plagued 1983-84 season, he remained a big leaguer full time until 1988. Late in what proved to be his final NHL season (1987-88) Carson was traded to the Hartford Whalers for a similarly enigmatic player named Paul Lawless. Carson finished the season in Hartford and rounded out his professional career the following year with the Whalers AHL farm team.

Lindsay Carson played in 373 NHL games collecting 66 goals and 80 assists for 146 points. He added 524 PIM in that time as well. In 48 post season appearances, Carson chipped in 4 goals and 14 points plus 56 PIM.

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Daryl Stanley

I remember when the Vancouver Canucks acquired Daryl Stanley quite clearly. The team traded a young goalie named Wendell Young and a draft pick for Stanley and goalie Darren Jensen.

Stanley's role was quickly obvious. He was acquired to be a tough guy, a role he had accepted since his junior hockey days in New Westminster.

Stanley grew up in small town Manitoba, loving the great outdoors as much as hockey. Because he was big and physical, he caught the eye of Punch McLean's New Westminster Bruins. Stanley would play for 2 years in BC's Lower Mainland and finish his junior career with a season in Saskatoon, but he never garnered any attention at the NHL Entry Draft.

Stanley did not give up on his dreams of the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers invited him to training camp where he impressed the brass enough to earn a contract.

Over the next 4 seasons Stanley shuttled between the NHL and the minor leagues, called up whenever injuries or expected battles warranted his skills. He learned to play competent defense, making up for lack of foot or puck skills by learning to play within his limitations. He also had to overcome serious injuries that occurred in a car accident in the 1984-85 season. He suffered a dislocated vertebra in the neck, a minor concussion, and a bruised kidney. He spent three months in the hospital and some reports even suggested Stanley's career was over.

But he fought his way back and became a regular on the Flyers roster.

"Bob Plager once told me, 'kid, never forget what got you here. Keep playing like that, and then you can work on the other things'" Stanley remembered.

By his final season in Philadelphia, 1987, Stanley, who also took shifts on the wings, was used in 13 playoff games as the Flyers battled the Oilers for the Stanley Cup finals.

Impressed with his improving play and his willingness to drop the gloves, the Canucks made the move for Stanley late in the summer of 1987. It was a move designed to toughen up the smallish Canucks team that was too often pushed around. Stanley, along with the likes of Craig Coxe and Dave Richter, were there to even things out a bit.

But he was also brought in to instill a winning attitude in Vancouver.

"Being on good clubs, right when you become a part of the organization, you learn how to win. It's instilled in your head that you've got to win. Some of the players I've talked to, who've been here awhile, say the attitude is better now than it's been for some time."

Stanley had a successful first season in Vancouver in 1987-88. I remember him taking on all comers, most notably Detroit's daunting Bob Probert and then Calgary's Tim Hunter a few days later. He even filled in for the injured Stan Smyl as team captain for a stretch of about 20 games. This must have been one of Stanley's proudest accomplishments in hockey.

But something happened in the next couple of seasons. Injuries derailed the next two campaigns, as he played in only 20 and 23 games in 1988-89 and 1989-90 respectively.

All the time off, coupled with his car accident a couple of years earlier, gave Stanley lots of time to think. At some point he just decided he had had enough of the life of a NHL enforcer, and returned home to the wilderness of Manitoba where he could find peace and tranquility, and ultimately his new career.

He began guiding hunters on many different types of gaming trips. Eventually he opened up Stanley's Goose Camp, and Stanley Bear Creek Outfitting, where he specializes guiding hunters and hosting them at his lodge.

Just for fun, let's take a look at a classic Daryl Stanley fight courtesy of YouTube. Here is taking on an eager Scott Stevens:

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Jack McIlhargey

Bushy-haired Jack McIlhargey will forever be remembered as one of hockey's toughest players in the 1970s. He will always be associated with one of two teams, too - the Philadelphia Flyers, where he was one of the pack known as the Broad Street Bullies, and the Vancouver Canucks, where he was a bit more of a lone wolf but a true fan favorite. He was actually raised in the nearby suburb of Burnaby.

Ray Scapinello was a long time NHL linesman, and he had to break up a lot of fights over his 33 years in the league. More than a few of those fights undoubtedly involved McIlhargey.

Scapinello wrote in his book Between The Lines that he had a great deal of respect for NHL tough guys, making a point to single out McIlhargey.

"One guy I really admire is Jack McIlhargey," wrote Scampy. "He was with the Flyers around their heyday, he mugged people, beat up people when he was in Philly, and then he got traded to the Canucks."

Scapinello officiated McIlhargey's first game against the Flyers.

"Now we'll see how tough this guy is," tought Scapinello. "He's got nobody to back him up."

"He ran Bob Clarke all night long, and nobody came near him. From that day on, I had a lot of respect for Jack. He was on his own out there, and he was fearless. They either had a lot of respect for him or they were paranoid of him."

Jack McIlhargey played in 393 NHL games, scored 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points. He spent 1102 minutes sitting in the penalty box. He also appeared in 27 games scoring only 3 assists. During his 8 seasons as an NHL defenseman, Jack McIlhargey's trademark was that of a tough competitor who never backed down from anyone and a player who wore his heart on his sleeve. He was always a vocal leader both on the ice and in the dressing room. The popular McIlhargey had a way to get his teammates to perform at their best every night.

"I wasn't a great skater or a great player," McIlhargey once said. "But I worked hard. I knew, when I came to practice or a game, that I wouldn't be outworked."

With such leadership abilities, its not surprising that Jack became heavily involved in the coaching fraternity following his playing days, accepting several positions within both the Flyers and Canucks organizations.

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Eric Desjardins

I will never forget my introduction to Eric Desjardins.

It's September 1991. I was barely a 17 years old, and, in my own not-so-humble teenage estimation, a hockey expert.

I was anxiously awaiting news about Team Canada's roster for my favorite international tournament of all time, the Canada Cup. Boy was I ever excited about this Canada Cup. Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier and company were going to go back to war against the Soviets, just like 4 years prior in 1987.

Most of the training camp the media was fixating on Eric Lindros, the junior superstar who would be making his debut against the best of the NHL. I know I eagerly awaited the phenom's debut.

But when the final Team Canada roster was announced and the whole hockey world was talking about Lindros, I was scurrying to find out about another Eric - Eric Desjardins.

Who the heck was he? How could I not know anything about him? What kind of a hockey expert was I, anyways?

I quickly found out as much as I could, back in those pre-internet days. Which is to say not a whole lot. He was a young Quebecker out of Rouyn-Noranda. He had played just 153 games in the previous three seasons with Montreal, scoring but 12 goals.

I quickly figured Desjardin's inclusion was some sort of cronyism. After all, Montreal's Serge Savard was a manager with this team, and Jean Perron was an assistant coach.

But it turned out Desjardins was very much there based on merit, although I recall hearing that Canada's lack of right-handed shooters on the blue line played a role in his inclusion as well. He impressed me thoroughly in that tournament.

After that I was able to keep an eye on him pretty closely. He would star in Montreal, helping the Canadiens capture the 1993 Stanley Cup, thanks in large part to his hat trick performance against Los Angeles in game 2 of the finals.

He was quietly the anchor of Montreal's defense, and later Philadelphia's. He was never really equated with the elite defensemen of the game, yet he was not far off, either, providing a lot of steady minutes. His brilliance was not necessarily obvious, rather subtle and understated, much like himself.

Desjardins had good size at 6'1" and 205lbs, but he never played an overly physical game, perhaps making him less noticeable to the casual observer and easy to under-appreciate. Instead he relied on near perfect positioning and an active stick to check effectively. He was not thunderously noticeable, but he was efficient. He was clean and controlled, never panicked and rarely took a bad penalty.

He was as cool as a cucumber while under pressure in his own zone. He was excellent at head-manning the puck out of the zone and capable of handling (not necessarily rushing) the puck out himself.

On offense he was a power play quarter back, a rare right-handed one at that. Like Raymond Bourque he had a low, heavy slap shot that somehow always found it's way from the point on to the net, creating countless opportunities for rebounds and deflections.

By the mid 1990s the Canadiens needed offense and sacrificed their stud defenseman and a young John Leclair in exchange for veteran winger Mark Recchi. Recchi did well in Montreal, but somehow the team was never quite the same and headed into a tailspin.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia Leclair erupted into perhaps the game's best power forward, while Desjardins earned more recognition and became an all star defender, twice making the year end honorary team.

Desjardins played 11 seasons in Philadelphia. Perhaps he was relied on a bit too heavily by the Flyers. As he got older his body was starting to break down a bit and he was becoming noticeably tired in the post seasons. As good as he was, the Flyers failed to bring in a true number one defenseman to spell off their captain.

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Miroslav Dvorak

Miroslav Dvorak was a rock hard square built defenseman who did not make his NHL debut until he was 31 years old in 1982. That's when the Czechoslovakian Ice Hockey Federation made him available for the Flyers.

Miroslav was a tough defenseman who was very hard to get by. He excelled in one on one situations and was excellent positionally. Miroslav played the body very well but he didn't pick up many penalties. He was aggressive but not stupid.

Miroslav was born in Hluboka nad Vltavou in 1951. His father was a waiter who worked many years in France. Miroslav's brother Pavel was an excellent soccer player. When Pavel was 17 many experts predicted that he would become a star forward in Czechoslovakian soccer. But a tragic accident put a stop to that. One day he jumped into very shallow water, ruptured his spleen and eventually died of his injuries.

Miroslav started playing hockey when he was eight at Munický Rybnik in Hluboka. When he was 14 he started playing for Motor Ceske Budejovice, a club he played for 16 seasons. (1965-72,74-82 and 87-88) He also played two seasons for the army club Dukla Jihlava (1972-74). His other clubs included Philadelphia Flyers (1982-85) , and German clubs Kassel (1985-87) and Essen (1987-88).

When he played in Philadelphia his play was highly appreciated by the Philadelphia organization. In 1983-84 he was named as the team's top defenseman. The popular teammate nicknamed "Cookie" also got to play in the Stanley Cup finals in 1985 where Philadelphia lost in six games to Edmonton.

He spoke no English when he first arrived in Philadelphia. Defense partner Brad Marsh took him under his wing both on and off the ice.

On the ice Dvorak was a complete pro. Miroslav worked very hard and was always in top shape. In Budejovice his longtime defensive partner was Milan Chalupa, who played briefly for Detroit in the mid 1980's. Both were also longtime defensive partners on the national team.

Off the ice Dvorak worked hard to fit in with his teammates. He was very sociable, funny and popular with his teammates, fitting in memorably.

Miroslav played in 9 world championships as well as two Canada Cups. He made the second All-Star team in the 1982 world championships and was voted the best defenseman in the 1981-82 Izvestija tournament. He was also voted second in the competition for Czechoslovakia's "Golden Stick Award", given to the player of the year.

All in all Miroslav played 509 league games in Czechoslovakia, scoring 79 goals. He played 228 games in the national team jersey, scoring 14 goals.

This unspectacular but very steady blueliner became a hotel and restaurant owner in southern Czech Republic after his playing career was over.

Dvorak passed away at the age of 56 on June 11th, 2008. He had throat cancer.

Special thanks to Patrick Houda

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Rick MacLeish

Rick MacLeish scored 328 goals in a Philadelphia Flyers history, many of them in clutch situations. He added 54 more goals in the playoffs, including 10 game winners. But he will always be remembered for just one tally.

MacLeish may have scored the most important goal in Flyers history. His game-winning goal in Game 6 of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins gave the Flyers a 1-0 win and their first championship.

Born on January 3, 1950, in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, MacLeish grew up like many boys of that era - playing hockey on the frozen river near his house, dreaming of one day playing in the NHL.

It became apparent that his dream would come true when made it all the way to the Ontario Hockey Association where he starred for the Peterborough Petes under head coach Roger Neilson. After scoring 95 goals in two seasons, the Boston Bruins selected him fourth overall in the 1970 NHL Entry draft. Ironically, the pick the Bruins used was originally Philadelphia's. It was obtained in a trade three years earlier.

MacLeish would never play for the Bruins. The Flyers were enamored with the sleek center with deft puck handling skills, and sent veteran center Mike Walton to Boston in exchange for the man his teammates would nickname "Cutie."

The story book ending did take some time to develop, however. MacLeish scored just two goals in his first 26 games in Philadelphia. At the beginning of the 1971-72 season, he scored only one goal in 17 games and was dispatched to Richmond of the American Hockey League. The superstar in waiting had to go down and work on his defense and checking game. To his credit he did everything that was asked of him, hoping that one day he would be given a chance to succeed in the NHL.

When that chance did come the next season, MacLeish made the most of it. Centering veteran right wing Gary Dornhoefer and rookie left wing Bill Barber, MacLeish lit the lamp 50 times, becoming the first Flyer and first player from an expansion team to reach that lofty milestone. MacLeish also set up 50 goals, giving him an impressive 100 points in his first full season.

"Hawk" would almost duplicate those exact totals 4 seasons later. He fell just short, tallying 49 goals and 97 points. Other than those two spectacular season, MacLeish settled in as consistent 30 goal threat over his nine seasons with the Flyers.

Of course many of his goals were clutch goals. 51 of his goals were game winners, which at the time ranked him 2nd in Flyers history. Even today he remains ranked 4th all time.

And MacLeish carried his production into the post-season, too. He thrived on the pressure of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In both of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup championship seasons, MacLeish was the NHL’s leading point scorer, tallying 22 points in 1974 and 20 in 1975. He missed the 1976 Cup drive with torn knee ligaments. The Flyers returned to the Cup finals, but with several key injuries the Montreal Canadiens swept the Flyers in the Finals.

Though he was primarily a skill player, MacLeish was prepared to take the physical beating necessary to win. With that approach comes injuries, though nothing could have prepared him for the injury suffered in 1977-78. While killing a penalty his neck was accidentally sliced by the skate Los Angeles Kings ace Marcel Dionne. It took 180 stitches to close that nasty gash.

MacLeish, the man of many nicknames - Bedrock, Pink Floyd - would leave Philadelphia in 1981-82 season, becoming a bit of a vagabond as many veteran players do. He would play in Hartford, Pittsburgh and Detroit, as well as a stint in Switzerland. But he will always be remembered as a Philadelphia Flyer.

Philadelphia is where MacLeish chose to retire. He got into the insurance and financial services business, as well as getting into the world of harness racing. He spends his spare time working with the Flyers Alumni society and their various events.

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Simon Nolet

It took him a while, but Simon Nolet eventually established himself as a real nice NHL hockey player.

The diminutive right winger known for his excellent slap shot saw little interest from NHL teams in the remaining days of the Original Six league. He never played the game at a true competitive or developmental level until the age of 19 when he first tried to make the Quebec Citadelles' junior team . The following year he made the team and was a big part of the team's success.

After graduating from the junior ranks in 1962 Nolet played senior hockey until 1965, first with the Windsor Maple Leafs in the Nova Scotia Senior Hockey League, and later with the Sherbrooke Castors of the Quebec Senior Circuit. Despite standing just 5'9" tall, he was a dominating player in those senior leagues, posting mind boggling statistics. He had 152 goals in 149 games

By the 1965-66 season Nolet turned pro with the Quebec Aces of the American Hockey League. He was extremely happy to be back in Quebec City. His first season was a tough adjustment for the St. Odilon native. He played in 61 games and scored a disappointing 16 goals and 33 points. He was then held scoreless in 6 post season games. nolet redeemed himself nicely in 1966-67 when he scored 32 times in 66 games and was a top player in the playoffs - scoring 5 points in his team's short stay in post season activity.

When the NHL finally expanded in 1967, Nolet got his long awaited shot at the big leagues. The Philadelphia Flyers purchased the entire Quebec Aces team with the intent of using them as a farm team. Along with the team went the players including Nolet.

While he put up some great numbers in the AHL (averaging well over a point a game including a league leading 96 points in 1967-68), Simon only got brief looks with the Flyers, but did not stick with the club until 1970 when he scored a team high 22 goals in just 56 contests. He was also a strong +13.

Nolet took a step back in 1970-71, scoring just 9 times but continued to be a hard working forward. Though he would reach the 20 goal level only once more, Nolet would remain with the Flyers through to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1974.

Expansion again played a role in Nolet's career soon after the Cup victory. The new comer Kansas City Scouts made Nolet the first skater taken (goaltenders had a separate draft that occurred before the players draft). even though by now he was 33 years old the Scouts felt Nolet could be a top player for them.

"He'll be our goal scorer, " predicted general manager Sid Abel of Nolet, who scored 19 times in limited ice time the year before with Philly. "Simon will see a lot more ice time with us than he ever did in Philly so we see him as a guy who could get 30 or 40 goals."

Nolet didn't get quite that many, but nonetheless didn't disappoint by scoring a career high 26 lamplighters to go with 32 helpers for 58 points.

Nolet struggled through the first half of the 75-76 season and was traded mid-way through the campaign to Pittsburgh, where he didn't fare much better. In 1976-77 he played somewhat sparingly with the Colorado Rockies before retiring at season's end.

Nolet later became a successful scout, most notably for the Flyers. One of the kids he'd been eying he had known since he was a toddler - Simon Gagne. Nolet was good friends with Gagne's father Pierre as the two played together back in Quebec City. It was Nolet who was instrumental in the Flyers picking of one of the most talented young players in the game.

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Dmitri Tertyshny

The National Hockey League was rocked with a tragic death of one of its youngest and more promising on July 23rd 1999. On that Friday night 22-year-old Philadelphia Flyers rookie defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny was killed in a boating accident in Kelowna, British Columbia.

According to Staff Sgt. Phillip Boissonneault of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Tertyshny was kneeling on a seat in the bow of a 17-foot powerboat and was thrown from the craft when it hit a wave. The boat ran over Tertyshny, its propeller severing his carotid artery and jugular vein. The official autopsy report said that the cause of death was a massive loss of blood.

Tertyshny was one of four passengers on the boat, on Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, British Columbia. Accompanying him were two minor league prospects defenseman Mihail Chernov and forward Francis Belanger, who drove the boat. A local woman, Michelle Monroe, was also on the boat. The players had been in Kelowna attending a power skating school.

The accident occurred at 7:25 p.m., Boissonneault said, and the boat returned to shore and an emergency call was received at 7:32. Within three minutes, emergency personnel were on the scene and Tertyshny was taken to Kelowna General Hospital. Officials said it appeared that Tertyshny actually died around 7:30, while still on the boat.

Boissoneault said that although there were indications that alcohol had been consumed on the boat, it was not a factor.

"We conducted our investigation to determine if the operator of the boat, Belanger, was impaired because of alcohol, and our investigation determined he was not legally impaired," Boissonneault said.

"I always thought he'd be with us for a long time," said Flyers general manager Bob Clarke. "You never expect these kind of things. It's such a shocking thing. An afternoon in a rental boat turns into tragedy. Tertyshny was a really nice, likable kid," Clarke said. "He always had a smile on his face. You'd ask him, 'How's your English?' and he'd always say the same thing: 'It's coming, it's coming.'

"A freak accident," head coach Roger Neilson said. "I phoned Rammer [assistant coach Craig Ramsay], who spent a lot of time working with him, and he's devastated. Such a nice, cooperative kid. We felt he was really developing as a player and would have continued to develop."

It was Neilson who was largely responsible for seeing that "Tree" played in the NHL last season. Many felt he wasn't ready for the NHL. Despite numerous rookie give-aways and mistakes, Neilson really liked Tertyshny's skating and quickness.

"It's a shock," said team captain Eric Lindros. "Here you have a young player come over here and get adjusted. He transforms himself into a gamer. . . . [He was] just a terrific person. Kind of quiet in the dressing room, but he had a terrific sense of humour."

"Such a nice, young guy with a bright future," defensive partner Chris Therien said. "He was a good, young man. It's a real tragedy."

Dmitri is survived by his wife Pauline, who was 4 months pregnant at the time of his death.

Dmitri isn't the first Philly Flyer to die so young. The franchise has a shockingly high occurrence of such tragedies:

Barry Ashbee: The defenseman had his career cut short during the Stanley Cup semifinals against the New York Rangers in 1974 when he was hit in the right eye by a slap shot. The Flyers went on to win the first of their consecutive championships that year. Ashbee became an assistant coach for the team before being diagnosed with leukemia in April 1977. He died a month later, at 37.

Pelle Lindbergh: The season after winning the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the league, Lindbergh, at the age of 26, crashed his $117,000 Porsche into a cement wall shortly after 5:30 a.m. in Somerdale, N.J., on Nov. 10, 1985. The accident caused serious injury to his spinal cord and brain stem and left the goalie brain-dead. Lindbergh's blood-alcohol at the time of the crash was 0.17, well above the legal limit.

Kathy Kerr: The wife of Flyers winger Tim Kerr died on Oct. 16, 1990 at Pennsylvania Hospital from complications of childbirth. She had given birth to a daughter, Kimberly, 10 days earlier, and remained in the hospital because of a pelvic infection.

Yanick Dupre: Leukemia also felled the 24-year-old defenseman, who was diagnosed with the disease in April 1996. Before the year was over, the leukemia was in remission and Dupre hoped to return to play with the team. The leukemia returned in May '97, just two weeks before Dupre was scheduled to visit the Flyers during their playoff run. He died in a Montreal hospital on Aug. 16, 1997.

The Flyers family also suffered two other deaths just days before Tertyshny's freak accident. Long time play by play announcer Gene Hart and former player Cowboy Flett also passed away in July 1999.

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Doug Crossman

Doug Crossman, a Mike Keenan favorite, was a reliable defender and a great team guy. He was part of both the 1985 and 1987 Philadelphia teams that challenged for the Stanley Cup, and was part of the victorious 1987 Canada Cup team. He would play in over 900 NHL games and scored 464 points. He could move the puck so the fact that he could always find a NHL job on someone's blue line should not be surprising.

But when you break down his game, you have to wonder just how he did it.

There have been few better passers from the back end. He was an outstanding puckhandler and a great breakout passer, able to read the ice and key the transition offense. He'd jump into rushes and pinch at the blue line with great efficiency, but frustratingly he seemed to rarely release his above average shot. Yet defensively he had trouble reading the play when it was coming towards him.

His defensive problems were further exacerbated by his lack of speed and lateral mobility. He was a smooth skater backwards and forward, but he could be caught by surprise and unable to catch up. He wasn't a physical player and was down right weak in terms of upper body strength. He tried to rely on his quick stick and anticipation, though early in his career especially he would wander too far out of position.

Though he always remained a bit of an adventure in his own zone, over the years experience certainly helped him out. But that sounds like a pretty lethal mix to be throwing out against the 1980s Oilers of the Soviet national team in 1987.

Part of it was timing. Crossman's career seemed to peak in 1987, with a strong playoff (18 points in 26 games). After a short summer break Keenan included him on Team Canada and he did not look out of place against the extremely quick Soviets.

Crossman survived as a very heady defenseman, able to play either the right or left side with equal proficiency. The Flyers acquired him from Chicago hoping he'd be a mirror compliment to the great Mark Howe, but he never lived up to those expectations. His success in 1987, his qualities in the dressing room and NHL expansion led to an elongated career, with subsequent stops with LA, New York Islanders, Hartford, Detroit, Tampa Bay and St. Louis.

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