Going back to the Broad Street Bullies era for our Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame series, we take a look at what Reggie Leach was able to do with the Orange and Black. Acquired from the California Golden Seals before the 1974-75 NHL season, it didn’t take long for him to cement himself as a franchise legend.
Leach played with the Flyers for eight seasons and is one of the best goal-scorers in team history. What did he do for the Flyers? Why was he so special?
Trading for Leach
Less than a week after winning their first Stanley Cup in 1974, the Flyers proved they wanted to win another by trading for Leach. The team traded 22-year-old forwards Al MacAdam and Larry Wright and a 1974 first-round pick to the Seals for the 24-year-old right-winger. It was a big price to pay, especially after MacAdam had a career-high of 93 points during his time in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars in 1979-80, but the Flyers were eager to win another championship.
Leach was the third-overall pick in the 1970 NHL Draft, and he was starting to prove why with the California Golden Seals after a short tenure with the Boston Bruins. In 1973-74, he notched 22 goals and 46 points in 78 games, his highest NHL point total before he joined the Flyers.
Leach was an up-and-coming star, so playing for a team with some of the best forwards in the NHL at the time such as Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish, and Bill Barber was a plus. General manager (GM) Keith Allen knew the Flyers could use some juice to turn themselves into an annual contender rather than a one-year-wonder.
Related: Keith Allen: The Architect of the Flyers’ 2 Stanley Cups
With this deal, Allen was doing everything in his power to make that happen, and it didn’t take long for his gamble to pay off.
Leach Finds Instant Success
Leach hit it off right away with the Orange and Black, reaching career-highs in every statistic possible in the 1974-75 season. With a team that went 51-18-11, he helped Philadelphia finish with the best record in the NHL for the first time in franchise history.
Leach scored a team-leading 45 goals and 78 points with a plus-53 rating. He was an efficient scorer with a 15.6 shooting percentage, which was second on the team and first among lineup regulars. He also received the first All-Star nod of his career. Very quickly, Leach became one of the Flyers’ best players.
In the playoffs, Leach didn’t reach new heights, but he was an important part of the team’s effort to repeat as champions. In 17 playoff games, he was second on the team in goals with eight, and his ten points were tied with Gary Dornhoefer for fourth. Of course, Leach won the first Stanley Cup of his career with a win over the Buffalo Sabres in the Final.
The “LCB” Line Reaches Its Peak
In 1975-76, Leach found much success, which can be credited to the famous “LCB” line formed by head coach Fred Shero the season before. The trio – with Clarke and Barber – took the NHL by storm. That line combined for 141 goals, 181 assists, and a plus-229 rating in 236 games, and they were doing things never really seen before in the NHL.
Leach scored the first (and only) 60-goal season in franchise history, putting in 61 goals and 91 points. He led the league in goals and was named an All-Star. But the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy was not in existence yet, so he didn’t receive an award for that. But he is the only Flyer ever to lead the league in goals.
Leach also had a legendary playoffs that season. In the Flyers’ run to their third straight Stanley Cup Final appearance, he scored 19 goals and five assists in 16 games. No player has ever buried that many goals in a single postseason, and the playoffs were shorter then. Unfortunately, the Flyers were swept by the Montreal Canadiens, but he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP due to his efforts.
The Rest of Leach’s Time With the Flyers
Leach never reached the same heights after the 1975-76 season, but he was still terrific. In his following five seasons, he scored 20 or more goals each time. His best campaign was a 50-goal onslaught in 1979-80 when the Orange and Black returned to the Stanley Cup Final but lost to the New York Islanders in six games. That was also the season he earned his third and final All-Star nomination.
After the 1981-82 campaign, when Leach scored 47 points in 66 games at age 31, he and the Flyers parted ways. He scored 32 points in 78 contests with the Detroit Red Wings in 1982-83 before he decided to call it quits from the NHL.
Leach finished his NHL career with 666 points in 934 games, but his most impressive numbers were with the Flyers. In 606 games, he scored 306 goals and 208 assists with a plus-214 rating. To this day, he is one of the best goal-scorers in Flyers history.
