The Philadelphia Flyers have had some wildly talented players in their history. Including a player from each decade of the team’s history, what would an all-time lineup of the Flyers look like if they were all at their peak?
Forward Line 1: Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke, Tim Kerr
With an element of chemistry, elite goal-scoring ability, and even some tenacity, this first line has it all. In all, this line has 2648 games of experience with the Flyers alone.
Bill Barber is one of the rare Flyers legends to play the entirety of his career with Philadelphia. In just 903 games, he scored 420 goals with the club and was nominated to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Bobby Clarke needs no introduction, arguably being the greatest two-way player in not just in Flyers’ history but the history of the NHL. With multiple Hart Trophies to his name, as well as two Stanley Cup championships, he is probably the greatest to ever play for the Flyers. A total of 1210 points all in Philadelphia helps cement this.
Related: Defensive Forward Elite Eight: The Best in Hockey History
As for Tim Kerr, he was on the trajectory to be one of the best goal-scorers in NHL history. The only issue was his durability. Mounting injuries eventually led to his retirement after just 655 games in the league. With an NHL-record 34 power-play goals in his 1985-86 campaign, he is one of the most underrated players in Flyers history. If fans could have watched Clarke feed the puck to him in both their primes, it would have been incredible.
Forward Line 2: John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Claude Giroux
If the Legion of Doom wasn’t already dominant enough, they add one of the most skilled players to ever play for the Flyers to their wing in Claude Giroux. His skill, combined with the chemistry of John LeClair and Eric Lindros, might be impossible to stop.
LeClair has been underrated frequently. He is the last American player to score consecutive 50-goal seasons, doing so from his 1995-96 campaign through his 1997-98 season. During that span, he finished fifth in league scoring and fourth twice, only trailing the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race by a combined three goals in the latter two seasons where he held his streak.
Lindros is notorious for his injury history, but he was one of the most dominant players in the sport when he was healthy, winning the Hart Trophy in 1994-95. Before the 2023-24 NHL season, he was far and away the best player in team history in terms of points per game, with 1.36, as opposed to the second-place finisher in Kerr, having 1.08. In Philadelphia, Giroux had to do a lot of the heavy lifting on his own. Finishing in the top three for league scoring three times in Philadelphia, he was a borderline superstar player at his best. This would be a deadly core, and the long-time Flyers’ captain could be the set-up man with some scoring touch as well.
Forward Line 3: Brian Propp, Rick MacLeish, Mark Recchi
This line has a mix of dominance from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Featuring some great hockey from several different eras, this group was fun to watch.
Brian Propp would be higher in the lineup if the team’s wing depth wasn’t so strong. Being one of the most influential and longest-standing players in team history, he rightfully belongs here. Making it to the Stanley Cup Final three times for the Flyers and scoring 849 points, he evidenced his greatness for several years.
As for Rick MacLeish, he was arguably the most overlooked part of the Flyers’ Broad Street Bullies era team. He was vital to their success, becoming the first Flyer, along with Clarke, to register 100 points in a season. He is rightfully in the team’s Hall of Fame. Mark Recchi holds the record for the most single-season points in Flyers history and serves as the playmaker for the line. With over 1,500 career points and having more points with Philadelphia than any other team, he is a Flyer at heart.
Forward Line 4: Dave Schultz, Rod Brind’Amour, Rick Tocchet
In typical Flyers fashion, they need an intimidating fourth line to defend some of their star players. Dave “The Hammer” Schultz serves as the perfect candidate for this, holding the league record for penalties in minutes (PIMs) in a season with 472. While candidates like Reggie Leach, Dave Poulin, or even Simon Gagne were probably more accomplished in the Orange and Black, the element of fear is better than any skill could provide with this roster already so packed with talent.
As for Rod Brind’Amour, he is one of the best two-way players in team history. Being one of the most beloved players to ever lace up the skates for the Flyers, it would be hard not to include him here with 601 points in 633 games with Philadelphia. Rick Tocchet is a rare specimen who had incredible skill, as well as being one of the toughest athletes to ever play for the Flyers. With a team record 1,815 PIMs while piling up 508 points in just 621 games, the multi-time Flyer was one of the best the club ever had. He was so great that he returned a package that got Recchi to Philadelphia.
Defensive Pair 1: Chris Pronger, Eric Desjardins
In the history of the Flyers, their defenses have been noticeably weaker than their forwards. However, there are still some terrific players here, highlighted by the time Eric Desjardins spent with the team and Philadelphia getting a few quality seasons out of Chris Pronger. He might not be the longest-tenured Flyers defender, but he was one of the most important.
Starting with Pronger, despite playing just 145 games with Philadelphia, he finished in the top 10 for Norris Trophy voting on two occasions. He was a pivotal part of the Flyers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009-10. When the team lost him due to injury in 2011-12, they were never really the same and could not find a true replacement. One could argue to this day that Philadelphia has not had a defender as good as he was. As for Desjardins, he spent nearly 600 more games with the team. He finished in the top 10 for Norris Trophy voting five times and recorded 396 points with the team, even though he played a significant majority of his Flyers career in the dead puck era.
Defensive Pair 2: Mark Howe, Kimmo Timonen
To balance out the lines a bit, Mark Howe moves to the second pairing. However, he gets paired with one of the most universally liked Flyers ever in Kimmo Timonen, and one of three defenders featured to play in the 21st century.
There should be almost no debate that Howe is the best defender that the Flyers have ever had. Finishing second in Norris Trophy voting three different times with the Flyers, his game was respected around the league. His 480 points with the Flyers in just 594 games was sensational. With a player as intelligent as Timonen alongside him, this would be a deadly duo. He was one of the best all-around defenders the team has ever seen, with an underrated slapshot, and he was very competent defensively.
Defensive Pair 3: Behn Wilson, Andre Dupont
Going off of the theme of the fourth line on offense, this line has some supreme physicality. With 214 points and 873 PIMs in 339 games in Philadelphia, Behn Wilson’s game wasn’t too shabby. When he played, he was one of the more revered fighters with some skill to boot.
As for Andre Dupont, he also was an intimidating force. With 1505 PIMs and 177 points in 549 games, he might not have been the best Flyers defender, with players like Jimmy Watson, brother Joe Watson, Bob Dailey, and even Garry Galley left on the board, but he was certainly the most physical.
Goaltenders: Bernie Parent, Ron Hextall
There were a few options for the backup role, but the starter is quite obvious. Bernie Parent may go down as the best Flyers goaltender forever. He was truly that special.
When the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1973-74 and 1974-75, Parent did much of the work. In those seasons, he posted a .932 and .918 save percentage (SV%) as well as a 1.89 and 2.04 goals-against average (GAA). He was even better in those postseasons, with a .933 and .924 SV%, along with a 2.02 and 1.89 GAA. As a result of his brilliance, he won not only two Vezina Trophies, not only two Stanley Cups, but two Conn Smythe Trophies as well.
There’s an argument to include Pelle Lindbergh here, but Ron Hextall is the winningest goaltender in team history and provides another shield for less physical players on the team. He would mark the second goaltender to win the Conn Smythe on this roster, despite not winning the Stanley Cup when he did so in 1986-87.
Head Coach: Fred Shero
The Flyers have had so many great coaches in their time. Keith Allan was legendary as a general manager (GM) but was also the team’s first coach. Pat Quinn saw his first gig in a five-decade-long coaching career with the Orange and Black. Mike Keenan helped the Flyers become title contenders, and Ken Hitchcock gave the Flyers a chance to win every year despite Lindros leaving the team after his injury to Scott Stevens in the 1999-00 playoffs and that loss hitting the team like a train for years to come. But none of these coaches were as important or influential as Fred Shero.
In Philadelphia, Shero compiled a record of 308-151-95 in the regular season while winning 48 of 83 games in the postseason and being rewarded with two Stanley Cup championships. Before the 2023-24 NHL season, he remains the only coach to have ever won with the team. He is one of the best coaches in league history.
Rankings are always subject to change, but this team could remain the best showcase of the Flyers’ talent for a while.
