Over the years, the Philadelphia Flyers have had some tremendous teams. Oftentimes, many of their great rosters are overlooked because of how successful the franchise was in its early history. To try to offset that, we will examine the objective best team in each decade – from the 1960s all the way to the 2020s.
1960s: 1967-68 Flyers (31-32-11, Lost in First Round)
With only two years to choose from for the decade, the inaugural Flyers’ team seems like a safe choice. This was before franchise greats like Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish and Bill Barber were on the scene for Philadelphia. This team was led by stellar defense and goaltending as well as offensive contributions from names that fans may be familiar with in Gary Dornhoefer and captain Lou Angotti. Playing in a division with the other new expansion teams, the Flyers’ losing record was enough to clinch them a playoff berth.
The Flyers might have been bested by the Blues in seven games in their opening round, but this season was a major success for hockey in Philadelphia. The Original Six teams were still dominant, but the Flyers set the tone for what was to come a few years later in their history.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| RW Leon Rochefort (21) | C Lou Angotti (49) | D Larry Zeidel (+12) | G Doug Favell (16) | G Doug Favell (.931%) |
| LW Bill Sutherland (20) | RW Gary Dornhoefer (43) | D Joe Watson (+11) | G Bernie Parent (15) | G Bernie Parent (.926%) |
| C Ed Hoekstra (15) | RW Leon Rochefort (42) | LW Claude Laforge (+8) | ||
| LW Brit Selby (15) | C Ed Hoekstra (36) | RW Gary Dornhoefer (+6) | ||
| RW Gary Dornhoefer (13) | LW Brit Selby (30) | RW Pat Hannigan (+6) |
1970s: 1973-74 Flyers (50-16-12, Won Stanley Cup)
Less than a decade after their inaugural season, the Flyers became a juggernaut. It was difficult to choose the best team for this era, given how dominant they were, but their 1973-74 season was the sweetest. Led by legendary head coach Fred Shero, this team was arguably the greatest in Flyers’ history.
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Contributions from forwards Clarke, Barber, MacLeish and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz gave the Flyers an offensive identity while also making them a feared club around the league. Other intimidators on this Flyers squad included Bob “The Hound” Kelly, Andre Dupont and Don Saleski. Additionally, goaltender Bernie Parent provided elite and reliable play between the pipes. It goes without saying that this team made the postseason.
The Flyers quickly showed why they weren’t just an ordinary expansion team once the playoffs rolled around. The team swept aside the Atlanta Flames and defeated the New York Rangers in a tight seven-game series to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in their history.
The Flyers faced a Boston Bruins team that they simply could not beat on the road. The Flyers had not won a game in the Boston Garden since their 1967-68 season to this point, and they had to win at least one game on the road in order to capture the Stanley Cup given the Bruins had home-ice advantage. As luck would have it, the Flyers got their one win thanks to overtime heroics from Clarke in Game 2. The Flyers won every game they had at home, which meant that their names were etched onto the Stanley Cup.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| C Bobby Clarke (35) | C Bobby Clarke (87) | D Barry Ashbee (+53) | G Bernie Parent (47) | G Bernie Parent (.932%) |
| LW Bill Barber (34) | C Rick MacLeish (77) | C Bobby Clarke (+35) | G Bobby Taylor (3) | G Bobby Taylor (.872%) |
| C Rick MacLeish (32) | LW Bill Barber (69) | D Andre Dupont (+34) | ||
| LW Ross Lonsberry (32) | LW Ross Lonsberry (51) | LW Bill Barber (+33) | ||
| LW Dave Schultz (20) | RW Gary Dornhoefer (50) | D Jimmy Watson (+33) |
1980s: 1984-85 Flyers (53-20-7, Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
The 1980s were filled with some great teams for the Orange and Black, but none seemed to be as complete as the 1984-85 Flyers. This team dominated in the regular season led by young talent including Tim Kerr, Brian Propp, Murray Craven, Ilkka Sinisalo and Dave Poulin. Making the playoffs was a given for this team after how great they played during the season.
In the postseason, this Flyers team was dominant. They lost just two games heading into their Stanley Cup clash with the Edmonton Oilers, who were in the midst of a dynasty. Unfortunately, this Oilers team was arguably the greatest team in NHL history and left the Flyers in the dust.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| RW Tim Kerr (54) | RW Tim Kerr (98) | D Brad McCrimmon (+52) | G Pelle Lindbergh (40) | G Bob Froese (.913%) |
| LW Brian Propp (43) | LW Brian Propp (97) | D Mark Howe (+51) | G Bob Froese (13) | G Pelle Lindbergh (.899%) |
| RW Ilkka Sinisalo (36) | C Dave Poulin (74) | C Dave Poulin (+45) | G Darren Jensen (0) | G Darren Jensen (.767%) |
| C Dave Poulin (30) | RW Ilkka Sinisalo (73) | LW Brian Propp (+44) | ||
| LW Murray Craven (26) | LW Murray Craven (61) | LW Murray Craven (+44) |
1990s: 1996-97 Flyers (45-24-13, Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
The 1996-97 Flyers were one that is near and dear to the hearts of many Flyers fans. Led by the Legion of Doom, this Flyers team was one of the best offensive groups in the NHL. When healthy, this team could do serious damage, and they did very so frequently on their way to the playoffs.
In the postseason, the Flyers lost only three games before their Final matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. Similar to their 1984-85 team, they ran into a dynasty at the peak of their powers. The 1996-97 Red Wings were unstoppable, even for this Flyers team. The Flyers were swept, but that doesn’t mean this season was a failure. It was the defining team of the 1990s and created so many new lifelong Flyers fans.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| LW John LeClair (50) | LW John LeClair (97) | LW John LeClair (+44) | G Ron Hextall (31) | G Garth Snow (.903%) |
| C Eric Lindros (32) | C Eric Lindros (79) | RW Mikael Renberg (+36) | G Garth Snow (14) | G Ron Hextall (.897%) |
| C Rod Brind’Amour (27) | C Rod Brind’Amour (59) | C Eric Lindros (+31) | ||
| RW Trent Klatt (24) | RW Mikael Renberg (59) | D Chris Therien (+27) | ||
| RW Mikael Renberg (22) | D Eric Desjardins (46) | D Eric Desjardins (+25) |
2000s: 1999-00 Flyers (45-22-12, Lost in Eastern Conference Final)
The Flyers’ 1999-00 team was one of resilience and courage. This squad was one of the best offensive teams in the league, even without Eric Lindros for a large chunk of games. The Flyers were defined by veteran scoring with some elements of youth in their lineup as well.
In the playoffs, this team continued to climb without Lindros. Their peak came when they had a 3-1 series lead against the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Final. After dropping a game, Lindros finally returned. The Flyers were quickly losing momentum after falling in Game 6, and Game 7 started a complete shift in the franchise. This marked Lindros’ final game in Philadelphia after suffering a nasty hit from Devils defenseman Scott Stevens.
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The Flyers had lost, but losing Lindros altered the team for years to come.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| LW John LeClair (40) | RW Mark Recchi (91) | RW Mark Recchi (+20) | G John Vanbiesbrouck (25) | G Brian Boucher (.918%) |
| RW Mark Recchi (28) | LW John LeClair (77) | D Eric Desjardins (+20) | G Brian Boucher (20) | G John Vanbiesbrouck (.906%) |
| C Eric Lindros (27) | C Eric Lindros (59) | D Dan McGillis (+16) | ||
| LW Simon Gagne (20) | D Eric Desjardins (55) | D Luke Richardson (+14) | ||
| C Daymond Langkow (18) | C Daymond Langkow (50) | C Eric Lindros (+11) |
2010s: 2009-10 Flyers (41-35-6, Lost in Stanley Cup Final)
If there was ever a team that was the definition of heart, passion and pure willpower, the 2009-10 Flyers are the team you are looking for. You could write a novel on the setbacks this team faced, but they found a way to avenge themselves on nearly every occasion. This started with a shootout against the Rangers to determine which of the two teams would advance to the postseason. The Flyers won in an incredible effort, giving themselves a shot at the Stanley Cup.
After winning their first-round series, the Flyers trailed the Bruins in their second-round series 3-0 and were without star forwards Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne. They relied on journeyman netminder Michael Leighton to rally them back into the series, and they eventually won in Game 7 after trailing that game 3-0. Before they knew it, they were in the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately, their Cinderella run came to an end in an overtime Game 6 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| C Jeff Carter (33) | C Mike Richards (62) | D Chris Pronger (+22) | G Michael Leighton (16) | G Michael Leighton (.918%) |
| C Mike Richards (31) | C Jeff Carter (61) | D Matt Carle (+19) | G Ray Emery (16) | G Johan Backlund (.917%) |
| C Danny Briere (26) | D Chris Pronger (55) | C Blair Betts (+7) | G Brian Boucher (9) | G Ray Emery (.905%) |
| LW Simon Gagne (17) | C Danny Briere (53) | LW Dan Carcillo (+5) | G Jeremy Duchesne (0) | G Brian Boucher (.899%) |
| RW Claude Giroux (16) | RW Claude Giroux (47) | C Jeff Carter (+2) | G Johan Backlund (0) | G Jeremy Duchesne (.750%) |
2020s: 2019-20 Flyers (41-21-7, Lost in Second Round)
After a few seasons of either barely clinching the playoffs or missing them altogether, the Flyers started off the 2020s strong with their best regular season since 2010-11. Interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flyers waited until the late summer to continue their season.
In a play-in tournament, the Flyers earned the first seed in the playoffs. They won their first playoff series since 2011-12 after beating the Montreal Canadiens but were outplayed by the Islanders in the next round and lost in seven games. The team put up as much of a fight as they could.
| Goal Leaders | Point Leaders | +/- Leaders | Win Leaders | Save Percentage Leaders |
| RW Travis Konecny (24) | RW Travis Konecny (61) | C Sean Couturier (+21) | G Carter Hart (24) | G Carter Hart (.914%) |
| C Kevin Hayes (23) | C Sean Couturier (59) | D Phil Myers (+17) | G Brian Elliott (16) | G Brian Elliott (.899%) |
| C Sean Couturier (22) | RW Jakub Voracek (56) | D Matt Niskanen (+15) | G Alex Lyon (1) | G Alex Lyon (.890%) |
| LW Claude Giroux (21) | LW Claude Giroux (53) | RW Jakub Voracek (+14) | ||
| LW James van Riemsdyk (19) | C Kevin Hayes (41) | D Robert Hagg (+14) |
The Flyers Overall
As a franchise, the team has been extremely successful throughout the years. Recent years hurt the team’s outlook, but the Flyers remain as one of the more storied teams in the NHL’s history. As the 2020s continue, here’s to hoping that a team could best the 2019-20 rendition of the Orange and Black.
