Both the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens have had their fair share of history, but the two teams have had some nasty interactions in the past. During its many peaks, the rivalry between the Flyers and Canadiens was one of the best in the sport. Today, we look at some of the relations between the two clubs including trades, playoff matchups, and the numerous memorable moments these teams have shared together.
Flyers – Canadiens Trade History
One trade that served as some inspiration for this post was the deal that sent Mark Recchi to Montreal. In said trade, the Canadiens received aforementioned Flyers’ star Mark Recchi and a 1995 third-round draft selection, while Philadelphia received John LeClair, Eric Desjardins, and Gilbert Dionne.
Related: John LeClair: A Prototypical Power Forward
Recchi’s 120 goals and 202 assists for 322 points in 346 games for Montreal on top of playoff excellence made this deal one that the Habs’ faithful could swallow, but this trade was much more about what the Flyers got in exchange.
LeClair provided the Flyers with ten seasons worth of dominant play. He played at an elite level even after star teammate Eric Lindros left Philadelphia, which helped prove that he was just as vital to the team’s success as Lindros was. In 649 games with the Flyers, he eclipsed a total of 333 goals and 310 assists for 643 total points. If LeClair were the only asset in this deal, the Flyers likely would have been hailed as the victors of the deal. Unfortunately for Montreal, it didn’t end there.
Eric Desjardins was the anchor of the Flyers’ defense for 11 seasons. The Flyers were more known for their strong offenses rather than their defensive play in Desjardins’ time with the Flyers, but he was the best defender they had for a very long time. He stands as one of the best the team has ever had, gathering Norris Trophy votes for the league’s best defenseman in seven different seasons in Philadelphia while putting up 93 goals and 303 assists for 396 points in 738 games in the Orange and Black alone. Serving as the team’s captain for three seasons, they got a nice leadership role out of the Recchi trade, as well.
Overall, it’s safe to call this deal a win for the Flyers.
One of the only other notable deals between these teams is actually when the Habs returned Recchi to the Flyers, where he was a pivotal piece to some of their playoff runs in the early 2000s. Montreal received Dainius Zubrus, a 1999 second-round pick and a 2000 sixth-round draft selection for Recchi. Even though the Flyers did not win a Cup with this deal, it could be argued that they won both trades that involved Recchi.
Flyers – Canadiens Playoff Drama
In the 1972-73 NHL Playoffs, the Habs had their way with the Flyers and ultimately defeated them in five games en route to their 19th Stanley Cup championship at the time. No player really stood out for Montreal, as it was a dominating series for everyone. Montreal seemingly crushed every new expansion team that got in their way at this point, and the Flyers were no exception.
The two teams did not face each other in the playoffs for another two seasons after the Flyers won a couple of Stanley Cups of their own. The Flyers and Canadiens met in the Stanley Cup Final to settle the score, but Montreal once again came out on top with a sweep of the last Broad Street Bullies era Flyers team to reach the Final. Meanwhile, Montreal went on to win four-straight championships, letting the Flyers sulk in their loss.
Things took a turn for these two teams by the late 1980s. They began to meet more in the playoffs, and their rivalry became one of the most intense in the sport. The Flyers finally won their first series against the Canadiens in the 1986-87 postseason after defeating them in six games. However, this series was more known for a bench-clearing brawl in Game 6 before the game had even started. Most of the Flyers’ players had left the ice after warmups by the time Shayne Corson decided to shoot a puck on the Flyers’ net. This drew a response from the Philadelphia players still on the ice. In just minutes, almost the entire rosters of both teams were on the ice, duking it out with free rein. This was the last ever bench-clearing brawl to ever occur in the sport of hockey, and it will likely remain that way for a while.
Crazy enough, the two teams still had some hatred left to spare.
In the conference finals of the 1988-89 Playoffs, Philadelphia and Montreal revisited their playoff rivalry. Montreal took the series in six, but the drama did not stop there. After Hall-of-Fame defenseman Chris Chelios had a questionable hit on Brian Propp earlier in the series, Flyers’ goaltender Ron Hextall took matters into his own hands late in Game 6. Hextall charged at Chelios and threw a punch after a whistle that stopped play. While the aftermath was not as intense as the brawl that occurred two years earlier, this caused a major disruption. Chelios reflected on the matter years after the game, stating:
I had it coming for what I did to Propp. What goes around comes around.
Chelios on Hextall’s actions in Game 6
After this series, Montreal and Philadelphia did not meet for quite a while in the postseason. Their meet-up in 2007-08 marked the new era of this rivalry. The underdog Flyers took the series without many issues in five games, but the fans of the Canadiens are what helped spark a new hatred for these clubs. Many Flyers fans took offense to the Canadiens’ “Ole” chant which the team had been using for several years to that point. Montreal lost the series, but the passion of their fans was unwavering.
Just two seasons later, the two teams met in the playoffs once again, this time with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in the balance. The seventh-seeded Flyers took on the eighth-seeded Canadiens in the ultra-rare bottom-two-seed showdown. Like their last series, the Flyers won in five games and dominated throughout. The Flyers simply had the stronger roster, and home-ice advantage proved to be noteworthy. Flyers fans mocked Canadiens fans for their “Ole” chants in the 2007-08 Playoffs, which reinvigorated some bad blood.
In the 2019-20 Bubble Playoffs, Montreal had a chance for revenge against the Flyers for their clash a decade prior. Without fans being present, one would think this series would be tamer. That was the case through the first four games, but Game 5 was a bloodbath for both sides. Early in the fifth installment of the series, former Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi caught Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim in a tough spot along the boards. While Sanheim appeared to be okay, Kotkaniemi was assessed a major penalty that could have been a series-ender for the Canadiens, given they were a game away from being eliminated.
The Habs were very clearly not pleased with the call, and this may have contributed to a motion from Nick Suzuki that was not appreciated by the Flyers. After a puck deflected off of the head of Flyers’ goaltender Carter Hart and into the net, Suzuki tapped the netminder’s helmet in celebration.
Later in the same game, Flyers’ defenseman Matt Niskanen laid a heavy hit into the face of Brendan Gallagher which broke his jaw and knocked out some teeth. Niskanen received no penalty on the play.
While Montreal won the game, they were badly bruised but hungry to win the next game. The Habs went on to lose Game 6, and Flyers’ forward Derek Grant refused to let what he perceived as an unsportsmanlike motion in Game 5 from Suzuki go to waste. Seconds after the game ended, Grant tapped Suzuki on the head which upset Montreal and caused some momentary pushing and shoving. This is Flyers versus Canadiens hockey in a nutshell.
This was the most recent rendition of the rivalry between these two teams, and it might remain that way for a little while. It goes without saying, but a Montreal and Philadelphia playoff series is always a treat. It would be great for the NHL if these squads can meet in the postseason sometime in the future.
Future of the Rivalry
With both the Flyers and Canadiens trying to reload for the future, it’s safe to say that these two teams probably won’t have a hatred for each other for a little while. If their rebuilds are successful, we might have a new era of Flyers vs. Canadiens hockey in the coming years.
