The Philadelphia Flyers were one of 6 expansion teams that came into the NHL ahead of the 1967-68 season.
The Original 6 in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and the Boston Bruins finally had some company. The Flyers joined the Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, and the California Seals. They made the playoffs in their first 2 seasons before missing in 2 of the following 3. After that the Flyers began a run of consistency that lasted almost 5 decades.
From 1972-73 to 2011-12, the Philadelphia Flyers failed to qualify for the postseason only 6 times; that’s 6 times over a span of 39 years. 5 of those came consecutively from 1989-90 to 1993-94 that ushered them into the Eric Lindros era and the other time was when they finished last in the NHL in 2007 with their worst season in franchise history – 22-48-12 record.
They qualified for the postseason in each season between 1972-73 to 1989-90; a span of 17 seasons. They won the Stanley Cup twice (1974 and 1975), lost in the finals 4 times (1976, 1980, 1985, and 1987), fell in the Conference Finals only once, dropped 3 Conference Semifinals, and 7 times in the first round. In that time they also won the division 9 times.
After missing the playoffs in 5 straight seasons, they started another run as they qualified in every season between 1994-95 to 2005-06. This time they won no Cups, lost in the Final once (1997), fell in the Conference Finals 3 times, Semifinals twice, and had 5 first round exits. They won the division 5 times, the 5th one coming 2003-04 – they’ve only won the division once since then and that was back in 2010-11.
Those teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s were some of the best the Flyers fielded in their storied franchise and several times they were just one player or one move away from finally crowning themselves champions again. Back then, Philadelphia was a popular destination and players were intent on either being traded to the Flyers or signing long term to lucrative deals to stick around. Two such instances were Curtis Joseph and Raymond Bourque.
Curtis Joseph
In the summer of 1998, Curtis Joseph was set to become an unrestricted free agent after spending 6 years in St. Louis and the previous 3 in Edmonton. The popular goaltender had a 213-172-54 record in 457 games from 1989-90 to 1997-98 with a 2.99 GAA and a .905 SV%. He finished in the top-5 Vezina Trophy voting on 3 separate occasions and even had Hart Trophy votes in the season before becoming a free agent.
The Flyers were coming off a Conference Finals defeat in the spring of 1995, a Semifinals exit in 1996, a Stanley Cup sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, and a then a first round exit in 1998. Ed Snider and Bobby Clarke were impatient, they wanted change, they had no salary cap to restrict them, and were essentially tired of Ron Hextall’s fiery antics. On paper, Curtis Joseph made so much sense and it was even better that he wanted to come and play for Philadelphia. What could go wrong?
The goaltending graveyard and carousel was about to begin as the Flyers pushed Ron Hextall out the door and instead of signing Joseph, they went after John Vanbiesbrouck, because he apparently brought more tranquility to the crease than his predecessors in Hextall, Garth Snow, and Sean Burke. Joseph had the reputation of being “a master of the spectacular” and a little more heated than Vanbiesbrouck.
Clarke was known for spending money like there was no tomorrow but he also had a notorious reputation of sometimes spending less for a little less quality. With Joseph getting turned away by the Flyers – again the team he wanted to sign with – he turned to Toronto and signed a 4-year deal worth $24 million, while the Flyers signed Vanbiesbrouck to a 2-year deal worth $7.25 million with an option for a third season.
Another reason behind the move was that Clarke and the Flyers were tired of their high-wire goaltenders having a legacy of allowing back-breaking goals at the most inopportune times. Vanbiesbrouck was a stand-up goaltender who moved from post-to-post and kept his mouth shut compared to the rest. He was also just a couple seasons removed from where he led the Florida Panthers to their first ever Finals berth – where they eventually fell to the Colorado Avalanche.
As fate would have it, Joseph got the last laugh the following season as he played a massive part in the Flyers being ousted in the first round. Vanbiesbrouck was spectacular in his own way as he only 9 goals in 6 games and posted a .938 SV%, but Joseph was just that much better making 180 saves on 189 shots for a .952 SV% that was capped off by a series clinching 1-0 shutout.
John LeClair was whistled for an elbowing penalty with 2:54 remaining in the third period and Sergei Berezin scored the game winner with a minute left. The Flyers also had failed to score on 5 consecutive power plays before the LeClair penalty. Joseph pushed the Leafs to the Conference Finals before falling in 5 games to Dominik Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres.
Vanbiesbrouck only lasted one more season after he was dethroned by rookie goaltender, Brian Boucher, who took over the starting gig ahead of the playoffs. Boucher was 20-10-3 in 35 games in the regular season and pushed the Flyers to the brink of another Finals berth but dropped in 7 games to the New Jersey Devils. That spelled the doom for Vanbiesbrouck in Philadelphia after posting a 52-33-24 record with a 2.20 GAA and a .904 SV% in 112 games across 2 seasons.
A year later, Boucher ended up losing his starting job to Roman Cechmanek after what was deemed a “weak” start – ironically Boucher took over from Vanbiesbrouck after he had a “shaky’ start. Cechmanek then lost his job to Robert Esche after the 2002-03 season.
All the while, Joseph spent all 4 years of his contract in Toronto, sporting a 133-88-27 with a 2.43 GAA and a .912 SV% with 17 shutouts. He was also the runner-up for the Vezina in 1998-99 and was a finalist again in 1999-00 and he also backstopped the Leafs to 2 Conference Finals berths and 2 Semifinals berths. The Flyers on the other hand were ousted in the first round 3 times in 4 years.
Joseph went to Detroit after he had a spat with then-head coach, Pat Quinn, before pit stops in Arizona, Calgary, and a quick return to Toronto at the ripe old age of 41. He ended his career with 454 wins, 352 losses, and played in 943 games. He wanted to come to Philadelphia in the prime of his career but was turned away for the cheaper, more tranquil John Vanbiesbrouck, who lost out to a rookie who then lost his job within 2 years. You put Joseph on any of those teams, especially the 1999-00 team and there’s a good chance they go all the way that season – while also considering they were inches away from acquiring Raymond Bourque that season.
Raymond Bourque
Hall-of-Fame defenseman, Raymond Bourque, was drafted 8th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft and played in Boston for all but a season and a half of his 22-year career. He played in 1,518 games for the Bruins, scored 395 goals, registered 1,111 assists for a grand total of 1,506 points – as a defenseman. He also had played in 180 playoff games with 36 goals and 161 points.
Bourque also won the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year, won the Norris Trophy 5 times as the league’s top defenseman, was a top-3 finalist for the Norris another 10 times, was a top-4 Hart Trophy vote getter 4 times, and was named to the NHL 1st or 2nd All-Star team 18 times – the 1st team 12 times.
In 1999-00, he was 39 years old and was looking for the Stanley Cup to end his career on a high note. The Bruins finished the season with a 24-33-19-6 record, finished last in their division, and were willing to give their legendary icon a legitimate shot at the Cup. The Flyers were the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference, sitting atop the throne with a 45-22-12-3 record and 105 points. It also helped that Bourque cited the Flyers as his preference. He had ties to then-goalie coach Reggie Lemelin and with how the Flyers were perceived back then, it was a hot bed for hockey.
On an episode of Spittin’ Chiclets, Bourque talked about how close the deal was to actually going through and how he ended up in Colorado instead of Philadelphia:
“I had decided to ask for a trade and I’m really good buddies with Reggie Lemelin who was the goalie coach with Philly. I was looking at teams who would give me a really good chance of winning in the East, I didn’t want to go to the Western Conference for travel and for the situation I was in with my house and family.
“I kind of looked at it, Philly was going really well at the time. And I knew that Philly was very interested because of my relationship with Reggie. We played Philly on a Saturday afternoon, it was my last game with the Bruins, and Reggie tells me it’s a done deal in the morning. I think after that game, I’m leaving with Philly and I’m on my way. I play the game, pick up the puck at the end and head to the room thinking I’m just gonna wait to hear from Harry Sinden and Harry was telling me that something was going to happen pretty quick.
“I’m trying to reach Harry after the game, can’t reach him. And then he finally calls me later that night and says that I’m gonna have to sit tight and that there’s other teams involved. I’m like, ‘Well, you know where I wanna go.
“So then Patrick’s (Roy) calling me, Celine Dion’s husband is calling me…so then my wife and I are looking at different schedules…trying to figure out wherever I end up. Later on that night I get a call from Harry and he tells me I’m going to Colorado. Patrick calls me from Calgary and he’s got Adam Foote, Joe Sakic, Dave Reid and Shjon Podein on the phone and they’re all excited and that was it.”
According to the late Jay Greenberg, the Flyers dangled Daymond Langkow, a first round pick, and a choice of either Andy Delmore or Mark Eaton, as well as Sandy McCarthy. At the time it was rumoured that the Bruins were more interested in Simon Gagnè, who was drafted in the first round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. The Flyers didn’t bite, and the Bruins didn’t either, and eventually they acquired Brian Rolston, Sami Pahlsson, and Martin Grenier as well as a first round pick in either 2000 or 2001 for Dave Andreychuk and Bourque.
The Avalanche ended up losing to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals in 7 games, while the Flyers fell to the same fate against the New Jersey Devils – a series they were leading 3 games to 1. Bourque recorded 14 points in 14 regular season games and added 9 points in 13 postseason games for Colorado. The following season he recorded 59 points in 80 games – which was his lowest points per game total of his career – at the age of 40 before adding 10 points in 21 playoff games, while averaging 28:32 of ice time. The Avalanche defeated the Devils in 7 games to claim their 2nd Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Flyers lost in the first round to Buffalo in 6 games that season. They suffered 3 one-goal defeats before being obliterated in Game 6 by a score of 8-0. Daymond Langkow only played in Philadelphia for 3 seasons but scored 41 goals and 127 points in 209 games. Simon Gagné stuck around for 10 seasons before making a quick return in 2012-13, but suited up 691 times for the Flyers, scoring 264 goals and 535 points along the way. Andy Delmore played in 3 seasons for the Flyers and scored 7 goals and 22 points in 95 games, Mark Eaton was a Flyer for 27 games, and Sandy McCarthy was a Flyer for 71 games across 2 seasons.
If you added Bourque to that Flyers team, they probably would’ve had the edge over the Devils in 1999-00 – and could’ve still made a run in 2000-01. They already had a 3 games to 1 lead and had Eric Desjardins, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, and an injured Eric Lindros. In goal was Brian Boucher, who seemingly stole the show that spring but it was very plausible that they could’ve had both Joseph and Bourque on the same team. No salary cap, no attachment to draft picks and future assets, and it was all about winning with the team they had. Unfortunately, they sat back with Joseph and were beaten to the punch with Bourque.
The Flyers have stumbled ever since and their playoff pushes have been lackadaisical with the exception of their Conference Finals trip in 2008 and their Stanley Cup run in 2010. However that is well over a decade ago, creeping in on a decade and a half, and we will always be reminded of 1975 being our last victorious season. They had their chances in the 1980s but came up short against the dynastic New York Islanders and the incredibly iconic Edmonton Oilers – the Islanders won the Cup in 4 consecutive seasons and the Oilers won 5 times in an 8-year span. Then the Flyers got swept by the dynastic Detroit Red Wings in 1997, and that’s all she wrote for another decade and a half.
Adding Bourque and Joseph would’ve most definitely changed things. A Hall-of-Fame defenseman who was still producing and averaging 30+ minutes and a potential Hall-of-Fame goaltender who was in the prime of his career and pushed the Maple Leafs as far as they’ve come in years – and haven’t made it that far ever since.
Two truly massive what (wh)if(f)s for the modern day Philadelphia Flyers.
