If you are following me on CSNPhilly.com, you know we're running an All-Time Flyers' Team (1st and 2nd units) under the heading, "My Favorite Flyer."
There is some confusion where readers are trying to decide who is their FAVORITE Flyer vs. who was better. Since the fans are picking it, CSN used "favorite."
In picking these teams - we're at Part 2, 1980-90_ I took the best players at their respective positions for their era and narrowed it to three or four for the fans to choose with a write-in vote.
We all know that Bobby Clarke, who ran away with 1967-79 will be our all-time No. 1 center because ... he's Clarke. But who will be the second unit center? Maybe we should a third team since all NHL club have at least three, full lines every game.
Some of the choices seem obvious and some are not. There is a good discussion as to whether Pelle Lindbergh should be the representative goalie in his era over Ron Hextall.
Bill Meltzer, whose intimate knowledge on many of the Europeans is beyond reproach, would choose Lindbergh. I feel that if Lindbergh had not been so reckless with drinking and driving his Porsche, he would have been the best goalie ever for the Flyers.
We all "assume" Lindbergh would have delivered multiple Stanley Cups. But we'll never know. And for as good as he was, I like to consider the "body of work" of Hextall, who was in net for two generations of players vs. Lindbergh, whose career was very, very short.
On that basis, I would vote for Hextall. Body of work.
Those of us who covered those Flyers-Edmonton Cup series of yesteryear would tell you that Hextall gave the Flyers a chance to win against a team that they had no business of beating.
I also covered Hextall in 1997 when those 50-footers went into the net against Detroit in the Cup Final. People who judge him on that basis are not looking at the entire picture.
I covered Hexy much earlier and if the younger Hexy was in net against Chicago in 2010, the Flyers would have had their third Cup.
If some of the older Flyer clubs Hexy played on had been a tad younger and healthier, they might have beaten Edmonton.
You can argue all day when comparing generations, but I find it amusing some of the comments from people, who weren't even born when these players played, and others who never saw them play, and demean the player or why he was chosen to represent his era.
The idea here is to come up with the best players from each generation, throw them into the pot and come out with the all-time Flyers team.
I imagine many of our Hockeybuzz readers are looking at the teams, as well.
Let's have some fun with this. You can write your own player's name in, as well.
Here's a link:
click here 
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