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July 6: RTP Update, LeClair, Therien's Take and More

July 5, 2020, 6:40 PM ET [13 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Quick Hits: July 5, 2020

1) According to Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, Pierre LeBrun and other sources, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players Association appeared to be in the home stretch of hammering out a large-scale agreement not only for Phases 3 and 4 of the return-to-play plan to finish the 2019-2020 season but also to amend and extend the Collective Bargaining Agreement through the 2025-26 campaign. The agreement may announced as soon as July 6.

2) ICYMI: On Canada Day (July 1), we did a province-by-province tribute article to Flyers playes from Canada. Yesterday, for Independence Day in the USA, we did an American Flyers tribute, including 10 historical facts related to Flyers players from the USA, their contributions to the team, and their impact on the game in our country.

To date through the official end of the 2019-20 regular season, there have been a total of 636 players (576 skaters and 60 goaltenders) to appear in least one regular season or playoff game over the course of Flyers history. Among these players, 438 hailed from Canada. This amounts to 68.9 percent of all players to appear for the Flyers in franchise history.

Additionally, there has been a total of 90 American players (80 skaters and 10 goaltenders) have played for the Flyers in the team's 53-season history. That equates to 14.15 percent. Overall, 83.05 percent of Flyers players have come from North America. The remaining 16.95 percent have come from Europe.

3) On Friday's edition of Therien's Take, Chris Therien explained why he cast his first-place vote for the Barry Ashbee Trophy to veteran Flyers defensman Matt Niskanen. In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for Ivan Provorov.

4) July 5: Happy 51st birthday wishes go out to John LeClair. The United States Hockey Hall of Fame and Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame left winger John LeClair was born July 5, 1969 in St. Albans, Vermont. LeClair possessed both a rocket of a slap shot and an uncanny ability to collect goals off rebounds and deflections in front of the net. Once he parked his 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame in front of the net, the power forward was virtually impossible to budge.

LeClair was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft. Attending the University of Vermont, LeClair played all four seasons of his collegiate eligibility and posted 25 goals and 45 points in 33 games as a senior in 1990-01. He turned pro at the end of the season, suiting up in 10 NHL games for the Canadiens.

During much of his stay in Montreal, LeClair was used as a third-line center, although he also played left wing as needed. In 1992-93, he earned a Stanley Cup ring in Montreal. The young forward played an important part in the team's accomplishment as he scored two overtime goals in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings.

LeClair and was acquired by the Flyers from the Canadiens in a blockbuster trade on February 9, 1995 that sent Mark Recchi to Montreal and brought LeClair, Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to Philadelphia.



Shortly after his arrival, Flyers head coach Terry Murray tried out LeClair on left wing of a line with center Eric Lindros and right wing Mikael Renberg. The coach hoped that the LeClair could open up space for his high-scoring linemates with his strong forechecking game and use his strength along the walls to bolster the line's puck-cycling ability.

Little did Murray - or even LeClair himself - suspect at the time that LeClair would almost immediately blossom into a goal-scoring machine in his own right while also contributing the assets for which he was put on the line in the first place.

The trio, dubbed the Legion of Doom, quickly became the most dominant line in the NHL.

LeClair recorded 25 goals and 24 assists for 37 points in 49 games over the rest of the 1994-95 season, and then went on to produce one of the best four-year stretches of any player in Flyers history by recording 371 points (195 G, 176 A) in 322 games, including consecutive seasons of 50, 51 and 50 goals respectively in the 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 campaigns.

For the Philadelphia portion of LeClair's NHL career, the forward racked up 333 goals and 643 points in 649 games. Along with Tim Kerr, LeClair is the only player in Flyers' franchise history to score 50 or more goals in three straight seasons. LeClair's stellar production came during an era in which clutch-and-grab hockey and heavily use of neutral zone trapping systems contributed to a league-wide decline in scoring on almost an annual basis.

Although he did not play a particularly "mean" game and tended to be slow to anger, LeClair was plenty physical. It was a common sight for opposing players to be left sprawled on the ice near LeClair. He simply had to dip his shoulder and it was almost always the opponent who took a seat. LeClair was also blessed with a howitzer of a slapshot and would score about six to eight goals per season by winding up and blasting an overpowering shot past the goaltender from anywhere from the blueline to the mid-slot.

For many years, LeClair seemed almost indestructible. He appeared in 90 percent or more of the Flyers' games in eight of his 10 seasons with the club, scoring at least 23 goals in all of those eight seasons. He played in all 82 games on five occasions, including three seasons in a row from 1995-96 to 1997-98.

Eventually, however, the pounding took a toll. His effectiveness gradually declined in the 2000s as injuries - including major surgery on his back - and general wear-and-tear took hold. On July 5, 2005, the Flyers bought out the remainder of a five-year contract that LeClair had signed before the 2001-02 season. The player finished out his 967-game NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

During his stellar career as a Flyer, LeClair was a five-time NHL All-Star and represented Team USA at 1996 World Cup of Hockey, winning the championship, and subsequently at both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.
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