Very true. I've met Bernie Parent at quite a few charity events over the years and I still get nervous and tongue tied when I speak to him!
- BiggE

i might feel like that, even now, had lindbergh not died. i never got to meet him as a kid (although i watched him play live many times), and i'm sure i would have been beyond star-struck and nervous. meeting nhl athletes now, when i've had the rare occassion, is not a big deal for me, because i'm older than most of them for one, and hockey players for the most part of salt-of-the-earth regular people. being an athlete for most of my life, i just feel like i can relate to them, despite not having the same talent (or wealth).

i've met bernie - super guy. and i love that he is still a part of the organization and lives in the area.

Will always be remembered for pine tar and hemorrhoids.
- 77rams

I remember him more for hitting .390. But thats me.

Will always be remembered for pine tar and hemorrhoids.
- 77rams

Absolutely. Even tho I'm a Phillies fan, I was a George Brett fanatic. My all time favorite player in any sport. I would argue with every Phillies fan who though Schmidt was better.
- PLindbergh31

just pull out some corsi stats and make your case.

I remember him more for hitting .390. But thats me.
- PLindbergh31

2 great players for sure!

I would give Brett the nod as the better all around hitter.

Schmidt gets the nod when it comes to power and fielding.

Really couldn't go wrong with either one!

just pull out some corsi stats and make your case.
- hammarby31

My eyes were my corsi stats.

2 great players for sure!

I would give Brett the nod as the better all around hitter.

Schmidt gets the nod when it comes to power and fielding.

Really couldn't go wrong with either one!
- BiggE

True. Schmidt was very good, but he always had that Dave Kingman quality to him. Ton of power, low batting average, tons of strikeouts. I'm generally not a fan of those types of players.

i might feel like that, even now, had lindbergh not died. i never got to meet him as a kid (although i watched him play live many times), and i'm sure i would have been beyond star-struck and nervous. meeting nhl athletes now, when i've had the rare occassion, is not a big deal for me, because i'm older than most of them for one, and hockey players for the most part of salt-of-the-earth regular people. being an athlete for most of my life, i just feel like i can relate to them, despite not having the same talent (or wealth).

i've met bernie - super guy. and i love that he is still a part of the organization and lives in the area.
- hammarby31

I met Pelle at Love Park in center city one afternoon while the Flyers were doing a meet and greet there.

He was a very gracious and accommodating young man. We chatted for a while after which he gladly gave me an autograph. He asked for the correct spelling of my name so he could personalize it.

I met Pelle at Love Park in center city one afternoon while the Flyers were doing a meet and greet there.

He was a very gracious and accommodating young man. We chatted for a while after which he gladly gave me an autograph. He asked for the correct spelling of my name so he could personalize it.
- 77rams

that was pelle, by all accounts.

True. Schmidt was very good, but he always had that Dave Kingman quality to him. Ton of power, low batting average, tons of strikeouts. I'm generally not a fan of those types of players.
- PLindbergh31

Career on Base %

Brett .369
Schmidt .380

Career on Base %

Brett .369
Schmidt .380
- 77rams

Good point!
He also likely had more total bases and was the better fielder too. IMO, Schmidt was the best 3rd baseman in the majors over the last 50 years.

bathe had a great beard. never really looked comfortable in those hideous cooperalls. it was like watching a lumberjack show up for work in a tuxedo.
- hammarby31

I have told this Frank Bathe story before but it still makes me laugh.

I used to hang out with a couple of brothers, one of them was an assist equipt man in 1980 era. He didnt go on road trips. He was the guy who Hospodar took a swing at when he was a Ranger.

Frank Bathe had a Datsun 240Z and had a slow leak in a tire.

When he went on road trips he used to ask the guy who he left the car with to keep filling the air in it, he didnt get a new tire. I was in that car one or two times and it always blew my mind he couldn't make time or spend the cash for a new tire ?

I have told this Frank Bathe story before but it still makes me laugh.

I used to hang out with a couple of brothers, one of them was an assist equipt man in 1980 era. He didnt go on road trips. He was the guy who Hospodar took a swing at when he was a Ranger.

Frank Bathe had a Datsun 240Z and had a slow leak in a tire.

When he went on road trips he used to ask the guy who he left the car with to keep filling the air in it, he didnt get a new tire. I was in that car one or two times and it always blew my mind he couldn't make time or spend the cash for a new tire ?
- Steelmanpa

So, cause once again I have time to kill at work...My 10 favorite Flyers of all time. Please feel free to post yours in response.

This is a lot more fun than discussing advanced stats, Rinaldo vs White, or whether to rush D prospects!!


1. Bernie Parent
I had both the "Only the Lord Saves More than Parent" bumper sticker and 2 Bernie posters on my bedroom wall! He was my first favorite Flyer and he is still #1 in my heart. I cried when he was forced to retire. He will always be the measuring stick for all Flyers goalies.

2. Tim Kerr
The big guy had the quickest release on his shot that I ever saw and I wore his jersey to hundreds of games. There is no doubt in my mind that he would have scored 500+ goals if he could have stayed healthy. He needs to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame too!

3. Mark Howe
Watching Howe play was like watching a living lesson on how to play hockey not only the right way, but the perfect way. I honestly cannot remember watching Howe make a bad play. The Flyers could sure use a guy like him today!

4. Bobby Clarke
Hustle personified! Clarke just worked harder than anyone else on the ice and as a kid I just loved to watch him work! If every player on the current roster worked as hard as Clarke, they'd be a contender.

5. Eric Desjardins
Another guy who always played the game the right way and rarely made a mistake. He was the backbone of the mid to late 90s Flyers.

6. Paul Holmgren
I used to love watching a scrum start on the ice, then Holmgren would skate over and just like that, the other team usually lost any interest in fighting. His stare alone could intimidate most of the league. What some people often forget though, was that Holmgren was also a very good 2 way winger who played through some terrible and painful injuries to have a very nice career.

7. Kimmo Timonen
Just get well soon, Kimmo! The little Finnish warrior plays like he's 6'4 220! He plays well in every situation and is always the guy you want on the ice in the last minute of a period or game. If his career is over, he will be sorely missed!

8. Dave Poulin
Poulin was the perfect choice to follow Clarke as captain of the Flyers. He simply oozed class both on and off the ice and when it came to playing through pain, no one did it any better than Poulin. Mark Howe was the best pure player of the Keenan era and Kerr the most dangerous weapon, but Poulin was truly the heart and soul of that club. Trading him for a washed up Ken Linseman was one of the worst deals Clarke ever made as GM.

9. Andre "Moose" Dupont
As a kid, I thought the "Moose shuffle" was just hilarious. Dupont seemed to always score big goals and was nasty customer on D. He was also a very solid, top 4 guy on a team that won back to back Stanley Cups. Moose, perhaps more than anyone, personified the colorfulness of the Broad Street Bullies.

10. Rod Brind'amour
Another guy who gave 110% each and every shift, Brind'amour was a treat to watch. I'm still ticked off that they traded him, he should have finished his career in Philly!!

Just missed the cut:
Bill Barber
Pelle Lindbergh
Brad Marsh
Ron Hextall
Sean Couturier

Your turn!
- BiggE

1) Mike Richards

2) Jeff Carter

3) Justin Williams

4) Patrick Sharp

5) Peter Forsberg

6) Bernie Parent

7) Bobrovsky

8) Pat Falloon

9) Alex Daigle

10) Danius Zubrus

I couldn't resist

1. Foppa/Johnsson

1. Foppa/Johnsson
- Crimsoninja

Imagine if that was one person. Epic

1.Johnsson
- Crimsoninja

Really?

Moved to this country 14 years ago, had no idea what hockey even was... Didn't even watch more than 2 minutes of hockey till four years later in 04 and watched JR bury the leafs in the playoffs.

1. Giroux - Skills

2. Kimmo - Heart

3. Gagne

4. Forsberg - brief time, but the man was a beast for the short time he was able to play.

5. Pronger - read above.

6. Roenick - i know people dislike him, especially now as an analyst, he's got a big mouth, but that goal vs. the Leafs in OT is my earliest hockey memory.

7. Voracek - yeah he's been here a short while he has got serious talent, and is able to dominate at times, has potential to be Giwoo's right hand man for a long time on this team.

8. Coburn - Should he be a better player than he is with his physical skills? absolutely, still a solid player and one who's getting closer to being here about almost a decade, which in Flyer years might as well be a century. His playoff performances with Kimmo were pretty awesome (most of the time).

9. Carter - Best goal scorer along with Gagne they've had since i started watching.

10. Lupul - Very good first season with the team, was having another good one until he got crushed by Hatcher. But really it was more about the moment, Caps OT goal.

Moved to this country 14 years ago, had no idea what hockey even was... Didn't even watch more than 2 minutes of hockey till four years later in 04 and watched JR bury the leafs in the playoffs.

1. Giroux - Skills

2. Kimmo - Heart

3. Gagne

4. Forsberg - brief time, but the man was a beast for the short time he was able to play.

5. Pronger - read above.

6. Roenick - i know people dislike him, especially now as an analyst, he's got a big mouth, but that goal vs. the Leafs in OT is my earliest hockey memory.

7. Voracek - yeah he's been here a short while he has got serious talent, and is able to dominate at times, has potential to be Giwoo's right hand man for a long time on this team.

8. Coburn - Should he be a better player than he is with his physical skills? absolutely, still a solid player and one who's getting closer to being here about almost a decade, which in Flyer years might as well be a century. His playoff performances with Kimmo were pretty awesome (most of the time).

9. Carter - Best goal scorer along with Gagne they've had since i started watching.

10. Lupul - Very good first season with the team, was having another good one until he got crushed by Hatcher. But really it was more about the moment, Caps OT goal.
- Yosimar89

1. Foppa/Johnsson
- Crimsoninja

Lack of Morin is disturbing

True. Schmidt was very good, but he always had that Dave Kingman quality to him. Ton of power, low batting average, tons of strikeouts. I'm generally not a fan of those types of players.
- PLindbergh31

Might need to do some research. Schmidt was a career 267 hitter. He hit .316 one season. Also had a number of seasons where he he hit in the .270- .280 range.

Might need to do some research. Schmidt was a career 267 hitter. He hit .316 one season. Also had a number of seasons where he he hit in the .270- .280 range.
- MJL

.267 is relatively low for a guy you'd consider one of the greatest of all time. His advanced stats are what really sticks out though. A WAR over 100 and a career OPS of .907. He may not have had a high average, but he walked a ton. His defense was outstanding as well.

13 seasons of at least 30 home runs too.

True. Schmidt was very good, but he always had that Dave Kingman quality to him. Ton of power, low batting average, tons of strikeouts. I'm generally not a fan of those types of players.
- PLindbergh31

Schmidt could do it all apart from hitting for a high average (and his BA from 1980 onward was respectable). Apart from his power, he was one of the best fielding third basemen of all time. In his younger years, he was a fast baserunner (slowed down in that dept as he got older). Even when he didn't hit for average, he walked a lot. He struck out a lot but even cut down on the Ks in the 1980s.

By contrast, Dave Kingman was a one-trick pony. His glove was a liability. He never could run. Schmidt learned how to work the count as he matured as a hitter. Kingman always simply just swung hard in case he made contact.

Might need to do some research. Schmidt was a career 267 hitter. He hit .316 one season. Also had a number of seasons where he he hit in the .270- .280 range.
- MJL

If you're implying .267 is a high average... You might wanna rethink that

I dunno if I've ever heard anybody say something bad about Rod Brind'Amour.

It's all about the guy's determination and work ethic.

He's one of those players that never was, nor never will never be booed in Philly.
He was even given applause when he came to play in a Carolina sweater. Nobody wanted to see Brindy leave.

His hockey Q rating might be close to flawless.

Roddy B!