A Tale of Flyers Goaltending

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Feb 5, 2019
After nearly two decades of searching, the Flyers may finally have an answer in net. Since the Flyers waived Ron Hextall at the end of the 1998-99 season, the Flyers have had a seemingly never-ending rotation of short term goaltenders. Some have provided a temporary fix, but none have evolved into a franchise goalie.

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Let’s look back at Philadelphia’s netminders….

  • The Beezer: First, there was John Vanbiesbrouk. After a stellar performance in the 1998-99 season in Philadelphia Orange, he was replaced by rookie Brian Boucher late in the following season. Boucher stayed in net during the playoff run in 2000. Vanbiesbrouk was traded during the 2000 NHL Draft to the New York Islanders.
  • BOOSH: Brian Boucher emerged as the answer in net. In his rookie season, he outplayed veteran Vanbiesbrook and helped the Flyers secure home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Philadelphia saw its season end in heartbreak fashion after blowing a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals to rival New Jersey. The following season the “Boosh” era crashed shortly after takeoff.
  • Roman Cechmanek: Flyers Nation had high hopes for Boucher in the 2000-01 season, however, another rookie ousted him from the starting position. Cechmanek surprised all by posting a 2.01 goals-against average in his rookie season, and again the Flyers thought they found their answer in net. After an All-Star season, Cechmanek came back to earth in the playoffs and the Flyers were bounced in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres. Cechmanek rebounded the following season, but the Flyers offense scored a record low two goals in five games in a playoff series loss against the Ottawa Senators. In his third season (2002-03), Cechmanek shared the net with Robert Esche and was eventually traded to the Kings after another playoff exit at the hands of the Senators.
  • Robert Esche: With confidence in their new goaltender, the Flyers had an offensive explosion in the 2003-04 season. Led by Tony Amonte, Simon Gagne, John LeClair, Keith Primeau, Joni Pitkanen, March Recchi, and Jeremy Roenick the 2003-04 Flyers were one of the best in Franchise history. Unfortunately, the Flyers lost one of the most exciting Eastern Conference Finals in NHL history in seven games. After the lockout, Esche only played 40 games of the 2005-06 season due to injury. He didn’t perform well in the playoffs, as the Flyers lost in six games to Buffalo in the first round.
  • Antero Niittymaki: Niittymaki started the 2006-07 campaign with high hopes after success as Esche’s backup. Those hopes didn’t last, as injuries plagued his short Flyers career.
  • Marty: Martin Biron was acquired in a trade with the Sabres in February 2007 and the Flyers missed the postseason for the first time in 12 years. The following year the Flyers bounced back reaching the Eastern Conference Finals behind Biron, however, they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. The 2008-09 season also ended at the hands of the Penguins, this time in the first round. Biron signed with the Islanders in the following offseason and his short stint with the Flyers was over.
  • Ray Emery: 2009-10 was perhaps the wildest ride for Flyers goaltenders. Ray Emery was signed to be the Flyers starting goalie, however, after appearing in only 29 games he was placed on injured reserve with a torn muscle in his abdomen. Emery later returned to the starting role but was injured again in February effectively ending his season… Emery was later signed in 2013 as a backup and was involved in the famous brawl against the Washington Capitals in which he fought Capitals goaltender Brayden Holtby.
  • The return of Boosh: Boucher returned for the 2009-10 season to the Flyers as a backup to Emery, and didn’t last very long in net, as he too got hurt. He was placed on the disabled list with a hand injury. Boosh, however, saved the Flyers season with his famous shootout victory over the New York Rangers in the final regular-season game securing a playoff spot as the 7th seed. Boosh stayed strong in net and beat Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur in the first round. In the second round, Boosh was injured again in game five with the Flyers trailing the series 3-1.
  • Michael Leighton: Michael Leighton saw some regular season action during the 2009-10 campaign after injuries to Emery and Boucher, but didn’t finish the season due to a high ankle sprain. In the playoffs, Leighton returned to relieve Boucher in game five against the Boston Bruins and helped the Flyers complete one of the most incredible series comebacks in playoff history. Leighton allowed only seven goals in five games in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens and propelled the Flyers into the Stanley Cup for the first time since the Hextall era. Leighton, however, struggled in the finals and the quest for the Stanley Cup ended in heartbreak against the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • Enter BOB: Rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky burst onto the scene to start the 2010-11 season. Leighton was demoted to the AHL, and Boucher served as Bobrovsky’s backup. Bobrovsky had a terrific season in net, but was overwhelmed in the postseason and was benched for Boucher. The Flyers were eventually eliminated by the Bruins in the semifinals, and Bobrovsky was demoted to backup and eventually traded.
  • Bryzgalov the bust: After over a decade of inconsistencies at the goaltender position, the Flyers gambled and traded away their biggest stars in Jeff Carter, and captain Mike Richards. Doing this allowed the Flyers to sign goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a massive 9-year contract worth $51 million. Bryzgalov never lived up to expectations and lasted only two seasons with the Flyers. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards went on to win multiple Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings… A big reason they won was that of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.
  • Steve Mason: Mase was acquired in a trade for Michael Leighton and a draft pick in April 2013. He replaced Bryzgalov as the Flyers starting goaltender for the 2013-14 season. Mason played well, and led the Flyers to the playoffs, but fell to the Rangers in the first round. After missing the playoffs in the 2014-15 season, Mason was very shaky and replaced by backup Michal Neuvirth in game four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2016.
  • Current goaltenders: Neuvirth’s career with the Flyers has been bothered by injuries. The subsequent goaltenders Anthony Stolarz, Alex Lyon, and Brian Elliot have all missed games due to injuries.

The Flyers are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak thanks to rookie sensation Carter Hart. History has taught the NHL world that Stanley Cups are won with quality goaltending, which has eluded the Flyers for nearly two decades.

Is Carter Hart the missing link that the Flyers have been searching for? Time will tell.
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