Building the Perfect Flyers Player
What goes into being a great hockey player?
While it’s subjective as to what exactly sets the likes of Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid apart from the rest, we do know that there are certain abilities that translate into being a great hockey player.
For the Flyers, they’ve seen their fair share of great players over their 50-year history. Bobby Clarke, Eric Lindros, Brian Propp, Bernie Parent, and now Claude Giroux were all elite during their careers for different reasons.
What if we could combine the best traits from the best players in Flyers’ history?
Let’s break it down into (blank) categories to create the ultimate Flyers player.
Size: Eric Lindros
Photo: Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
There are few players in NHL history that can compare to Eric Lindros. With his combination of size and skill, ‘The Big E’ dominated the league for much of the ’90s.
Standing at 6’4″, 240 lbs, Lindros could do almost whatever he wanted with the puck; simply, because no one could get him off of it.
He was the pure definition of a bowling ball on skates.
Skating: Sami Kapanen
Photo: NHL.com
Though not a big name on this list, there’s no denying that Sami Kapanen could flat-out fly and deserves to be mentioned as one of the best skaters of all-time.
One of six players in NHL history to win two Fastest Skater awards, the Swedish forward posted times of 13.649 in 2000 and 14.039 in 2002.
Scoring: Bill Barber
Photo: Steve Babineau/Getty Images
The Flyers’ all-time leading goal scorer, Bill Barber was one of the driving forces during their mid-70s dynasty.
On a team full of gritty, tough guys, the Flyers drafted Barber 7th overall to come in and score. He did just that with nine seasons of 30-plus goals and five with more than 40, going down in history as one of the best goal scorers of that era.
Tallying 420 goals during his 12-year career (all with the Flyers), Barber’s record looks like it will stand for quite some time.
Hands: Claude Giroux
Photo: Andre Ringuette/NHLPI via Getty Images
One of the more underrated characteristics of a great NHL player, being able to control the puck on such a crowded sheet of ice goes a long way.
Since the shootout was introduced in 2006, a player’s hands have become a more important skill and Claude Giroux has shown his off for over a decade.
Whether it’s during an odd-man rush, setting up a pass on the powerplay, or going in on the goalie during a breakaway, the Captain is always dangerous with the puck on his stick.
Playmaking: Bobby Clarke
Photo: NHL.com
One of the greatest set-up players in NHL history, Bobby Clarke’s spot as all-time Flyers assists leader looks like it could never be broken.
With 852 assists, Clarke has 294 more assists then Claude Giroux, who sits at second with 558. at 32 years old, Giroux would need to continue to notch 40-45 assists for another 7-8 years just to reach Clarke’s record.
Durability: Rod Brind’Amour
Photo: Glenn Cratty/AllSport
There are few that could match the work that Rod Brind’Amour put in off-the-ice.
Brind’Amour is often credited as one of the first to put a serious emphasis on fitness. With his unmatched work ethic away from the game he became known by his ‘Rod the Bod’ moniker.
Spending nine seasons with the Flyers from 1991 to 2000, he became an ironman, playing 484 consecutive games, and often found himself filling in for Eric Lindros during his battles with injury.
With the tough nature of Flyers hockey and his elite two-way game, the durability of Brind’Amour was almost unbelievable.
Grittiness: Dave Schultz
Photo: Associated Press
You can’t have a conversation about Flyers’ hockey without the mention of the Broad Street Bullies era’. Their pure grittiness was what set them apart during their dominance of the ’70s and has stuck with the team through their history.
While many great Flyers have not shied away from getting into the thick of the action and dropping the gloves, Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz embodies ‘grit’ better than any of them.
Though enforcers are now a role of the past, Schultz’s heart and willingness to stick up for his teammates will fit perfectly into the perfect Flyers player.
Clutchness: Danny Briere
Photo: Alex Brandon/AP
You can’t be a great NHL player if you crumble when your team needs you most.
When the going gets tough, there are certain players who elevate their games to the next level to make sure their team comes away victorious.
There are certainly arguments for many Flyers players, there’s no denying that Danny Briere was the definition of ‘clutch’ during his NHL career and especially with the Flyers.
Briere always seemed to reach another level when the playoffs rolled around and his stats show it. Playing in 68 playoff games with the Flyers, he notched 72 points and is second in team history with 9 game-winning playoff goals.
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