About the Philadelphia Flyers

Founded in 1967, the Philadelphia Flyers struggled early on due to restrictions placed on new expansion teams that kept the most talented players with the Original Six NHL teams. By the early 70s, though, the Flyers began to prove themselves as contenders even against the Original Six. The Flyers became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in 1973-74, beating the Bruins in six games. The Flyers were controversial, though, due to their reputation as the "Broad Street Bullies" (a reference to the Philadephia Spectrum arenas location on Broad Street), racking up over 100 penalty minutes during that season.

They defended their title in 1974-75 over the Sabres in another six-game finals. After losing the Cup in 75-76 to the Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers beat the Soviet Unions Central Red Army team in an exhibition game in Philadephia.

In 1979-80, Philly had a record-breaking winning streak of 36 games, a record that has yet to be beaten by any North American professional sports team to this day. They failed to win the Cup that year, yielding to the New York Islanders, four games to two. The Flyers returned to the Stanley Cup Finals in 84-85 and 86-87, losing both times to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Flyers made an ill-fated trade in 1992, acquiring first overall draft pick Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for six players, two future first-round draft picks, and $15 million dollars. While the trade helped the Nordiques (who became the Colorado Avalance) produce two Stanley Cups, the Flyers ended up with only one trip to the Finals, where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in 96-97. After the 2004-05 lockout, the Flyers signed former first-round draft pick Peter Forsberg to a two-year contract. They ended last season losing the Conference Quarterfinals to the Sabres, 2-4.