Quote:
Originally Posted by bigjack
Lets not forget a very important factor! The Flyers won 2 Cups not because of Dave Schultz or the fighting but because Bernie Parent stood on his head for 2 years and was amazing in net!
He stoned the Rangers in the 3rd period time and time again late and held on for a 4-3 win in game 7 when Schultz beat up Rolfe!
The Rangers were outshot badly in the first two periods and Giacomin was great and they dominated the 3rd period and only scored twice but the last 5 minutes Parent owned and held on for a tough 4-3 win!
People who know nothing about the Schultz/Rolfe game assume that the Flyers won like 6-2 but the game was 4-3 and it was the Rangers who dominated the 3rd period and especially the last 10 minutes or so! Remember that with a minute left with the Rangers on the attack, they got called for that bogus too many men on the ice penalty and Hadfield was sent to the box where he was seen laughing and drinking a fan's beer and when Emile Francis was told about it went nuts and Hadfield was gone to Pittsburgh quickly for Nick Beverley!
The 1976 finals were all close games with three being one goal games but Rick MacLeish was out with a broken leg and Bernie Parent was injured also and didn't play against Montreal! MacLeish scored 24 goals in 34 games in the Flyers two Cup years and was a great player in those playoffs!
A healthy Bernie Parent and a healthy Rick MacLeish and the Flyers may have won 3 Cups in a row even with Montreal not intimidated!
Don't ever forget about Bernie Parent!  |
If i am not mistaken jack the flyers victory over the rangers might of been the first time a expansion team had beaten a original 6 ever in the playoffs ! sports illustrated and the national media gave our sport some hudge publisity because of the flyer antics.
Clearly Clark and parrant were more responsible for the cup run then schultz still dave was as well known as any of them To the casual fan who give him more credit then deserved he will always be in the Pantheon of hockey legends.
Dave was in the right place at the right time with the right team to his credit he saw a opportunity to create a niche for himself and took full advantage. Dave must of felt tremendous pressure every night as his reputation grew . he realised if he backed down once or took a bad loss the magic would be gone .
It is impressive that even after the invincible spell was broken and holdgram took him apart in his return to philly he still showed up for fights and of coarse got the two great wins over johnathon and ben wilson