The Broad Street Bullies

The Philadelphia Flyers of the ‘70s could beat you with muscle or with talent. The Flyers willingness to do whatever it took to win games, even if it meant stretching the rules, led media and the fans of the NHL to call them the “Broad Street Bullies.” The Philadelphia Flyers were coached by Fred Shero and captained by Bobby Clarke. After becoming the first expansion team to record a 100 point season, 1973/74, Philadelphia then bullied their way through two rounds of the playoffs and would met the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup. Continuing with their physical style of play, the Flyers built up a 3-2 lead in the series. In the sixth game, Rick MacLeish tallied the game winning and Stanley Cup winning goal in the first period. The Philadelphia Flyers became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. Philadelphia repeated as Stanley Cup champions with a victory over the Buffalo Sabres in the 1975 Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately for the Flyers and their fans, the Flyers’ Stanley Cup victories of 1974 & 1975 would be the only Stanley Cup victories in the franchises history.