Bernie Parent - G

Bernie Parent was the Flyers’ first expansion draft pick in 1967, selected from the Bruins. In the first season he started 50% of the games, while #2 expansion pick Doug Favell (also from the Bruins) started the other 50%.

Over the next few years, Parent was their #1 net-minder, starting 75% to 80% of the games in seasons 2 and 3. 

 

After 33 starts in the 1970-71 season, Parent was traded to the Maple Leafs for goaltender Bruce Gamble and a #1 draft pick. He shared the goaltending with the veteran Jacques Plante for the rest of that season and the next season. Parent has said that Plante was instrumental in improving his game. 

 

Bernie jumped to the WHA for the 1972-73 season, playing for the Philadelphia Blazers in that league’s 1st season. 

 

After the season, the Flyers re-acquired Parent’s rights from Toronto in exchange for Doug Favell. Bernie moved from Center City (where the Blazers played) to South Philadelphia, and carried the Flyers to two consecutive Stanley Cup championships, while starting 90% of the games. He also made the All-Star team in both seasons and won the Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy twice. 

 

I remember thinking back then “Wow, two cups in a row. This is going to be a sweet dynasty!” Oh, well… 

 

Parent missed most of the 1975-76 season with a neck injury. The Flyers still made it to the finals, but lost to the Canadiens in 4 games. 

 

He bounced back in 1976-77, starting 75% of the games and making another All-Star team. Parent played for 2 more seasons, but with a reduced workload. An eye injury in late-Spring 1979 ended his career. 

 

Bernie was the Flyers’ goaltending coach for several years, working with Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall. Later, he was a team ambassador, due to his great popularity with the fans. 

 

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984, and in both 1998 and 2017 was ranked as one of the NHL’s top 100 players. Parent passed away in 2025 at age 80. 

 

In the early 2000s, both of my sons played inline hockey. The youngest one was a goalie for a few seasons. He and I met Parent at an autograph session at our local sports card store. When my son told Bernie that he was also a goalie, Parent fist-bumped him with his huge Stanley Cup ring. It was a moment we’ll never forget. 

    

Vintage Card Update

Between 6/20 and 7/16, I bought about 80 vintage Flyers cards on eBay or RetroCards.com. My new card totals for those first 8 seasons are shown in the chart on the sidebar. 

Not included in these counts are league-leaders or post-season cards that picture Flyers' players. I don't consider these to be "Flyers cards", although I do have some of them. Also not included in the counts (although I have them) are cards for players that were acquired in mid-season trades, but show their previous teams (such as 1968 Bill Sutherland, 1971 Bill Flett and Ross Lonsberry, and 1974 Wayne Stephenson).

Flyers Players from 1967-68 to 1975-76 seasons.

Here are all the Flyers who played in the first 9 seasons (except those that only played a handful of games). 

The notes at the bottom explain how this list is sorted, as well as the color codes for font and shading.

1967-68 Year in Review

Finish: 1st in West Division; lost quarter-finals 4-3 

Record: 31-32-11 

Captain: Lou Angotti 

Coach: Keith Allen 

 

The Flyers finished 1st in their division in their inaugural season. (It helped that all 6 expansion teams were put in the same division, while the Original Six were in the other division. This enabled a more competitive season for the upstarts, but it guaranteed that the 2 best teams in the league could not meet in the Stanley Cup finals.) 

 

The St. Louis Blues finished 3rd in the division, beat the Flyers in the quarter-finals, and beat the 4th-place Minnesota North Stars in the semi-finals. They were then crushed by the Montreal Canadiens in 4 games in the finals. 

 

After the Blues made it to the finals for 3 consecutive seasons, the league finally wised up and moved the Chicago Black Hawks to the West Division with the expansion teams, allowing the possibility of two Original Six teams meeting in the finals (which they did). It wasn't until the complete realignment in 1974-75 that the Original Six teams were more evenly distributed between the divisions. 

 

Anyhoo, the Flyers finished with a 31-32-11 record, with both 22-year-old goalies (Bernie Parent and Doug Favell) splitting the games evenly. 

 

As expected, the expansion teams were a mix of inexperienced rookies and older players on the downside of their careers. 

- Forbes Kennedy played 9 previous seasons, back to 1956-57. 

- 39-year-old Larry Zeidel had played 92 games, but spent the last 13 seasons in the minors. 

- Garry Peters had played 80 games over the past 3 seasons. 

- Leon Rochefort had played 64 games over the past 6 seasons. 

- Bernie Parent had played 57 games over the past 2 seasons. 

- Joe Watson had played 46 games in the 1964-65 season, but very little since then. 

- The rest were either rookies, or had only played a handful of games in prior seasons. 

 

Leon Rochefort led the team in goals, while team captain Lou Angotti led in assists and points. 

Forbes Kennedy, Ed Van Impe, and Gary Dornhoefer each had between 130 and 138 penalty minutes, 40% more than the next guy. 

(Custom Doug Favell card made by fellow blogger Johngy)