SBNation.com: All Posts by David Strehle

Today in Philadelphia Flyers history: April 3

2013-04-03T17:54:38Z

The Flyers have posted a 6-4-3-3 all-time regular season record in 16 April 3 games. Philadelphia is 6-2-2-2 at home and 0-2-1-1 in road contests played on this day. The Flyers have lost five of their last six April 3rd tilts since 1999 (1-3-0-2) heading into tonight's matchup with the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center.

Philly also played one postseason game on this day, a 5-0 blanking at the hands of the St. Louis Blues to fall behind 2-0 in their 1969 playoff series.

1975: Fallen defenseman Barry Ashbee, who was forced to retire after being hit in the eye with a slap shot in the previous spring's postseason, is honored and his No. 4 is retired by the team prior to a 1-1 tie with the New York Rangers.

1976: Bill Barber nets goal No. 50 for the season in the second period, and it stands as the game-winner in a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the Spectrum. Barber becomes the second Flyer to hit the 50-goal mark that season (Reggie Leach was first) and third in franchise history (Rick MacLeish was the other during the 1972/73 campaign).

In the same game Leach beats goalie Al Smith for goal No. 61 of the year in the first period, which remains the highest single-season total in franchise history. With an assist on Barber's 50th, Bobby Clarke sets a team record for points in a season with 119. Barber's goal gave the LCB Line an NHL record total of 141 for the year.

1977: Paul Holmgren (second goal of the game) and Bob Kelly each tally third period goals to erase a 3-1 deficit in a 3-3 tie with the Atlanta Flames at the Omni. The Flames outshoot Philadelphia 44-22 for the game, but Bernie Parent is spectacular in a 41-save performance.

1980: Reggie Leach's sixth career hat trick gives the winger his second 50-goal season, leading the Flyers to a come-from-behind 4-2 triumph over former-Flyer netminder Wayne Stephenson and the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum. Bobby Clarke assists on all four Philadelphia goals.

1989: The Flyers erase a 6-3 third period deficit with a furious comeback, tying the game on Tim Kerr's 48th goal of the season with 2:27 remaining to send the contest to overtime, but Mario Lemieux's second of the game (85th of the season) 3:38 into the extra frame caps a 6-5 Pittsburgh Penguins victory at the Spectrum.

2009: Jeff Carter registers his first NHL hat trick and the Flyers bolt out to a 5-0 first period lead on the way to burning the Leafs by an 8-5 score.

Flyers birthdays on April 3:

Bernie Parent - 1945 - "Only the Lord saves more than Bernie". One of the all-time greats at his position. Simply put, the biggest reason for Philadelphia's two Stanley Cup championships; five-time All-Star, 50 career regular season Flyers shutouts (including a franchise-record 12 in two different years). Career ended prematurely by an eye injury suffered when he took a teammate's accidental stick in the eye during a netmouth scramble.

Andrei Lomakin - 1964 - The first Russian-born player ever signed by the Flyers after being selected in the 1991 entry draft, Lomakin played two seasons in Philadelphia. He amassed 22 goals, 50 points, and 60 PIMs in 108 games with the Flyers before being lost to the Florida Panthers in the 1993 expansion draft.

Today in Philadelphia Flyers history: April 2

2013-04-02T19:46:23Z

The Flyers have posted an 11-7-2-0 regular season record in games played on April 2nd. Philadelphia dropped their first and have lost their last two contests on this day, and had a 12-game undefeated streak (10-0-2) from 1974 through 1998. Three of the losses (1970, 2000, 2010) ended with Flyer 1-0 losses.

Philly has also played one playoff game on this day -- the earliest calendar date in franchise postseason history -- dropping a 5-2 decision to the St. Louis Blues in 1969.

1972: Needing a win or a tie to qualify for the playoffs, it appeared the Flyers were a lock in the closing seconds of the last day of the 1971-72 regular season. But Buffalo Sabres winger Gerry Meehan launched a prayer of a shot from about 70-feet away that somehow eluded Philadelphia netminder Doug Favell with just four ticks left on the clock, killing the Flyers postseason hopes.

1983: Dave Poulin scored two goals in his NHL debut and Brian Propp added a pair of goals to lead the Flyers to a 6-3 victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto. Poulin was signed as a free agent out of Notre Dame in March and played 16 games with Philadelphia's AHL-affiliate, the Maine Mariners, before his recall.

1994: Eric Lindros posts two goals and two assists as Flyers build a 5-1 first period lead over the Whalers, but Hartford scores four straight to tie before Rob DiMaio nets the game-winner for Philly in a wild 6-5 win in Hartford.

1998: Sean Burke makes 29 saves to register his first shutout as a Flyer and Alexandre Daigle scores the game-winning goal in a 3-0 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings.

Today in Philadelphia Flyers history: April 1

2013-04-01T19:11:59Z

The Flyers are 10-10-6-0 all-time in April 1 contests, snapping a four-game April 1 losing skid (2006 to 2011) with a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on this day last year.

1972: Retiring goaltender Bruce Gamble is honored before a 4-4 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum. The goalkeeper had unknowingly suffered a heart attack during the first period of a February game before posting a 3-1 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver, and the heart attack was diagnosed after the contest.

1973: Rick MacLeish recorded both goal number 50 and point 100 of the season and tough guy Dave Schultz scored two goals, but Philly dropped a 5-4 decision to the Penguins at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. The Flyers carried a 4-3 lead into the third period but the Pens beat Philadelphia netminder Bobby Taylor twice, including Jean Pronovost's game-winner with 1:13 remaining in regulation. MacLeish became the first-ever Flyer to record 50 goals in a single season, just the eighth player in NHL history to do so. He became the second Flyer to ever hit the 100-point mark, reaching the milestone just three days after Bobby Clarke had done the same.

1976: The LCB Line runs rampant as Bill Barber (hat trick, assist), Bobby Clarke (five assists), and Reggie Leach (two goals, three assists) combine for 14 points in an 11-2 rout of the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum. Leach's two goals gave him 60 for the season, becoming just the second NHL player to hit the plateau (Boston's Phil Esposito was the other). The Flyers outshot Washington by a whopping 44-11 through two periods, and ended the night with a club-record 62 shots on Caps netminder Ron Low when all was said and done.

1993: Mark Recchi scores his 50th goal of the season in a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at the Spectrum, becoming the fifth player in team history to hit the 50-goal mark in a season.

2003: The Flyers received goals from Kim Johnsson, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Recchi, and Radovan Somik, and Roman Cechmanek needed to only turn aside 10 shots to post his 20th career regular season shutout in a 4-0 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

2004: Simon Gagne and Michal Handzus provided goals and Sean Burke stopped all 24 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout of the Canadiens in Montreal.

2012: The Flyers spot the Penguins a 2-0 lead just 4:58 into the game, then roar back with four third period goals in a 6-4 victory at CONSOL Energy Center. Jakub Voracek scores two of the third period markers to give him 17 goals, setting a new single season career-high. Pittsburgh outshoots the Flyers by a 47-26 margin, but goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky makes 43 saves to continue his mastery of the Pens at CONSOL, improving his record to 4-0-0 against the Penguins at their new home.

December 23 In Philadelphia Flyers History: Streak Reaches 30, Kerr Hat Trick, Craven Penalty Shot Goal

2012-12-23T13:32:10Z

This is a daily column that will run during the duration of the NHL lockout. It is not meant to depress hockey fans, but is rather intended to provide a reminder of some of the more memorable moments in Philadelphia Flyers' history, and act as a much-needed distraction from the ongoing negativity surrounding the lockout for hockey fans. What must not be forgotten during the labor strife is just how great of a game we have been blessed with to enjoy throughout the years.

After going 1-4-1-0 in their first six games on this day, the Flyers have still managed a 13-10-5-0 overall record -- which includes an 8-3-2-0 mark at home -- on December 23rd over the course of franchise history.

Philadelphia has scored 92 goals and allowed 96 to their opponents in 28 December 23rd outings.

Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place on December 23rd:

1975: Bobby Clarke scored the game-tying goal with 6:41 remaining in the game and Wayne Stephenson stopped 31 of 33 shots as the Flyers and Atlanta Flames skated to a 2-2 draw at the Omni.

The goal extended Clarke's point-scoring streak to eight games, in which he lit the lamp twice and posted 13 points.

Don Saleski opened the scoring 11:21 into the middle stanza, but Atlanta tied it up via a Claude St. Sauveur tally just over four minutes later.

Bill Flett staked the home team to a 2-1 lead 5:36 into the third before Clarke's tying marker late in the session.

Phil Myre made 30 saves for the Flames.

1976: Don Saleski shattered a 1-1 tie with two second period goals and Wayne Stephenson turned away 25 of 27 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-2 triumph over the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum.

Mel Bridgman added a goal and two helpers, while defensemen Tom Bladon and Andre Dupont (first goal of the season) also scored.

1979: Brian Propp scored twice and Pete Peeters stopped 14 of 16 shots as the Flyers extended their NHL record unbeaten streak to 30 games with a 4-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers at the Spectrum.

Bill Barber (goal and an assist) and Tom Gorence also lit the lamp for Philadelphia, who now sported a flashy 21-0-9 mark in their last 30 contests.

Reggie Leach assisted on two Flyer goals.

Hartford netminder John Garrett made 36 saves in the loss.

1981: Bill Barber posted a pair of goals, Brian Propp and Ken Linseman each notched a goal and three points, and Pete Peeters made 31 saves as the Flyers outscored the Chicago Blackhawks in a wild 7-6 affair at Chicago Stadium.

Trailing 2-0 in the opening period, Linseman and Barber each scored while Philadelphia skated shorthanded to even the score at the first intermission.

Barber scored his second 8:10 into the middle stanza and Bobby Clarke followed with another only 30 seconds later. Propp tallied 1:11 after Clarke to make it a 5-2 lead.

Tom Lysiak cut the lead to 5-3 but Ron Flockhart made it a three-goal lead again just 16 seconds later, and Behn Wilson made it 7-3 with a late second period power play marker.

The Flyers almost choked the lead away, as Reg Kerr, Al Secord (second of the contest), and future-Flyer Doug Crossman all scored to leave a one-goal margin but Chicago could not find the equalizer.

Reggie Leach and Ray Allison added a pair of assists apiece.

1984: Tim Kerr led a seven-goal attack with his fourth career hat trick and Pelle Lindbergh made 27 saves as the Flyers drilled the Washington Capitals, 7-4, at the Spectrum.

Murray Craven added a pair of goals, while Derrick Smith and Ross Fitzpatrick each tallied once. Doug Crossman assisted on three Flyer markers, and Mark Howe, Rick Tocchet, Peter Zezel, and Brian Propp all added two helpers to the winning cause.

The trio of goals gave Kerr 28 for the season in 32 games played.

1987: Dave Poulin notched a pair of goals and three points and Ron Hextall stopped 33 of 36 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-3 triumph over the Minnesota North Stars at the Spectrum.

Scott Mellanby, Rick Tocchet, and Ilkka Sinisalo (shorthanded) also beat Kari Takko, who allowed five goals on 31 Philly shots. Mark Howe and Pelle Eklund each added a pair of helpers apiece.

1988: Mike Bullard scored the game-winning goal with 47 seconds remaining in regulation and Ron Hextall turned aside 31 of 35 shots as the Flyers defeated the Hartford Whalers by a 5-4 score at the Spectrum. Tim Kerr and Ron Sutter each posted a goal and two assists in the win.

Trailing 2-1 in the latter half of the middle frame, Kerr beat Mike Liut on the power play to tie the game heading into the third period.

Murray Craven and Sutter scored to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead early in the frame, but goals from Whalers defenders Sylvain Cote and Joel Quenneville knotted the game at 4-4 to set up Bullard's late-game heroics.

Scott Mellanby also scored for the Flyers, and Brian Propp set up two Philly goals.

1989: Ron Sutter scored twice, Mike Bullard added a goal and an assist, and Ken Wregget stopped 31 of 34 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-3 victory over Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum.

Pelle Eklund and Dave Poulin also scored for Philadelphia, while rear guard Jay Wells assisted on two Flyer tallies. Goaltender Wregget also got into the offensive act as he assisted on Bullard's first period marker.

Roy made 23 saves in the loss.

1990: Murray Craven scored twice in the first period -- including a penalty shot goal -- as the Flyers built a 4-0 lead, only to have to settle for an eventual 4-4 tie with the Montreal Canadiens at the Spectrum.

Opening period strikes from Craven (two), Tony Horacek, and Rick Tocchet chased Montreal starter Andre "Red Light" Racicot, but that's all the home team would muster on the scoreboard as Jean-Claude Bergeron snuffed out all 17 Philadelphia shots the rest of the way.

Meanwhile things were busy throughout for Ron Hextall, who finished with 45 saves on 49 Habs offerings -- including a 32-14 margin over the second and third periods.

The visitors got even on a pair of Denis Savard tallies and one each from Shayne Corson and Russ Courtnall, who delievered the game-tying marker with 4:55 remaining in regulation.

The Flyers recorded all three shots in the extra session, but Bergeron would not yield anything as the contests ended in a deadlock.

1995: Rod Brind'Amour's provided the game-tying marker at 7:36 of the third period and Garth Snow turned away 32 of 35 shots in a 3-3 draw with the Hartford Whalers at the Hartford Civic Center.

Sean Burke was perfect over the first two frames as he thwarted all of Philadelphia's 24 shots heading into the third, but goals from Joel Otto and Eric Lindros in the first 4:00 of the stanza knotted the score at 2-2.

Nelson Emerson gave Hartford the lead once again with a power play tally at 6:43, but Brind'Amour tied it up just 53 seconds later.

1997: Eric Desjardins posted a goal and an assist and Ron Hextall stopped 21 of 23 shots to lead the Flyers to a 4-2 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes at the CoreStates Center.

Shjon Podein, Chris Gratton, and Rod Brind'Amour also scored for Philadelphia, who extended their undefeated streak to eight games (6-0-2-0).

1998: Eric Desjardins snapped a 1-1 deadlock 6:51 into the third period, John LeClair notched a goal and two points, and John Vanbiesbrouck stopped 28 of 30 shots to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 road win over the Boston Bruins at the Fleet Center.

A LeClair marker in the first period and Joe Thornton tally in the second left the clubs in a 1-1 tie into the third period, setting up Desjardins' game-winner. Eric Lindros posted helpers on both Flyer goals.

1999: Rod Brind'Amour scored a goal and added an assist in his second game of the season due to an injury, but the Flyers blew a 4-1 lead in an eventual 4-4 deadlock with the Atlanta Thrashers at the First Union Center.

Goals from Mikael Andersson, Mikael Renberg, Mark Recchi, and Brind'Amour made it a 4-1 contest 6:42 into the middle stanza, but Atlanta scored the last three of the night -- with Nelson Emerson's early third period tally serving as the game-tying marker.

Brind'Amour, who missed the first 34 games of the campaign due to a fractured left foot, posted his first two points of the year in his second contest back.

Brian Boucher stopped 25 of 29 shots, while Scott Fankhouser was spectacular -- 36 saves on 38 shots, including all five shots registered in overtime -- in relief of Norm Maracle, who was yanked after Andersson and Renberg beat him on the four shots he faced in the first 3:40 after the opening faceoff.

2000: Dan McGillis beat Arturs Irbe with 1:10 remaining in overtime to give the Flyers a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at the First Union Center.

Jeff O'Neill gave the visitors an early first period lead, but Simon Gagne answered early in the middle session to tie the game at 1-1.

Roman Cechmanek was spectacular in making 35 saves, including four in overtime.

2002: Simon Gagne scored the game-tying goal early in the third period and Robert Esche stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 2-2 draw with the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre.

Michal Handzus also scored for Philadelphia.

2005: Peter Forsberg and Mike Knuble scored within a 1:09 span late in the third period to lead the Flyers to a 5-4 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo.

Simon Gagne and Forsberg gave Philly a 2-0 lead at the first intermission, and they added to that lead on Dennis Seidenberg's first goal of the season early in the second period.

But Thomas Surovy and Erik Christensen made it a 3-2 game heading into the third, and rookie Sidney Crosby notched a pair within 44 seconds early in the third to stake the Pens to their first lead of the night at 4-3 before Forsberg's second and Knuble's game-winner.

Antero Niittymaki made 22 saves to claim the win, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 of 32 Flyer shots in defeat.

Rookie Mike Richards assisted on a pir of goals, including the primary assist on Knuble's winner.

2008: Simon Gagne snapped a 4-4 tie with 5:30 remaining in the third period and Antero Niittymaki made 17 saves to lead the Flyers to a 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators at the Wachovia Center.

Philadelphia led 2-1 after the opening period on strikes from Matt Carle and Joffrey Lupul, and furthered their lead in the second to 4-2 on Jeff Carter's NHL-leading 26th of the year and Andreas Nodl's first career goal.

But Dany Heatley and Chris Phillips connected for Ottawa to tie it up midway through the final stanza, before Gagne's game-winner and a Mike Richards empty-netter with 10 seconds left.

Scott Hartnell added a pair of helpers in the victory.

2009: Mike Richards and Blair Betts each scored twice and Michael Leighton turned aside 31 of 33 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Goals from Betts and Richards staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead after the opening frame, but Zenon Konopka and Victor Hedman scored in the middle stanza to make it a 2-2 game at the second intermission.

Betts snapped the deadlock with 9:59 remaining in regulation with his second of the contest, before Richards netted his second for an insurance marker and Simon Gagne hit the empty net with 34 seconds left.

Claude Giroux and Oskars Bartulis added a pair of assists apiece.

As For The Present:

With the lockout now at the 99-day mark and counting and with the league's announcement Thursday that games are now canceled through January 14th, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 158 -- 36 in the shortened 1994/05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004/05, and 41 thus far this season:

October 11 Boston Bruins @ FLYERS
October 13 FLYERS @ NY Islanders
October 18 Pittsburgh Penguins @ FLYERS
October 20 Winnipeg Jets @ FLYERS
October 25 FLYERS @ Montreal Canadiens
October 27 Toronto Maple Leafs @ FLYERS
October 28 FLYERS @ Buffalo Sabres
October 30 Dallas Stars @ FLYERS
November 1 New Jersey Devils @ FLYERS
November 3 Anaheim Ducks @ FLYERS
November 4 FLYERS @ NY Rangers
November 6 Buffalo Sabres @ FLYERS
November 8 FLYERS @ Carolina Hurricanes
November 10 Carolina Hurricanes @ FLYERS
November 13 Minnesota Wild @ FLYERS
November 16 FLYERS @ Buffalo Sabres
November 17 Buffalo Sabres @ FLYERS
November 21 Ottawa Senators @ FLYERS
November 23 Winnipeg Jets @ FLYERS
November 24 FLYERS @ NY Rangers
November 28 FLYERS @ Toronto Maple Leafs
November 29 FLYERS @ NY Islanders
December 1 FLYERS @ Florida Panthers
December 4 FLYERS @ Tampa Bay Lightning
December 6 San Jose Sharks @ FLYERS
December 8 FLYERS @ New York Islanders
December 9 New York Islanders @ FLYERS
December 11 New Jersey Devils @ FLYERS
December 13 FLYERS @ Washington Capitals
December 15 Carolina Hurricanes @ FLYERS
December 19 New Jersey Devils @ FLYERS
December 21 FLYERS @ New Jersey Devils
December 23 FLYERS @ Ottawa Senators
December 27 FLYERS @ Nashville Predators
December 29 FLYERS @ St. Louis Blues
December 31 FLYERS @ Phoenix Coyotes
January 3 FLYERS @ Los Angeles Kings
January 5 FLYERS @ San Jose Sharks
January 6 FLYERS @ Vancouver Canucks
January 10 Montreal Canadiens @ FLYERS
January 12 New York Rangers @ FLYERS

The NHLPA may proceed with a Disclaimer of Interest as player membership voted overwhelmingly in support of the action, which could be forthcoming soon. (Remember the same thing happened with the NBA in recent years, and an agreement came between the league and players within two weeks).

Not to be outdone, the league has a class action complaint pending which seeks a declaration to confirm the legality of the lockout.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more contentious or litigious between the sides as the waiting game continues, that is exactly what happened.

And just to throw a bit more confusion into the mix, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said on a radio show Wednesday that he believes there will be a season -- a day before the cancelation of more games.

At this juncture, there is really only two ways the gridlock can end, either with a shortened, condensed calendar like the 1994/95 lockout -- where an agreement was finally reached in the second week of January and games began on January 20th in the 48-game schedule -- or watching the entire campaign go up in flames as it did in 2004/05.

While there is still hope that sanity will somehow prevail and there can still be something to salvage of a 2012/13 NHL season, it is unfortunately looking like the sides may just be content to self-destruct.

And it will be interesting to see what fan reaction will be once this mess is finally sorted out and the league resumes operations -- because after what they've been put through, the base that pays the bills may just have filed a "Disclaimer of Interest" of their very own.

December 22 In Philadelphia Flyers History: NHL Record 29-Game Unbeaten Streak

2012-12-22T13:27:57Z

The Flyers have managed an 11-3-2-2 overall record -- which includes a sparkling 7-0-0-2 mark at home -- on December 22nd over the course of franchise history.

Philadelphia has scored 63 goals and allowed 44 to their opponents in 18 December 22nd outings.

Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place on December 22nd:

1973: Bobby Clarke snapped a 2-2 tie with 8:12 remaining in the third period and Bernie Parent stopped 26 of 28 shots to lift the Flyers to a 4-2 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Spectrum.

The game was tied heading into the final stanza, but Stan Mikita gave the visitors the lead with a power play tally at 1:14. Simon Nolet evened things just under three minutes later, setting the stage for Clarke's game-winner.

Dave Schultz also scored in the opening frame, and Barry Ashbee hit the empty net with two seconds left and Tony Esposito pulled for an extra attacker as Chicgo attempted to force a tie.

Bill Barber added a pair of helpers to the winning cause.

1974: Bernie Parent turned away all 24 shots he faced to post his sixth shutout of the season and he received offensive support from four different skaters as the Flyers blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0, at the Spectrum.

Rick MacLeish's shorthanded tally midway through the middle stanza was all Parent would require, but late-period strikes from Reggie Leach and Ross Lonsberry and a third period marker from Bob Kelly gave ample breathing room as the legendary netminder posted the 28th regular season shutout in a Flyers' uniform.

Bobby Clarke and Ed Van Impe each added two assists.

1979: Goals by Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, and Kenny Linseman staked the Flyers to an early 3-0 lead and Phil Myre stopped 18 of 20 shots as 'The Streak' turned to 29 games to set the NHL record for the longest stretch of games without a loss in a 5-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.

Boston Garden had been a veritable house of horrors for Philadelphia through the years -- as their overall 14-37-9 record against the Bruins in both regular season and playoff contests would attest -- including a disastrous 0-23-4 mark from 1969 into 1974, and 4-20-6 all-time at the Garden.

With the Flyers leading 3-0 early in the second period, Boston mounted a counterstrike as goals from Tom Songin and Mike Milbury in a 1:07 span brought the home team back to within a goal. But defenseman Jimmy Watson beat Gilles Gilbert just 30 seconds later to restore a two-goal cushion, and Bob Kelly closed out the scoring in the final session as the Flyers made history.

The victory broke a personal stretch of four straight ties for Myre, who improved his record to 9-0-5 during the undefeated run.

Philadelphia's 29-game unbeaten streak -- which began innocently enough following a 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Flames in Atlanta in the second contest of the season -- consisted of 20 wins and nine ties, shattering the previous mark set two years earlier by the Montreal Canadiens.

The win gave the Flyers an amazing 21-1-9 record at the 31-game mark and a large lead for first place overall among NHL clubs.

1982: Ron Flockhart's second goal of the game snapped a 1-1 tie early in the second period and Pelle Lindbergh turned away 27 of 28 shots to lead the Flyers to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Brendan Byrne Arena.

Mark Howe gave Lindbergh some breathing room with a shorthanded marker midway through the middle stanza.

1983: Ray Allison posted a pair of goals and an assist and Pelle Lindbergh stopped all 29 shots he faced as the Flyers skated to a 5-0 whitewash of the New Jersey Devils at the Spectrum. The shutout was Lindbergh's first of the year and fourth of his young career.

Doug Crossman opened the scoring with a late first period power play tally, then a pair from Allison and one from Paul Holmgren in the second chased Devils starter Glenn Resch. Ron Low relieved "Chico" and yielded only Tim Kerr's 24th of the season out of the 16 shots he faced in the final frame.

1985: Murray Craven scored at 2:12 of overtime to lift the Flyers to a 3-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum.

The clubs traded second period goals -- with Mario Lemieux giving Pittsburgh the lead and tough guy Dave Brown knotting it at 1-1 just 54 seconds later -- in a middle frame that saw the visitors outshoot Philly by a 13-4 margin.

Ilkka Sinisalo's 18th of the season put Philadelphia ahead 2-1 early in the third, but Terry Ruskowski evened things up with 7:50 remaining in regulation.

Bob Froese turned aside 25 of 27 shots to pick up the win.

1987: Rick Tocchet notched a pair of goals and three points and Ron Hextall made 30 saves to lead the Flyers to a 6-4 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Trailing 2-0 on two John Ogrodnick goals early in the opening period, Philadelphia got markers from Tocchet, Derrick Smith, and Pelle Eklund in a 4:10 stretch to take a 3-2 lead into the locker room at the first intermission.

The teams each scored twice in the middle stanza -- with Murray Craven and Mark Howe providing the offense for the Flyers, and Walt Poddubny and Tomas Sandstrom for the Blue Shirts -- to make it a 5-4 Philly lead heading into the final frame.

Hextall had to be very good in the third as N.Y. outshot the visitors, 14-4, and Tocchet sealed the win with his second of the contest with 7:55 left.

In addition to his second period goal, Howe also added a pair of helpers to the winning effort.

1988: Ron Sutter scored twice and Ron Hextall stopped 26 of 28 shots as the Flyers skated out of Nassau Coliseum with a 4-2 triumph over the New York Islanders. The victory made it nine consecutive contests without a loss for the Orange-and-Black (8-0-1).

Brian Propp and Jeff Chychrun also scored, with Chychrun's first NHL goal coming in the second period and ending up as the game-winner. Tim Kerr and Jay Wells each added two assists apiece.

The win was the sixth in a row for Hextall, and gave him a personal eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1).

1991: Brad Jones scored 1:10 into overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum.

Defensemen Kjell Samuelsson and Steve Duchesne scored goals 1:12 apart in the opening period as the teams went into the third period tied at 2-2. Rod Brind'Amour gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead midway through the stanza, but Kelly Miller knotted the game with 44 seconds remaining in regulation.

Ken Wregget made 25 saves to garner the victory, while Don Beaupre stopped 24 of 28 Flyer offerings in defeat.

1996: Eric Lindros scored twice within a 48 second span in the second period to erase a 2-0 deficit and Garth Snow turned away 25 of 27 shots to help the Flyers salvage a 2-2 deadlock with the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

Chicago took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission on goals from Sergei Krivokrasov and Tony Amonte, but things turned around in the second. Lindros got Philadelphia on the board via the power play just seven seconds after a James Black slashing minor, and tied the score with an even strength marker less than a minute later.

Krivokrasov's goal came at 2:38 of the opening frame and snapped a club record streak of scoreless play at 265:08, in which the Flyers had recorded four consecutive shutouts.

Eddie Belfour made 30 saves -- including the only two in the extra session -- to earn the draw.

2001: Mark Recchi set up Jeremy Roenick for a third period game-tying goal, then beat Arturs Irbe for his second of the contest just 27 seconds into overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes at the First Union Center.

Both teams scored once in each period, with Recchi, Simon Gagne, and Roenick doing the honors for Philadelphia. Sami Kapanen posted a goal and an assist for Carolina.

Donald Brashear -- playing in his second game since being acquired in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks for Jan Hlavac -- notched his first point as a Flyer with an assist on Recchi's first period marker.

Brian Boucher stopped 20 of 23 shots to post the win.

2005: Simon Gagne -- who played for the first time after missing five games with a groin strain -- scored once and assisted on another goal and Antero Niittymaki made 25 saves as the Flyers built a 4-0 second period lead, and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the Wachovia Center. It was head coach Ken Hitchcock's 700th game behind an NHL bench.

Mike Knuble, Sami Kapanen, R.J. Umberger, and Gagne beat Dominik Hasek to make it 4-0 midway through regulation, but tallies from Zdeno Chara, Antoine Vermette, and Mike Fisher brought the visitors back to within the slightest of margins.

Peter Forsberg posted a pair of assists in the win.

2007: Mike Richards fought Nathan Paetsch in the first period, scored two goals in the second, and added an assist on a Kimmo Timonen third period marker to register a Gordie Howe hat trick, but the Flyers dropped the decision when Thomas Vanek beat Martin Biron for the game-winning goal with just eight seconds remaining in regulation to give the Buffalo Sabres a 6-5 victory at the Wachovia Center.

As For The Present:

With the lockout now at the 98-day mark and counting and with the league's announcement Thursday that games are now canceled through January 14th, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 158 -- 36 in the shortened 1994/05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004/05, and 41 thus far this season:

The NHLPA may proceed with a Disclaimer of Interest action, which could be forthcoming soon.

Not to be outdone, the league has a class action complaint pending which seeks a declaration to confirm the legality of the lockout.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more contentious or litigious between the sides as the waiting game continues, that is exactly what happened.

December 21 In Philadelphia Flyers History: 5 SHOs, Kerr Hat Trick, Giroux 4-Point Game In Return From Injury

2012-12-21T11:07:09Z

The Flyers have a collective 13-9-2-1 mark -- which includes a 8-5-0-0 record at home -- on December 21st over the course of franchise history.

Philadelphia has scored 79 goals, while yielding 64 to their opponents in the 25 contests played on this day. Philadelphia goaltending has posted five December 21st shutouts -- including three in the first seven outings courtesy of Bernie Parent's brilliance, and a stretch in which they yielded just nine goals in those seven contests.

Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place in December 21st games:

1967: Bernie Parent snuffed out all 31 shots he faced to record his second shutout in five days (and second as a Flyer) and he received offensive support from six different goal scorers in a 6-0 whitewash of the Minnesota North Stars at the Spectrum.

Philadelphia scored two goals in each period with Pat Hannigan and Claude Laforge doing the honors in the first, Forbes Kennedy and Gary Dornhoefer in the second, and Leon Rochefort and captain Lou Angotti in the final frame.

Garry Peters added a pair of assists in the victory.

Parent was tested most in the third period as the North Stars sent 16 shots his direction, but to no avail for the visitors.

1968: Goals by Andre Lacroix and Dick Sarrazin staked the Flyers to a 2-0 lead and Doug Favell made it stand up, stopping 45 of 46 shots in a 2-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Philadelphia was badly outplayed and it showed in the lopsided shot totals, but Favell made the difference. Although an L.A. 20-5 advantage in the opening stanza, Lacroix's goal was the only shot to hit the back of the net.

Sarrazin's second period marker midway through the second made it a 2-0 lead, despite the fact the Kings had a 32-14 shots on goal margin.

It was more of the same in the final session as the home team directed 14 more on Favell and allowed just five, and Los Angeles finally broke through on a Bill Flett tally with 8:09 remaining to spoil Favell's shutout bid.

Gerry Desjardins made 17 saves for the Kings in the losing effort.

1969: Bobby Clarke, Lew Morrison, and Reg Fleming each posted a goal and assist and Bernie Parent stopped all 28 shots as the Flyers blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-0, at the Spectrum.

Morrison opened the scoring 27 seconds into the second period with a carry over man advantage from late in the first, tallying the only goal Parent would need.

Pittsburgh's Les Binkley made 24 saves in the loss.

1972: Bill Barber scored a pair of goals and Rick MacLeish added a goal and four points as the Flyers skated to a 6-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings at the Spectrum.

MacLeish snapped a 2-2 tie with 2:50 left in the middle frame, and third period goals by Bobby Clarke, ex-King Bill Flett, and Barber's second of the night clinched the outcome.

Simon Nolet also lit the lamp for the Orange-and-Black, and Gary Dornhoefer added a pair of helpers.

Michel Belhumeur turned aside 23 of 26 shots to pick up the win, while Gary Edwards stopped 33 shots in defeat.

1975: Bill Barber notched two goals and five points and Reggie Leach scored twice and posted four points in an 8-3 beatdown of the St. Louis Blues at the Spectrum. The win was the fourth in a row for Philadelphia, and gave them a 11-1-2 record over their last 14 outings.

Things didn't start off too well for the home team, though. Despite outshooting St. Louis by a 20-5 margin, the Flyers needed goals from Barber and Larry Goodenough in the last half of the opening period just to tie it up at 2-2.

After Chuck Lefley made it a 3-2 Blues lead with a power play marker 10 seconds into the middle stanza, late second period tallies from Dornhoefer and Leach staked Philly to its first lead of the night heading into the final session.

It was all Flyers in the third with goals from Leach, Barber (shorthanded), and Dornhoefer (all their second of the contest), and Mel Bridgman to win going away.

With Bobby Clarke's pair of assists, the LCB Line of Leach (two goals, four points), Clarke (two helpers), and Barber (two goals, five points) hit for 11 points in the victory.

Philadelphia goaltender Wayne Stephenson stopped 28 of 31 shots to boost his record to 22-4-7 for the season.

St. Louis goalkeeper Yves Belanger kept his club in the game but took the loss after making 39 saves.

1977: Bobby Clarke scored a shorthanded goal and added an assist and Bernie Parent made 21 saves for his 43rd regular season Flyers shutout in a 4-0 triumph over the Cleveland Barons at Richfield Coliseum. The victory gave Philadelphia a scorching 11-1-1 mark over their last 13 games.

Bill Barber, Rick MacLeish, and Don Saleski also beat beleagured Cleveland netminder Gilles Meloche, who stopped 40 of the 44 Flyer shots sent his way.

1978: Rick MacLeish and Yves Preston notched a pair of goals apiece and Bernie Parent turned away 22 of 24 shots to lead the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals at the Spectrum.

Preston snapped a 2-2 tie with his first of the contest with 3:17 remaining in the opening period. Philadelphia extended that lead in the middle frame on goals by MacLeish and Preston, the second of the night for both.

Blake Dunlop also scored for Philly, while Bill Barber and Behn Wilson each added two helpers.

Gary Inness stopped 41 Flyer shots in defeat.

1983: Defenseman Miroslav Dvorak beat Murray Bannerman with 54 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Flyers grab a point in the standings as he forced a 3-3 deadlock with the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.

Trailing 2-0 in the second period, Ron Sutter got Philadelphia on the board and cut the 'Hawks lead to one goal.

After Steve Ludzig restored Chicago's two-goal cushion, Brian Propp posted his 19th marker of the season with 9:36 left to make it a 3-2 deficit before Dvorak's late-game heroics.

Goalkeeper Bob Froese finished with 36 saves -- including stopping the only two shots in overtime -- to preserve the draw.

1985: Tim Kerr scored his 30th and 31st goals of the year and Bob Froese turned aside 36 of 38 shots as the Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2, at the Igloo.

Goals from Ron Sutter and a pair by Kerr gave the visitors a 3-1 lead at the second intermission, before Ilkka Sinisalo provided an insurance marker midway through the third period.

Dave Poulin added two assists to the winning cause.

The two goals gave Kerr a nearly goal-per-game pace, with 31 in 34 regular season games for the year.

1986: Tim Kerr's third goal of the game tied the score at 6-6 midway through the third period and Dave Poulin's marker just over three minutes later was the game-winner as the Flyers downed the St. Louis Blues in a wild 7-6 victory at the Spectrum. It was the club's fourth straight win and seventh in their last eight outings.

It was Kerr's second hat trick in three contests and gave the big forward 12 goals and 17 points during a nine-game point-scoring streak, including 10 goals and 14 points in seven games since returning after missing three contests with a hamstring injury. The third marker also made it a 30-goal season in Kerr's 31st game in which he appeared.

Derrick Smith opened the scoring in the first period and a pair of goals from Kerr made it 3-1 Philadelphia at the midway point of regulation, but St. Louis came back with four consecutive tallies to take a 5-3 lead at the second intermission.

Goaltender Ron Hextall was pulled in favor of Glenn Resch following the second stanza after yielding five goals on 23 shots.

J.J. Daigneault and Pelle Eklund scored within a 48-ssecond span early in the final frame to knot the score at 5-5, but Rick Meagher notched his second of the game just two minutes later to put the Blues up by a goal before late strikes from Kerr and Poulin.

Resch allowed one goal on five shots in the third frame to claim his second victory of the season, while Rick Wamsley made 20 saves in absorbing the loss.

1991: Kevin Dineen and Rod Brind'Amour each scored one goal and assisted on another and Ron Hextall stopped all 34 shots he faced as the Flyers skated to a 3-0 triumph over the Minnesota North Stars at the Met Center.

Dineen scored early in the opening period and Brind'Amour doubled the lead 25 seconds into the third, while Rick Tocchet added an insurance marker midway through the final stanza.

The shutout was the third in the regular season of Hextall's career, and snapped a personal four-game losing skid in the process.

Minnesota's Darcy Wakaluk took the loss after giving up three goals on 19 shots.

1996: Ron Hextall made 24 saves to record his fifth consecutive win and second straight shutout and John LeClair chipped in with his 20th goal of the year to lead the Flyers to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues at the CoreStates Center. The win was the seventh in a row for Philadelphia and gave them a 10-game undefeated streak (9-0-1).

Following a socreless opening period goals from Trent Klatt and Joel Otto staked the home team to a 2-0 lead, and third period markers by LeClair and Kjell Samuelsson clinched the triumph.

The goal for LeClair kept his point-scoring streak alive at seven games, during which he managed six goals and 12 points.

Blues netminder Jon Casey was far less busy than Hextall, but was collared with the loss after yielding four goals on just 15 shots.

2011: Claude Giroux's first game back after missing the previous four with a concussion was a rousing success as he scored once and added three assists in a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.

It was also the second four-point game in the last four in which Giroux played, giving him three goals and 12 points in the last five contests in which he appeared. The team's leading scorer was injured on December 10th when inadvertantly struck on the back of the head by Wayne Simmonds' knee.

Following a Michael Ryder goal in the first minute after the opening faceoff, Giroux evened the score nearly eight minutes later and assisted on a Simmonds power play tally for the go-ahead marker at 11:36.

Giroux also set up Jaromir Jagr with a give-and-go worked to perfection for another man advantage strike in the middle stanza, and Andrej Meszaros for some insurance early in the third.

Jagr's goal was his 11th of the year and 657th of his career, moving him ahead of Brendan Shanahan for 11th place in all-time NHL goal scoring.

There was an incident between Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette and Dallas agitator Steve Ott at the end of the first period in the runway tunnel as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms at the intermission.

Laviolette exited the Flyers bench and Ott moved in front of him to allow his teammates to get through the tunnel before anyone else went. The fiery Philly bench boss shoved Ott in the back and hurled an expletive at him as he pushed his way past, with everything having been caught on video.

As For The Present:

With the lockout now at the 97-day mark and counting and with the league's announcement Thursday that games are now canceled through January 14th, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 158 -- 36 in the shortened 1994/05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004/05, and 41 thus far this season:

The NHLPA may proceed with a Disclaimer of Interest action, which could be forthcoming soon.

Not to be outdone, the league has a class action complaint pending which seeks a declaration to confirm the legality of the lockout.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more contentious or litigious between the sides as the waiting game continues, that is exactly what happened.

December 20 In Philadelphia Flyers History: 'The Streak' Hits 28 To Tie NHL Record, Hartnell Hat Trick

2012-12-20T11:08:51Z

The Flyers have managed an 9-4-3-0 overall record -- which includes a 7-1-3-0 mark at home (with the loss coming in their last home game on this day in 2010) -- on December 20th over the course of franchise history.

Philadelphia has scored 53 goals and allowed 40 to their opponents in 16 December 20th outings.

Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place on December 20th:

1973: Bobby Clarke, Bill Clement, and Ross Lonsberry each scored a pair of goals and Bernie Parent stopped 23 of 26 shots to lead the Flyers to a 9-3 demolition of the Vancouver Canucks at the Spectrum.

11 different Philadelphia skaters posted multiple points, led by Clement's three (two goals, assist).

Bob Kelly -- who was assessed a fighting major during a second period melee -- scored a goal early in the third and assisted on Clement's second of the contest to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick.

Future-Flyer defenseman Bob Dailey scored two of the three Vancouver goals.

Parent won his second straight game and 18th of the season, while Jacques Caron was shelled for all nine Flyer goals on 39 shots.

1979: Behn Wilson deflected a Dennis Ververgaert shot past netminder Greg Millen for the game-tying power play goal with 4:08 remaining in regulation to keep the Flyers unbeaten streak alive at 28 -- tying the NHL record for longest undefeated stretch -- in a 1-1 draw with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum.

Trailing 1-0 on a first period Ron Stackhouse man advantage tally, Millen thoroughly frustrated Philadelphia as they attempted to knot the score. The Orange-and-Black dominated the final period to the tune of a 16-6 shots advantage, but the second-year goalie kept them off the board into the latter stages of regulation time.

With time waning and the shot to rewrite the history books slowly fading away, Pittsburgh defender Bob Stewart was whistled for a hooking minor at 15:21. The Flyers got the chance they were waiting for with the first power play opportunity of the third stanza, and took full advantage with Wilson's game-tying goal.

Pete Peeters turned away 22 of 23 Penguins shots and ran his record to 12-0-3 for his rookie season.

Wilson's goal enabled Philly to tie the 1977/78 Montreal Canadiens record of 28 consecutive contests without a loss, giving the club a 19-0-9 mark during the span.

The Flyers would now head to Boston to play a Bruins club in which they had a collective 14-37-9 record against (regular season and playoffs) -- including a horrific 0-23-4 mark from 1969 into 1974 and 4-20-6 at Boston Garden -- in the pursuit of history.

1980: Reggie Leach scored twice as the Flyers erased a 2-0 second period deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals, 5-2, at the Cap Center in Landover, Maryland.

Trailing 2-0 at the first intermission on goals from future-Philadelphia property Tim Tookey (first NHL goal) and former-Flyer Bob Kelly, Philly turned it on in a second period in which they outshot Washington, 20-7, and scored three unanswered goals.

Bob Dailey beat Mike Palmateer to get the Flyers on the board early in the middle frame, and the visitors took the lead on goals from Leach and Tim Kerr within a 28 second span late in the stanza.

Tom Gorence and Leach (shorthanded) provided third period insurance markers as Philadelphia continued to carry play, outshooting the Capitals by a 32-10 margin over the final two sessions.

Pete Peeters stopped 21 of 23 shots to improve to 12-2-2 on the year.

1981: Ron Flockhart snapped a 1-1 tie with 2:15 left in regulation and Pete Peeters turned aside 24 of 25 shots as the Flyers skated to a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum. It was Philadelphia's third consecutive win and eighth in their last nine contests.

Reggie Leach scored in the first period, and Bill Barber added an empty-netter and an assist in the win.

Future-Flyer Mike Bullard posted the lone Pittsburgh marker, and Michel Dion made 34 saves in the loss.

1984: Rick Tocchet and Ilkka Sinisalo each notched a pair of goals as the Flyers blasted the New Jersey Devils, 8-4, at the Spectrum.

After future-Flyer Doug Sulliman staked N.J. to an early opening period lead, Philadelphia countered with strikes from Tim Kerr, Sinisalo, and two from Tocchet to take a comfortable 4-1 lead into the first intermission.

Thomas Eriksson, and Murray Craven added a goal and two helpers apiece in the win, Brad McCrimmon scored one goal and assisted on another, and Ron Sutter assisted on both Tocchet markers.

Pelle Lindbergh made 17 saves for the victory, breaking a personal four-game losing skid and seven-game winless stretch (0-5-2).

1986: Tim Kerr remained red hot with his 27th goal of the season and an assist and Ron Hextall stopped 29 of 33 shots to lead the Flyers to a 6-4 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Igloo.

Philadelphia got a quick jump midway through the opening period when Brad McCrimmon and Pelle Eklund scored goals 10 seconds apart to make it a 2-0 score, but Flyer-killer Willy Lindstrom cut the Flyers lead to 2-1 before the end of the stanza.

Despite being outshot by an 11-6 margin in the middle frame, Philadelphia potted four of the period's five goals (Mario Lemieux tallied for the Pens). Dave Poulin, Murray Craven, Kerr, and Mark Howe each lit the lamp to give the Flyers a 6-2 lead heading into the third.

Ilkka Sinisalo assisted on Philly's first three markers, giving him four helpers and five points in the two contests since returning from a three-game absence with a sprained knee.

It was the fourth multiple point outing for Kerr (seven goals, nine points), who extended his point-scoring streak to eight straight contests in which he notched nine goals and 14 points during that span.

1997: Rod Brind'Amour scored one power play goal and assisted on another, Eric Lindros scored for a third straight game, and Garth Snow snuffed out all 14 shots he faced as the Flyers blanked the Florida Panthers, 2-0, at the CoreStates Center.

The whitewash was the third and final shutout for Snow during his time in Philadelphia before being dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for Sean Burke in March of 1998.

2001: Keith Primeau stuffed a Chris Therien rebound past Ed Belfour midway through the second period to snap a 1-1 tie and Brian Boucher turned aside 29 of 30 shots to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at the First Union Center.

Primeau also assisted on Marty Murray's first period goal.

Donald Brashear played in his first game with Philadelphia -- and 500th NHL contest -- after being acquired three days earlier from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jan Hlavac. The tough winger was whistled for two minors, the second leading to Dallas' only goal of the night on a Martin Rucinsky power play tally.

The win was the fifth in six decisions for Boucher and improved his record to 8-4-1 for the campaign.

2003: Defenseman Jim Vandermeer posted his first two-goal game of his NHL career and Robert Esche stopped 18 of 19 shots as the Flyers skated to a 3-1 triumph over the New York Islanders at the Wachovia Center.

New York's Alexei Yashin gave the visitors a 1-0 lead early in the second period, but Vandermeer tied it late in the middle stanza and staked Philadelphia to its first lead of the contest 6:18 into the third period.

Simon Gagne closed out the scoring with a man advantage marker with 7:26 remaining in regulation

There were two milestones set by Philly skaters in the win -- John LeClair became the 16th player in team history to play in 600 games with the Flyers, and Jeremy Roenick assisted on Vandermeer's game-winning goal in the third period to give him 635 in his career to surpass Neal Broten for fifth place on the all-time list of American-born players. Roenick later added another helper on Gagne's PP goal.

Former-Flyer Garth Snow stopped 16 shots in the loss.

2008: Scott Hartnell scored three times in the third period and added an assist, Jeff Carter notched a pair of goals and four points and Antero Niittymaki turned away 47 of 48 shots as the Flyers -- though badly outshot, 48-28 -- blew the Washington Capitals out of the Wachovia Center, 7-1.

Niittymaki was spectacular as the Caps held a 25-6 shots advantage in the opening period, but trailed Philadelphia 1-0 on a Joffrey Lupul goal.

As a matter of fact Washington dominated play for the first 40 minutes of the contest -- with a healthy 29-13 lead in shots on goal -- but found themselves down, 3-0 after Carter scored twice in the middle frame.

Hartnell -- who had notched a hat trick against the Carolina Hurricanes nine days earlier -- beat Jose Theodore, who came into the game at the start of the third in relief of starter Brent Johnson, three times in a span of 11:40 to record the fourth three-goal outing as a Flyer. The four points gave the redhead seven goals and 10 points in his last six contests.

Simon Gagne also tallied for Philadelphia, and Brooks Laich spoiled Niittymaki's bid for a shutout in the final session for the Capitals only goal of the night.

Like Hartnell and Carter, Lupul also posted four points as he assisted on three markers in addition to his goal.

As For The Present:

With the lockout now at the 96-day mark and counting and games now canceled through the end of the calendar year, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 153 -- 36 in the shortened 1994/05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004/05, and 35 thus far this season:

The NHLPA reportedly took a vote to possibly proceed with a Disclaimer of Interest, which could be forthcoming very soon.

Not to be outdone, the league then filed a class action complaint Friday afternoon which seeks a declaration to confirm the legality of the lockout.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more contentious or litigious between the sides as the waiting game continues, it seems that is exactly what happened.

And just to throw a bit more confusion into the mix, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said on a radio show Wednesday that he believes there will be a season.

December 19 In Philadelphia Flyers History: MacLeish, Duchesne Hat Tricks, Lindros Gordie Howe Hat Trick

2012-12-19T11:07:11Z

The Flyers have a collective 9-6-5-3 mark -- which includes a 7-5-2-1 record at home -- on December 19th over the course of franchise history.

Philadelphia has scored 73 goals, while allowing 63 to their opponents in the 23 contests played on this day.

Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place in December 19th games:

1968: Andre Lacroix scored with 33 seconds remaining in the third period as the Flyers overcame a late-game two-goal deficit to salvage a point in a 5-5 deadlock with the Minnesota North Stars at the Spectrum.

A pair of goals by Wayne Connelly and single tallies from J.P. Parise and Claude Larose were answered only by a single Jean-Guy Gendron marker to stake Minnesota to a 4-1 lead 14:34 into the opening period, but captain Ed Van Impe cut the deficit to two with a goal with 3:11 left in the frame.

Jim Johnson brought Philadelphia to within a goal with the only tally of the middle stanza, but Walt McKechnie restored the North Stars two-goal lead 7:55 into the final session.

Leon Rochefort made it a 5-4 game with 7:04 left before Lacroix's game-tying tally.

In addition to his first period marker, Gendron assisted on a pair of goals. Simon Nolet and Larry Hale also added two helpers apiece.

Bernie Parent made 23 saves -- including turning away 12 of 13 shots in the third -- while Caesar Maniago stopped 31 of 36 Flyer offerings in the draw.

1974: Bill Barber and Ross Lonsberry each scored twice and Bernie Parent turned aside 19 of 20 shots as the Flyers skated to a 5-1 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Spectrum.

Toronto defender Brian Glennie gave the visitors a lead midway through the opening period, but Philadelphia soon seized control of play. The Orange-and-Black outshot the Leafs by a 19-6 count and took a 3-1 lead on a goal by Barber and a pair from Lonsberry in a 3:55 span late in the first.

Bill Clement gave the Flyers an insurance marker early in the third and Barber sealed the victory with a shorthanded tally midway through the stanza.

Bobby Clarke and Rick MacLeish both added a pair of assists in the win.

Toronto's Dunc Wilson made 37 saves in a losing cause.

1975: Rick MacLeish's sixth career hat trick, two goals and four points from Bill Barber, and a goal and three assists from Bobby Clarke helped bring the Flyers back from a late-second period 4-2 deficit to lead Philly to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Capitals at the Cap Center in Landover, Maryland.

Barber and MacLeish each notched their first of the contest in the opening stanza, both coming after former-Flyers had given the Caps a lead (Bill Clement and Bob Sirois) to leave the teams tied at 2-2 at the first intermission -- despite the fact that Philadelphia had thrown 20 shots towards Bernie Wolfe in the Capitals net, and the home team responded with just three shots on Wayne Stephenson.

Washington took a 4-2 lead on power play goals from Garnet Bailey and Harvey Bennett, but quick strikes from Clarke, Reggie Leach, and MacLeish's second of the night within a 2:26 stretch late in the frame gave the visitors a brief lead of their own. Blair Stewart beat Stephenson with 14 ticks left on the clock in the second to knot it at 5-5 heading into the final session.

Barber scored in the first three minutes to give the Flyers a 6-5 lead, and MacLeish completed the hat trick with an insurance goal with 2:49 remaining.

The goals made it three games in a row with lighting the lamp for MacLeish, who scored five times in that span. Barber. meanwhile, extended his point-scoring streak to six straight contests, in which he had four goals and 10 points.

In addition to his goal Clarke finished the contest with three assists and also stretched his point-scoring streak to a half-dozen games, posting a goal and 10 points during that timeframe.

Stephenson stopped 17 of 22 shots in the win while Wolfe played extremely well in spite of the seven goals allowed and being collared with the loss, as he turned away 46 of 53 Philadelphia attempts.

1976: Reggie Leach and Bobby Clarke each scored twice to lead the Flyers over the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, at the Spectrum.

A pair of goals by both Leach and Colorado's Paul Gardner had the game knotted at 2-2 midway through the second period when Clarke scored his first of the night with Bob Kelly in the penalty box to make it a 3-2 Philadelphia lead.

Wilf Paiement tied the score 1:19 later, but Clarke scored a power play marker late in the frame in what would become the eventual game-winner.

Bill Barber and Larry Goodenough assisted on two Flyer goals apiece.

Wayne Stephenson turned aside 35 of 38 Rockies shots to post the victory, while former-Flyer Doug Favell -- who was peppered with 55 shots -- made 51 saves in the loss and received a fighting major during a second period melee.

1985: Brian Propp and Peter Zezel each scored a pair of goals as the Flyers came up with four unanswered goals in the third period to overcome a 3-2 deficit in a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the Spectrum.

Propp scored twice in the second but Philadelphia trailed 3-2 heading into the final frame before Zezel tied it up at 4:25. Derrick Smith gave the Flyers their first lead 55 seconds later, while Dave Poulin -- who scored a goal and assisted on two others -- and Zezel closed out the scoring with tallies in the final minute.

Propp had a golden opportunity to complete the hat trick when he was awarded a penalty shot, but was stoned by Isles goalie Glenn Resch.

Darren Jensen made 18 saves for his third consecutive victory and seventh win of the season, while Resch stopped 37 of 43 Flyer offerings.

1987: Scott Mellanby and Peter Zezel notched two goals apiece and Mark Howe scored the game-winning goal early in the third period and added three assists to lead the Flyers to a 5-4 triumph over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

Ron Hextall stopped 28 of 32 shots for his sixth consecutive win to extend his unbeaten streak to 10 straight games (9-0-1), while Kelly Hrudey made 23 saves in defeat.

1991: Offensive defenseman Steve Duchesne recorded a hat trick and Ken Wregget turned away 19 of 21 shots in a 6-2 victory over the New York Islanders at the Spectrum.

Rod Brind'Amour, Dan Kordic, and Gord Murphy -- who assisted on two goals -- also scored for Philadelphia.

Duchesne scored once in each period, finishing off his third goal into an empty net with 52 seconds remaining.

1992: Mark Recchi scored twice to hit the 20-goal mark, Doug Evans scored one goal and assisted on another, and Tommy Soderstrom stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 Flyers win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Spectrum.

1996: Eric Lindros notched a Gordie Howe hat trick and Garth Snow stopped all 24 shots he faced for his second consecutive shutout and third straight win as the Flyers blanked the New York Islanders, 5-0, at the CoreStates Center.

Lindros scored once each in the first and second periods, assisted on Janne Niinimaa's first NHL goal and a third period Mikael Renberg tally, and fought defenseman Rich Pilon in the third to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick. John LeClair also posted a goal and assist, while Paul Coffey added three assists.

1998: Marc Bureau, Dan McGillis, and Colin Forbes scored for Philadelphia and John Vanbiesbrouck turned aside 23 of 24 shots to lead the Flyers to a 3-1 triumph over the Chicago Blackhawk at the First Union Center.

1999: Eric Desjardins scored with 54 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Flyers salvage a point in a 1-1 deadlock with the Nashville Predators at the First Union Center.

There was no score until midway through the third period when Nashville's Patrick Kjellberg put the visitors ahead at the 10:42 mark of the frame.

John Vanbiesbrouck made 19 saves, while Nashville's Mike Dunham came within less than a minute of a shutout.

2011: Scott Hartnell posted a goal and an assisted on Danny Briere's game-tying marker with 18.1 seconds remaining in regulation during a goalmouth scramble in an eventual 3-2 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 25 saves in regulation and overtime, while Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 31 of 33 Flyer shots.

Both had trouble in the shootout, as Milan Hejduk, Matt Duchene, and Ryan O'Reilley all beat Bryzgalov, while Briere and James van Riemsdyk beat Giguere. Rookie Matt Read was sent out as Peter Laviolette's third shooter in an attempt to keep it going in pursuit of the extra point. While Read beat the Colorado goalie, his shot clanked off the crossbar and stayed out to give the Avalanche the win.

December 19th Flyers Birthdays:

On this day in 1958, defenseman Behn Wilson was born in Toronto, Ontario. Selected by Philadelphia sixth-overall in the 1978 draft, the rugged 6' 3", 210-pound blue liner posted 59 goals, 214 points, and 873 penalty minutes in 339 regular season games over five campaigns with the Flyers. In 43 postseason outings, Wilson notched eight goals, 32 points, and 122 PIMs.

Another defender, Eric Weinrich, was born in Roanoke, Virginia on this day in 1966. Signed as an unrestricted free agent in July of 2001, the 6' 1", 215-pounder posted eight goals, 53 points, +54 rating, and 98 PIMS in 215 regular season contests. Weinrich appeared in 18 playoff games, notching two markers, five points, and 16 PIMs. On February of 2004, the rear guard was dealt to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2004 fifth round draft choice.

As For The Present:

With the lockout now at the 95-day mark and counting and games now canceled through the end of the calendar year, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 153 -- 36 in the shortened 1994/05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004/05, and 35 thus far this season:

The NHLPA reportedly took a vote to possibly proceed with a Disclaimer of Interest, which could be forthcoming very soon.

Not to be outdone, the league then filed a class action complaint Friday afternoon which seeks a declaration to confirm the legality of the lockout.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more contentious or litigious between the sides as the waiting game continues...