YouTube Finds: The Broad Street Bullies

I recently stumbled across "Broad Street Bullies" on YouTube. It is a 2010 documentary film produced and directed by veteran documentary filmmaker George Roy for HBO Sports. It chronicles the National Hockey League's (NHL) Philadelphia Flyers from their beginnings as an expansion team in 1967, to their back-to-back Stanley Cup.  Enjoy!


    

More On The Bullies

With HBO's debut of the documentary of the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s, the Philadelphia Inquirer has a couple of nice articles remembering the Broad Street Bullies:

• Play, Win, Fight, And Go Drink Beer
• It Took Our "Bullies" To Beat Them

Here's a couple of other articles of interest:

• Bullies Capture Team And City In Black And Blue - Sports Illustrated
• How Fighting, Skill Became Part Of Flyers History - NY Daily News

And a blast from the past, courtesy of SI.com's wonderful Vault:

• The Flyer From Flin Flon

HBO Looks At Broad Street Bullies

Tuesday night at 10 Eastern, HBO will broadcast its latest installment in its “Sports in the 20th Century” documentary series, “The Broad Street Bullies,” on the Philadelphia Flyers of the 1970s.



Stu Hackel at the NY Times blog Slap Shot has more info in today's must read link.

1976: Montreal Ends Philly's Reign Of Terror

The year is 1976. The Philadelphia Flyers, with their intimidating brawling style of hockey, are the two time defending Stanley Cup champions, and they're back for more.

Standing in their way are the Montreal Canadiens, who are looking to restore their fire wagon brand of hockey and end the days of the Broad Street Bullies. Skill would defeat brawn, as Montreal swept the Flyers 4 games to 0.

In all fairness to the men in orange, they were playing without goaltender Bernie Parent, the winner of the last two Conn Smythe trophies, and without annual playoff scoring leader Rick MacLeish.

The Flyers did waste one of the greatest playoff performances in history. Reggie Leach set a NHL record with 19 playoff goals, only 2 of which came on the power play. The next closest goal scorer in 1976 had 8 goals. Despite losing, Leach would be named as the Conn Smythe trophy winner.

The Canadiens had their own offensive dynamo in Art Ross winner Guy Lafleur. The Flower had 2 goals and 7 points in the 4 games against the Flyers, and finished third in playoff scoring. Line mates Steve Shutt and Pete Mahovlich also had a strong playoff, while Larry Robinson and Ken Dryden anchored the defense.

1975: Expansion Showdown: Flyers Meet Sabres

The year is 1975. For the first time we have an all-expansion team Stanley Cup final, as the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers face the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres were fueled by the famed French Connection line of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert, along with the goaltending of Roger Crozier. But they entered the finals winless against the Flyers in the previous 13 contests. Philly's dominance would continue in this series, as the Flyers won the series 4 games to 2.

The series is remembered for two things: Fog, and a bat.

Due to warm weather, a thick fog plagued the games in Buffalo. Game three was particularly bad. At one point play was halted while the players skated around with towels hoping to lift the fog.

In another zany incident, Jim Lorentz slayed a bat that had taken flight inside the arena. The bat had been bothering players and spectators alike until Lorentz struck the bat down in the third period.

1974: Broad Street Bullies Are First Expansion Champions

The year is 1974. It has been six years since the National Hockey League doubled in size from six to twelve teams. No expansion team had ever won the Stanley Cup. Until now.

The Philadelphia Flyers were the talk of hockey, with their aggressive and downright dirty tactics earning the label "Broad Street Bullies." But in the spring of 1974 they would fend off the favored Boston Bruins and earn another eternal label - Stanley Cup champion.

The Flyers are led by superstar center Bobby Clarke, a face off and defensive wizard but more importantly the heart and soul of the Flyers. Rick MacLeish be the offensive dynamo, leading all scorers with 22 points. But it was goaltender Bernie Parent who was the essential key to the championship. With a playoffs best 2.02 GAA, 2 shutouts and 12 wins, Parent was the obvious recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Flyers also had an unlikely secret weapon from which they drew strength, or at least luck. Kate Smith warbled her way into hockey history by singing "God Bless America" in place of "The Star Spangled Banner." Much to the delight of the Philadelphia faithful, Smith became the Flyers good luck charm. FlyersHistory.net lists game by game results when Smith's trademark song was either played or performed live. Her record 74-20-3, including the 2007-08 season.

For the Bruins and their star Bobby Orr, it was the second time in the last three years that they were upset in a year when they should have won the Stanley Cup.

The New Broad Street Bullies?

He is known as face of the Broad Street Bullies and of goon hockey. His name is Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.

This season there have been three incidents involving Philadelphia players that have led to lengthy suspensions and lengthy injuries, leading some to think the Flyers are purposefully trying to bring back their Bullies image.

Sports Illustrated decided to find out what Schultz thinks of it all.

Dave Schultz was known as "The Hammer,'' a nickname earned with a ready to rumble style of play that satisfied the bloodlust of NHL fans who paid to see an old-fashioned brawl.

He dropped his gloves, busted and bloodied some chops, absorbed his own share of jabs and could have written a mortgage check to the league for all the minutes the Philadelphia Flyer spent in the penalty box. One thing the enforcer of the 1970s-era Broad Street Bullies never did was put another player on a stretcher.

"Oh my God, no. Never,'' Schultz said. "We didn't really hurt anybody. The only time you could hurt anybody was with your stick.''
Full Sports Illustrated Story

By the way, in 1982 Schultz and Stan Fischler teamed up to write the autobiography The Hammer: Confessions of a hockey enforcer. I see Amazon.ca has used copies for sale. Its certainly an interesting story about what the Hammer thought about Bobby Clarke, Fred Shero the Philadelphia Flyers, the Los Angeles Kings, and fighting and violence in hockey. It's a very revealing read, well worth a used copy.

Meanwhile, over at Hockey Adventure.com, Lucas Aykroyd compares fighting in hockey to twinkies.