Flyers Lose to Devils in NHL Stadium Series
The Philadelphia Flyers tied an NHL record playing in their sixth outdoor game, but they fell to the New Jersey Devils 6-3 in the NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night. They’re now 1-4-1 in outdoor games.
Yo, Adrian. #StadiumSeries | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/Hzl2WVpd9D
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 17, 2024
Devils Sink Flyers
The rival Devils took the lead in the first minute and never looked back. Nico Hischier scored his first of two goals on a breakaway against Sam Ersson 32 seconds into the contest. Tyler Toffoli made it 2-0 later in the opening period.
The Flyers played with a tight pace most of the game. Owen Tippett scored twice, including a beautiful second period snipe to cut the New Jersey lead in half. However, they couldn’t stop the opportunistic Devils.
New Jersey never let their foot off the gas. Whenever the Flyers threatened for another dramatic Stadium Series comeback, the Devils had an answer. Pesky stay-at-home defenseman Brendan Smith somehow finished with a goal and an assist.
The Devils have now drawn within five points of Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division standings. They also have a valuable opportunity to make up ground with two fewer games played.
Gary Bettman, NHL Pageantry
The Jonas Brothers, Gaslight Anthem, and the countless pregame sideshows provided plenty of distractions. Max Weinberg of the E Street Band even joined the national broadcast on ABC.
The league doesn’t always showcase its product to its full potential, but the attempted pageantry at the NHL Stadium Series drew a crowd exponentially bigger than an average February matchup.
97.5 The Fanatic certainly took advantage of the big-time exposure with an exclusive interview from Gary Bettman. The NHL Commissioner talked about the experience of NHL outdoor games, the importance of the Flyers as a prominent franchise, and the exposure of the league on the biggest stage.
“When a team goes through a time competitively that is not ideal, you look to see how quickly they can come back and reengage fans…The Flyers are doing that. It shows the commitment of ownership, (and) Danny Briere and Torts are doing a great job.”
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) February 18, 2024
-NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
Download the 97.5 The Fanatic app to hear Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the flagship radio broadcast of the Philadelphia Flyers.
History of Philadelphia Flyers Captains
Bobby Clarke (1972-79, 1982-84)
It’s hard to find any player in NHL history who embodies the identity of a franchise better than Bobby Clarke represents the Philadelphia Flyers. He helped usher in the era of the fiercest, most intimidating team that bullied their way to consecutive Stanley Cup in 1973-74 and 1974-75.
Clarke still holds franchise records in goals, assists, games played, and plus/minus. He had two stints as the captain in Philadelphia.
Dave Poulin (1984-90)
Dave Poulin wasn’t the best player in franchise history, but he played an invaluable role for the Flyers teams at the top of the NHL during the 1980s. He received votes for the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward eight times, and he won the award for the 1986-87 season.
The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in 1985 and 1987 during Poulin’s captaincy. He entered the franchise Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ron Sutter (1989-91)
The Sutter family remarkably sent six brothers to the NHL. Ron Sutter played 19 seasons in the league. Nine of them came with the Flyers. He played 555 games and recorded 360 points in orange and black.
Rick Tocchet (1991-92)
Rick Tocchet earned the respect of the entire hockey world as a heart and soul player in the deep playoff runs of the 1980s. The Flyers awarded the captaincy to the “Rocket” for the 1991-92 season after their success in the 1980s had waned.
They dealt him away to the Pittsburgh Penguins before the end of the season, but he returned for a second stint in 2000. His impact on multiple eras of Flyers hockey landed him in the franchise Hall of Fame.
Kevin Dineen (1993-94)
The Hartford Whalers sent Kevin Dineen to the Flyers in 1991. He became the captain for the 1992-93 season as a respected veteran during a forgettable era in Philadelphia.
Dineen played 19 seasons in the NHL and retired with 760 career points and 2,229 career penalty minutes. He has continued his life around the game as an NHL and AHL coach for over two decades.
Eric Lindros (1994-2000)
The Eric Lindros era didn’t end the way that Ed Snider and Bobby Clarke hoped it would. However, the organization has buried a bad memory of stripping his captaincy in favor of honoring the good times.
The most talented hockey player ever to wear the Flyers jersey won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP in 1995 and led the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. His point per game average ranks among the best in NHL history.
Eric Desjardins (1999-2001)
The Flyers handed the “C” to Eric Desjardins in response to the Lindros saga. He had previously spent time as an alternate captain with Rod Brind’Amour.
The puck-moving defenseman was the rock of the Philadelphia blue line during the memorable era of contention in the 1990s and early 2000s. He ranks toward the top of the franchise record books in most statistical categories among defensemen.
Keith Primeau (2001-06)
It took a great hockey player to make the Flyers forget about trading Rod Brind’Amour, but Keith Primeau quickly made an impression in Philadelphia. He proved himself as the team leader in the early 2000s after Lindros left a void as the top-line center.
Primeau’s goal in Game 4 of the 2000 series against the Penguins still stands as one of the best memories in Flyers history. He scored a comparably memorable goal four years later in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Derian Hatcher (2005-06)
The Flyers unsurprisingly made a splash after the 2004-05 lockout. Derian Hatcher spent his best years with the Dallas Stars, but he occupied the captaincy as a stopgap during his time with the Flyers. He played his final three seasons in the NHL in Philadelphia.
Hatcher hung around long enough to play in the Eastern Conference Final in 2008.
Peter Forsberg (2006-07)
The decision to trade Peter Forsberg as part of the Lindros deal is questionable with the benefit of hindsight. The crafty Swede did return to the organization in his 30s after his prime years. Forsberg struggled with injuries in Philadelphia, but he was stunningly skilled with the puck in the 100 games he played for the Flyers.
Paul Holmgren dealt Forsberg to the Predators to begin a series of moves that ultimately brought Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell to Philadelphia.
Jason Smith (2007-08)
The Flyers came back with a vengeance in 2007-08 after their worst season in franchise history. Holmgren flipped his roster upside down, and his retool included acquiring veteran Jason Smith to wear the “C” for a team that reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Smith wasn’t a star player. However, he served his purpose well enough in one season with the Flyers to earn a position in the organization after his retirement.
Mike Richards (2008-11)
An organization that stripped the “C” off one of the most publicized players in NHL history experienced another controversy just over a decade later. Mike Richards was a hard-nosed hockey player who took over the captaincy at age 23.
The Flyers hoped they found the next Bobby Clarke, and Richards played with incredible intensity as a two-way forward and a penalty killer. The Sea Isle City regular flamed out quickly in Philadelphia, however, and Holmgren dealt him and Jeff Carter away on the same day in a summer stunner in 2011.
Chris Pronger (2011-13)
Chris Pronger was one of the most intimidating players in NHL history. The 6-foot-6 defenseman captured the hearts of Flyers fans as the general of the 2010 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final. He was the obvious choice as the captain after the Richards trade.
He only played 13 more games in the NHL. An unfortunate injury ended his career too soon, and the Flyers have not truly replaced him since. Look for Pronger’s name on any list of the best defensemen in NHL history.
Claude Giroux (2012-22)
The Flyers hoped for a new era of Stanley Cup glory with Claude Giroux as the centerpiece. After they named him the captain in 2013 following the latest NHL lockout, they fell off the face of the Earth. Giroux became one of the most consistent point scorers in the NHL for a decade as the captain, and the depth behind him never gave him a chance to lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers traded Giroux in 2022 in the deal that brought Owen Tippett to Philadelphia.
Sean Couturier (2024)
The John Tortorella era began without a captain while the Flyers attempted to establish a new standard for performance on and off the ice. They named Sean Couturier their captain in 2024 during his 12th season in Philadelphia.
Couturier broke into the NHL at age 18 in 2011-12. He steadily ascended into the role of a top-line center. The peak of his career came in 2019-20 when he won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive (but really two-way) forward.
