The Broad Street Bullies

The Broad Street Bullies

[paypal_donation_button]The Broad Street Bullies

The Philadelphia Flyers established themselves early after their 1967 inception, both in skill and personality. By 1975, they had earned themselves two Stanley Cups along with the nickname the Broad Street Bullies. Broad Street for the street the Flyers have always played on; bullies for their stacked roster of hard-hitting tough-guys that made them easily the most hated team in the NHL throughout the ‘70s. As the team has evolved and grown the nickname has stuck with them, though its meaning—and the entire concept of the NHL bully—has shifted.

The Flyers team of the 1970s was built around captain Bobby Clarke, arguably one of the best two-way forwards to ever play the game. Clarke joined the team in 1969 and played his entire 15-year career for the Flyers. To protect him and the team’s other scorers, owner Ed Snider sought out tough players like Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz, Andre ‘Moose’ Dupont, and Bob ‘Hound Dog’ Kelly. Thanks in large part to these three players the Flyers consistently led the league in fighting majors throughout the ‘70s. Their pugnacious playing style lead to heated rivalries with pretty much every other team; the Flyers very quickly became the most hated team in the league.

While they were known for fighting, the Broad Street Bullies were also feared because they were such an effective team. They played in two more Stanley Cup Finals in the ‘70s after their championships in 1974 and 1975. Perhaps the most important aspect of the team’s success, though, was their chemistry. The players on that team forged a close bond, a ‘pack mentality’ as center Bill Clement would later describe it. They didn’t fight just to do it but in defense of their teammates, and other teams learned not to mess with them. Though they were hated everywhere else, the Broad Street Bullies were heroes in Philadelphia. The city embraced their tough as nails team, taking pride in the hate they earned. By all of these factors combined, the Flyers went 322-138-86 in the regular season (51-41 in playoff games) from 1972 to 1979, the heart of the Broad Street Bullies era.

Three decades later, the team has changed though the nickname has remained. The rivalries developed in the ‘70s were powerful enough to stand the test of time, and especially in nearby markets—like Pittsburgh, New York, and Washington, DC—the Flyers remain universally despised. The modern Flyers maintain the team’s traditional balance of highly skilled scorers with enforcers. As a team, they consistently rank among those with the most fighting majors, maintaining that Broad Street Bully identity to some extent. They were more sporadically dangerous from a scoring perspective from 2006 to 2015. They were the Eastern Conference champions in 2010 and division leaders in 2011; they also made the post-season only once from 2013 to 2015. Where the modern Flyers vary the most from their Broad Street Bullies era counterparts, though, is in the chemistry and mentality in the upper organization. For two seasons from 2008 to 2010, the Flyers had an exceptional core of talent, including long-time roster members like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Daniel Briere, and Scott Hartnell. By the end of the 2015 season, all five of those players were gone. While it is certainly more difficult to hold a team together in a salary cap era, the lack of consistency in the locker room makes it much more difficult to develop the chemistry the Flyers of the ‘70s were known for.
The Philadelphia Flyers still play on Broad Street, but the days of Bobby Clarke are long gone. In today’s NHL, bullies take on a different meaning. While most fans and players alike agree that fighting should remain a part of the game, the goon—the player who exists almost exclusively to throw his fists—is a fading figure in the modern NHL. Agitators and enforcers still exist, of course, and Philadelphia had a smattering of both in the ‘00s (Wayne Simmonds and Zac Rinaldo being some of the best examples). The ever-increasing size, strength, and speed of NHL athletes makes certain hits and plays more dangerous than they were in previous decades, and this has led to a change in the landscape where hits and checks are concerned, often making players like Zac Rinaldo liabilities more than assets. The Flyers have struggled to adapt their identity to this new landscape and regain the loathing respect once enjoyed by the Broad Street Bullies of old.