From Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent to Ed Snider and Fred Shero, the best of the Flyers’ best have been enshrined in the Flyers Hall of Fame.
Currently, there are 25 famous people worthy of that honor but the number is about to increase.
The Flyers announced on Tuesday six finalists to be considered for induction during the 2021-22 season.
The finalists (in alphabetical order): Simon Gagne, Paul Holmgren, Bob Kelly, Lou Nolan (public address announcer), Mark Recchi and Rick Tocchet.
A nominating committee selected the six finalists, and now, a voting committee comprised of current Flyers Hall of Fame members, Flyers alumni, members of the Flyers front office, broadcasters, and members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) will vote to decide which individual(s) will be enshrined in the rafters of Wells Fargo Center. The voting committee is not limited to selecting only one inductee.
“These six nominees have each made historic contributions to the Flyers organization, and this list of Flyers greats is a reminder of the rich history and tradition of our organization,” said Dave Scott, governor of the Philadelphia Flyers. “I’m looking forward to seeing the voting committee’s final decision, and we’re even more excited to honor a new member or members of the Flyers Hall of Fame at a game this season.”
The 2021-22 season marks the first time in five seasons that the club will induct a member into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Former defenseman Jimmy Watson (Feb. 29, 2016) and former forward Rod Brind’Amour (Nov. 23, 2015) are the most recent inductees.
Once the inductee or inductees are selected, the Flyers will identify a home game this season at which the organization will conduct a pregame ceremony to enshrine the latest member(s) of the Flyers Hall of Fame. The Flyers Hall of Fame currently has 25 honored members, beginning with the inaugural inductions of Clarke and Parent in 1988.
The list of nominees:
>SIMON GAGNE: Career — 691 games played, 264 goals, 271 assists, 535 points.
Gagne played 11 seasons as a Flyer and is a two-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Flyers Team MVP (2006 & 2007). He ranks 10th in franchise history in goals (264), 12th in points (535), 13th in games played (691) and sixth in game-winning goals (47).
Gagne has six career playoff game-winning goals, including overtime game-winners in Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Tampa Bay and Game 4 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Boston. He also scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 at Boston in the 2010 series vs. Bruins which completed an 0 games to 3 deficit comeback.
>PAUL HOLMGREN: Career — 500 games played, 138 goals, 171 assists, 309 points.
Holmgren has served the Flyers in nearly every capacity for over 40 years. He is the only individual in Flyers history to serve the organization as a player (1975-1984), assistant coach (1985-88), head coach (1988-92), general manager (2006-14) and president (2014-19). He was responsible for highly successful NHL drafts during his front office tenure and in his eight seasons as GM, the Flyers went 307-234-73 (.559), made six playoff appearances and a trip to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. In 2014, he was the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States.
As a player, he was a member of the Flyers during their historic 35-game unbeaten streak and Stanley Cup Final appearance during the 1979-80 season, when he scored a career-high 30 goals. He ranks second in Flyers history with 1,600 penalty minutes and he played in the 1981 NHL All-Star Game.
>BOB KELLY: Career — 741 games played, 128 goals, 168 assists, 296 points.
Kelly has served the Flyers organization for nearly 30 years. As a player, he was a member of both Stanley Cup championship teams and scored the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup in Game 6 at Buffalo in 1975. He is tied for seventh in Flyers history in regular season games played (741) and playoff games played (101).
He has served the Flyers for the last 18 years as an Ambassador of Hockey and has been the face of team’s community relations efforts, bringing the Flyers organization to fans of all ages, from youth hockey clinics to community honorees at games and players on the ice at Flyers Alumni games and fantasy camps.
>LOU NOLAN: Career — Public relations (1967-72) and public address announcer (1972-present).
Nolan is an original Flyers employee, starting as a press box assistant during the inaugural season in 1967-68. He became the team’s public address announcer at the start of the 1972-73 season and has held that position ever since.
He was the voice of the Spectrum for both Stanley Cup championships and six additional Stanley Cup Final appearances. He has also voiced numerous ceremonies and national events such as the 2012 Winter Classic, 2019 Stadium Series and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
>MARK RECCHI: Career — 602 games played, 232 goals, 395 assists, 627 points.
Recchi played parts of 10 seasons as a Flyer and ranks ninth all-time in scoring with 627 points. He continues to own the Flyers single-season record for points when he recorded 123 points (53g-70a) during the 1992-93 season.
Recchi is one of only two Flyers, along with Clarke, to have multiple 100+ point seasons in his career having also posted 107 points in 1993-94. He has represented Flyers in three NHL All-Star Games (1993, 1994, 2000) and is a three-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Team MVP (1993, 2000 & 2004).
>RICK TOCCHET: Career — 621 games played, 232 goals, 276 assists, 508 points.
Tocchet played parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, including one season as captain, and is the Flyers all-time leader in penalty minutes (1,815). He was a member of the team that reached the Stanley Cup Final and won the Eastern Conference Championship in 1985 and 1987. His 27 goals and 60 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs both rank 10th in franchise history.
He posted two 40-goal seasons (1988-89 & 1990-91) and a career-high 96 points during the 1989-90 season when he also had 196 penalty minutes. He is one of only three players in NHL history to have 96 or more points and 196 or more penalty minutes in the same season.
CURRENT MEMBERS – FLYERS HALL OF FAME
1988 – Bob Clarke and Bernie Parent
1989 – Bill Barber, Ed Snider and Keith Allen
1990 – Rick MacLeish and Fred Shero
1991 – Barry Ashbee and Gary Dornhoefer
1992 – Reggie Leach and Gene Hart
1993 – Joe Scott and Ed Van Impe
1994 – Tim Kerr
1996 – Joe Watson
1999 – Brian Propp
2001 – Mark Howe
2004 – Dave Poulin
2008 – Ron Hextall
2009 – Dave Schultz
2014 – Eric Lindros and John LeClair
2015 – Eric Desjardins
2015 – Rod Brind’Amour
2016 – Jimmy Watson
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