HBO Documentary: The Broad Street Bullies

[P2K]

Debuts May 4th

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=523442

Quote:

The HBO Sports documentary Broad Street Bullies, a look at one of pro sports' most polarizing teams, the legendary Philadelphia Flyers Stanley Cup championship squads of the 1970s, debuts on Tuesday, May 4 at 10 p.m. This exclusive presentation will tell the backstories of these engaging and colorful athletes, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975 with a bold, aggressive style that sparked controversy and criticism.

[metallicatz]

There are some funny stories coming out of that era and that particular team. Players coming down with the "philly flu" so they wouldn't have to suit up, how the opposing team bus would be boisterous until it got to the Walt Whitman Bridge and got dead quiet, and how the old saying went that when the opposing team bus got to the Spectrum the engine would be turned off but the bus would still be shaking. LOL. Funny stuff.

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

There are some funny stories coming out of that era and that particular team. Players coming down with the "philly flu" so they wouldn't have to suit up, how the opposing team bus would be boisterous until it got to the Walt Whitman Bridge and got dead quiet, and how the old saying went that when the opposing team bus got to the Spectrum the engine would be turned off but the bus would still be shaking. LOL. Funny stuff.

I don't blame them. That was a crazy era and certainly a crazy team.
Hockey's always been a tough sport and fights have been involved.
But the Flyers took it to a whole other level.

I've been a fence straddler on that topic for years. Fighting is useful if someone is taking liberties with your team or a cheapshot needs to be answered.
But the Flyers WERE bullies. They'd go out of their way to hurt and maim the opposition just hoping they'd drop the gloves.

But eventually all those Bullies got theirs. Bill Clement, Semenko, Battleship Bob Kelly, etc have all said that as soon as they got traded, other teams would come looking for them.
And all of their attackers would say the same thing "Not so tough without your teammates behind you eh?" before ganging up on them.

Clement had a story about a guy that played for the Seals (can't remember his name).
Anyway, a broo-haw broke out and this poor guy got pinned in the penalty box with Clement holding him down and Bob Kelly punching him in the nose. After a couple of shots the guy said "You proud of yourself? Go ahead, keep hitting me!".
Clement said he never forgot that and still feels terribly about how they treated other players.
But Kelly said that when he got traded, he eventually became teammates with that same guy and when Kelly was attacked in retribution for his antics as a Flyer, this guy was the only one who came to his defense.

[metallicatz]

Yeah, alot of that was just sheer intimidation and goonery.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

Yeah, alot of that was just sheer intimidation and goonery.

You say that as if it were a bad thing.

[metallicatz]

I have no problem with intimidation, but they elevated fighting to the level of a circus sideshow that went way beyond what have always been valid (to me anyway) reasons to have fighting in the game.

[Money99]

Quote: Originally Posted by metallicatz

I have no problem with intimidation, but they elevated fighting to the level of a circus sideshow that went way beyond what have always been valid (to me anyway) reasons to have fighting in the game.

Exactly. It was more of a way to bring fans in than to win games.
But then they suddenly found how effective bullying could be. Nobody was prepared for it.

Besides, it's a ridiculous concept to begin with.
Can you imagine a basketball team that employed a bench of golden glove champions?
They couldn't play the game, but every now and then they'd come in, punch out 4 players and then sit on the sidelines for 5 minutes before going back out and doing it again.

Sounds ridiculous, but that's exactly what the Flyers were.
You can't say they weren't entertaining, but in my mind, it brought the sport down for quite a while because of it.
And most of those former Bullies agree today.

[Skerik]

Quote: Originally Posted by Money99

Exactly. It was more of a way to bring fans in than to win games. But then they suddenly found how effective bullying could be. Nobody was prepared for it. Besides, it's a ridiculous concept to begin with. Can you imagine a basketball team that employed a bench of golden glove champions? They couldn't play the game, but every now and then they'd come in, punch out 4 players and then sit on the sidelines for 5 minutes before going back out and doing it again. Sounds ridiculous, but that's exactly what the Flyers were. You can't say they weren't entertaining, but in my mind, it brought the sport down for quite a while because of it. And most of those former Bullies agree today.

My opinion is obviously biased, but to say those Flyers teams "couldn't play the game" is more than a little off base. Clarke, Leach, MacLeish, Barber and Parent could play a little bit, in addition to their defense that allowed the fewest goals in the league in back-to-back seasons. Hell, Dave Schultz scored 29 goals during those two seasons to go along with his 800+ PIM.

Physicality and intimidation were obviously huge linchpins of their gameplan in those days, but those teams didn't just goon their way to two Stanley Cups.