50 Years Ago: The Last Stanley Cup for the Flyers

1975. The year has become an easy comeback for rival fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, the last time the Flyers were Stanley Cup champions. But on May 27, 1975, it was the day the Flyers successfully completed their title defense.

The Flyers return to the Stanley Cup Final in 1975 featured two very different series. The Flyers swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals, capped off by an overtime series-clincher from Andre “Moose” Dupont.

The Flyers won the first three games of the semifinals against the New York Islanders, then lost the next three to be on the cusp of history. Instead, they claimed Game 7 against the Islanders, 4-1, with Rick MacLeish scoring a hat trick.

The Flyers won the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Buffalo Sabres at the Spectrum. Then came the infamous “Fog Game” in Buffalo in Game 3. The Sabres rallied to win the game, 5-4, in overtime to get back into the series, then tied the series at two after a 4-2 win in Game 4.

The Flyers responded in Game 5 back at the Spectrum with a 5-1 win, backed by a three-goal first period. That sent the series back to Buffalo for Game 6.

For two periods, the game was scoreless. Just 11 seconds into the third, Bob “The Hound” Kelly broke the ice with what would be the Cup-clinching goal. The 1-0 lead held up until the final three minutes of the third, when Bill Clement scored to give the Flyers a two-goal lead.

For the second straight season, the Flyers claimed the Stanley Cup in a shutout win for Bernie Parent. Parent made 32 saves in the Game 6 victory.

Now, here we are, 50 years later. The anniversary of the second Stanley Cup in Flyers history is both a fond memory and a constant reminder of what once was.

On one hand, a group that would “walk together forever,” in the legendary words of Fred Shero added to its legacy with a second consecutive Stanley Cup. Those players continue to walk together and share in that legacy a half-century later.

On the other, the Flyers continue to try to find the winning formula to snap a long championship drought. For a franchise in the midst of a rebuild and five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

The Flyers have had their chances over the 50 years since 1975. They saw their quest for a third straight Stanley Cup dashed in the 1976 Stanley Cup Final by the Montreal Canadiens. In 1980, they came up short to the New York Islanders. In 1985 and 1987, the Edmonton Oilers hoisted the trophy after defeating the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final.

Each of those runs to the cusp of another Stanley Cup came early. After winning the Cup again in 1975, the Flyers made four trips to the Stanley Cup Final in the next 12 seasons. Since then, the Flyers made their return to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997 before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings, and again in 2010 before falling short to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The journey continues on, both with the current rebuild and the drive to exorcise the demons of 50 years of this Stanley Cup drought. But we also honor the members of the Flyers who brought a second straight title to Philadelphia a half-century ago, and how that group continues to walk together forever.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.