Philadelphia Flyers: Broad Street Bullies Beat Bruins
The city of Philadelphia has always been a sucker for a good underdog story. In 1974, the Philadelphia Flyers upset the Boston Bruins in six games in the Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.
Goaltender Bernie Parent led the way by posting a .933% save percentage with two shutouts. For his herculean effort, he won the first of his two consecutive Conn Smythe Trophies. The final of those two shutouts came in the clincher as the Flyers won 1-0 to bring Lord Stanley to the City of Brotherly Love.
Just how good were the Bruins? They had the NHL’s best record during the regular season. Furthermore, the Bruins had the league’s top four players in points and two of the top five in goals. Also, six of their players ranked in the top 10 in plus-minus. They had the Hart Trophy winner (Phil Esposito) and the Norris Trophy winner (Bobby Orr). Esposito also led the league in points and goals, while Orr led the league in assists.
Honorable mention: Their second straight Stanley Cup win in 1975 was a pretty memorable moment too. However, their first was simply incredible. The Flyers shocked the world by beating the Bruins, who had three future Hall of Famers on their roster.