25 Worst award snubs in NHL history: 19. Bernie Parent Hart Trophy 1974
The mid-70s Philadelphia Flyers was the one time in that franchise’s history where they were absolutely dominant. They’ve come close since then, with the team from 5-10 years ago playing well and a team led by Eric Lindros in the 90s looking like they were on the way to setting trends, but they never won the big one. This Flyers team made it to the semifinals for six straight seasons and won two Stanley Cups along the way.
Bobby Clarke won the 1975 Hart Trophy before leading the team to the Stanley Cup. Well, was it really Clarke who was leading the team? Don’t get us wrong, he had a great season, but Bernie Parent was the reason the Flyers were winning games. Let’s not focus on that. Let Clarke have his trophy. The one we want was in 1974.
Parent was dominant for the Flyers in the late-60s, but they traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would then learn from the legend Jacque Plante, and he eventually requested a trade out of Toronto. He went to play in the World Hockey Association before Philly traded for Parent again in 1973.
Parent went on to win the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophies. However, Phil Esposito won the MVP.
Parent was the best in every statistic. He played 72 games in net, which was a league-high. He had a 1.89 goals-against average, which was a league-high. His .932 save percentage was the best in the league. In fact, he beat Tony Esposito, Phil’s brother, who was second in the league. Parent also led the league with 12 shutouts. He did everything a goaltender possibly could to win MVP.