Between the Pipes: The Man Behind the Mask—When the Philadelphia Flyers Had a Wall Named Bernie Parent
The hockey world felt a little quieter on September 21, 2025, with the news that Bernie Parent had passed away at the age of 80. To those outside of Pennsylvania, he was a Hall of Fame goalie, but to the Philadelphia faithful, he was something closer to a guardian saint. While the rest of the "Broad Street Bullies" were busy bruising their way through the league, Parent was the collected presence at the back of it all.
NHL All-Star Career: Bernie Parent played 608 NHL games and posted a 270-198-120 record alongside a .915 save percentage and 54 shutouts.
From Boston to Philadelphia
Parent’s path to becoming a Philadelphia icon actually started with the Boston Bruins. After breaking into the league in 1965, destiny called in 1967 when the NHL expanded. The Flyers snatched him up, making him a foundational piece of their new franchise. Even though he took a few detours in the early 1970s—to Toronto and the WHA—his return to the Spectrum in 1973 sparked the greatest era in team history.
Cool Fact: Bernie Parent's goaltending between 1973 and 1975 has been referred to as two of the best consecutive seasons ever by an NHL goalie.
Back-to-Back Glory
The mid-1970s belonged to Bernie Parent. He put up a two-year stretch that remains the gold standard for goaltenders. In 1974, he anchored the Philadelphia Flyers' first Stanley Cup run, ironically taking down his former team, the Bruins. He did it all over again in 1975 against Buffalo. In both years, Parent swept the NHL awards—taking home back-to-back Stanley Cups, Vezina Trophies, and Conn Smythe Trophies.
Bernie Parent: A Legend Remembered
A freak eye injury in 1979 ended his career far too soon, but Parent never left the city's heart. Bernie Parent was the first Philadelphia Flyer to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame, but his real legacy is the way he made a generation of Philadelphia Flayers’ fans feel invincible.
Cool Fact: Philadelphia Flyers Announce Plans To Celebrate Life of 2-Time Stanley Cup Champion Bernie Parent
As Parent’s #1 banner hangs high, we are forever reminded that heroes may leave us, but legends never truly retire.