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This is a daily column that will run during the duration of the NHL lockout. It is not meant to depress hockey fans, but is rather intended to provide a reminder of some of the more memorable moments in Philadelphia Flyers' history, and act as a much-needed distraction from the ongoing negativity surrounding the lockout for hockey fans. What must not be forgotten during the labor strife is just how great of a game we have been blessed with to enjoy throughout the years.
Having won their last three November 12th contests, the Flyers have compiled an 11-5-2-0 overall record -- which includes a 7-3-1-0 mark at home, where they've played the last six and nine of the last 10 -- over the course of franchise history. Philadelphia has scored 71 goals in the 18 contests (an average of 3.94 GPG), while allowing 50 to their opponents (2.77 GAA).
Some of the more memorable moments and brief recaps in Flyers history that took place in November 12th games:
1967: A first period goal by Joe Watson and second period tallies from Leon Rochefort and Bill Sutherland staked Philadelphia to a 3-0 lead and Bernie Parent stopped 37 shots as the Flyers skated to a 4-2 triumph over the Bruins at Boston Garden. The home team swarmed Parent, especially over the final two frames as they outshot Philly by a 32-15 count.
Glen Sather (15:40) and Phil Esposito (18:10) struck for the home team late in the final period to break Parent's shutout bid, but Don Blackburn iced the game for his first NHL goal with an empty-netter in the last minute of play.
The victory had a distinctive pattern as the principle players in the victory -- Parent, Watson -- who scored his first goal in a Philadelphia uniform -- and Blackburn all came from the Bruins organization.
The successful initial trip to the Garden would become something of a rarity, however, as the Flyers would come away from Boston winless in their next 22 regular season visits (0-18-4) between 1968 and 1976.
1972: Bobby Clarke scored twice and assisted on two other goals as the Flyers scored eight even strength markers over the final two periods to blowout the California Golden Seals, 8-3, at the Spectrum.
After Hilliard Graves gave the visitors a 2-1 lead early in the second period, goals by Brent Hughes, Clarke (second of the period), and Bill Barber propelled Philadelphia to a 4-2 lead at the second intermission. Gary Dornhoefer, Dave Schultz, Simon Nolet, and Ross Lonsberry all tallied in the third period for Philly, while Lonsberry added three helpers.
Doug Favell made 28 saves to garner the win, while Marv Edwards yielded all eight goals on 39 Flyer shots.
1977: Mel Bridgman and Bob Dailey scored early in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and wrestle a point away from the New York Islanders as the teams skated to a 2-2 tie at Nassau Coliseum.
Goals by Bryan Trottier and Billy Harris in the first two stanzas gave the home team a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame, but Philadelphia dominated the session to finally break through goaltender Billy Smith.
Bernie Parent made 29 saves, while Smith stopped 29 Flyer offerings.
1978: Bernie Parent made 14 saves to post a shutout and Paul Evans recorded a goal and an assist in a 4-0 whitewash of the Canucks in Vancouver. It was Parent's second whitewash of the season and 48th with the Flyers.
Philadelphia dominated play, outshooting the Canucks, 36-14. Don Saleski, Drew Callender, and Bill Barber also scored for the visiting Flyers, who saw their unbeaten streak hit five games (3-0-2).
Vancouver's Gary Bromley made 32 saves to absorb the loss.
1981: Paul Holmgren scored a pair of goals and Ken Linseman and Behn Wilson each potted a goal and assist as the Flyers defeated the Hartford Whalers, 5-3, at the Spectrum.
Jim Watson also scored, and Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber added two assists apiece.
Philadelphia carried play throughout, outshooting Hartford 37-17 for the game. Rick St. Croix made 14 saves to record the victory, while Whalers netminder Greg Millen was saddled with the loss after making 32 stops.
1983: Tim Kerr notched a pair of goals as the visiting Flyers beat the Toronto by a 5-3 score at Maple Leaf Gardens. Mark Howe, Doug Crossman, and Rich Sutter also scored for Philadelphia.
Bobby Clarke and Brian Propp each assisted on two Flyer goals.
The visitors dominated play, holding a lopsided 41-19 edge in shots on goal. Bob Froese made 16 stops and allowed a trio of power play markers, while ex-Flyer Rick St. Croix made 36 saves in defeat.
1987: Mark Howe scored once and added a pair of helpers and Ron Hextall made 25 saves to lead the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum. Murray Craven, Derrick Smith, J.J. Daignealt, and Dave Poulin (shorthanded) also lit the lamp for the Orange-and-Black.
The triumph snapped a five-game Philadelphia winless skid (0-4-1), and a stretch that saw the Flyers come out victorious just once in 11 outings (1-8-2).
1988: Tim Kerr recorded a hat trick but Steve Yzerman also scored three times to help lead the Detroit Red Wings over the Flyers at the Spectrum, extending Philadelphia's losing streak to three games (0-2-0-1).
Kerr scored a pair of goals in the opening period but Detroit countered with a pair from Yzerman and one each from Paul MacLean and Adam Oates to build a 4-2 margin at the first intermission. Yzerman completed his hat trick early in the middle session before Kerr registered his third of the night late in the period to draw the Flyers back to within two goals after two.
Scott Mellanby struck early in the final frame to make it a one-goal Red Wings lead, but Philadelphia could not find a way to get the equalizer. The tally gave Mellanby five goals in a six-game point scoring streak (seven points total), while Kerr's trick extended his streak to nine straight with at least one point (8-5-13).
Mark Howe and Pelle Eklund assisted on two goals apiece in the loss.
Both winning goalie Glen Hanlon and loser Ron Hextall finished the night with 27 saves.
1992: Mark Recchi posted a pair of goals and six points, Kevin Dineen recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick, and Eric Lindros scored twice and added an assist as the Flyers erased a late-second period 3-2 deficit in a wild 8-5 victory over the New York Islanders at the Spectrum.
After Jeff Norton gave the Isles a 3-2 lead with less than six minutes left in the middle frame, Brent Fedyk and Recchi each scored to give the home team a 4-3 lead heading into the third period.
Philadelphia exploded for four more in the third, as defenseman Ryan McGill connected for his first NHL goal, Rod Brind'Amour, Dineen, and Lindros' second of the night into an empty net sealed the deal for the Flyers.
The Crazy Eights Line of Fedyk (goal, four points), Lindros (2, 3), and Recchi (2, 6) combined for five goals and 13 points in the triumph. Dineen fought Norton in the second period, then scored and added an assist in the third to complete the Gordie Howe trick.
Stephane Beauregard stopped 29 of 34 Islander shots for the win, while New York's Glenn Healy made 24 saves in the loss.
2005: Mike Knuble scored a shorthanded goal with just 3.2 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Flyers a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers at the Wachovia Center. Knuble's second goal of the game came just after he had jumped onto the ice for a last-second shift, gathering a Michal Handzus pass along the right wing boards and firing a slapshot from the circle past Jamie McLennan.
The triumph gave Philadelphia a six game win streak -- with four straight coming by one goal -- and nine consecutive wins at home.
Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, and Joni Pitkanen also scored for the Flyers. Gagne's goal gave him 17 for the season, which tied him for the NHL lead with Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers. Peter Forsberg added his league-leading 25th assist.
Robert Esche, who also assisted on Knuble's game-winner, ended up with 26 saves in the win, while McLennan stopped 34 of 39 Philadelphia offerings in a losing cause.
2009: Danny Briere scored twice and Ray Emery made 22 saves to record a win in the first game against his former Ottawa Senator teammates, 5-1 at the Wachovia Center, extending the Flyers winning streak to five games.
Blair Betts, James van Riemsdyk, and Darroll Powe also scored for the Flyers, while Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, and Jeff Carter each added a pair of assists.
The win raised Emery's record to 10-3-1 in his first (and eventually, only) year with Philadelphia after signing as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Briere's two goals came in his first game back after missing the previous four with a quadriceps injury.
November 12th Flyers Trades:
On this day in 1998, Philadelphia acquired winger Keith Jones from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for winger Shjon Podein.
As For The Present:
With games currently canceled through November 30, the official count of games the team has lost all-time due to lockout is now at 140 -- 36 in the shortened 1994-05, the entirety of the 82-game schedule in 2004-05, and 22 thus far this season:
October 11 Boston Bruins @ FLYERS
October 13 FLYERS @ NY Islanders
October 18 Pittsburgh Penguins @ FLYERS
October 20 Winnipeg Jets @ FLYERS
October 25 FLYERS @ Montreal Canadiens
October 27 Toronto Maple Leafs @ FLYERS
October 28 FLYERS @ Buffalo Sabres
October 30 Dallas Stars @ FLYERS
November 1 New Jersey Devils @ FLYERS
November 3 Anaheim Ducks @ FLYERS
November 4 FLYERS @ NY Rangers
November 6 Buffalo Sabres @ FLYERS
November 8 FLYERS @ Carolina Hurricanes
November 10 Carolina Hurricanes @ FLYERS
November 13 Minnesota Wild @ FLYERS
November 16 FLYERS @ Buffalo Sabres
November 17 Buffalo Sabres @ FLYERS
November 21 Ottawa Senators @ FLYERS
November 23 Winnipeg Jets @ FLYERS
November 24 FLYERS @ NY Rangers
November 28 FLYERS @ Toronto Maple Leafs
November 29 FLYERS @ NY Islanders
The NHL and NHLPA met at length over the course of the past week, but the momentum gained in the early portion seems to have dissipated when core issues hit a snag as the weekend rolled around.
While there is still hope that sanity will somehow prevail and there can still be something to salvage of a 2012-13 NHL season -- it's looking like a 64-game game season would be the best-case scenario at this point -- it is unfortunately looking more-and-more like the sides may just be content to self-destruct.