“Ladies and gentlemen ... the Flyers are going to win the Stanley Cup.”
Even though it has been 46 years, these immortal words spoken by Gene Hart still bring chills for those who remember it and even those who weren’t born yet.
The 1974 Game 6 win at the Spectrum over the mighty Boston Bruins remains one of the biggest wins in this city’s rich sports history. Hockey Hall of Famer and member of the famed L-C-B line Bill Barber remembers the sense of urgency entering that game, with a potential Game 7 at the Boston Garden staring them in the face.
“The last thing we [wanted] to do was get ourselves into a position and not win that game,” Barber told his former player and current NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Chris Therien in a video interview Monday.
“We had one more shot back in Philly in front of our fans. It ended up being a fabulous game. I remember being on the ice with Ricky MacLeish there when the goal was scored. It was something that was a great feeling.”
What ensued after the final seconds ticked off the clock of the 1-0 victory was a celebration for the ages, with the fans storming the ice at the Spectrum. Barber’s teammate and NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Bill Clement reminisced about that night on a recent Flyers Talk podcast, recalling incidents in which people tried to steal things off the players and from the locker room as pieces of memorabilia.
Barber looks back on that night fondly.
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“The excitement of the fans jumping onto the ice, I mean, it stays with you forever," he said. "It goes from there to the parade. It’s embedded in your heart, it never leaves.”
Before Game 6, Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero famously wrote, “Win today, and we walk together forever,” on a blackboard in the Flyers' locker room.
In the 46 years since, that sentiment has been proven true over and over again as the team remains one of the most beloved in Philadelphia sports history. No Flyers fan will ever forget those players who helped bring this city not just one, but two Stanley Cups in back-to-back years.
You can rewatch the Flyers' 1974 Cup clincher Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBCSN.
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