Bernie Parent, the legendary Flyers goaltender who helped lead the franchise to their only two Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, died Sunday, the team announced.
He was 80 years old.
No cause of death was announced.
In a release, the Flyers described Parent — who played for them for 10 of his 13 NHL seasons — as “a true legend, one of the most famous and beloved players, and most popular figures in the history of the organization and city of Philadelphia.”
“The legend of Bernie Parent reached far beyond the ice and his accolades,” the Flyers continued later in their statement. “Bernie had a deep love for Philadelphia and fans of the Flyers. He was passionate about his role as an ambassador for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education and inspired an entire generation of hockey fans. He dedicated his time, energy and enthusiasm to not only grow the game, but also to spread joy to anyone he encountered.
“Anyone who had the pleasure of being around Bernie always walked away with a smile. He will be dearly missed.”
After starting his career with two seasons in Boston, the Flyers selected Parent in the 1967 expansion draft, and he spent the next three-plus years there before getting dealt to the Maple Leafs in 1971.
But after the 1971-72 season ended, Parent spent a year with the Philadelphia Blazers of the Western Hockey Association before his rights were sent back to the Flyers by the Maple Leafs.
And that’s when his iconic career took off.
Philadelphia won the next two Stanley Cups with Parent as the anchor, with the team saying in its release that both trips to the finals “culminated in a dominant and flawless performance in the clinching game of each series.”
He earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in both postseasons.
He won two Vezina awards in those years, too.
And in 1984, he became the first player in Flyers history to make the Hockey Hall of Fame — while later getting his No. 1 in the rafters and making the team Hall of Fame, too.
A stick that snuck through the hole by his right eye in his mask during a February 1979 game against the Rangers forced him to retire following the campaign and caused permanent vision damage, according to NHL.com.
Parent finished his NHL career with 271 wins, a .915 save percentage and a 2.55 goals against average during the regular season.
He also secured another 38 victories in the playoffs.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
