Mason Joining Elite Company Among Flyers Goalies

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Twice on the Flyers six-game winning streak, the best player on the ice was their goaltender. In his five straight wins in five straight starts, Steve Mason has certainly been stellar.

Those five wins also have him rapidly closing in on some elite company. With the win on Tuesday, Mason picked up his 88th win since joining the Flyers in 2013, moving him past Pelle Lindbergh for sixth on the all-time list.

Mason is just 12 wins away from 100 with the Flyers, a mark he could easily achieve this season, and trails Bob Froese and Roman Cechmanek by four wins (92) and Wayne Stephenson by five wins (93). With six more wins, Steve Mason will have the third-highest win total of any goaltender in Flyers history.

Obviously, the two at the top of the list are Ron Hextall with 240 and Bernie Parent with 232. But for Mason to reach the third spot in that short a time period shows how poor the Flyers have been when it comes to consistency between the pipes.

Still, for Mason, this season is about trying to prove he is a long-term option for the Flyers in a contract year. There are a host of young goalies in the system working their way through the ranks and, prior to injury, Michal Neuvirth was getting just as much of a chance to win a long-term spot in a contract year.

A few milestones, then, certainly don’t hurt the cause. And Mason is not only moving up the wins list, but closing in on a round number of 100 wins, which would make him only the third goalie to reach that mark in Flyers history.

Mason also ranks high in other categories. For perspective, Mason has played in 194 games, fourth most for a goalie in franchise history. Among the goalies with at least 40 games played, 25 in franchise history, Mason ranks fourth in goals against average at 2.44. Among the same group of goalies, his save percentage ranks second in franchise history at .920.

For as maligned as he is, and for a slow start to this season that certainly hurt those numbers, Mason has been among the most consistent goalies in franchise history.

The Flyers will honor the goalies in franchise history on Thursday night with the third Heritage Night of the 50th anniversary season and if Mason is in net for the sixth straight game and 12th in the last 13, it will be fitting. On a night when the Flyers will remember and honor the best, one of the best in franchise history will also be in goal