A reuniting of linemates, a legend in goal, Flyers down Rangers
The Flyers are holding a special Alumni game in Reading on Friday night that will mark another celebration of Flyers hockey.
For Flyers fans, this is the first chance to see a similar collection of Flyers greats from the past since the 2012 Winter Classic and the Alumni Game held as part of the festivities on New Year's Eve 2011.
The Flyers opposed the Rangers on that afternoon and went on to win 3-1.
The game featured the reuniting of linemates from two different eras of Flyers hockey. The LCB line returned as Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach skated together. Two thirds of the Legion of Doom in John LeClair and Eric Lindros also reunited and teamed up on the first goal of the game.
Things opened with Bernie Parent between the pipes for the Flyers and he made a pair of saves in his four minutes of ice time. Bernie left to a standing ovation as Mark LaForest came on to play goal.
The Flyers would get the game's first goal at 9:24 when on a 2-on-1, Lindros would feed LeClair for the tally.
At 12:12 of the first, the Flyers would strike again as Shjon Podein picked up the loose puck after a give-and-go between Rick Tocchet and Dave Poulin to make it 2-0 Flyers.
It took until the 12:15 mark of the second before there was any more scoring. That's when Glenn Anderson deflected a Darius Kasparaitis shot past Neil Little to cut the lead to one.
The Flyers regained the two-goal lead in the third when Mark Howe scored on a penalty shot at 4:26 — all penalties in the game resulted in penalty shots.
The three stars of the game were Mark LaForest, Eric Lindros and Bernie Parent. Highlights from the game can be viewed below.
Friday's game will be quite different. The stage is not 45,000 fans at Citizens Bank Park, but rather a more intimate setting at the home of the Reading Royals. There will not be nearly as many players attending this game as there were on that afternoon in December.
While there were many storylines to the game, and the game featured two rivals rather than players from the same team opposing each other, it still very similarly sets the scene for what Friday night could be like.
Flyers fans live and die by the team's success and grow to love the players that can achieve that success. On Friday, players from all eras with various backgrounds, roles and achievements will be present in a celebration of the franchise's history.
The Flyers Orange and Black Alumni Game will begin at 7 p.m. in Reading on Friday night. Rosters for the game were announced on Tuesday. Follow @Flyerdelphia on Twitter for live updates from Santander Arena and check back at Flyerdelphia later in the evening for a recap of the event.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
