You can't say Rod Brind'Amour wasn't honest in his opening remarks as he became the 24th member of the Flyers Hall of Fame.
"I am honored and humbled to be here tonight. I didn't know what to expect coming out here," the Flyer forward of nine years said. "It's been 16 years. I wasn't sure you guys were going to remember me. This is Philadelphia and Flyers fans never forget."
How could Flyers fans forget a work-a-holic player like Brind'Amour?
In his nine seasons with the Flyers, he scored 235 goals and added 366 assists and still holds the Flyers record for playing in 484 consecutive games. He was among the top scorers on the team year-in and year-out, and played with a passion that personified Flyers hockey.
Just how much did Brind'Amour personify the Flyers personality and culture? In thanking Flyers owner Ed Snider, he candidly shared a story about a moment between he and Snider in one of his first seasons with the team.
"What makes him such a special owner is the fact that he cares about not just his current players, but his former players," Brind'Amour said. "Early in my career, we were always scratching and clawing to stay in the playoff hunt. In one of those games, a real bad call went against us and cost us the game. I got in a confrontation with the ref and kicked out of the game.
"After the game, I saw Mr. Snider come walking into the locker room. I remember thinking by the look on his face that maybe I just played my last game. He asked me what happened that made me react the way I did. I told him 'the ref said the call on the ice made no difference because we weren't a good enough team yet and that I wasn't proven enough to have him waste his time talking to me.' Before I could finish the story, Mr. Snider tore out of the Flyers locker room and I could hear Mr. Snider kicking on the referee's door. He said to that ref that he live with the bad calls, but he wouldn't stand for mistreatment of his players."
Brind'Amour also thanked Paul Holmgren, his first coach upon joining the Flyers, and current Flyers GM and former teammate Ron Hextall for being the most competitive player he ever played with.
Brind'Amour also thanked two Flyers legends. He turned to Bobby Clarke, the GM of the team when he was both traded to Carolina, but for setting the bar for every forward in the franchise's long and storied history.
"I want to thank him simply for one thing, for setting bar for every Flyer that's come after him," Brind'Amour said. "I think every organization needs that lead player that the current players can look up to be like. I could not think of a better player to pattern yourself after than Bob Clarke."
He also thanked Bill Barber, another Hall-of-Fame Flyer, for being a great friend of his from the beginning of his Flyers career.
Brind'Amour closed by thanking his family — his parents who could not be in attendance and his wife and four children.
Finally, as the many inductees who have passed through in the last several years, Brind'Amour closed by thanking Flyers fans.
"Nobody ever wants to leave here because we play in front of the most loyal, passionate and demanding hockey fans in all the world," Brind'Amour said. "You were not going to let one of your own feel undeserving or overshadowed. I can't tell you how wonderful that made me feel.
"I wanted to thank all of you for simply making me feel at home in this great city of Philadelphia."
Below, you can see the tribute video played on Arenavision prior to the ceremony, Brind'Amour's ceremony in its entirety and relive his Top 5 moments as a Flyer.
The Flyers are currently hosting the Carolina Hurricanes, where Brind'Amour is an assistant coach. Check back at Flyerdelphia later in the evening for the recap and analysis.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
