Mike Richards and Jeff Carter played together on Wells Fargo Center ice Monday night for the first time since 2011. (Photo Courtesy of SI.com)
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter made their returns to Wells Fargo Center Monday night for the first time since hoisting the Stanley Cup in June 2012. This was a return many Flyers fans were looking forward to when the schedule was released over the summer, but how does it rank among top returns to Philly? This week's Flyers Five explores best returns to the City of Brotherly Love from ex-players.
Honorable Mention: Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot: Not on the list because it wasn't in Philly, but still one of the notable storylines from the 2011-12 campaign. Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot returned to Pittsburgh after Jagr's notable spurn of his first team and Talbot's decision to sign with the Orange and Black. Talbot recieved a hero's welcome while Jagr heard the boos. Both players scored, with Jagr naturally tossing in the obligatory salute.
5. Mike Richards, Part One: Mike Richards came back to Philly almost four months after being traded to Los Angeles for Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. While he recieved early cheers and a tribute video, he still heard boos once the game started and business picked up. The ex-captain had the last laugh though, when he assisted Jack Johnson's game-winner in overtime.
4. Bob Clarke: When Jay Snider fired Bob Clarke after the 1989-90 season, it marked the first time since the 1968-69 campaign that the Orange and Black would be without his services. Subsequently, the Minnesota North Stars hired him as their GM, and he made his return to the Spectrum on Nov. 1, 1990. Though his North Stars lost 6-3 in a game that featured six different Flyers lighting the lamp, Clarke still led the team on a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final, though they lost in six games to Pittsburgh.
3. Simon Gagne: The Flyers' trade of Simon Gagne to Tampa Bay in 2010 was expected, as his $5.25 million cap hit would have put the team over the salary cap. However, it still broke the hearts of fans everywhere, many of which do not remember the last time they saw one of his returns (Matt Walker) in a Flyer uniform. The Flyers welcomed Gagne and the Lightning to a sold-out Wells Fargo Center — featuring countless orange and black Gagne sweaters — on Oct. 14, 2010, in a game the Lightning won 3-2. While Gagne was held off the scoresheet, the team showed a moving tribute video during a TV timeout in the first period.
2a. Eric Lindros, Part One: After sitting out the 2000-01 season, the Flyers dealt Eric Lindros to the Rangers for Kim Johnsson, Pavel Brendl, Jan Hlavac and a third-round draft choice, ending the chaos that surrounded his final years with the Orange and Black. When the Rangers came to Philly for the first time in the 2001-02 season on Jan. 12, it marked the first time Lindros played on First Union Center ice since the 2000 Eastern Conference final. The game was a rough-and-tumble affair between two Atlantic Division rivals, and the Flyers faithful booed Lindros — who was kept scoreless — throughout the game.
2b. Eric Lindros, Part Two: When Lindros announced in October 2011 that he'd return for Winter Classic festivities at Citizens Bank Park, fans were excited for the chance to see him one more time. The controversy that surrounded his trade out of Philly was all water under the bridge, and both he and the organization got the opportunity for one more happy memory. Lindros was introduced at the Alumni Game to a rousing ovation, which intensified only moments later when he set up former Legion of Doom linemate John LeClair for the game's first goal.
1. Edmonton Oilers: When the 1985-86 schedule was released, the Flyers were focused on a Nov. 14 matchup with Edmonton, as it would be the first time the teams met since the previous summer's Stanley Cup final. The focus shifted in the early morning hours of Nov. 10, when goalie Pelle Lindbergh was killed in an accident involving his Porsche. Despite offers from the Oilers to cancel, the Flyers still played and came away with an emotional 5-3 win. Lindbergh was also memorialized by the team before the game (part one and part two here).
