March 2, 1990
On this March day, a second-round pick in the upcoming 1990 NHL Draft was sent back from Boston to the Flyers for this veteran left winger. The Bruins were in the midst of a playoff push, seeking scoring help and the Flyers were retooling for their future.
With this trade, it was the end of an 11-year era for Flyers icon Brian Propp.
Propp was originally a first-round pick, 14th overall, in the 1979 NHL Draft. His success in the NHL was immediate, as he scored 34 goals, 41 assists for 75 points in his rookie year. His scoring punch along the left wing helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Final that season, although losing to the New York Islanders in six games.
Propp finished fourth in the NHL Rookie of the Year vote and a promising career was ahead.
Although his production dipped to just 26 goals the following year, Propp’s career flourished thereafter. Four of the next five years, he reached the 40-goal plateau. The other, the 83-84 season, he tallied 39.
He would follow those seasons with 31, 27 and 32 goals respectively. For 10 straight seasons, Propp averaged 35 goals per year. In his last season before his trade, he played in 40 games, missing 25 due to injuries to his shoulder and left hand but still managed 13 goals and 15 assists.
As a Flyer, Propp is still second all-time in goals with 369, second in assists with 480 and third in points with 849. He averaged over a point per game, playing in 790 regular-season games. He would add 52 goals and 60 assists for 112 points in 116 playoff games too. All three of these statistics rank him second in Flyers playoff history. His 116 playoff games rank third.
Propp is also known for his own eccentric goal celebration as a Flyer, starting in the mid 80s, called the "Guffaw." It is a waving motion with his left hand, raising it to the sky, mimicking a gesture from comedian Howie Mandel, as Mandel suggested this made up “alternative” in his act, instead of clapping or giving applause. Propp enjoyed Mandel’s act so much, he took this new way of "celebrating" and made it his own.
After his trade to Boston, Propp played four more seasons. Three were spent with the Minnesota North Stars and the last with the Hartford Whalers in 1993-94. In Hartford, Propp reached two career milestones, playing in his 1000th NHL game and scoring his 1000th NHL point. For his career, he played in 1,016 NHL regular season games, with 1,004 career points.
Over the 16 years spent in the NHL, Propp was a five-time All-Star and led the league in game-winning goals with 12 in the 1982-83 season. His unselfish, two-way play in the 1987 Canada Cup was a big reason for their championship success, as Canada’s coach Mike Keenan, could rely on Propp for just about any situation. He chipped in two goals and two assists in the nine-game tournament, that some have called the best hockey ever played.
Propp left the NHL and played a few seasons overseas, one in the Swiss League and another for HC Anglet in the French League. At age 35, Propp retired from hockey and returned to the South Jersey area. In 1999, he worked as a broadcaster for the Flyers for nine seasons and is now working in the private sector for an investment firm.
Lest we forget, that 1990 second-round pick – 42nd overall – the Flyers got for Propp? The Flyers chose Terran Sandwith, a six-foot-four defenseman that never played a game as a Flyer as he couldn’t advance out of the minors. His career spanned all of eight NHL games for the Oilers in 1997-98 without recording a point.
It’s safe to say, there’s no "Guffaw" or applause required for that pick.
Mike Watson is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @Mwats_99.
