10 things we enjoyed seeing at the Flyers alumni game

A day before their modern counterparts face off, the Flyers alumni took on the Bruins alumni on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. In front of a sizable home crowd, the Flyers alumni pulled off a rout of Boston, skating away with a 6-2 win.

“I couldn’t believe the crowd. I didn’t expect this,” said Mark Recchi, who is set to be inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on Saturday. “It just shows you what Philadelphia fans are all about. And I don’t know how many people there was there, but I didn’t expect that.

» READ MORE: Remembering Mark Recchi’s record-breaking 1992-93 season: ‘He had a hunger to score’

“I expected maybe the lower bowl, but to get a great crowd like that, it’s fun. And they were loud.”

Here are 10 highlights from the Flyers’ 2024 alumni game:

There were no boos when the Flyers were introduced — only “Booshes” for Brian Boucher. But the biggest cheers of the night came for president Keith Jones and general manager Danny Brière, who served as honorary coaches for the alumni squad.

“Dan Hilferty and Jonesy and Danny Brière and [head coach John Tortorella], I really believe that they know what Flyer hockey is and the culture that was here for a long, long time. And it slipped,” Recchi said. “They’re doing a heck of a job trying to bring that family value back. And they really want that, and this is a perfect example of it.”

The Stanley Cup was in the house for a pregame celebration honoring the Flyers’ 1973-74 and 1974-75 Cup-winning teams. A video tribute played as members of those teams, including Bernie Parent, Bill Barber, Dave Schultz, and Bobby Clarke, gathered at center ice for the tribute.

“When you see [the Stanley Cup] from so close, just looking at it, hopefully, one day I get to do what some of these guys did on the ice and raise it above their heads,” Brière said.

Boucher was in net for the Flyers for the first half of the game, switching for Michael Leighton halfway through the second period. Boucher made a couple of saves in tight, including a big stop on Hall of Famer Ray Bourque early in the first period.

Boucher gave up one goal to Graeme Townshend in the first period.

The Bruins’ two goalies were members of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Matt Truninger, who played hockey at the Naval Academy, got the start and was phenomenal in net. After making a toe save in the first few minutes of the first period, he later robbed Recchi.

TJ Lesky took over the net for Boston in the second half.

One day before his Flyers Hall of Fame induction, Recchi got the Flyers on the board with a top-shelf snipe from the right faceoff circle off a pass from Mike Richards.

“I told the guys if I missed that shot, I was gonna come straight to the dressing room,” Recchi said. “It was good. It was a lot of fun out there.”

Recchi scored again in the third period, dashing off on a breakaway and deking out the Bruins goalie. John LeClair picked up the assist.

Joe Watson, 80, got a special introduction as he had to put his gear on after the 1974 Stanley Cup champions were honored pregame. Skates aside, all of Watson’s equipment was from his last season in the NHL. He retired after 16 games in 1978-79, so that gear is significantly older than anyone on the Flyers’ current roster.

Watson’s elbow pads were so old he had to tape them on. He added a little bit of padding to the shin guards, which had cracks in them.

Different Flyers, same old story. The Flyers alumni’s first power-play unit of Eric Lindros, LeClair, Recchi, Richards, and Kimmo Timonen had tons of star power, but — just like the current team has so many times this season — failed to convert.

Richards scored in his very first Flyers alumni game appearance, netting a shorthanded goal in the second period that put the Flyers up, 2-1.

Richards’ seven shorties in the 2008-09 season are tied for most in franchise history, though Travis Konecny is hot on his heels with five already this year.

In an eerily familiar sequence, LeClair and his old linemate Lindros broke off on a two-on-two rush in the second period. LeClair fed Lindros, who buried it to pad the Flyers alumni’s lead.

Donald Brashear and Patrick Sharp were the Flyers’ other goal scorers of the night.

Recchi finished the night with two goals and an assist and fittingly earned first star. Watson was named second star, and LeClair was third.

“It was awesome. But that’s Philadelphia,” Recchi said. “That’s what their sports fan is about. They’re passionate. They love hockey, they love sport, and it’s what they do.”