Flyers’ 46-year playoff drought | Sports Daily
Opposing dynasties, goaltending woes, mismanagement and bad luck.
What was life like the last time the Flyers won the Stanley Cup?
Gerald Ford was president. The Godfather II won Best Picture. The price of gas was 57 cents a gallon. And interim coach Mike Yeo had yet to turn 2 years old.
In other words, it’s been a long, long time. Too long.
But after winning back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975, the Flyers have gone 46 years without hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup. Why so long? And when will the drought end?
To try and find the answer, we consulted seven Flyers Hall of Famers, including Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent, longtime public-address announcer Lou Nolan, and a lifelong season-ticket holder to get their input.
The consensus? Well, you’ll have to read Sam Carchidi’s deep dive to find out.
— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport
Tell us: What do you believe is the biggest reason for the Flyers’ long Stanley Cup drought sports.daily@inquirer.com
COVID-19 is forcing the NFL to issue new health and safety policies, and it comes as the Eagles head into their scheduled game on Sunday against a Washington team that currently has roughly a third of its players on the reserve COVID-19 list.
As some of Washington’s key players could miss the game, there is now mask-wearing at the team facilities regardless of vaccination status. Darius Slay earlier in the week had spoken of mask-wearing before the policy was put into place, and he’s also had a public autograph appearance postponed. COVID-19 is even affecting the game’s betting line.
The Eagles have been able thus far to avoid an outbreak, as only five players have been placed on the reserve COVID-19 list since the start of the regular season. Outside of some season-ending injuries, they’ve been relatively healthy this year in terms of games missed. There haven’t been many soft-tissue injuries. Is it because of medical staff turnover? Nick Sirianni’s practice plan that builds in more rest? Luck? Beat writer Jeff McLane explores that issue today.
With Ben Simmons out of the fold, the 76ers can be excused for being outgunned in the odd game. Simmons or no Simmons, what they can’t be excused for is a lack of competitiveness.
On Thursday in Brooklyn, that lack of competitiveness was on display for all to see in a 114-105 loss to the Nets, writes Keith Pompey. The Nets, who were missing seven players including James Harden due to COVID-19 protocols and are still without Kyrie Irving due to his being unvaccinated, had only nine available players.
Next: The Sixers host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at 8 p.m. (NBCSP).
The Flyers’ three-game winning streak came to an end on Thursday in Montreal, although they did manage to pick up a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canadiens.
Carter Hart was his usual outstanding self in net, but the Flyers got offense from unlikely places. Max Willman scored the first goal of the night, his second career goal, before Jackson Cates scored the first of his career late in the second.
The game was played in front of an empty Bell Centre at the request of Quebec public health officials amid a COVID-19 outbreak. It was the first game in the NHL this season to be played without fans.
Next: The Flyers are back home Saturday to play the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m.
The Union went the furthest this season in the MLS playoffs, fighting in the Eastern Conference final for a spot in the MLS Cup game versus the eventual champion, NYCFC. Now the club’s sporting director, Ernst Tanner, and the manager, Jim Curtin, have taken a look ahead to the next season.
Next: The United States’ men’s national team is back in action in a friendly match with Bosnia and Herzegovina this Saturday at 8 p.m.
Worth a look
Stan the Man: After days of speculation, Temple has a new head football coach — Stan Drayton. Drayton comes from the University of Texas, where he served as running backs coach and worked under new Owls AD Arthur Johnson. While Drayton is a logical hire given that connection along with his previous experience in Philly with both Penn and Villanova, Mike Jensen writes that his success will ultimately come down to recruiting.
The Jacksonville Special? The Jaguars need a head coach and Doug Pederson needs a job. But a potential marriage between the two makes more sense than just convenience. David Murphy makes his case to Shad Khan to hire the Eagles’ former Super Bowl-winning coach.
College is overrated: Urban Meyer’s massive flameout in Jacksonville shouldn’t be a surprise, but rather a warning to NFL teams. Why? Meyer is just the latest in a series of cautionary tales of a college coach coming to the NFL and showing a complete lack of respect to players and the position in general.
From Philly PD to the UFC: Until two weeks ago, Chris Daukaus was a full-time police officer and part-time UFC fighter. Now he’s all in on making a career in the Octagon, and with a win on Saturday against Derrick Lewis, he will throw his name into title contention.
Today’s newsletter was created in a collaboration among The Inquirer sports staff.