1974 Stanley Cup Finals

1974 Stanley Cup Finals
Celebration in the Flyers' locker room, May 19, 1974
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total Philadelphia Flyers 2 3* 4 4 1 1 4 Boston Bruins 3 2* 1 2 5 0 2
* overtime periods
Location(s)	Rene Lecavalier and Gilles Tremblay (NBC) Tim Ryan and Ted Lindsay (WTAF) Don Earle and Gene Hart (WSBK) Fred Cusick and Johnny Peirson
← 1973 Stanley Cup Finals 1975 →

The 1974 Stanley Cup Finals was the

Philadelphia defeated the Atlanta Flames 4–0 and the New York Rangers 4–3 to make it to the final.

Game summaries

In the previous 19 games against the Bruins in Boston, the Flyers had lost 17 and tied two. Boston had the best regular season record in the league finishing one point ahead of the Flyers. The Bruins also had home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals, and were made heavy favorites to win the series. A key confidence-building win late in the regular season saw the Flyers defeating the Bruins 5–3 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

The first two games at Boston Garden were full of late game dramatics. In game one, the Flyers nearly scored late in the third period to break a 2–2 tie.

The Flyers, led by Parent's play in goal, won the next two games on home ice to take a 3–1 series lead. Game five in Boston was a sloppy affair marred by many fights and penalties as Boston easily won to extend the series to a game six in Philadelphia. Before a national audience watching the game on NBC and a raucous Philadelphia crowd, Parent posted an epic 30-save shutout against the Bruins as the Flyers won the game 1–0, the series four games to two, and the Stanley Cup. Parent made a spectacular kick save to stop a tremendous slapshot from Ken Hodge with less than three minutes left to play. The blast was the Bruins' final shot of the series. Parent was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. The Flyers were the first of the 1967 expansion teams in the NHL to win the championship.

Coincidentally, the Flyers were the first team to clinch the Stanley Cup at home since the Bruins did so four years earlier on Orr's famous overtime goal vs. the St. Louis Blues in Game 4.

Aftermath

The Flyers Stanley Cup win triggered the largest celebration in Philadelphia sports history.^[1][2] Some observers of the celebration noted that they had seen that type of event in Philadelphia only once before, upon the announcement of the surrender of Japan on 14 August 1945. The day after the Flyers won the Cup, more than two million lined Broad Street for a ticker-tape parade,^[3] making it the largest championship parade in the history of Philadelphia sports.^[2][4] One of the fans who attended the parade was future New York Rangers goaltender Mike Richter.^[5] Richter grew up near Philadelphia in Flourtown, Pennsylvania idolizing Flyers goalie Bernie Parent.^[6]

The following year, the Flyers successfully returned to the Finals and captured their second consecutive Stanley Cup; this time, over the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, also winning in six games.

As for the Bruins, they lost in the first round to the

The Stanley Cup was not won on home ice again until the Canadiens did so in 1979.

Team rosters

Philadelphia Flyers

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
1		Bernie Parent	G	L	29	1973	Montreal, Quebec
2		Ed Van Impe	D	L	33	1967	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
3		Tom Bladon	D	R	21	1972	Edmonton, Alberta
4		Barry Ashbee	D	R	34	1970	Weston, Ontario
6		Andre Dupont	D	L	24	1972	Trois-Rivières, Quebec
7		Bill Barber	LW	L	21	1972	Callander, Ontario
8		Dave Schultz	LW	L	24	1969	Waldheim, Saskatchewan
9		Bob Kelly	LW	L	23	1970	Oakville, Ontario
10		Bill Clement	C	L	23	1970	Buckingham, Quebec
11		Don Saleski	RW	R	24	1972	Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
12		Gary Dornhoefer (A)	RW	R	31	1967	Kitchener, Ontario
14		Joe Watson (A)	D	L	30	1967	Smithers, British Columbia
15		Terry Crisp (A)	C	L	30	1973	Parry Sound, Ontario
16		Bobby Clarke (C)	C	L	24	1969	Flin Flon, Manitoba
17		Simon Nolet	RW	R	32	1967	St. Odilon, Quebec
18		Ross Lonsberry	LW	L	27	1972	Watson, Saskatchewan
19		Rick MacLeish	C	L	24	1971	Cannington, Ontario
20		Jim Watson	D	L	21	1972	Smithers, British Columbia
21		Bill Flett	RW	R	30	1972	Vermilion, Alberta
26		Orest Kindrachuk	C	L	23	1972	Nanton, Alberta
27		Bruce Cowick	LW	L	22	1973	Victoria, British Columbia
30		Bobby Taylor	G	R	29	1968	Calgary, Alberta

Boston Bruins

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
1		Gilles Gilbert	G	L	25	1973	Saint-Esprit, Quebec
4		Bobby Orr	D	L	26	1966	Parry Sound, Ontario
6		Darryl Edestrand	D	L	28	1973	Strathroy, Ontario
7		Phil Esposito	C	L	32	1967	Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
8		Ken Hodge	RW	R	29	1967	Birmingham, United Kingdom
9		Johnny Bucyk (C)	LW	L	39	1957	Edmonton, Alberta
10		Carol Vadnais	D	L	28	1972	Montreal, Quebec
11		Andre Savard	C	L	20	1973	Temiscamingue, Quebec
12		Wayne Cashman	RW	R	28	1964	Kingston, Ontario
14		Dave Forbes	LW	L	25	1973	Montreal, Quebec
17		Bobby Schmautz	RW	R	29	1974	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
18		Rich Leduc	C	L	22	1971	Ile Perot, Quebec
19		Gregg Sheppard	LW	L	25	1972	North Battleford, Saskatchewan
20		Dallas Smith	D	L	32	1959	Hamiota, Manitoba
21		Don Marcotte	LW	L	27	1965	Arthabaska, Quebec
22		Doug Gibson	C	L	20	1973	Peterborough, Ontario
23		Al Sims	D	L	21	1973	Toronto, Ontario
24		Terry O'Reilly	RW	R	22	1971	Niagara Falls, Ontario
29		Al Simmons	D	L	23	1974	Winnipeg, Manitoba
30		Ross Brooks	G	L	36	1971	Toronto, Ontario

Stanley Cup engraving

The 1974 Stanley Cup was presented to Flyers captain Bobby Clarke by

Stanley Cup engraving

• #25 Al MacAdam played five regular season games and one playoff game. Although he did receive a Stanley Cup ring, his name was not engraved on the Stanley Cup.^[7]
• Joe Kadlec, John Brogan (Directors of Public Relations) were included on Philadelphia's Stanley Cup winning pictures in 1974, 1975, but their names do not appear on the Stanley Cup.
• Bruce Cowick didn't play any regular season games for the Flyers in 1973–74 but was an injury replacement for eight games in the Stanley Cup playoffs, thus becoming eligible to receive a Stanley Cup ring and have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

See also

• 1973–74 NHL season
• 1973–74 Boston Bruins season
• 1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season

Notes

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup. NHL.
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books.
  ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7
  .