Beantown versus Broadway was a legendary rivalry through the 1970’s and 1980’s. The physicality both teams were known for made their early encounters less like hockey games and more like MMA on ice. The Flyers beat Boston for their first Stanley Cup victory in 1974, also meeting in the playoffs on three other occasions in the 1970’s. More recently, the rivalry is remembered for the Flyers’ historic comeback during their 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal when the Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead, ultimately getting eliminated in four games en route to the Flyers’ Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Their trade paths crossed regularly but infrequently in the 55 years since the Flyers entered the league, with only one prolonged drought throughout the 1970’s.
10/18/67 – Rosaire Paiement for 1970 first round pick (Rick MacLeish)
The first trade between the Flyers and Bruins came just three games into Philadelphia’s inaugural season.
Paiement only played 43 games with the Flyers over the following three seasons, with the bulk of his time spent with the Quebec Aces of the AHL. The Bruins received a first round pick as compensation for the center, which ended up being fourth overall, to draft forward Rick MacLeish.
1/31/71 – Rick MacLeish and Danny Schock for Mike Walton
This deal was actually part of a three-team trade also featuring the Maple Leafs. The Leafs acquired Bernie Parent and a 1971 second round pick in exchange for Bruce Gamble, Mike Walton and a 1971 first round pick. The Flyers then traded Walton to the Bruins in exchange for Rick MacLeish and Danny Schock.
Rick MacLeish was the Bruins’s fourth overall pick in 1970, the pick the Flyers traded away in 1967, but never played for the club. Instead he was dealt to the Flyers along with Danny Schock. In 1972-73, MacLeish became the first Flyer to ever score 50 goals in a season, also tallying 100 points in the process. He was also a key player during their first Stanley Cup win in 1974. All in all, MacLeish played 741 games in Philadelphia scoring 328 goals and 697 points, both still good enough to be in the top ten in Flyers’ history.
Schock was primarily an AHL forward during his career, but did technically win the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 1970 after suiting up for one game with the team in the playoffs. When he was traded to the Flyers, he played in 14 NHL games, scoring the first and only NHL goal of his career, but played the entirety of the following three seasons in the AHL with the Richmond Robins.
Walton found success in Boston, putting up two of the best seasons of his career alongside Phil Esposito. He left for the World Hockey Alliance during the 1973 offseason.
8/3/72 – John McKenzie for cash
Longtime Bruins forward John McKenzie was trade to the Flyers in 1972 for cash considerations. He refused to join the Flyers and ultimately never played in the NHL again, opting instead to join the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA.
6/9/82 – Brad McCrimmon for Pete Peeters
When Pelle Lindbergh took over the crease in 1982, the Flyers no longer had a need for Peeters, who had a successful run in Philly the previous three seasons. Meanwhile, the Bruins were riding veteran goalie Rogie Vachon for the previous two seasons, but he retired after the 1982 campaign after 16 seasons.
Peeters went on to win the Vezina during his first season in Boston, as well as being a runner-up for the Hart Trophy the same season. He spent three years in Boston, earning two All-Star nominations before being traded to the Capitals in 1985.
The Flyers acquired Brad McCrimmon, who became one of the best defenseman of his era. He was heavily relied upon as a shutdown guy, but developed an offensive edge to his game later on. He was dealt away from the Flyers in 1987 after a contract dispute.
5/24/85 – Ian Armstrong for 1985 tenth round pick (Bob Beers)
The Flyers acquired defense prospect Ian Armstrong, who was coming off a successful junior career with the Peterborough Petes. He spent two seasons with the Hersey Bears and would retire soon after.
The Bruins drafted Bob Beers in the tenth round of the 1985 draft. He played 77 games with the Bruins over the course of three seasons, mainly spending his time in the AHL. He was traded to Tampa Bay early in October of 1992.
1/16/90 – Ken Linseman for Dave Poulin
During the 1989-90 season, the Flyers were lined up to miss the playoffs for just the third time in their history, and the first time since 1972. Dave Poulin, who had spent much of the previous decade in Philly, was stripped of the captaincy and traded mid-season as his play deteriorated and the team wanted a new direction. He ended up playing in five more NHL seasons, three of which in Boston, but only one complete schedule before retiring in 1995.
Linseman, who was drafted by and started his career with the Flyers in 1978, returned to Philly to finish out the 1989-90 season. He played in 29 games with 14 points but would sign with the Oilers during the 1990 offseason.
3/2/90 – 1990 second round pick (Terran Sandwith) for Brian Propp
Continuing the retooling process, the Flyers traded away longtime star forward Brian Propp at the 1990 trade deadline. He was, and still is, second all-time in Flyers goalscoring, and third in points, though being passed by Claude Giroux in 2019.
Propp helped the Bruins make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final where they’d ultimately fall to the Edmonton Oilers. He racked up seven goals and 25 points in 34 regular and postseason games. He did not re-sign with the Bruins during the 1990 offseason, instead joining the Minnesota North Stars.
The Flyers drafted defenseman Terran Sandwith 42nd overall in 1990. He would never play for the club, but did spent three seasons with their AHL squad, the Hersey Bears.
2/13/01 – Matt Zultek for 2001 ninth round pick (Marcel Rodman)
Almost 11 years since their last trade, the Bruins and Flyers once again came together, this time for a relatively minor transaction.
Matt Zultek was drafted 56th overall by the Bruins in 1999 but never played for the organization. He never played in the NHL, spending his time with the Flyers organization split between the AHL and ECHL.
The Bruins drafted forward Marcel Rodman 282nd overall in 2001. He never made the jump to North America, playing most of his career in his native Slovenia.
10/13/08 – Andrew Alberts for Ned Lukacevic, 2009 fourth round pick (Lane MacDermid)
The Bruins defense was going through a change in 2008 thanks to the emergence of Matt Hunwick, and it forced Alberts into the press box for the first two games of the season. He was dealt to the Flyers in exchange for a prospect and a draft pick.
Ned Lukacevic was a career ECHL defenseman who on occasion made it up to the AHL. He only saw 21 games of AHL action during his tenure with the organization. The Bruins drafted Lane MacDermid 112 overall in 2009. He played eight games in Boston, spending the rest of his four seasons with the club in the AHL. He was traded to Dallas in exchange for Jaromir Jagr in April of 2013.
Andrew Alberts played the 2008-09 season with the Flyers where he had a career-high 13 points in 79 games. He also led the team in hits and blocked shots. He was not offered a contract by the Flyers in the 2009 offseason, opting to take his talents to the Carolina Hurricanes.
3/5/14 – 2014 third round pick (Mark Friedman) for Andrej Meszaros
Andrej Meszaros was one of the more interesting defenseman in recent Flyers history. He was a top guy when he joined the club in 2010, but slowly outlived his usefulness. When his contract was set to expire in the summer of 2014, the Flyers dealt him away at the 2014 trade deadline for a conditional pick. The condition being if the Bruins made it to the Conference Final and Meszaros played in at least two-thirds of the playoff games. That condition was not met as the Bruins were eliminated in the second round by the Canadiens, thus it remained a third round pick.
The Flyers selected defenseman Mark Friedman out of Bowling Green State University. He joined the Phantoms for the 2017-18 season and was a fixture there for three years. He played in 11 Flyers games from 2018 to 2021 before being lost to the Penguins on waivers in February of 2021.
6/29/15 – 2017 third round pick (Kirill Ustimenko) for Zac Rinaldo
The famous Ron Hextall era trade that has become a meme among Flyers fans, the Flyers dealt tough guy Zac Rinaldo for a third round pick.
Rinaldo was draft by the Flyers 178th overall in 2008 and was a key tough guy for both the Phantoms and Flyers until this trade in 2015. He signed a new two-year, $1.7 million contract with the Flyers in September of 2014, a deal that would kick in at the start of the 2015-16 season. He finished his previous deal during the 2014-15 campaign and was dealt to Boston before his new deal, which was only a $200,000 pay raise from his previous, kicked in.
Rinaldo played 52 NHL games for the Bruins in 2015-16 racking up three points and 83 penalty minutes, but spent the entirety of the 2016-17 season in the AHL.
The Flyers drafted goalie Kirill Ustimenko 80th overall in 2017. He has been primarily an ECHL level goalie during his tenure with the organization, only suiting up for 13 AHL contests.
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By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 