Contrary to popular belief, historically, the Flyers have a fairly decent record with successful rookies. Yet somehow no Flyer has ever won the Calder Trophy. No matter the records they set or teams they led, in every case, a Flyer seemed to have it in the bag but was outshined by another rookie elsewhere in the league. As talks of Matvei Michkov’s early lead in the Calder race, let’s revisit the most famous Calder snubbings in Flyers’ history.
Number 5: Shayne Gostisbehere
Opposite to Provorov, Shayne Gostisbehere put the entire league on notice when he made his debut. Making his full-time NHL debut in November of 2015, he recorded his first NHL point in his first game of the season. He proceeded to break the NHL rookie point streak by a defenseman at 15 games, and became the first rookie to record four overtime goals in a season, and set the Flyers’ franchise record for rookie defenseman goals with 17. Ghost ultimately ended the year second in Calder voting, finishing behind the controversial 25-year-old Artemi Panarin, who racked up 30 goals and 77 points with the Blackhawks.
Number 4: Brian Propp
Brian Propp burst onto the scene in 1979 and immediately made an impact, scoring the game winning goal in his first NHL game on October 11, 1979. His solid campaign helped the Flyers advance all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, eventually losing to the Islanders in six games. Arguably the best left winger the Flyers have ever had, Propp would go on to hold (or held) 20 Flyers team records. He finished his rookie season with 34 goals and 75 points and would finish fourth in Calder voting behind superstar defenseman Ray Bourque, Mike Foligno and teammate Pete Peeters.
Number 3: Eric Lindros
After the year-long circus that stemmed from the 1991 NHL draft when the Quebec Nordiques selected Eric Lindros despite knowing he wouldn’t play for them, Lindros was traded to Philadelphia in a blockbuster trade in the 1992 offseason. He lived up to the hype upon his debut for the Flyers by recording 41 goals and 75 points in 61 games. It was an impressive showing for Lindros, as his combination of size and skill dominated the NHL. It wasn’t a good enough showing to earn him the Calder Trophy though, as Teemu Selanne debuted for the Winnipeg Jets the same season with a whopping 76 goals and 132 points.
Number 2: Mikael Renberg
Mikael Renberg made an immediate splash during his rookie season in 1993-94, spending most of his time with elite company, either on the wing with Eric Lindros and Mark Recchi (who were two-thirds of the Crazy Eights line with Brent Fedyk for most of the season) and the rest of the time riding shotgun with with Rod Brind’Amour. By season’s end he set a still-standing franchise record for points by a rookie with 82 points (his 38 goals were second in team history behind linemate Eric Lindros). Renberg was yet another case of a great season that was overshadowed by others elsewhere in the league, finishing third in Calder voting behind Jason Arnott and winner Martin Brodeur.
Number 1: Ron Hextall
Hextall made the NHL during the 1986-87 season after an impressive AHL run which forced then-head coach Mike Keenan to play him on opening night. In 66 contests during his rookie campaign he posted a 3.00 GAA and a .902 SV% along with an NHL-leading 37 wins. He won the Vezina Trophy for his efforts, beating veterans like Mike Liut and Grant Fuhr, but was runner-up to LA Kings’ forward Luc Robitaille in Calder voting, who scored 45 goals and 84 points, which was only good enough for 17th in league scoring that season.
Honorable Mentions
Ivan Provorov
The most recent rookie on this list, Ivan Provorov had a great debut season in 2016-17, though did so under the radar. With megastars Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine dominating the statistical columns, Provorov didn’t stand a chance. He scored six goals and 30 points in 82 games, with most of his hype came from his hockey IQ and superior defensive play. Provorov earned the Flyers Barry Ashbee Award as the team’s best defenseman, the first of four he’d win during his seven seasons in Philly. Provorov’s play may not have turned many heads outside of the Flyers faithful, but he was a beacon for a team that desperately needed a top guy on the blue line… even if that ultimately never panned out as expected.
Pete Peeters
Goaltender Pete Peeters made his full time Flyers debut during the 1979-80 season and was a force to be reckoned with. Peeters had a 22-0-5 record since his call up, which was a big reason the Flyers went on a 35 game unbeaten streak. All in all, he finished the season with a 29-5-5 record with a 2.73 goals against average and .898 save percentage, which was fourth and fifth in the league respectively. Unfortunately for the Flyers, he was never able to replicate the same success he enjoyed during his rookie campaign and was traded to the Bruins in 1982.
Simon Gagne
Making his NHL debut in 1999-00, Simon Gagne was part of a dominate Flyers roster that finished atop the Eastern Conference. Gagne scored 20 goals and added 28 assists, which earned him a spot on the NHL all-rookie team. He also contributed 10 points in the Flyers’ Eastern Conference Final playoff run. He finished fourth in Calder voting behind a nearly unanimous winner Scott Gomez in New Jersey, who posted 70 points.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
Photo Credit: nhl.com
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