There are consequences to really bad hockey. Nobody goes to games, merchandise sales dip, but more importantly, the on-ice product becomes so bad that individual games aren’t fun anymore. Dates that used to be circled on the calendar against a hot rival no longer mean much. It’s not a rivalry if it’s a constant one-sided ass kicking. The Philadelphia Flyers squaring off against division rivals used to be in demand products, but they need to jumpstart a few dormant opponents to get back to the glory days of much-watch hockey.
Number 5: Washington Capitals
Speaking of one-sided ass kickings, the Flyers clashes with the Capitals over the last few seasons have been just that. The Flyers are just 9-12-3 against the Caps since January of 2019, with quite a few ugly blowout beatings along the way like 6-1 and 6-3 losses at the end of the 2020-21 campaign and the whopping 9-2 loss the Flyers took during the 2021-22 season. The Capitals squeezed the most out of their current team, with a Stanley Cup already in tow, they seem to be on the downward trend, meanwhile the Flyers have been on a downward trend for a decade. A battle for the bottom?
While this rivalry might not gain the attention other division teams might, there have been some notable moments in recent years, including the line brawl highlighted by Ray Emery kicking the crap out of Braden Holtby. They would have a similar, less famous line brawl later the same season. Then a heated first round playoff matchup in 2016 which the President’s trophy-Capitals were taken to six games by the Flyers on the back of Michal Neuvirth’s immaculate .981 save percentage in three games.
Number 4: New Jersey Devils
Both the Flyers and Devils have been going through down periods in their history over the last decade or so, With the Devils only making the playoffs twice and the Flyers four times since their 2012 second round clash, which the Devils walked away victorious. Though as both teams have spent the last few years rebuilding theoretically, the re-ignition could be around the corner, but the Devils have a pretty big lead when it comes to that.
It’s been 20 years since this rivalry was at its peak, when both teams were titans and dominated the Eastern Conference. They met in the Eastern Conference Finals twice, once in 1995 and again in 2000, with the Devils going on to win the Cup both times. The two squads are scheduled to meet at MetLife field in 2024 for a Stadium Series game. Maybe a big outdoor clash is just what they need to get the juices flowing and set the pace for the next ten years of their rivalry.
Number 3: Boston Bruins
Flyers versus Bruins is one of those rivalries that never truly died, but just hasn’t been the same. The Big Bad Bruins taking on the Broad Street Bullies was must-see action back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but it’s been relatively quiet for many years as the Bruins have been one of the best teams in the league over the last 15 or so years and the Flyers… well… have not. The last time the rivalry peaked, the Flyers made their miraculous 2010 semifinals 3-1 series comeback against the Bruins in 2010, and the following season the Bruins swept the Flyers in the second round in route to a Stanley Cup victory.
The Flyers are 7-10-2 against the Bruins since 2019, including a five game losing streak from April 2021 to April of 2023. Will the losing continue into 2023-24? We’ll have to wait until January to find out.
Number 2: New York Rangers
It’s been quite a few years since there felt like a real rivalry between Broad Street and Broadway. The Flyers hold a 9-8-3 record since 2019, but are just 4-7-3 against them since 2021, with some of the Flyers’ more embarrassing losses coming against the Rangers in that time including the infamous 9-0 loss and 8-3 loss less than two weeks apart in March 2021. Like any Philadelphia – New York rivalry in sports, the powder keg can detonate at any minute, and with both team building back up, it may only be a matter of time before the Flyers-Rangers meetings are dates to circle on the calendar again.
Number 1: Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is the hottest rivalry is recent Flyers’ history that has cooled substantially over the last few seasons. The legendary 2012 first round playoff series and the weeks leading up to it were genuinely some of the last great moments the Flyers would have before their decline. They traded Stadium Series wins in 2017 and 2019, the latter in a come-from-behind win at Lincoln Financial Field, which served as revenge from their ugly 2018 playoff loss to the Penguins the previous spring. The Flyers have moved on from Claude Giroux, and Sidney Crosby is 36, long past his wily youth, both organizations are going to need new faces of the franchise to square off to truly reignite this one, but even in the Flyers’ disorganization, the Penguins still have a big-game feel to them whenever they meet, a feeling that is hard to pull off considering how lopsided the teams have been.
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By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nbcwashington.com
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