The Colorado Rockies were a short-lived, financial disaster of a hockey team after relocating from Kansas City, which itself had only survived two years. In their six year existence, from 1976 to 1982, the Rockies only made the playoffs once, getting swept by the Philadelphia Flyers in the preliminary round of the 1978 postseason. They would relocate again to New Jersey in 1982 where the rivalry with the Flyers would intensify as geographical rivals.
8/5/77 – Barry Dean for Mark Suzor
Barry Dean was a forward who started his career in the World Hockey Association. He played one season before making the jump to the NHL, joining the Colorado Rockies in 1976. Upon joining the Flyers, he spent three seasons with the organization, with most of his games occurring in the AHL. He left the organization in the summer of 1980 and retired in 1982 after a short run in a couple minor leagues.
Mark Suzor was the Flyers’ 17th overall pick in 1976. He played just four games with the team before the trade. He played 60 games with the Rockies in 1977-78 and spent the following three seasons playing for six different minor league teams and retired in 1981.
8/31/78 – cash for Joe Watson
Joe Watson was a defenseman who played 746 games over 11 seasons with the Flyers. He played just 16 games for the Rockies in 1978-79 before retiring. He rejoined the Flyers front office and held multiple roles within the franchise until he retired in 2021.
3/3/79 – 1979 second round pick (Blake Wesley) for Don Saleski
Don Saleski was the Flyers’ 64th overall pick in 1969. He ended up playing eight seasons with the Flyers and was a part of both Stanley Cup winning teams in 1974 and 1975. He played 67 games for the Rockies over the following season and a half and retired in 1980.
The Flyers drafted defenseman Blake Wesley 22nd overall in 1979. He played two seasons with the organization, mainly in the AHL before he was traded to Hartford in 1981.
2/26/81 – cash for Phil Myre
Phil Myre was a veteran goaltender who spent a season-and-a-half with the Flyers before he lost his job to the tandem of Pete Peeters and Rick St. Croix. He joined the Rockies for the remainder of 1980-81 and half of the 1981-82 season until he was demoted to the minor leagues and left the organization in the summer of 1982.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 