Throwback Thursday: 2000s Year-by-Year Timeline

In advance the Flyers' next "Throwback Thursday", which will honor the first decade of the new millennium (2000 to 2009) during the Flyers' game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 19, here's a year-by-year retrospective on memorable moments and players that defined the period from the 2000 playoffs through the pre-New Year's portion of the 2009-10 campaign.

2000 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
The 2000 Eastern Conference playoffs ended on a down note with the Flyers losing in seven games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils in seven games after holding a three games to one lead. In the Flyers 2-1 loss on home ice in Game 7, Scott Stevens' crushing hit on Eric Lindros in the first proved to be the final play of the Philadelphia portion of LIndros' Hockey Hall of Fame career.
However, on the whole, the 1999-2000 season was a successful one for the team. The club finished first in the Atlantic Division with 105 points during the regular season.
Hockey Hall of Fame right winger Mark Recchi (team-leading 91 points) won the second of his three Bobby Clarke Trophies as the Flyers' team MVP and represented the team for the third and final time in the NHL All-Star Game across his two stints with the club.
Flyers Hall of Fame and U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame left winger achieved the 40-goal mark for the fifth straight season. Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Eric Desjardins won the sixth of his franchise record seven Barry Ashbee Trophies as the team's top defenseman. He also played in his third career NHL All-Star Game.
Rookie forward Simon Gagne, converted early in the season from center to left wing, attained a 20-goal season in his first NHL campaign. Rookie goalie Brian Boucher earned NHL All-Rookie team honors as he eventually unseated veteran John Vanbiesbrouck as the team's No. 1 goalie and carried it over into an excellent playoff run.
Near the trade deadline, a familiar face from the mid-1980s to early 1990s returned to the Flyers in a trade with the Coyotes: Rick Tocchet.
On a sad note, Flyers head coach Roger Neilson fell ill during the season. He subsequently learned that he had cancer. Assistant coach Craig Ramsay took over late in the regular season as interim head coach and later was named as the new head coach.
Many players who suited up for the Flyers in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s fondly look back at the 1999-2000 squad as the one that, on the whole, was the closest-knit group of their time in Philadelphia. In the playoffs, before the searing disappointment of losing Games 5, 6, and 7 against the Devils, there were several moments that have gone down among the most memorable in the annals of franchise history.
LeClair Scores through the Net (Game 2 ECQF): After winning Game 1 of the first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, the Flyers entered Game 2 looking to grab a two games to zero lead. Philly trailed, 1-0, heading into the second period. With Stu Barnes in the penalty box, LeClair tied the game on the power play at the 4:53 mark. Sabres Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek was bewildered as to how the puck entered the net. He seemed to have the short side sealed.
Replay existed in this era but there was no official review of the goal performed right after LeClair scored. The tally stood. However, television replays during the second intermission showed that LeClair's goal actually wide of the post and somehow went through the outside of the netting.
In the third period, a Desjardins power play goal at 4:47, gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead they'd maintain for the rest of the game. Boucher (30 saves on 31 shots) earned the win in net. Philadelphia would go on to beat the Sabres in five games.
Five OT Classic in Pittsburgh (Game 4 ECSF)
The Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins got off to an inauspicious start for the Flyers. Philadelphia dropped the first two games on home ice by scores of 2-0 and 4-1. That made the next two games in Pittsburgh into a must-win scenario for the Flyers.
In Game 3, the Flyers held leads of 2-0 (first period) and 3-2 (third period) but were unable to build on or protect either edge.At 11:01 of sudden death, rookie offensive defenseman Andy Delmore scored his second goal of the game to send Philadelphia to a 4-3 victory. Back in the first period, Delmore opened the scoring to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
Game 4 would go down as one of the most famous matches not only in Flyers history but throughout NHL Stanley Cup playoff history. Beaten on a Robert Straka goal on the first shot he faced, Boucher would go on to make 57 consecutive saves. Ron Tugnutt (70 saves on 72 shots) would carry a shutout for nearly 45 minutes until LeClair tied the game at 1-1 with a power play goal at 4:47 of the third period.
The night had only just begun. One overtime became two. Two became three, then four. The Flyers killed off three penalties in sudden death, while the Penguins survived two.
Finally,at 12:01 of the fifth overtime,Keith Primeau ended the game. Moving into the right circle, Primeau fired off a perfect shot that beat Tugnutt just under the crossbar. Defensemen Dan McGillis and Luke Richardson earned the assists.
The series was now tied at 2-2, but the Penguins had the look of a beaten team. In a home matinee in game five, Delmore racked up a hat trick on the way to a 6-3 Flyers victory.
The Penguins did their best to force a Game 7 as the series moved back to Pittsburgh for Game 6. However, a mid first period power play goal by Recchi, a LeClair goal in the opening minute of the second period and a 27-save performance by Boucher enabled the Flyers to close out the series with a 2-1 victory. Philly never trailed at any point in the clinching game.
Boucher's contorting save on Elias (Game 3, 2000 ECF)
On the way to the Flyers building a three games to one lead in the ECF against New Jersey, Boucher made one of the most memorable saves in franchise history to rob the Devils' Patrik Elias of a breakaway goal in Game 3.
Elias gained a separation on Keith Jones through the neutral zone. Moving in on the net, Elias eluded a Boucher poke check attempt and cut left toward the post. In desperation, Boucher reached behind and spun around for a spectacular stop, losing his mask in the process.
2000-01 SEASON
The 2000-01 season was another tumultuous year for the Flyers. In the regular season, there were plenty of highlights on the way to a 100-point campaign. The playoffs, however, were a big disappointment as the Flyers dropped a pair of first-round OT games to Buffalo to trail, three games to one. Philly earned a 3-1 win on home ice to send the series back to Buffalo but then suffered a disastrous 8-0 humiliation in the deciding game
The entire season saw Lindros in limbo, awaiting a trade that would not go down until Aug. 1, 2001. Ramsay was dismissed as head coach after 28 games with the team holding a 12-12-4 record. Boucher suffered a significant sophomore slump in goal after his excellent rookie campaign. Previously a model of durability, LeClair was limited to 16 games by a back injury that required surgery.
Hockey Hall of Famer Bill Barber -- the Flyers' all-time goal scoring leader, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and the head coach of the Calder Cup winning 1997-98 Philadelphia Phantoms -- took over Ramsay as head coach. His team went on to post a 31-13-7-3 record the rest of the regular season, and Barber was honored with the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year.
Twenty-nine-year-old Czech goaltender Roman Cechmanek, who had spent his entire career in his home country, joined the Flyers after being selected with the 171st overall pick of the 2000 Draft. He ended dispacing Boucher as the No. 1 goalie, won the Bobby Clarke Trophy, earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game, finished second in the Vezina Trophy balloting and even finished fourth in the Hart Trophy balloting.
To say Cechmanek's style was unorthodox is to put it mildly. No goalie in NHL history deliberately used his mask as often as Cechmanek as a tool for making saves. More than once, the large-framed Cechmanek made stops where he was on the seat of his pants, facing into the net, but still covering enough to somehow not end up with the opponent scoring.
Primeau enjoyed his best regular season as a Flyer in 2000-01, notching 34 goals and 73 points in 71 games. Limited by injury to 69 games played, Recchi nevertheless led the Flyers in scoring again (27g, 50a, 77 points). Gagne continued his progression in his second NHL campaign, chipping in 27 goals and 59 points in 69 games played.
The Flyers' 2000 first-round draft pick, Justin Williams, graduated directly from junior hockey to the NHL. Williams, who turned 19 one day before opening night of the regular season, outshined the debuting Sedin twins in the Flyers' 6-3 home win over the Vancouver Canucks the regular season opener. Williams would record at least one point in four of his first five career NHL games.
Defenseman Dan McGillis and Gagne shared the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy for the team's most improved players as voted by their teammates. They edged out rookie Fedotenko, who made the most of a late October recall from the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms. Fedotenko notched 16 goals and 36 points and spent the rest of the season in the NHL.
2001-02 SEASON
The Flyers took first place in the Atlantic DIvision during the 2001-02 regular season, but suffered a nightmarish five-game exit at the hands of the Ottawa Senators
In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals,The Flyers scored only two goals for the entire series -- and just one in regulation -- but were able capture a Game 1 overtime win by a 1-0 score on a Ruslan Fedotenko goal. The rest of the series was little but ever-increasing frustration.
Overall, the 2001-02 season was one of change for the Flyers.
In the offseason, the Lindros saga ended when the team traded him to the archrival New York Rangers in a deal that brought defenseman Kim Johnsson, forward Jan Hlavac (traded during the season for rugged winger Donald Brashear) and prospect Pavel Brendl.
The biggest addition: veteran center Jeremy Roenick. In his first season as a Flyer, JR led the team in points (67 points in 75 games) and assists (46). At the end of the season, Roenick received the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP.
Longtime Czech national team and Czech Extraliga star, Jiri Dopita, finally decided to give the NHL a try at age 33. After years of declining NHL contract offers from the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Florida Panthers, Dopita agreed to sign with the Flyers after they acquired his rights from the Panthers. Dopita was destined to disappoint in one season with the Flyers.
However, after missing 15 of the first 16 games due to a knee injury suffered on opening night, he made a promising return with a goal and an assist against Washington. Later, Dopita had a four-goal, five-point game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Jan. 8. 2022, and followed it two nights later by getting the better of countryman Bobby Holik in a 3-2 road win against the New Jersey Devils in which Dopita notched a goal and an assist and helped to hold Holik off the score sheet. Those three performances were his most memorable in an otherwise underachieving campaign.
Johnsson, meanwhile, proved to be a very valuable addition to the Flyers' blueline with Desjardins, now 32 years old, dealing with injuries. Johnsson dressed in all 82 regular seasons, notched 41 points, was plus-12, and captured the first of two Barry Ashbee Trophies he'd win as the Flyers' best defenseman.
Gagne emerged as a full-fledged NHL star this season, recording his first career 30-plus goal season and representing gold medalist Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics in Utah. Veterans Roenick and LeClair played for Team USA, while Johnsson donned the Tre Kronor for Team Sweden.
Williams, who improved from 12 goals and 25 points in his rookie season to 17 goals and 40 points in 2001-02, captured the Pelle Lindbergh Trophy as the team's most improved player.
The addition of steady veteran defenseman Eric Weinrich helped to stabilize the blueline. It gave Hitchcock some added experience and consistency at his disposal.
Head coach Barber was dismissed after the season. It was an anguishing year for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Up to that point, he'd never worked for another NHL organization. From the time Flyers selected him with the seventh overall pick of the 1972 Draft until being let go as Flyers head coach, Barber had continuously been in the Flyers organization for 20 years. Additionally, Barber's beloved first wife, Jenny, passed away in Dec. 2001.
2002-03 SEASON
Ken Hitchcock returned to the Flyers' organization for the 2002-03 season. Previously an assistant coach hired by former general manager Russ Farwell during Paul Holmgren's head coaching tenure, "Hitch" was the Dallas Stars head coach when they won back-to-back Western Conference championships including the 1998-99 Stanley Cup.
Dismissed by Dallas during the 2001-02 season, Hitchcock returned to Philadelphia; this time as head coach. He pledged to bring stronger structure and defensive commitment back to the Flyers.
The Flyers lost only one of their first 12 games in the season (9-1-2-0) on their way to a 107-point regular season (45-20-13-4) and yielded a mere 166 goals across the 82-game schedule.
Cechmanek and newly acquired backup goalie Robert Esche shared the Jennings Trophy, representative of the Flyers' netminders posting the lowest goals against average in the NHL. Cechmanek, who posted six shutouts during the regular season, won his second Bobby Clarke Trophy as Flyers' MVP.
Throughout the NHL, scoring continued to plummet. Roenick led the Flyers with 27 goals and 59 points, while sharing the team assist lead with Recchi (32). Desjardins had a much healthier season than the previous campaign, and reclaimed the Barry Ashbee Trophy. Brashear, who played regularly on the third line, showed he was more than "just" a fighter, capturing the Pelle Lindbergh Trophy.

On Feb. 7, 2003, the Flyers acquired two-time NHL All-Star Sami Kapanen from the Carolina Hurricanes. Kapanen became an instant Flyers fan favorite as well as a highly respected figure in the locker room.
Right before the trade deadline, on March 10, 2003, the Flyers added three-time 40-goal scorer Tony Amonte to the roster. The Flyers seemed to have one of the deepest attacks in the NHL at this point, and both Kapanen and Amonte supplemented the speed brought by Gagne (limited by injury this season to 49 games).
A midseason trade that brought ultra-reliable veteran defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson to the Flyers (in exchange for San Jose) was a boon to Philadelphia's second pair.Averaging 20:40 a night of ice time, Ragnarsson became one of Hitchcock's most trusted players.
War of Attrition vs. Maple Leafs
In the playoffs, the Flyers drew the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. It was an absolute war of attribution, with two games that went double overtime (both won by the Maple Leafs) and one that went triple overtime (a 3-2 Flyers win in Game 4).
Finally, the Flyers prevailed in a Game 7 blowout, 6-1. Going into Game 7, pundits forecast that the unpredictable Cechmanek would cost the Flyers the series. Instead, the Philadelphia goalie stepped up and it was his volatile Toronto counterpart, Ed Belfour, who blew a gasket with the series on the line.
The Flyers were worn down and banged up in the Toronto series. In the second round, they played Ottawa for a second straight year. The wildly inconsistent Cechmanek recorded two shutouts, as the Flyers won Game 2 (2-0) and Game 4 (1-0).
Unfortunately, the Flyers never scored more than two goals in any game in the series, Cechmanek's brilliance in Games 2 and 4 was bookended by a bad goal in what turned into a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3, and the goalie struggled every bit as much as his teammates in ugly losses in Games 5 (5-2) and a non-competitive Game 6 (5-1).
The Flyers traded Cechmanek, who had become unpopular with teammates and unhappy with the high-pressure environment and constant scrutiny, to the LA Kings during the offseason.
2003-04 SEASON
A 2-1 loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, featuring a crucial power play goal by ex-Flyers forward Fedotenko, brought the Flyers' Stanley Cup hopes to an end. The 2003-04 team was riddled with injuries in the playoffs, especially on the blueline, and arguably was one healthy starting defenseman away from a trip back to the Cup Final.
In the regular season, the Flyers took first place in the Atlantic Division with 101 points; one more than the New Jersey Devils. In the final season of his second Flyers' stint, Mark Recchi won his third Bobby Clarke Trophy and led the team in goals (26), assists (49) and points (75). Kim Johnsson (13g, 42 points, 24:06 TOI per game average) claimed the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the second time.
The 2003-04 Flyers were a veteran-laden squad. Five different players -- Recchi. Gagne, LeClair, Amonte and young two-way veteran Michal Handzus scored 20 ore more goals. Seven players posted 40 or more points amid the NHL's ongoing "dead puck era" and Hitchcock's defense-oriented system.
The team dealt with frequent injury-related absences during the regular season the likes of Roenick (62 games played), Desjardins (48 games played) and Primeau (54 games played in a recast role as a third line center, with Handzus moved up a line).
The big-picture winds of change were blowing. Rumors of an impending NHL lockout for the next season were rampant. This would be the final year in Philly for much of the veteran nucleus including LeClair. Recchi and Roenick. Chris Therien, after a decade as a Flyers blueline regular, was traded to the Dallas Stars near the deadline. Weinrich was also moved out in the latter part of the season, being deal to the St. Louis Blues.
In the meantime, though, the Flyers were still a prime contender to come out of the Eastern Conference. In net, veteran Jeff Hackett was brought in to split time with Esche but a severe bout with vertigo eventually took Hackett out of the picture. The Flyers reacquired veteran goal Sean Burke for a second stint in orange and black. Ultimately, though, Esche emerged as the Flyers No. 1 goalie.
Three in-season acquisitions by the Flyers proved to be very valuable: veteran two-way center Alexei Zhamnov (20 games, 18 points), rugged defenseman Danny Markov (acquired from Carolina for Williams in a deal that was a short-term boon for Philly but a long-range deal where the Flyers lost a valuable player) and veteran blueline Vladimir Malakhov. All three Russian players played very well for the Flyers in their respective brief stays with the club.
The Flyers were joined in 2003-04 by rookie Finnish defenseman Joni Pitkänen, who the team had selected with the fourth overall pick (acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for Fedotenko and two second-round picks) in 2002. Massively talented but extremely inconsistent, Pitkänen nevertheless earned a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team.
Perhaps the most memorable game of the 2003-04 regular season took place on March 5, 2004 at the Wells Fargo Center (then called the Wachovia Center). On that night, a 5-3 Flyers win was overshadowed by the Flyers and Ottawa Senators combining for 419 penalty minutes; an NHL single-game record.
All the fireworks happened in the third period. The series of brawls were a carryover from a game in February, when Recchi was slashed in the face by Ottawa's Martin Havlat. By the late stages of the March 5 game, there were more players on the ice than there were left on the respective benches.
In the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Flyers played the Devils. Philly vanquished their longtime postseason demons by taking out New Jersey in five games. The legendary Martin Brodeur was outplayed in this series by Esche and the Flyer prevailed twice by one goal margins. Esche recorded a 35-save shutout in a 3-0 Flyers road win in Game 4 to grab a three games to one lead. Philly closed out the series with a 3-1 home win in Game 5.
Arguably, the best player for either team in the first round was the Flyers' Zhamov. "Archie" recorded at least one point in every game of the series (three goals, five assists and eight points in total). In the third period of Game Five, Zhamov and Malakhov assisted on a Markov goal that proved to be the series-winning tally. It was also the first "all-Russian" scoring play in Flyers history.
The series clincher against New Jersey proved to be costly, however. Ashbee Trophy defenseman Johnsson, who played brilliantly throughout the series, suffered a broken bone in his left hand when he was struck by the puck. Although he'd return after missing three games in the next series, Johnsson was clearly hampered the rest of the postseason.
The Flyers were already missing their longtime No. 1 defenseman, Desjardins. Back on Jan. 17, he suffered a broken forearm in a collision with Roenick and was out for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
In the second round, the Flyers' blueline suffered another devastating blow. The set-and-forget Ragnarsson, the team's No. 3 defenseman when everyone was healthy, broke his left index finger in Game 3 against Toronto. Unable to grip a stick, he was out for the rest of the playoffs.
The absences of Desjardins and Ragnarsson -- and with Johnsson returning at a significantly reduced capacity while he left hand was still healing -- the Flyers were now short on depth. Markov and Malakhov proved invaluable and depth defenseman Mattias Timander held his own when pressed into regular starting duty. Even so, the Flyers were forced to move winger Kapanen back to the blueline (where he performed surprisingly well for a career-long forward).
As it turned out, the Flyers' second-round series was another war with Toronto. The Flyers once again prevailed, this time in six games, but once again at a heavy cost. Both Roenick and Kapanen sustained concussions in the series although, in this era, both players kept on playing. Zhamnov suffered back spasms.
Roenick Wins Toronto Series in Game 6 OT
The sixth and deciding game of the second round series between the Flyers and Maple Leafs was a heart-pounding thriller. The OT finale was some of the most exhilarating non-stop action in playoff history.The play went end-to-end in racehorse fashion, with the teams trading off scoring chances.
Kapanen was knocked woozy by a crushing hit from Toronto's Darcy Tucker. He fell down several times and, in instinct, literally crawled to the bench, where Primeau reeled him in. Finally, Roenick scored on a beautiful shot to end the series. In an instant, the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) went from cacophonous to dead silent except for the celebrating Flyers' players.
The Flyers moved on to play John Tortorella's Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. The series would go to a full seven games, with Tampa winning all of the odd-numbered games and Philly winning Games 2, 4, and 6.
The "Primeau Playoffs"
With the major exception of his fifth OT goal against Pittsburgh back in 2000, Keith Primeau spent much of his career -- dating back to his years in Detroit -- saddled with a reputation for being an underachiever in the playoffs. In 2004, the Flyers captain flipped the script.
As the playoffs progressed, Primeau got better and better. Not even his team-leading 16 points (9g, 7a) in 18 postseason games did justice to what a force Primeau was in the 2004 playoffs. When there was a key faceoff, he won it. When there was a need for a defensive stop, he made it. If the team needed a jolt of energy, he provided it with a crunching hit. Need a clutch goal? Primeau was the Flyer most likely to score it or set it up.
In Game 6 against Tampa Bay, the Flyers got first period goals by Primeau and Gagne and went to intermission with a 2-1 lead. After Vincent Lecavalier tied the game at 2-2 on the first shift of the second period, Kapanen restored a one-goal edge for Philly. However, two late period goals by Fedotenko put the Bolts ahead, 4-3, entering the third period.
In the third period, the Flyers outshot Tampa by a 17-5 margin but seemed destined to go down to a series-ending defeat as time ticked below two minutes left to play. Primeau refused to let that happen. His persistence around the net paid off as he scored on a second-effort sequence to forge a 4-4 time at 18:11.
Finally, at 18:18 of overtime, after Primeau won a battle and set up an initial chance for Roenick, Gagne scored to send the series back to Tampa Bay for Game 7.

Game 7 was oddly flat for both teams, and the Flyers fell just short in a 2-1 loss.
2004-05 SEASON: PHANTOMS FILL THE VOID
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, won by Finland against Esche and Team USA, the NHL began the longest work stoppage in league history. The entire 2004-05 season would be wiped out by a year-long lockout.
Meanwhile, in the AHL, the Phladelphia Phantoms won the Calder Cup championship.
On June 10, 2005 -- eight years to the day of their championship clinching win in 1998 -- Phantoms captured the second Calder Cup championship in team history with a 5-2 win over the Chicago Wolves.

A crowd of 20,103 packed the sold-out Wachovia Center or the clincher; the largest playoff gate in AHL history. Phantoms goaltender Antero Niittymäki, an All-Star game participant during the regular season, captured the Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP after he outdueled countryman Kari Lehtonen (then considered a future NHL franchise goalie) in each of the four games.
By now, former Phantoms captain John Stevens served as the team's head coach and was building a resume toward an NHL career as an assistant and head coach. Future NHL head coach Craig Berube was an assistant coach under Stevens, along with Kjell Samuelsson.
The year-long NHL lockout bolstered many teams in the American Hockey League in 2004-05. Few benefited more than the Phantoms. Rookie center/winger R.J. Umberger led the team in scoring during the regular season (65 points), and 22-year-old forward Patrick Sharp caught fire in the second half and rode it through the playoffs (21 points in 21 games). Other NHL-caliber players on the roster throughout the season included AHL All-Star blueliner Joni Pitkänen, defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, rugged rookie winger Ben Eager and enforcer Todd Fedoruk.
The biggest additions came at the tail end of the regular season and during the Calder Cup playoffs after the Flyers' top two prospects -- centers Jeff Carter and Mike Richards -- finished their Ontario Hockey League regular seasons. Carter came first and was later joined by fellow 2003 first-round pick Richards. Both players were installed near the top of the lineup.
Carter racked up 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 21 playoff matches, while Richards posted 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 14 games. The Phantoms were also joined late in the playoffs by young defenseman Alexandre Picard, who dressed in two games during the Finals.
Apart from this unusually strong core made possible by the NHL lockout, the Phantoms roster also had a number of other young players who went on to play in NHL for varying lengths of time, including defensemen Randy Jones and Freddy Meyer. Twenty-two-year old tough guy winger Riley Cote went on to play a similar role in the NHL for the Flyers. Another rugged young forward, Josh Gratton, had a few cups of coffee in the NHL.
Some of the team's "glue players" with a bit more experience heading into the season -- such as team captain Boyd Kane and Ryan Ready as well as defenseman Wade Skolney -- also made brief NHL appearances.
AHL Hall of Fame defenseman John Slaney, by then 32 years old, had a 44-point regular season and then added 10 more points in the playoffs. Veteran Jon Sim, an in-season acquisition, posted 35 goals and 61 points after coming over the Phantoms and then added 10 goals and 17 points in the playoffs.
Former Boston College standout and Philadelphia native Tony Voce scored 22 goals in the regular season and dressed in seven playoff tilts. Yale alum Ben Stafford, who left pro hockey after the season to attend medical school and then a military career with the U.S. Marine Corps, dressed in all 80 regular season games and all 21 playoffs for Stevens' team.
The only active player on the Phantoms roster who was also part of the 1998 championship was veteran goaltender Neil Little. The Phantoms' playoff starter in 1998, Little served as Niittymäki's backup in 2004-05. Little appeared in 26 regular season games and two playoff contests.
In the playoffs, the Phantoms beat Norfolk in six games in the first round. In the second round, Philly took out Wilkes Barre/Scranton in five games. The Phantoms advanced to the championship round after defeating Providence in six games. Entering the Calder Cup Finals, the Phantoms were considered an underdog but they went on to sweep Chicago.
2005-06 SEASON
When the NHL lockout was finally settled and teams returned to play for the 2005-06 campaign, the landscape of the league was dramatically different. First and foremost, there was now a leaguewide salary cap (which eliminated one of the Flyers' big pre-lockout competitive advantages). LeClair, Recchi, Amonte and Roenick ended up being salary cap casualties in one way or another.
Secondly, the NHL implemented large-scale rule changes -- including strict instructions to on-ice officials to enforce hooking, holding and other restraining fouls -- designed to increase scoring chances and goals. The NHL also eliminated tie games and introduced the shootout in the 2004-05 regular season.
The Flyers made a dramatic free agent signing in the summer of 2004. Veteran superstar Peter Forsberg signed a two-year contract and joined the franchise that originally selected him in the first round of the 1991 Entry Draft.
Forsberg, wearing his familiar No. 21, centered a line with Gagne (No.12) and veteran power forward Mike Knuble (No. 22) that was soon dubbed the "Deuces Wild" line. The trio tore up the NHL for the first two months of the season.
Forberg led the NHL in scoring, one point ahead of the Rangers' Jaromir Jagr, one day after U.S. Thanksgiving. On Black Friday (Nov. 25, 2005), the Flyers won a matinee game in Boston. 5-3. Gagne tallied his 21st goal of the season, and Forsberg had three points (two goals, one assist) by the middle stages of the second period. Unfortunately, late in the middle stanza, Forsberg suffered a groin pull and was forced to exit the game.
The groin issue, which would recur several times over the rest of the season, was related to a congenital foot deformity. The issue would only worsen over time and would ultimately end Forsberg's career. Specific to the 2005-06 season, Forsberg was in and out of the lineup from December to April. He finished the regular season with 75 points (19g, 56a) in just 60 games.
In the meantime, Gagne enjoyed the first 40-goal season of his NHL career, racking up 47 goals and 79 points in 72 games to capture the first of back-to-back Bobby Clarke Trophies. Knuble potted 34 goals amid a 65-point season.
In addition to adding Forsberg and Knuble, the Flyers signed a pair of notable veteran defensemen. Derian Hatcher shrugged off a mounting history of knee injuries to dress in 77 games, while former San Jose Shark Mike Rathje dressed in 79 games in his only reasonably healthy season in Philadelphia.
At the mathematical midpoint of the 2005-05 season -- 41 games into the campaign -- the Flyers held the NHL's best record. Thereafter, the rest of the regular season was a struggle. The Flyers' 101-point season was mostly built on the strength of their stellar first half.
Injuries were a big factor. Primeau sustained a concussion in the ninth game of the season.Severe post-concussion symptoms kept him out the rest of the season and ultimately forced his retirement. Hatcher eventually assumed the captaincy.
Desjardins missed eight games in November with a concussion and then sustained shoulder injury in December that required surgery to repair a dislocation. He missed the next 29 games. Limited to 45 games and with his body breaking down, "Rico" was no longer the same player who quietly provided the Flyers with year-in and year-out excellence from the time of his Feb. 1995 acquisition. He returned after the season.
Reigning Barry Ashbee Trophy winner Johnsson had a stellar first half and averaged north of 23 minutes of ice time per game. Unfortunately, he, too, suffered a career-altering concussion. He missed 34 of the final 41 games due to post concussion symptoms. A free agent after the season, Johnsson suffered from recurring concussions and post-concussion symptoms for the remainder of his NHL career after departing from Philly.
In his third North American pro season (second in the NHL), Pitkänen had the best season of his NHL career despite being limited by a sports hernia and groin strain to 56 games. The big Finn posted 13 goals and 46 points -- he had especially strong chemistry in joining the attack to connect with Forsberg -- to win his first and only Barry Ashbee Trophy.
With the Flyers staggering in Forsberg's ongoing absences, the Flyers made a stopgap move to acquire former Penguins and Rangers star Petr Nedved off waivers from Edmonton. He chipped in five goals and 14 points in 28 games and added a pair of playoff tallies.
More notably in the big picture, highly rookie forwards Jeff Carter (23 goals, 42 points), Mike Richards (11 goals, 34 points) and R.J. Umberger (20 goals, 38 points) all made their NHL debuts this season after playing on the Phantoms Calder Cup championship club the previous season. Patrick Sharp (5g, 8 points) dressed in 22 games but was often in Hitchcock's doghouse and was ultimately traded to Chicago in an ill-fated trade for Matt Ellison.
Esche and Niitymäki split the goaltending chores. Both dealt with hip issues and bouts of inconsistency -- brilliant one night, struggling the next -- while posting similar season stats. Esche got the nod for the postseason.
In the playoffs, the Flyers drew a Buffalo Sabres team in the first round. The Sabres were an offensive juggernaut, while the Flyers were treading water by this point.
The Sabres prevailed in six games. However, the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals were not without some Flyers highlights.
Forsberg Leads the Fight in a Losing Cause
Delaying reconstructive foot surgery, Forsberg almost single-handedly kept the Flyers in the Buffalo series. In Game 1, Forsberg led the charge in a third period comeback to force overtime (Buffalo ultimately won 3-2 in double OT).
When the series shifted to Philadelphia with the Flyers trailing two games to zero, Forsberg was a one-man wrecking crew. With the game tied at 1-1 in the second period, Forsberg scored a pair of goals to put Philly ahead. In the third period, Forsberg set up Gagne to seal a 4-2 win.
In Game 4, the Flyers trailed 2-0 midway through the first period. That's when Forsberg staged one of the best shifts in Flyers' postseason history.
"Foppa" stickhandled and dangled around the offensive zone, behind the net, out the other side up high, then around the perimeter back to the left circle. At various junctures, he skated around all five Sabres players on the ice as they chased after him in vain. Finally, with three now-desperate Sabres coming toward him, Forsberg found a wide open Desjardins . From high in the zone, Desjardins had time to partially wind up and snap the final goal of his NHL career into the net. The Flyers' bench and the home crowd, previously all but silent, became extremely energized.
Forsberg wasn't finished. At 3:23 of the second period, Forsberg scored to knot the game at 2-2. In the third period, Nedved and Buffalo's Danny Briere traded off games to create a 3-3 deadlock. The game continued to seesaw. Finally, at 19:11, Forsberg notched what proved to be the winning goal in a 5-4 Flyers victory.
For the six-game series, Forsberg compiled eight points (4g, 4a).He did it on sheer determination and talent, as he was far less than 100 percent healthy.
2006-07 Season
The less said about the disastrous 2006-07 season -- the worst campaign in Flyers' history and the only time in team history that the club finished with the worst record in the NHL -- the better.
Before the season, the Flyers used the 22nd overall pick of the first round of the 2006 NHL Draft to select Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) right winger Claude Giroux. In a humorous moment, Clarke forgot the player's name as he stepped up to the podium to announce the selection.
Forsberg, who was named captain before the season, elected not to undergo reconstructive surgeries on both feet. He began the season on time after originally being slated to miss the first half and be out until late December or early January. He spent the season continuing to struggle with the chronic foot issues, traveling far and wide with trainer Harry Bricker attempting to find skate design alternations or inserts that would work for more than a couple of games.
In 40 games, Forsberg posted 40 points (11g, 29a). Those would be solid numbers for most NHL players but it was below Forsberg's accustomed standards. The impending unrestricted free agent declined to sign an extension -- with Philly or with any other team via a sign-and-trade -- until he was satisfied that he could be healthy enough to play to a level acceptable to himself. That would never happen, as Forsberg subsequently attempted two brief comebacks with Colorado, and then retired for good.
Meanwhile, there were very few bright spots on the Flyers in 2006-07 apart from Gagne's second straight 40 season, NHL All-Star campaign and second Bobby Clarke Trophy honor. Carter and Richards continued their development and started to assume larger responsibilities under their former Phantoms coach, Stevens, than they had under Hitchcock.
Longtime general manager Bob Clarke retired to an advisory role with assistant general manager Paul Holmgren stepping up as interim GM. Hitchcock was fired after a humiliating and utterly non-competitive blowout loss in Buffalo. Assistant coach John Stevens became the new head coach.
Unfortunately, the once-reliable Rathje struggled mightily and was limited to 17 games. He was diagnosed first with a herniated disc and then with Piriformis Syndrome. He was destined to spend the rest of his NHL career on Long-Term Injured reserve for the remaining four years of the contract he signed with Philadelphia .
Throughout the 2006-07 season, the Flyers roster was a revolving door of declining veterans and not-ready-for-prime-time AHL recalls. The normally low-key Gagne uncharacteristically exploded at one point over the level of nonchalance he saw from a few of his teammates after an ugly loss.
"Show some [bleeping] pride!" Gagne yelled. "We're [bleeping] last!"
Before long, the rest of the 2006-07 season became a mission to root out the players who didn't want -- or didn't deserve -- to stay with the team. By the late portion of the season, the roster began to transform and re-establish rgtheir work ethic and competitive drive.
With no end in sight to Forsberg's physical problems, the Flyers reluctantly traded the impending unrestricted free agent to Nashville as a rental player. In return, the Flyers received speedy winger Scottie Upshall, defense prospect Ryan Parent and the Predators' 2007 first-round pick.
In exchange for veteran defenseman Alexei Zhitnik, the Flyers received prospect defenseman Braydon Coburn from the Atlanta Thrashers. Philly also acquired goalie Martin Biron from the Buffalo Sabres; an impending unrestricted free agent, but a starter-caliber goalie (Esche and Niittymäki both had rough and injury-plagued seasons) whom the Flyers felt confident they could convince to sign to an extension.
Before the trade deadline, Holmgren asked Hatcher if he wanted to stay or be traded to a contender. Hatcher replied, "I want to stay. We can turn this thing around." Thus, the veteran leader remained with the team.
After the season, the Flyers signed Biron to a two-year contract extension. Then the team made several huge moves as free agency season arrived.
The biggest steps: The team signed unrestricted free agent Briere. They also flipped the 2007 first-round pick they obtained from Nashville back to the Predators in exchange for impending free agent defenseman Kimmo Timonen and left winger Scott Hartnell. Both players were immediately signed to six-year contracts the same day the trade was announced.
2007-08 SEASON
Out of the rubble of the Flyers' disastrous 56-point campaign in 2006-07, Holmgren's reconstructed team pulled off one of the most dramatic immediate turnarounds in NHL history. The Flyers went from having the league's worst record to returning to the Eastern Conference Final the very next season.
The 2007-08 season started off red hot for the Flyers. The team later hit a significant rut but heated up again down the stretch to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Before the season, the Flyers dealt unhappy defenseman Pitkänen (who had quietly asked for a trade) to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for winger Joffrey Lupul and veteran defenseman Jason Smith. Nicknamed "Gator", Smith served as the Flyers captain and a stabilizing force in 2007-08. Injuries limited Lupul to 56 games but he notched 20 goals and 46 points.
All of the Flyers primary acquisitions from late in the 2006-07 season and the offseason made positive contributions. Briere led the club with 31 goals in the regular season and was second on the club in overall scoring with 72 points.
Timonen won the first of his five Barry Ashbee Trophy honors, played in the NHL All-Star Game and was the unquestioned best offensive and all-around player on the Flyers' blueline. His close friend, power forward Hartnell, notched 24 goals and 159 penalty minutes.
Young defenseman Coburn staked down an every game starting spot and, by the second half of the season, was promoted to the top pairing as Timonen's partner. Meanwhile, Biron was a workhorse in goal, appearing in 68 games, posting a 30-20-9 record, 2.59 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts.
Holdover forward Mike Knuble was still a valuable piece to the lineup. He contributed strong board work, tallied 29 goals (mostly on netfront tips, deflections and rebounds) and dressed in all 82 regular season games. Gagne twice missed lengthy stretches due to concussion issues, dressing in just 25 games (7g, 11a, 18 points).
In the big picture, though, perhaps the most significant development for the Flyers that season was the emergence of Richards and Carter as two of the better young players across the NHL.
Bobby Clarke Trophy winner Richards played in the NHL All-Star Game on his way to leading the Flyers with 75 points (28 goals, 47 assists). He was an all-situations force who pulled down an average 21:31 of ice time. On special teams, Richards scored eight power play goals. On the PK, he notched five shorthanded tallies.

Carter, meanwhile, formed a highly effective trio with linemates Lupul and Hartnell. Carter tallied 29 goals and 53 points and showed major improvements as a two-way player.
Down the stretch, the Flyers brought back a familiar name from the past -- forward Vaclav "Vinny" Prospal -- as a trade deadline rental. Prospal produced 14 points in 18 regular season games with Philly. He went on to add 13 playoff points in 17 games.
On April 4, 2008, the Flyers clinched a playoff spot with a 3-0 shutout win over the New Jersey Devils. In the postseason, the Flyers were considered underdogs in every round but found ways to answer their critics.
Lupul OT Goal Ends 1st Round
The Flyers drew the Washington Capitals, with fast-rising young superstar sniper Alex Ovechkin at the forefront in the Easter Conference Quarterfinal. Ovechkin led a third period comeback for the Caps in a 5-4 win for Washington.
Philly struck back to win each of the next three games including a 4-3 double OT home win in Game 4. Carter scored two regulation goals, Briere forced overtime with a mid-third period power play marker and Knuble scored the winner at 6;40 of overtime.

The Flyers were unable to close out the series in either Game 5 in Washington or Game 6 at home. That necessitated a seventh and deciding game back in DC.
The dynamic young duo of Nicklas Bäckström and Ovechkin scored for the Capitals but the Flyers received tallies from Kapanen and Upshall. After a scoreless third period, the game went to sudden death.
With Tom Poti in the penalty box for tripping, a Briere shot was blocked back to Timonen at the point. Timonen put a shot on net, and Lupul put home the rebound to win the game and series for the Flyers.
Briere, who earned an assist on the play, finished the series with six goals. five assists and 11 points -- the first, but not the last, time he'd prove to be a playoff force for the Flyers.
The Biron and Umberger Show
In the second round, the Flyers played the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal had a territorial edge in most of the games of the series -- prompting Habs coach Guy Carbonneau to repeatedly insist Montreal was the better team and no lineup or attacking adjustments were needed, right up until the Habs were on the losing end of the post-series handshake line after Game 5.
The Flyers won the series in five games for two primary reasons: 1) Biron outplayed Montreal rookie goalie Carey Price and Game 4 Montreal starter Jaroslav Halak by a wide margin, and 2) Flyers forward Umberger played the best playoff series of his NHL career, racking up a staggering eight goals and nine points in the five games.
The Flyers lost to the Penguins in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.
Pittsburgh would likely have won the series, anyway, but it didn't help the Flyers cause that Timonen missed the first four games due to a blood clot and Coburn was out for the final three games after suffered a 50-stitch injury in Game 2 when a deflected Sergei Gonchar shot struck Coburn around his left eye and near his nose under flying up underneath his eye.
Meanwhile, it was revealed after the playoffs that Smith had been playing despite suffering separations to both of his shoulders and Hatcher's deteriorating knees had no cartilage and were essentially bone-on-bone.
Hatcher would spend the final season of his contract on LTIR throughout the 2008-09 season. Smith left as a free agent in the summer of 2008.
2008-09 SEASON
The Flyers had a 99-point season in 2008-09. Once again they drew the Penguins in the playoffs; this time in the first round. The series was much more competitive than the 2008 Eastern Conference Final but Pittsburgh again prevailed; this time in six games.
Richards became the Flyers captain and followed up his breakout 2007-08 season with a 30-goal, 50-assist season in 2008-09. Once again, Richards received the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Flyers' Team MVP. Timonen, meanwhile, repeated as the Barry Ashbee Trophy winner.
Carter had his best season as a Flyer, notching a team high 46 goals and 84 points while continuing his emergence to being more of a complete player. Unlike the previous season, Gagne was mostly healthy in 2008-09 and returned to form with 33 goals and 61 points in 74 games played.Hartnell also enjoyed a 30-goal season.
In fact, the Flyers boasted six players with 25 or more goals. It might have been seven players if injuries had not limited Briere to just 29 games (11 goals, 25 points). In the final season of his first Flyers stint, Knuble provided 27 goals. Seven Flyers players recorded 40 points or more.
Both Biron and Niittymäki played well during the 2008-08 regular season but Biron's play the previous year had been just a tad more consistent.
Highly touted prospect Giroux entered training camp with expectations of making the opening night roster. Camp was a disappointment, and the player was assigned to the Phantoms. After heating up for the Phantoms in November, Giroux was called up to the NHL roster and never went back down. Giroux posted 27 points (9g, 18a) in 42 games of mostly third line duty as a rookie.
2009-10 SEASON OCT. TO DEC.
We will discuss the Flyers magical run in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Flyers hold 2010s Night for the upcoming Feb. 9 Throwback Thursday game against the Edmonton Oilers. For purposes of this article, we'll end with the state of the team through the end of the 2009 calendar year.
In the summer of 2009, the Flyers made a bold move to try to put the team over the top. The Flyers acquired 35-year-old veteran superstar defenseman Chris Pronger in a blockbuster trade with the Anaheim Ducks.
Although the Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup champions and had come out of the East in the playoffs in back-to-back years, Philly was The Hockey News' preseason pick to win the 2019-10 Stanley Cup.
With Biron having left as a free agent, the Flyers rolled the dice that they could get Ray Emery back on track after the former Ottawa netminder spent a year in the KHL. The Flyers also brought back Brian Boucher to replace Niittymäki.
For approximately the first six weeks of the season, Philly looked poised to challenge for the top spot in the East. The club got off to a 12-5-1 start through the first 18 games.However, from late November until late December, the Flyers hit the skids, dropping as low as 15-18-2 at one juncture.
The club unexpectedly fell into a severe scoring drought. Injuries, especially in goal, further complicated the issues. Stevens was fired and replaced on Dec. 4 with Peter Laviolette, who preached more of an up-tempo and attack-oriented system.
It took several weeks for the Flyers to begin to stabilize under new head coach Laviolette. However, the team closed out the calendar year with four straight wins including a 6-0 trouncing of the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 30. Gagne tallied a hat trick and an assist, while Briere had one goal and one helper. The Flyers entered January 2010 with a 19-18-2 record on the season through 39 games.