Man, I’m old.
I was a sophomore at Lower Cape May Regional High School when the Flyers won their first of back-to-back Stanley Cups in the spring of 1974.
In those days, the Flyers were the toast of Philadelphia. The 76ers were terrible that year, winning just 25 games, though it was improvement over their 9-72 record the previous season.
The Eagles stunk, having gone 5-8-1 in the fall of 1973 to miss the playoffs for the 13th straight season. The Phillies were getting started on what would be an 80-82 season and third-place finish in the N.L. East.
But the Broad Street Bullies were immensely popular with our generation at the time. You couldn’t walk down the hallways of LCMR without Mike Moore, Tim Shoffler and/or Bob Hoff trying to check you into the boards, aka the metal lockers that lined the corridors.
The “Orange and Black” wound up becoming the first expansion team in NHL history to win the championship. Prior to Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Bruins, coach Fred Shero wrote his famous quote, “Win today and we walk together forever” on a chalkboard in the locker room.
Some members of that team will be walking together in Avalon on Saturday.
Bob “Hound” Kelly, Don “Big Bird” Saleski, Dave “The Hammer” Schultz and brothers Joe and Jimmy Watson will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of winning the Cup at Avalon’s Surfside Park in support of the Avalon Free Public Library.
“We’re all looking forward to a great afternoon,” Joe Watson said in a statement. “It’s always enjoyable to reminisce about that magical run in 1974.”
The players will be starting at 2 p.m. for a Q&A opportunity, followed by an autograph session.
Admission is free. Fans are invited to bring their own beach chair for seating.
Note to Mike, Tim, Bob and others: There will be no checking into the boards or dropping of gloves.
Dave Weinberg’s Extra Points 