Bernie Parent, former Philadelphia Flyers goalie, dies at 80

Bernie Parent, the Hall of Famer considered one of the great goalies of all time who anchored the net for the Philadelphia Flyers’ only two Stanley Cup championships during their Broad Street Bullies heyday, has died. He was 80.

He retired with the Flyers in 1979 after 271 wins — 231 of them with the Flyers — over a 13-year career. Parent was accidentally struck in the right eye with a stick in 1979 and was temporarily blinded. He never played again.

With Parent the unstoppable force in net, “Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent” became a popular slogan in Philadelphia that stuck with him through the decades. Parent, team captain Bobby Clarke and Dave “The Hammer” Schultz all became stars for the Flyers under owner Ed Snider in an era when the team was known for its rugged style of play that earned it them the Bullies nickname. They embraced their moniker as the most despised team in the NHL and pounded their way into the hearts of Philadelphia Flyers fans. More than 2 million fans packed city streets for each of their championship parades.

Parent’s No. 1 was retired by the Flyers and still hangs in the rafters of their arena and in 1984 he became the first Flyer player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Parent is still the Flyers’ career leader in shutouts with 50.

https://whyy.org/articles/flyers-bernie-parent-dies/