Bernie Parent, the beloved goalie who backstopped the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975, died Sunday, the organization announced.
Parent was 80.
One of the major faces of the "Broad Street Bullies" and the greatest goaltender in franchise history, Parent was crucial to the Flyers' rise into NHL respectability, Philadelphia's transformation into a hockey town and, above all, those consecutive Stanley Cup titles and the ensuing parades that saw Lord Stanley go traveling down Broad Street.
During the Flyers' golden era, Parent wasn't just the team's star goaltender, he was the best in hockey.
He won two Vezina Trophies as the league's best goaltender for the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' MVP for those respective seasons, and at the end of all of it, the Cup – first over the Boston Bruins in '74 and then the expansion Buffalo Sabres in '75.
Philadelphia embraced all of it.
"Only the Lord saves more than Bernie Parent" became one of the famous sayings from fans during the Flyers' Cup runs, and the image of Parent and Flyers captain Bobby Clarke skating off with the Cup as fans surrounded them on the Spectrum ice after they defeated Boston has become forever etched into Philadelphia sports lore.
Parent's impact went far beyond the ice, though.
After he retired, he remained in the area and around the Flyers.
He was a common face around what is now called the Xfinity Mobile Arena during the season for fans to approach and greet, and kept involved in the community as an ambassador for the Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education Foundation, which has helped countless kids throughout the Delaware Valley get introduced to hockey.
"He dedicated his time, energy and enthusiasm to not only grow the game, but also to spread joy to anyone he encountered," the Flyers said in a statement. "Anyone who had the pleasure of being around Bernie always walked away with a smile. He will be dearly missed. We offer our condolences to his beloved wife, Gini, and the entire Parent family."
When the Flyers hosted the NHL's Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in 2012, they held an alumni game with the New York Rangers on New Year's Eve a couple of days before.
Parent, at 66 years old, trained up to make one last appearance between the pipes. He stacked the pads and threw up a wall against the Rangers alum streaking down the ice for several minutes, until a stoppage allowed the Hockey Hall of Famer to make his exit.
The fans, who packed the converted ballpark, stood and roared for Parent as the cameras focused on him making his way to the bench, with hugs and high fives pouring in from his former teammates and the generations of Flyers that succeeded him.
Then "BERNIE!" chants from a 45,000-capacity stadium showered him. It meant that much. He meant that much.
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