Bernie Parent, the Hall of Fame goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers, has died at the age of 80.
Parent led the Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975.
He won the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender and the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP in both championship seasons.
Bernie Parent, the award-winning goaltender of the Philadelphia Flyers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in the 1970s died Sunday, Sept. 21.
Parent, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, was 80.
The Flyers announced Parent’s death in a news release, calling him ‘a true legend, one of the most famous and beloved players, and most popular figures in the history of the organization and city of Philadelphia.’
Parent won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in both 1974 and 1975, when he helped lead the Flyers teams known as the ‘Broad Street Bullies,’ who won the Stanley Cup in both of those years.
As great as he was during the regular season, Parent was even better in the playoffs. He was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the postseason MVP in both of the Flyers’ Cup-winning seasons.
‘When Parent is out there, we know we can win games we have no business winning,’ Flyers coach Fred Shero said at the time.
However, he career ended in 1979 when he was poked in the eye by opponent’s stick that came through his mask. He sustained permanent vision damage as a result and retired at age 34.
The Flyers retired Parent’s number later that year.
He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.