As if you didn’t have enough of a reason to want to check out the Winter Classic Alumni Game, the Flyers are giving you a legendary Hall of Fame reason. Legendary Flyers goalie Bernie Parent was set to be one of the Flyers’ ambassadors for the game but he’s now putting himself in the Flyers’ lineup to play goal for the December 31 exhibition.
The Flyers’ original roster had Mark LaForest and Neil Little set to play goal but the 66 year-old Parent now wants in to play one more game in front of the hometown fans in Philly. Parent was the man responsible for helping the Flyers win their two Stanley Cups in the 1970s as part of the Broad Street Bullies.
Parent was the Tim Thomas of his day in that he won the Vezina Trophy, Stanley Cup, and Conn Smythe Trophy in 1975. Thomas is the only goalie to have accomplished the same feat since Parent did it. Parent is still a folk hero and a legend in Philadelphia to this day.
Taking Parent’s place as one of the Flyers’ ambassadors for the game is another legendary goalie in Ron Hextall. Hextall is currently the assistant GM for the L.A. Kings so getting the time off for the game was already an issue. If you’re wondering why Hextall isn’t playing, he hasn’t been in any kind of game shape since he retired in 1999.
Now we’ll wait to see if Mike Richter makes himself available to counter the Flyers’ Stanley Cup-winning goalie addition for the Rangers.