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Snider sees good and bad on 40th anniversary of Flyers’ first Cup

Philadelphia Flyers Statue Unveiling

Ed Snider

WireImage

Forty years ago today, the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, beating the Boston Bruins in six games and triggering a huge celebration in the City of Brotherly Love:

The Broad Street Bullies won it again in 1975. However, they’ve come up short in each season since, despite having some very good teams.

In fact, since they last won it all, the Flyers have made it to the finals six times and lead the league with 15 conference-finals appearances.

“Well, it’s very frustrating,” owner Ed Snider told CSN Philly. “Everybody wants to win the Cup. As the years have gone by, it’s gotten more and more difficult because there’s more and more teams, there’s more and more parity, the quality of the executives around the league is outstanding, the quality of the coaching. Things have changed drastically in those years.”

That doesn’t mean Snider doesn’t appreciate what the Flyers have accomplished. He still has fond memories of their Cup wins, and even their six other Stanley Cup Final appearances.

He pointed to the injuries the Flyers have suffered along the way, from goaltender Bernie Parent in 1975-76 to, more recently, the loss of defenseman Chris Pronger, as contributors to the Flyers’ drought. Not as a way to say that Philadelphia has been unlucky, but just to highlight how difficult it is to win it all.

“Everything has to come together,” Snider said. “You have to stay injury-free. You have to have a good goalie, you have to have all kinds of things working for you. It doesn’t always come together at every time.”

As for his plans today, Snider doesn’t have anything special in mind. The Philadelphia Flyers’ victory is “ancient history.” He wants something new to celebrate.

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