The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs for five straight years before they changed the course of their franchise by acquiring Eric Desjardins, John LeClair, and Gilbert Dionne from the Montreal Canadiens in Feb. 1995 in exchange for Mark Recchi and a third-round pick (which was used on Martin Hohenberger).
When the Flyers added Desjardins, he had already won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993 and had 405 games worth of NHL experience. However by the time the dust settled on his career, he was known more for his work with Philadelphia.
“I experienced more in Philly,” Desjardins said, per the Canadian Press. “When I got to Philly, everything took off. Personally, I had more responsibilities on the team, and after that, we had success as a team.”
Philadelphia advanced to the postseason in 11 straight seasons over Desjardins’ tenure, including the Flyers’ trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997. Throughout his time with Philadelphia, he logged big minutes, was regarded as one of the league’s top defensemen, and was a leader on the team.
The Flyers honored him before Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres by inducting him into their Hall of Fame.
You can watch that below:
A closer look at the painting presented to Eric Desjardins in honor of his induction. (Credit: @THFineArt) pic.twitter.com/Fs83o5A5n1
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) February 20, 2015