The Philadelphia Flyers brought ice hockey back to the City of Brotherly Love in 1967 as one of six expansion teams added by the NHL. They doubled their number of clubs in the league from six to 12. The Flyers would go on to win their home debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 19 under the leadership of head coach Keith Allen.
Flyers’ Origins
Putnam, one the Flyers franchise founders, recommended holding a contest to name the newly acquired team. Most entries consisted of traditional names such as “Quakers” and “Ramblers,” which felt stale to part owner Ed Snider. As the story goes, Snider’s sister, Phyllis, was on her way home from a Broadway show when the big idea struck her: “I was thinking of people skating and sliding around the ice, and the ‘Flyers’ just popped into my head.”
Snider enjoyed the pizazz of the “Philadelphia Flyers,” and thought it would be perfect for newspaper headlines. The contest still went on, and while entries such as “Liberty Bell” and “Quakers” gained the most overall votes, “Flyers” had the only votes that mattered.
The team is known for utilizing orange, white, and black as their primary team colors throughout their 49-year history. The team’s trademark logo features a black “P” with wings and an orange dot in the middle – representing a hockey puck. Little-to-no alterations have been made to the team’s primary logo, making it a staple in the franchise’s identity.
Philly Fights
The Wells Fargo Center, placed in the historic district of Philly, serves as home to the Philadelphia Flyers and is one of the busiest arenas in the world. The multipurpose indoor arena first opened its doors to host the World Cup of Hockey in 1996. It’s strategic positioning and easily accessible transportation routes made it possible for fans never to miss a game! The arena is the ideal location for experiencing #FlyersNation in all their glory.
The Broad Street Bullies are a part of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the NHL. For a team that has been around for about a half-century, they have quite the track record. Currently, the Flyers have appeared in 38 playoffs in addition to eight Stanley Cup showdowns; they were crowned champions twice during their back-to-back victories in the 1973 and 1973 seasons. The team is known for recruiting some top talent to their roster. Hall of Famers Bill Barber and Bobby Clarke are responsible for holding the team records for all-time goals (420) and all-time points (1,210) respectively.
Read on to see how the Philadelphia Flyers have redesigned their jerseys and utilized their iconic logo since their inception.
Notable Jersey Changes
1967: For their inaugural jersey, the Flyers choose to go with a strong orange as one of their primary colors. A black winged “P” sits in the center. The sleeves feature player numbers on both sides. The initial look includes a V-neck.
1970: The overall outfit is an exact replica of the 1967 jersey but with one minor change – the player numbers receive a black outline.
1975: Player names are added to the away jerseys in 1972. Now, all of the numbers are outlined with a thicker black border.
1981: The team makes minor changes to the tops of the uniforms: player names appear on the backs of both jerseys. Most notably, the Flyers break ground by introducing long pants, known as Cooperalls, to make their uniforms lighter. It would be discovered that the pants present a safety hazard when players get checked onto the ice.
1983: The NHL places a ban on the pants worn by the Flyers, causing them to reintroduce socks to their uniform. Added the previous season, the jerseys feature a black line across the front of the shoulders as well as a black stripe along the bottom.
1997: This season the Flyers introduce a new black alternate jersey. The sleeves are white and feature orange trim. As always, the team’s logo remains in place.
2002: With the 2002 season comes an alternate orange jersey in a darker shade. For the first time in team history, the Flyers feature an alternative winged “P” logo. They swap out the original design for a seemingly 3D version.
2008: The team introduces another alternate jersey – this time featuring orange as the primary color with white shoulders. Similar to orange jerseys worn in the mid-1970s, the team adds white nameplates to the back of their sweaters.
2014: Another alternate orange jersey is added; this one is derived from the team’s 2012 Winter Classic look. The standard home oranges remain the same.
Next time you venture off to the City of Brotherly Love, make sure you’re well-equipped to support #FlyersNations. Fanatics has you covered – from head to toe – with all the Flyers gear you’ll need, both new and old!
Sources
- http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/philly/flyers.html
- https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/flyers-history-how-the-team-was-named/c-672935
- http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PHI/
- http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/22/Philadelphia_Flyers/
- http://www.nhluniforms.com/Flyers/Flyers.html
- http://teamcolorcodes.com/philadelphia-flyers-color-codes/
- http://news.sportslogos.net/2014/06/21/gonna-fly-now-the-story-behind-the-philadelphia-flyers/
- https://www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com/arena-info/arena-history
- https://devilsmedia.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/philadelpha-flyers-2014-15-media-guide.pdf
