An almost-daily column that takes a look back at how the Philadelphia Flyers have fared on this day, recalling some of the more memorable moments, achievements, and events that shaped the organization throughout the club’s storied history
The Flyers have posted a 13-4-4-2 record in 23 all-time games played on November 24, with an 8-1-0-1 mark in their last 10.
Some of the more memorable November 24 moments in franchise history:
1973 — Ross Lonsberry beat John Davidson with 18 seconds left in the second period, and Bernie Parent turned aside all 31 shots directed his way in a 1-0 blanking of the St. Louis Blues at St. Louis Arena.
Parent was tested heaviest in the third period, when the Blues fired 14 shots on goal. It was the netminder’s sixth shutout of the season in his return to the Flyers, while improving his record to 13-5-1.
1976 — Gary Dornhoefer scored his second goal of the game with 7:12 remaining in the third period to help the Flyers erase a two-goal deficit and salvage a 2-2 tie with the New York Rangers at the Spectrum.
1978 — Mel Bridgman snapped a 3-3 deadlock with a late-second period strike to lift the Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota North Stars at the Spectrum.
Goals from Blake Dunlop, Reggie Leach, and Bill Barber staked the Orange-and-Black to a 3-1 lead early in the middle frame, but Ron Zanussi scored twice within a 27-second span to knot the contest before Bridgman’s game-decider.
Philadelphia goaltender Wayne Stephenson faced just 14 shots — including only three in the third period — to pick up his second victory of the season.
1979 — Ken Linseman and Rick MacLeish scored goals and Pete Peeters made 28 saves as the Flyers built a 2-0 lead and held on for a 2-2 tie with the Edmonton Oilers at Northlands Coliseum.
The deadlock extended the club’s unbeaten streak to 17 consecutive games (14-0-3), pulling to within 11 of the Montreal Canadiens’ all-time NHL record.
1980 — Tom Gorence broke a 2-2 tie with 6:28 left in the third period, then added an insurance marker less than three minutes later to give the Flyers a 4-2 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
Bill Barber and Mel Bridgman each scored late-first period goals to give the visitors a 2-0 lead, but The Triple Crown Line whittled away at Philadelphia’s advantage. Charlie Simmer made it 2-1 by the second intermission, then Dave Taylor knotted the game early in the third before Gorence took matters into his own hands.
Goaltender Rick St. Croix was spectacular for the Flyers, stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced, while L.A.’s Mario Lessard made 14 saves in the defeat.
1982 — Mark Howe scored a goal and set up two others, but it was former-Flyer Pete Peeters that stole the show in a 4-4 tie with the Boston Bruins at the Spectrum.
It was a seesaw affair that saw Boston grab a 2-0 lead, the Flyers tally the next four, and the Bruins fight back with a pair of goals against rookie Pelle Lindbergh late in regulation.
Keith Crowder completed the comeback with the game-tying tally with just 1:40 remaining in regulation.
It was the first time Philly faced Peeters since he was dealt to Beantown for defenseman Brad McCrimmon, and he was often sensational against a Flyer attack that required him to make 33 saves.
In addition to Howe, Ray Allison, Paul Holmgren, and Darryl Sittler also lit the lamp for Philadelphia.
1984 — Derrick Smith scored late in the third period to cap a third period comeback and Pelle Lindbergh made 27 saves in a 4-4 draw with the Hartford Whalers at Civic Arena.
Rookie Rick Tocchet notched the first two-goal game of his young career, but the second of Mark Johnson’s pair of goals gave the Whalers a 4-2 lead in the first minute of the third period.
Former-Whaler Mark Howe drew the visitors back to within a goal when he beat Greg Millen a little over six minutes later, setting up Smith’s late-game heroics.
Philadelphia outshot Hartford by a 3-1 count in a hotly-contested overtime, one that saw Tocchet fight Torrie Robertson and Tim Kerr drop the gloves with Dave Lumley.
1985 — Ilkka Sinisalo’s second goal of the game snapped a 4-4 tie with less than nine minutes to go, and Dave Poulin’s fourth career hat trick proved to be the difference in Philadelphia’s 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Spectrum.
Poulin scored once in each frame, with his third of the contest coming shorthanded with 0:05 left and netminder Denis Herron pulled in favor of an extra Pens’ attacker.
Murray Craven and Ron Sutter also dented the twine for Philly, while Darren Jensen made 28 saves to win for a fourth time in five starts since his recall from the Hershey Bears following the death of Pelle Lindbergh.
1988 — Tim Kerr netted his 20th goal of the season in game number 24, but the Bruins’ Bob Sweeney beat Mark LaForest for his second goal of the game just 0:08 into overtime to defeat the Flyers 2-1 at Boston Garden.
The tally gave the orange-hot Kerr goals in four straight games (6 goals total) and in seven of his last eight outings (11 total), as he continued an incredible comeback season after missing all but 8 contests during the previous campaign following multiple shoulder surgeries.
1989 — Murray Craven scored twice and Ken Wregget stopped 23 of 24 shots as the Flyers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 at the Spectrum.
The victory was the 900th in the franchise’s 23rd year of existence.
Rookie Tony Horacek opened the scoring with the lone goal of the first stanza before Craven and Keith Acton made it a 3-0 lead 6:58 into the second, chasing Edmonton starter Bill Ranford.
After Craig Simpson brought the Oilers back to within two, Craven made it 4-1 early in the third before Ron Sutter hit the empty net with Grant Fuhr on the bench for Edmonton to have an additional skater.
Rick Tocchet chipped in with three helpers in the winning effort for Philadelphia.
1993 — Kevin Dineen posted his fifth and final Flyers’ hat trick, Mark Recchi had a goal and four assists, and defenseman Garry Galley added a goal and three helpers in a 9-2 drubbing of the Montreal Canadiens at the Spectrum.
The nine Philadelphia goals were the most the team had ever scored in a game against Montreal, which would equaled again in February of 1997.
Dineen lit the lamp once in each period, scoring twice on Andre “Red Light” Racicot (10 saves on 18 shots through 40 minutes), and managing the lone goal of the third period against Patrick Roy, who relieved Racicot to begin the final frame.
Tommy Soderstrom turned away 33 of the 35 Habs’ offerings sent his way to record his first win of the season, improving his mark to 0-3-1.
1995 — Eric Lindros scored a pair of goals and Garth Snow made 36 saves to lead the Flyers to a 4-1 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings at the Spectrum.
Rob DiMaio and John LeClair also scored for Philly, who also got two-assist performances out of both Rod Brind’Amour and Eric Desjardins.
Detroit’s Igor Larionov broke Snow’s bid for a shutout with a goal early in the third period.
1999 — Eric Lindros scored twice and John Vanbiesbrouck stopped 21 of 22 shots as the Flyers dominated the netminder’s former teammates in a 6-1 pasting of the Florida Panthers at National Car Rental Center.
Goals from Sandy McCarthy, Lindros, and Mikael Renberg before the game hit the 13:00 mark chased Cats’ starter Trevor Kidd, and that 3-0 lead held up into the first intermission.
Philly kept consistent pressure on the Florida net by pouring 27 more shots on reliever Mikhail Shtalenkov the rest of the way, with Eric Desjardins, Lindros, and another former-Panther, Jody Hull, notching goals.
Mark Parrish was the lone Panther to beat Vanbiesbrouck, ruining “Beezer’s” shutout bid less than 10 minutes left to play in regulation.
2006 — Mike Richards snapped a 22-game goalless drought by breaking a 2-2 tie early in the third period to lift the Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wachovia Center.
The victory ruined the Columbus coaching debut of Ken Hitchcock, who had been fired by Philly after nine games following the worst start in franchise history.
Peter Forsberg and Freddy Meyer each had a goal and an assist as the teams entered the third period deadlocked, before Richards sent a bad-angle shot through a surprised Pascal Leclaire for his first goal of the season.
Flyers’ goalkeeper Antero Niittymaki was spectacular, stopping 39 of 41 Jackets’ shots to improve his record for the year to 4-10-3.
2007 — Daniel Briere scored late in the second period to break a 3-3 deadlock and lift the Flyers to a 4-3 triumph over the Ottawa Senators at ScotiaBank Place.
R.J. Umberger, Scott Hartnell, and Mike Richards also scored for Philadelphia, while Antero Niittymaki made 26 saves to pick up the win.
2008 — Mike Knuble sent a one-timer past Marty Turco for his second goal of the game with 5:08 remaining to lift the Flyers to their fifth victory in a row, a 4-3 decision over the Dallas Stars at the Wachovia Center.
Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter also scored for Philadelphia, who got a 22-save performance from Martin Biron in the win.
2010 — Danny Briere, Ville Leino, and Andreas Nodl each scored one goal and set up another as Philly received goal support from six different players in a 6-1 stomping of the Minnesota Wild at XCel Energy Center.
Jeff Carter and Jody Shelley also scored for the Flyers, who won their third consecutive outing.
Rookie netminder Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t very busy, facing just 16 Wild shots in improving his record to 11-3-1 for the year.
2014 — Steve Mason was spectacular in getting his outplayed club into overtime by making 46 saves, but Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored in the shootout to lead the New York Islanders to a 1-0 triumph at Nassau County Coliseum.
The shutout was Mason’s fifth as a Flyer, and the 24th of his NHL career. It was the first time he had ever a game he had registered a shutout, but not the last in a season in which his teammates would not give him any offensive support in road contests.
November 24 Flyers Birthdays
Keith Primeau (1971)
Branko Radivojevic (1980)
David Printz (1971)
In Memorium
Wayne Hillman (1990, age 52)
Fred Shero (1990, age 65)
