Flyers Hall of Fame: Six finalists named for 2021-22 induction

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Monday the six finalists under consideration for induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame during the 2021-22 season.

A nominating committee selected the six finalists, and now, a voting committee comprised of current Flyers Hall of Fame members, Flyers alumni, members of the Flyers front office, broadcasters, and members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) will vote to decide which individual (or individuals) will be enshrined in the rafters of Wells Fargo Center. The voting committee is not limited to selecting only one inductee. 

“These six nominees have each made historic contributions to the Flyers organization, and this list of Flyers greats is a reminder of the rich history and tradition of our organization,” said Dave Scott, Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers.  “I’m looking forward to seeing the voting committee’s final decision, and we’re even more excited to honor a new member or members of the Flyers Hall of Fame at a game this season.”

Once the inductee or inductees are selected, the Flyers will identify a home game this season at which the organization will conduct a pregame ceremony to enshrine the latest member(s) of the Flyers Hall of Fame. The Flyers Hall of Fame currently has 25 honored members, beginning with the inaugural inductions of Bob Clarke and Bernie Parent in 1988.

The 2021-22 season marks the first time in five seasons that the club will induct a member into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Former defenseman Jimmy Watson (Feb. 29, 2016) and former forward Rod Brind’Amour (Nov. 23, 2015) are the most recent inductees.

Here are the six finalists, listed alphabetically.

Flyers Hall of Fame Finalists

Simon Gagne

Flyers Career: 691 games played, 264 goals, 271 assists, 535 points

Gagne played 11 seasons as a Flyer and is a two-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Flyers Team MVP (2006 & 2007). He ranks 10th in franchise history in goals (264), 12th in points (535), 13th in games played (691), and sixth in game-winning goals (47).

Gagne has six career playoff game-winning goals, including overtime game-winners in Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Tampa Bay and Game 4 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Boston. He also scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 at Boston in the 2010 series to complete the 3-0 series comeback.

Paul Holmgren

Flyers Career: 500 games played, 138 goals, 171 assists, 309 points

Holmgren has served the Philadelphia Flyers in nearly every capacity for over 40 years. He is the only individual in Flyers history to serve the organization as a player (1975-1984), assistant coach (1985-88), head coach (1988-92), general manager (2006-14), and president (2014-19).

He was responsible for highly successful NHL Drafts during his front office tenure and in his eight seasons as GM, the Flyers went 307-234-73 (.559), made six playoff appearances, and a trip to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. In 2014, he was the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States.

As a player, he was a member of the Flyers during their historic 35-game unbeaten streak and Stanley Cup Final appearance during the 1979-80 season, when he scored a career-high 30 goals. He ranks second in Flyers history with 1,600 penalty minutes and he played in the 1981 NHL All-Star Game.

Bob Kelly

Flyers Career: 741 games played, 128 goals, 168 assists, 296 points

Kelly has served the Flyers organization for nearly 30 years. As a player, he was a member of both Stanley Cup championship teams and scored the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup in Game 6 at Buffalo in 1975. He is tied for seventh in Flyers history in regular-season games played (741) and playoff games played (101).

He has served the Flyers for the last 18 years as an Ambassador of Hockey and has been the face of the team’s community relations efforts, bringing the Flyers organization to fans of all ages, from youth hockey clinics to community honorees at games and players on the ice at Flyers Alumni games and fantasy camps.

Lou Nolan

Flyers Career: Public Relations (1967-72) & Public Address Announcer (1972-present)

Nolan is an original Flyers employee, starting as a press box assistant during the inaugural season in 1967-68. He became the team’s public address announcer at the start of the 1972-73 season and has held that position ever since.

Nolan was the voice of the Spectrum for both Stanley Cup championships and six additional Stanley Cup Final appearances. He has also voiced numerous ceremonies and national events such as the 2012 Winter Classic, 2019 Stadium Series, and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Mark Recchi

Flyers Career: 602 games played, 232 goals, 395 assists, 627 points

Recchi played parts of 10 seasons as a Flyer and ranks ninth all-time in scoring with 627 points. He continues to own the Flyers single-season record for points when he recorded 123 points (53g-70a) during the 1992-93 season.

Recchi is one of only two Flyers, along with Bob Clarke, to have multiple 100+ point seasons in his career having also posted 107 points (40g-67a) in 1993-94. He has represented Flyers in three NHL All-Star Games (1993, 1994, 2000) and is a three-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Team MVP (1993, 2000 & 2004).

Rick Tocchet

Flyers Career: 621 games played, 232 goals, 276 assists, 508 points

Tocchet played parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers, including one season as captain, and is the Flyers’ all-time leader in penalty minutes (1,815). He was a member of the team that reached the Stanley Cup Final and won the Eastern Conference Championship in 1985 and 1987. His 27 goals and 60 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs both rank 10th in franchise history.

He posted two 40-goal seasons (1988-89 & 1990-91) and a career-high 96 points during the 1989-90 season when he also had 196 penalty minutes. He is one of only three players in NHL history to have 96 or more points and 196 or more penalty minutes in the same season.

Photo: Heather Barry Images