"For one night, the Philadelphia Flyers turned back into the Broad Street Bullies," read the AP headline. Mostly, they were referring to the fact that on March 5th, 2004, the Flyers brawled their way to 213 penalty minutes in a game against the Ottawa Senators, while the Sens chipped in with 206 minutes of their own. The combined 419 minutes was good enough to break the previous NHL record of 406 combined penalty minutes for one game, set by the Bruins and then-North Stars back in 1991.
The ruckus was started when legendary NHL tough guy and then-Flyer Donald Brashear began to mix it up with Sens goon Rob Ray (allegedly in response to a high-stick delivered by Martin Havlat to Flyers star Mark Recchi in a game earlier in the week), and players from both teams (including their respective goalies) joined in the fun. The brawl was broken up, but continued shortly after the next whistle, and by the time all was said and done, The Flyers ended the game with just seven players available, while Ottawa was even shorter-handed with six.
Of course, another way in which the game was a return to Broad Street Bullyball (err, puck) was reflected in the Flyers' recent stretch of winning. Five different Flyboys scored for Philly in the game, including three in the first period, as they went on to take the game by a score of 5-3. The W put the Flyers at 35-16-12 for the season, and first in the Atlantic Division, the same place where they would eventually finish the season. However, the season would end in disappointment, as the team lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the eventual Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Side note: The March contest was also the 1000th career game for Tony Amonte, the five-time-All-Star right winger. A trade deadline acquisition in 2003, Amonte spent a little better than a season in the Orange and Black, tying for third on the team in goals in the '03-'04 season, before winding down his career with the Calgary Flames.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2010/03/to...
