ELWOOD P. SMITH / FILE PHOTOGRAPH
The best there never was: After a record streak, a blown call ended the 1979-80 Flyers’ quest for a third Stanley Cup
by Frank Fitzpatrick, Updated: February 12, 2019 -The Philadelphia Inquirer
When Pat Quinn replaced that day’s traditional practices with mandatory bonding sessions, during which his players could compete in anything but hockey, the Flyers coach began referring to Mondays as “Fun Days.”
Though the name sounded oddly genteel for a sport that celebrated grinders and goons, the weekly softball, volleyball, and touch-football games, followed by beers at Rexy’s or the Philadium, helped fuse the 1979-80 Flyers, a loosely connected roster of veteran minor-leaguers, talented prospects, and leftover stars from the franchise’s back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
“We were together all the time,” said Bob Kelly. “If you didn’t blend in, you weren’t there very long.”
