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Bernie ParentInduction into Flyer Hall Of Fame - March 1988Induction into Hockey Hall Of Fame - Sept. 1984 |
| Bernie Parent's OPC 1968-69 Rookie Card |
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Bernie was born April 3rd, 1945 in the suburbs of Montreal. There he idolized Jacques Plante has he worked his way up the junior ranks. There he played for one of the few teams not sponsored by the Montreal Canadiens and since the Bruins finished last in the NHL that year, they had first dibs on him. They sent them to their junior team in Niagara Falls Ontario where he teamed up with Doug Favell. In his first season he was named to the second team all stars. In his second year he lead his team all the way to the Memorial Cup championship game. The next year - his first in the NHL, wasn't as successful. Having problems from the beginning he soon was sent to the minors, and he was almost included in a deal that sent Phil Esposito from the Hawks to the Bruins. |
| The expansion Philadelphia Flyers also saw something in the rookie goalie. Bypassing veterans like Plante and Hall, they selected Bernie as their first choice. When the Hawks immediately offered the Flyers $350,000 for Parent, they knew they had made the right choice. The original Flyer did not disappoint. He teamed with former junior teammate Doug Favell and lead his team to a Campbell Bowl title, winning their conference. During the last two months of the season the Flyers had to play all their games on the road (playing most of their "home" games in Quebec City). Despite this they won their conference and played the St.Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs. Despite Parent's sparking goals against average of 1.35 in the playoffs, it wasn't enough as the Blues took the series in 7 games |
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Bernie played parts of 3 more seasons with the Flyers. The Favell-Parent tandem continued to impress, but the Flyers continued to struggle. They simply had problems scoring goals. They had an excess of goaltending talent and Parent was more marketable than Favell so Keith Allen pulled the trigger on a trade. On January 31st 1971 he packaged Bernie and a 2nd round pick for goalie Bruce Gamble, Mike Walton and a 1st rounder. Mike Walton was then immediately shipped to Boston for youngster Rick MacLeish. Parent was devasted. He carted his young family through a blizzard to Toronto. But there was one saving grace - he got to play with his hero Jacques Plante. Plante mentored Parent through one and a half seasons. |
| But at the end of the 71-72 seasons the Leafs wouldn't give Parent a raise from $30,000 to $40,000. A new league was forming - the WHA. A new team in Miami - the "Screaming Eagles" offered Bernie a then incredible $750,000 over 5 years. Bernie jumped at the chance and became the 1st name NHL'er to go to this new league. But the Eagles never went off the ground (in fact Parent has the only Screaming Eagles jersey in existance). A team was being placed into Philadelphia and Bernie was happy to move his family back. But the Blazers - the name given to the Phaildelphia WHA team, had problems from the start. They couldn't even play their first game when their ice began to crack. And they were having financial problems. Just before the playoffs they stopped paying Parent, and he stopped playing. After losing in the first round of the playoffs the Blazers franchise moved to Vancouver and Bernie's WHA rights were traded to the New York Raiders. |
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Bernie started negotiating with the Raiders but he wanted to return to the NHL - but not the Leafs. In fact because his wife was from the area, the only team he wanted to play for was the Flyers. His agent got permission to talk with the Flyers and on the 15th of May, 1973 the Flyers reobtained Bernie from the Leafs plus the Leafs 2nd round pick for Doug Favell and a 1st rounder. Bernie took a lot of heat from the Philadelphia press for leaving the Blazers, so the heat was on. In a twist of fate the Flyers opened the 1973-74 season against his old team the Leafs. But a stroke of luck finally was on Bernie's side. Before the game a red carpet was unfurled onto the ice and Kate Smith made her first live appearance at the Spectrum. Most of the Leafs were unaware what was happening - except one - their goalie Doug Favell. Bernie shutout the Leafs that night (2-0) and went on to record 4 shutouts in his first 10 games that season. |
| Bernie ended the 73-74 season with 12 shutouts and a sparkling 1.89 goals against average. Philadelphia fans forgot about his Blazer abandonment and chants of BERN-IE BERN-IE filled the Spectrum. The Flyers never had much playoff success - it was only the previous season that they won their 1st playoff series ever (beating the North Stars). The Flyers started the 74 playoffs against the Atlanta Flames. The Flyers douced the Flames in 4 straight games and met the New York Rangers. The Rangers were favoured despite the Flyers better regular season record. In the 1st game of the series Bernie shutout the Rangers 4-0, with the Flyers taking the first two games at home. Each team continued to win their home games, extending the series to the limit. With one game between them and the finals Bernie backstopped the Flyers to a 4-3 win and a shot at the cup. But between them and Lord Stanley was Bobby Orr and the Bruins. The Bruins won the 1st game but thanks to an OT goal by Bobby Clarke, the Flyers won in Boston for the first time in 7 years to tie the series at 1. The Flyers took a 3-2 games lead to the Spectrum, and on May 19th, 1974 Parent shutout the Bruins 1-0 and the cup was theirs. |
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Parent continue his stellar play in the 74-75 season, finishing with another 12 shutouts and a minisule 2.03 average. The playoffs started against the Leafs and Bernie and the Flyers quickly dispatched them in 4 straight games. In the semifinals they played the Islanders. Early in the series Bernie and the Flyers had a scare. A shot by Dornhoefer in warm ups hit Parent on the knee and he had he be helped off the ice. Wayne Stephenson played in his place, turning in solid performances. But it wasn't only the injury that gave the Flyers a scare. The Islanders came back from a 3-0 deficit and forced a 7th game. The Flyers brought out Parent and Kate Smith and surivived, winning 4-1. In the finals the Flyers met the Sabres. The Sabres were a high skilled and young team sporting the highest scoring line in hockey - the French Connection. It was a finals that will be remembered: for a bat, the fog and mostly for the goaltending of Bernie Parent. Bernie turned away shot after shot and on May 27th 1975 in the 6th game of the final, Bernie shutout the Sabres as the Flyers won their second Stanley Cup, and Parent won his 2nd Conn Smythe playoff MVP award. |
| But things didn't continue to roll for Bernie. He had injuries to his neck and back and he never was quite the same again. But even Parent at 50% was better than most goalies at 100%. He had solid performances practically ever year, but his career was cut short when in a game against the Rangers in the 78-79 season, a stick poked through the eye slit in Bernie's mask. He skated immediately off the ice holding his eye. It was the last game he ever played. On June 4th 1979 Bernie Parent announced his retirement. For a while he became the Flyers goaltending coach, most notibly mentoring Pelle Lindbergh. Parent was Pelle's idol, so just as Parent was tutored by his hero Plante, he was mentoring Lindbergh. After Pelle's tragic death Parent retired from the coaching ranks. Since his playing days, Parent has seen himself put into the hockey hall of fame, the Flyers hall of fame and has seen his number 1 retired by the Flyers. But the memory of his greatness during the Flyers Stanley Cup championship years will never be forgotten. |
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Year |
GP | Mins | GA | Avg | W | L | T | EN | SO | Shts | Pct |
| 1967-68 | 38 | 2248 | 93 | 2.48 | 16 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1255 | 0.926 |
| 1968-69 | 58 | 3365 | 151 | 2.69 | 17 | 23 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 1966 | 0.923 |
| 1969-70 | 62 | 3680 | 171 | 2.79 | 13 | 29 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 2125 | 0.920 |
| 1970-71 | 30 | 1586 | 73 | 2.76 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 830 | 0.912 |
| 1973-74 | 73 | 4314 | 136 | 1.89 | 47 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2038 | 0.933 |
| 1974-75 | 68 | 4041 | 137 | 2.03 | 44 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 1691 | 0.919 |
| 1975-76 | 11 | 615 | 24 | 2.34 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 261 | 0.908 |
| 1976-77 | 61 | 3525 | 159 | 2.71 | 35 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 1549 | 0.897 |
| 1977-78 | 49 | 2923 | 108 | 2.22 | 29 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 1223 | 0.912 |
| 1978-79 | 36 | 1979 | 89 | 2.70 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 834 | 0.893 |
| Totals | 486 | 28276 | 1141 | 2.42 | 232 | 141 | 103 | 22 | 50 | 13772 | 0.917 |
Year |
GP | Mins | GA | Avg | W | L | EN | SO | Shts | Pct |
| 1968P | 5 | 355 | 8 | 1.35 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 215 | 0.963 |
| 1969P | 3 | 180 | 12 | 4.00 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0.872 |
| 1974P | 17 | 1042 | 35 | 2.02 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 525 | 0.933 |
| 1975P | 15 | 922 | 29 | 1.89 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 370 | 0.922 |
| 1976P | 8 | 480 | 27 | 3.38 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 250 | 0.892 |
| 1977P | 3 | 123 | 8 | 3.90 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0.814 |
| 1978P | 12 | 722 | 33 | 2.74 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 304 | 0.891 |
| Totals | 63 | 3824 | 152 | 2.38 | 35 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 1801 | 0.916 |
Year |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PP | SH | GW | GT | Sht | Sh% |
| 1967-68 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1968-69 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1969-70 | 62 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1970-71 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1973-74 | 73 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1974-75 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1975-76 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1976-77 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1977-78 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1978-79 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTAL | 486 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Year |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PP | SH | GW | OT | Sht | Sh% |
| 1968P | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1969P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1974P | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1975P | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1976P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1977P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1978P | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| TOTAL | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Season | Award |
| 1973-74 | Conn Smythe : Playoff MVP |
| 1974-75 | Conn Smythe : Playoff MVP |
| 1973-74 | Vezina : Best Goalie |
| 1974-75 | Vezina : Best Goalie |
| 1973-74 | 1st Team : Goalie |
| 1974-75 | 1st Team : Goalie |
| Season | Award |
| 1978-79 | Yanick Dupre Memorial : Class Guy |
| Season | 1968-69 1969-70 1973-74 1974-75 1976-77 |
| Date | Shooter | Opponent | Goalie | Goal? | |
| 31-Jan-74 | Richard Martin | vs Buffalo Sabres | Bernie Parent | Yes | |
| 9-Oct-76 | Curt Bennett | @ Atlanta Flames | Bernie Parent | Yes |
