For many years, Philadelphia sports teams have often been viewed as villains. Take the Flyers teams of the 1970s. The “Broad Street Bullies” took no prisoners on their way to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
So, it’s rather ironic now that the same franchise is on the verge of completing the greatest comeback in Philadelphia sports history.
“It will definitely be the greatest Philly comeback ever,” said WIP radio personality Angelo Cataldi. “This turnaround is being done with third- and second-string goalies, and with a number of top players injured. The big thing is, Philadelphia is known for collapsing, not being the hero, in these scenarios.”
Last week, it seemed crazy to think the Flyers could win three straight games and force a Game 7. Yet, here they sit, just a win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals.
“You’re not satisfied until you win that fourth game to close out the series,” said Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger. “Yeah, we’ve been able to battle back, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t win that final game to advance.”
That chance comes Friday night in Boston. Win and the Flyers will become only the fourth team in pro sports history (1942 Maple Leafs, 1975 Islanders of the NHL, and the 2004 Red Sox of MLB) to come back from a 3-0 deficit and win a seven-game series.
“We took it one game at a time. You’re not going to win four games in one night, although [Friday] kind of feels that way a little bit,” said Danny Briere.
