Ross Lonsberry's 5-Point Night Leads Flyers To 9-0 Rout Of Vancouver

On March 22, 1973, the Philadelphia Flyers delivered one of the most lopsided victories in franchise history, overwhelming the Vancouver Canucks 9-0 at the Spectrum. While the Flyers featured offensive stars like Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish, and Bill Barber, it was Ross Lonsberry who stole the spotlight with the finest performance of the evening.

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Highlights

• Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 9-0

• Ross Lonsberry recorded a hat trick

• Lonsberry finished with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists)

• Gary Dornhoefer contributed 1 goal and 3 assists

• Rick MacLeish scored twice and added an assist

• Doug Favell made 31 saves for the shutout

• Lonsberry reached the 20-goal mark for the season

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Lonsberry had arrived in Philadelphia midway through the previous season as part of a major trade with the Los Angeles Kings. By the spring of 1973, he had become an important contributor for the Flyers, and against Vancouver he enjoyed one of the biggest nights of his NHL career. Facing Canucks goaltender Dunc Wilson, the Flyers fired 41 shots and found the back of the net nine times.

The winger recorded a hat trick, scoring his 18th, 19th, and 20th goals of the 1972-73 season. He wasn't finished there. Lonsberry also assisted on Gary Dornhoefer's goal just 44 seconds into the game and later picked up another helper on Rick MacLeish's 45th goal of the campaign. By night's end, he had accumulated five points in the dominant victory.

Philadelphia's offense was firing on all cylinders. Dornhoefer contributed a goal and three assists, while MacLeish finished with two goals and an assist. Clarke and Barber each added two points as the Flyers relentlessly pressured Vancouver throughout the contest.

At the other end of the ice, Doug Favell earned the shutout by turning aside all 31 shots he faced. Although the final score suggested an easy evening, Vancouver still generated opportunities, forcing Favell to remain sharp from start to finish.

Lonsberry would go on to enjoy a lengthy NHL career, appearing in 968 regular-season games and another 100 playoff contests between 1966-67 and 1980-81. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, he recorded seven seasons with 20 or more goals and reached a career-high 32 goals during the Flyers' Stanley Cup-winning 1973-74 campaign. His five-point explosion against the Canucks remains one of the standout performances of his career.

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Bobby Clarke and the Flyers Unleash Offensive Fury Against Detroit

On February 2, 1974, the Philadelphia Flyers reminded the NHL they weren’t just fists and fury, they had firepower, too. In a dominant 12-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at the Spectrum, the Broad Street Bullies showcased the killer offense that would help propel them to a Stanley Cup championship just months later.

Captain Clarke Leads the Charge

Flyers captain Bobby Clarke wasted no time, opening the scoring just 2:38 into the first period. By the end of the night, Clarke had recorded a hat trick and three assists for a six-point performance, scoring a goal in every period and tallying both the first and last goals of the game.

Franchise History Made

The 12-goal outburst set a new franchise record at the time. Although the record would later be broken twice in 1984, this win stood out not just for the sheer number of goals, but for the balanced attack. Ross Lonsberry also netted a hat trick, completely separate from Clarke’s scoring line, while Simon Nolet recorded a goal and four assists for a five-point night, with three of his helpers coming on Lonsberry’s goals.

Wings Goalies Left Reeling

Detroit goaltender Jim Rutherford faced a barrage in the first two periods, stopping 29 of 36 shots before being replaced by Bill McKenzie, who fared no better, allowing five more goals on 19 shots in the third. The Flyers fired 55 total shots, with Clarke leading the way with nine and Bill Barber adding two goals on eight shots.

Redmond’s Lone Bright Spot for Detroit

In a game that offered little joy for Red Wings fans, Mickey Redmond managed to break through twice, notching his 29th and 30th goals of the season. He’d go on to score 51 that year, his second consecutive 50-goal campaign.

A Glimpse of Greatness to Come

While the Flyers were known for their grit and physical dominance during the Broad Street Bullies era, this game showed they had more than just muscle, they had elite offensive talent. Clarke’s performance was a statement, and it echoed loudly all the way to the 1974 Stanley Cup.

About Bobby Clarke

A lowly second round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft, Bobby Clarke went on to play 1,144 regular season and 136 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1969-70 and 1983-84, all with the Flyers. Clarke topped the 100 point plateau three times, putting up a personal best 119 in 1975-76. He would take home his third and final Hart Trophy that same year.

Along with leading the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1973-74 and 1974-75, Bobby was the NHL's assists leader in 1974-75 and 1975-76, contributing 89 helpers in each campaign. Clarke was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Bobby Clarke [Video]