Darryl Sittler’s First Game Against the Maple Leafs: A Bittersweet End to a Blue & White Legacy

On April 4, 1982, at the Philadelphia Spectrum, NHL fans witnessed a bittersweet and historic moment: Darryl Sittler, once the heart and soul of the Toronto Maple Leafs, suited up for the Philadelphia Flyers to face his former team for the very first time.

Just months earlier, the Leafs had traded Sittler, one of their greatest players and longtime captain, to the Flyers for Rich Costello and a second-round pick in the 1982 NHL Draft, which became Peter Ihnacak. The trade felt like a slap in the face to fans and to Sittler himself, a player who had poured a decade of heart, hustle, and historic moments into the blue and white.

That night, the Flyers steamrolled the Leafs 7-1 in a game that underscored just how far Toronto had fallen. Sittler contributed modestly with a single assist on the opening goal by Ken Linseman, and fired five shots on goal. While Sittler played a steady game, it was Tim Kerr who stole the show for Philadelphia with a hat trick, his 19th, 20th, and 21st goals of the season. Flyers legend Bobby Clarke also notched three assists.

The Leafs mustered only 18 shots on Flyers goaltender Pete Peeters. Michel Larocque, on the other hand, faced a barrage of 59 shots in the Toronto net. The lone bright spot for the Maple Leafs was Rick Vaive, who scored his 54th goal of the season, a franchise record that stood for four decades until Auston Matthews finally broke it.

About Darryl Sittler

Darryl Sittler played 1,096 regular season and 76 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1970-71 and 1984-85 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. He was an eighth overall pick by Toronto at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft out of the London Knights.

In 12 seasons, Sittler scored at least 27 goals. He topped the 40 goal plateau five times, putting up a career best 45 in 1977-78. That year he had 117 points, placing him third in the NHL behind Guy Lafleur and Bryan Trottier. Darryl was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989.

NHL Hockey Card Legends: Darryl Sittler

Tim Kerr’s Historic 4-Goal Period Still Stands As NHL Playoff Record

On April 13, 1985, Tim Kerr of the Philadelphia Flyers etched his name into NHL playoff history with a jaw-dropping performance that still hasn’t been topped. Facing the New York Rangers in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series, Kerr exploded for four goals in just 8 minutes and 16 seconds, all within the second period at Madison Square Garden.

Before the scoring spree, the Flyers trailed 3-2, and Kerr hadn’t registered a single point. That changed at 10:06 of the second frame, when he lit the lamp for his first goal. What followed was one of the most dominant stretches by an individual player in Stanley Cup Playoff history.

• Three of the four goals came on the powerplay

• Peter Zezel assisted on three of them

• All four beat Rangers goalie Glen Hanlon, who was pulled after the fourth

The outburst gave Philadelphia a 6-3 lead. Despite a late push from the Rangers, including third-period goals by Don Maloney and Anders Hedberg, the Flyers hung on for a 6-5 win and a sweep of the best-of-five series. The Flyers advanced past the Islanders and Nordiques before ultimately falling to the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.

The record has since been matched but never surpassed. On April 25, 1989, Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins netted four goals in the first period of a 10-7 win, coincidentally against the Flyers. Lemieux added a fifth goal and three assists for an unforgettable eight-point night. Even more remarkably, Tim Kerr was on the ice for that game too, contributing two goals and two assists for Philadelphia.

About Tim Kerr

Tim Kerr played 655 regular season and 81 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1980-81 and 1992-93 with the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers and Hartford Whalers. He came to the Flyers undrafted after four years of junior, mostly with the Kingston Canadiens.

Over his first three year with the Flyers, Kerr scored a total of 54 regular season goals. In the following two, 1983-84 and 1984-85, he scored exactly 54 in each campaign. He followed that up with a pair of 58 goal seasons. Unfortunately, knee and shoulder injuries cut short his NHL career.

It Was No April Fool's Joke: Reg Leach Hits 60 Goals in Historic Flyers Blowout

April 1, 1976, was no laughing matter for the Washington Capitals. Visiting the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum, the Caps were pummeled 11-2 in a game that secured the Flyers’ 50th win of the 1975-76 season. But more memorably, it was the night Reg Leach cemented his place in franchise history.

Leach not only scored twice and assisted on three others for a five-point evening, but his second goal, coming at 10:06 of the second period, was his 60th of the season. Assisted by Bill Barber and Jimmy Watson, the milestone marker made Leach the first and still the only player in Flyers history to reach the 60-goal plateau. He added one more two nights later in Buffalo to finish with 61.

Philadelphia was relentless that night, peppering Capitals goalie Ron Low with 62 shots. Bill Barber led the barrage with 11 shots and recorded a hat trick (goals 47, 48, and 49). He’d hit the 50-goal milestone himself just two nights later. Leach fired 8 shots, while Bobby Clarke dished out five assists. Gary Inness made 21 saves on 23 shots for the Flyers.

Though Tim Kerr would come close, scoring 54 goals twice and 58 twice between 1983-84 and 1986-87, no other Flyer has matched Leach’s 60-goal feat. Leach would crack the 50-goal mark one more time in 1979-80, finishing with exactly 50.

About Reg Leach

Reggie Leach played 934 regular season and 94 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1970-71 and 1982-83 with the Boston Bruins, California Golden Seals, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. He was the third overall pick by the Bruins at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, behind Gilbert Perreault and Dale Tallon.

He helped the Flyers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1974-75 and was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner the following year, despite the Flyers losing to the Montreal Canadiens in the final. That year, he scored 19 goals in 16 playoff games, four more than he scored over his first 96 regular season games in the NHL.

NHL Hockey Card Greats: Reggie Leach [Video]