1972: Looking back on the Blues' wild brawl in Philly

[@pointsoflightradio9785]

NHL needs more of this

[@timbenner7005]

I love the fans in Philly. Funny how all the Blues Players forgot they used their sticks to assault hockey fans and cops.

[@jason-hy8ci]

They don't even fight each other anymore.

[@RobertSmithhalo]

No. No it doesn’t.

[@TheChamp1971]

That game took place on January 6, 1972. Down 2-0 after the second period, St. Louis would come back to win 3-2..... And they wouldn't win another game in Philadelphia until November 17, 1988, almost 17 years later.

[@donhuber9131]

Gary Sabourin scored the winning goal.

[@pocobull]

Hockey was so much better in the 70's. Really cool seeing this video. And just for the record, it was the Blues that created the Broad Street Bullies.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Flyers weren't the Broad Street Bullies in 71-72 they were eliminated from the playoffs the last night of the season they lost it with 4 seconds left to play in a game in Buffalo, all they needed was a tie

[@pocobull]

@@michaelleroy9281 I know, I didn't say they were. However, the Blues were the original goons, and the Flyers had to play them every year in the playoffs. They terrorized the Flyers, and the Flyers decided that they would start drafting bigger tougher players like Schultz and Saleski to combat the Blues goons.

[@sst568]

@@michaelleroy9281 Yep, Gerry Meehan scored, was listening to that game and actually have a recording of Meehan's goal, called by Gene Hart. The loss put my Penguins, who I think beat the Blues that night, into the playoffs.

[@michaelleroy9281]

@@sst568 Both the Flyers and Penguins were 26-38 -14 for 66 points the Penguins got the playoff spot because they won the season series 3-2-1 over the Flyers

[@donhuber9131]

Correct. The Flyers especially feared Noel Picard. Especially after he knocked Claude LaForge unconscious and broke Gary Dornhoeffer's leg in the 1968 playoffs. @@pocobull

[@RRaquello]

As a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Phil Roberto was involved in that big brawl in Boston in a game with the Bruins around 1970 and the police and spectators were mixed up in that one too.

[@altfactor]

Any chance that the full TV broadcast of that brawl exists?

[@donhuber9131]

The 3rd period was thrilling, especially when Gary Sabourin scored the winner!

[@epaddon]

The feature certainly implies a large part of the original broadcast was found in the station vault. It would be great to make it available (half the battle is finding if something exists, the other half is then how do you make it available!)

[@leonardbonitt3586]

This is all ancient history and after hating the blues for many years I pull for them now. Congrats on your cup, The blues certainly deserved it. I look at St Louis as a great sports town

[@timbenner7005]

"The Chief" Craig Berube, honored Philly with helping your team win the cup.

[@leonardbonitt3586]

Love that man as a player, a coach and a human being. Felt bad when he was let go. I blamed the players for underperfoming. So glad he got a job where he could utilize his skills. So glad it was the Bruins the Blues beat

[@tricorn1776]

I was at that game, my dad took me for my 11th birthday . It was wild!! I loved hockey from that day on. if I am not mistaken Andre Moose Dupont was on the Blues that night and was later a part of the Broad Street Bullies Cup winning teams. Whata birthday present. Pretty hard to top that.

[@RCmack]

St. Louis has become a great hockey town over the last 50+ seasons.

[@williegordon7899]

Blues had some tough teams in the late 60's and early 70's. The Flyers couldn't intimidate those Blues teams.

[@williegordon7899]

This was worse than the Bruins climbing into the stands at MSG to fight the Rangers fans,the Bruins weren't swinging their sticks at the fans.

[@leonardbonitt3586]

@@williegordon7899 You are right. It's the reason the flyers turned into the broad street bullies. Blues did not fare so well after this game against the flyers.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Although they had a near move to Saskatoon in the early 80s

[@ebergeron]

I had this Sports Plus set to record last night. The extended football games messed that plan up. Thanks for posting here. It would be nice to post the SP segment in its entirety? I’ve been a Blues fan since the original expansion draft. God bless Sid Solomon!

[@steverosen3529]

You left out what started this whole thing. Philly fans spilled beer on Al Arbour. I was watching on black-and-white TV. I was 10 years old.

[@mrv6968]

Even the cops were itchin for a brawl in Philly.

[@charlesbabcock1530]

Was watching this game with my Dad. I miss Bobby Plager...

[@larrysroka6367]

I miss Barclay, and I'm from Pittsburgh!

[@eric7922]

who could forget the Plagers? They were from Kirkland Lake but their pa Gus coached our Atom squad in Kapuskasing, Ontario back in the 70s. His Legion bud Scrappy Richardson was our “Trainer”. He used the smelling salts on himself a lot. Talk about throwbacks, cantankerous as hell, but we all liked them. Seeing your comment jarred that memory, that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

[@kasandrapurplekitten]

Been watching NHL hockey for over 50 years born and raised in Southern Ontario and this is the first day I am seeing this

[@SSNESS]

Richard Mannion

[@geecarbonneau4173]

@kasandra and it’s you first comment ever on this account. You ever find the entire version unedited?

[@geecarbonneau4173]

PortlandEast

[@buddmannable]

Bravo to Phil Roberto for saving his coach from a serious injury!

[@timbenner7005]

I am happy none of the fans got injured from the Blues swinging sticks.

[@jlove8445]

There was 1 major injury and 4 minor injuries reported by fans that got clipped in the head or shoulder with a stick, so they did whack them

[@waynezimnoch3182]

Wow heard so many Al Arbour stories from Islanders days never new this . Clark Gillies always had great Al Arbour stories .

[@donhuber9131]

Al was the original captain of the expansion Blues.

[@marklevy8443]

When hockey was played with no helmets and visors. These were the great days of hockey!!!

[@Pfsif]

Just a giant set of balls.

[@steveh9789]

​@@Pfsif and no dick. or brain

[@michaelleroy9281]

I heard this on KMOX from the Twin Cities, heard the whole game, January 6, 1972 I liked to listen to out of town games on the radio

[@1959markie1]

I was also listening to the broadcast of this game from metro Detroit on WCAU, the Flyers flagship station. Gene Hart and either Larry Zeidel or Don Earle.

[@carlhoward4121]

I remember watching this game on TV as a kid. It was awesome. Go Blues!!!

[@whobilly1]

The good old days when men were men and people weren't looking for shit to hurt their feelings and be "offended".

[@jayb8745]

I was watching this game and remember this! I had no idea there was an actual video! Amazing!

[@orbyfan]

I remember hearing about this incident at the time. This was Fred Shero's first season as coach of the Flyers, and it's unusual to see a brawl in one of their games without the Flyers being involved. Gerry Odrowski of the Blues was assessed a minor penalty at the end of the 2nd period for abuse of officials, and there were no penalties in the 3rd period. This video would be better without the music.

[@geecarbonneau4173]

Copyright infringement * is why the music is dubbed over the content

[@timbenner7005]

Dave Schultz played one game at the end of the 1971-72 season. The Broad Street Bullies began with Schultz in 1972-1973 season. Schultz was not on the Flyers when the Blues assaulted the Philly Fans.

[@donhuber9131]

Gary Sabourin scored the winning goal.

[@lakeeriesailor2852]

too bad Bob Gassoff and Dave Schultz were not playing for their respective teams yet!

[@vitameat]

Due to a massive fire in KPLR-TV's archives some years later, no footage of the full game is around, (also Wrestling at the Chase was lost as well) unless the game was broadcast locally in Philadelphia.

[@DPJ59]

The game was in Philly, and Philly home games were rarely broadcast on TV for the local Philly market unless certain circumstances were met - sellout, playoffs, game of the week, etc. However, home games were broadcast on WCAU 1210 radio, with Gene Hart and ex-Flyer Larry Zeidel as color man during this season. I was listening as Gene Hart described the action, lol. Fascinating for me at the time as a 12 year old. Also Interesting to note - this video shows a Flyers goal by Jimmy Johnson. Later, the same month this brawl with fans occurred Jan '72, the Flyers traded an entire line (including Johnson and several others) to the Kings in a huge deal (among the largest ever at that time), to try to shake up the team. This is how Lonsberry and Flett came to the Flyers, and was IMO the very beginning of the turnaround the Flyers had over the next couple of years. They failed to make the playoffs that year with 4 seconds left in the regular season, but Lonsberry and Flett became important parts of their team. Following year they also had Schultz, Saleski, Barber, and Macleish and were not only competitive, but had become so physical they got the nickname "Broad Street Bullies". By 73-74, Parent came back to the Flyers and the rest is history. I don't think the Blues won another game in Philly after this one for the next couple of decades!

[@barryandreev8333]

Growing in Central Jersey, I would watch Flyer games on channel 29, WTAF-UHF.

[@dtbrownies]

That was before cable, home games were not televized with rare exception, like the playoffs, but the Flyers were not making the play offs in those days. The one comment above is correct, the Blues with the Plager brothers and Noel Picard brutalized the smaller Flyers. So the Flyers took a page from the Boston Bruins book, and got bigger and meaner, the rest is history.

[@michaelleroy9281]

That Blues player kicking the puck in Boston that was hilarious 😂

[@hibob418]

We were watching this game on tv and as the period wound down my dad made me go into the other room to finish my homework (I remember this being a Sunday night - I could be wrong - and I had a test scheduled the next morning) Well the fight breaks out, I ran back in to see the brawl, and went back to homework and figured I’d miss the rest of the game and worked for about an hour. When I was finished, they’d only started the third period because, the they mentioned here, all the players had to have their skates sharpened. They later built a barrier over that locker room exit at the Spectrum to prevent the same kind of player/fan interaction, and it was reported that it was informally known as the ‘Plager Passageway’ after the Blues’ Plager Brothers. Thanks, Channel 5, for putting this story together! Brought back rush of memories.

[@michaelleroy9281]

This game was on a Thursday night

[@tommyd1871]

It was Saturday night.

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@@tommyd1871Google it January 6 1972 fell on a Thursday

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@@tommyd1871Google it January 6, 1972 fell on a Thursday

[@barbaracaroll]

This game changed the direction of the Flyers forever

[@Rockhound6165]

Plight? They won 2 Stanley Cups after this. Meanwhile it took the Blues over 50 years to win their first.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@barbaracaroll that isn't plight.

[@barbaracaroll]

I'm not playing word games with you you know what I meant

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Blues didn't win a game in Philly for 17 years after this game

[@barbaracaroll]

@@michaelleroy9281 lol not many teams did back then Penguins were another team with an anemic record in Philly

[@2themoon863]

Looks like the NHL version of the “Malice at the Palace”, some 30 years early!

[@MSMANIC100]

I watched it live on tv. I was eleven years old! I'm so glad they found it in the vault! What a game and what a win!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@alartandy]

I was away at college and listened to the Flyers radio broadcast on WCAU. As you can imagine, Gene Hart was low-key in calling the action. 😀 I was pissed that the Flyers lost the game. Had they gotten the two points they would have made the playoffs.

[@briansimpson6681]

Back in the day when you mouthed off and said why don't you come on up here then and you had guys who didn't even wear helmets climbing up into the stand to beat the ever loving shit out of Everybody. ......lmao Careful what you wish for...

[@azcactus2008]

I remember watching that game live on my black-and-white television. I think I was about 10 years old at the time. Good memories.

[@Rockhound6165]

#1 for the Flyers was Doug Favell wearing his Halloween mask. Bernie at the time was a member of the Maple Leafs.

[@libertybellbill4439]

I Was There For That Game ! IT WAS EPIC

[@leonardbonitt3586]

As a flyer's fan I was at that game. It was an ugly scene But in all my years of watching hockey I have never watched a coach Chase a referee Across the ice to the referees runway. In the 1st season of expansion the flyers and the blues played in the playoffs and the blues brutalized flyers players breaking Claude LA forge's leg in game 6 of the 1st round Prompting the birth Of the broad street bullies. The blues won that game but didn't beat the flyers for a long time after that.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Something like 17 years

[@michaelleroy9281]

The following year 72-73 Schultz and Saleski joined the team full time

[@OldRustySteele]

Hi Leonard, Keep hanging in there with your Flyers. They're getting better now. I grew up in STL and was watching the game back in 1972 as it was on KPLR-TV. You're absolutely correct -- the Blues won that game 3-2, but the Flyers got tougher and better and won the Stanley Cup in '74 and '75. And the Blues didn't win at The Spectrum for another 16 years! And, ironically -- and sadly, when the Blues finally won another game in Philly in November 1988, it was Hall of Fame broadcaster Dan Kelly's final road game. He was dying of cancer and passed away shortly afterwards in February 1989. As these stories go, his son, John Kelly, the current Blues broadcaster was with his dad for that game in Philly, and it was the first and only time that Dan and John broadcast a game together. Have a good one.... Ol' Rusty

[@leonardbonitt3586]

Thanks for the encouraging words but we are in a deep hole. Didn't realize the Dan Kelly story. My favorite SPORTS announcers of all time. Enjoy listening to him on KZbin. I was a huge Bobby Orr fan when Bruins beat Blues in 70 on Orr's goal. At that point I didn't know he was Blues announcer.

[@OldRustySteele]

@@leonardbonitt3586 Yes, Leonard, Dan Kelly was a gem. One of the best hockey broadcasters of all time. And he was a busy guy. He did Blues local broadcasts, CBS and NBC Network broadcasts, and CBC Network broadcasts in Canada. He also did USA Network broadcasts on cable. He called Bobby Orr’s iconic winning goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup, Bob Nystrom’s winning goal in the 1980 Stanley Cup, and Mario Lemieux’s winning goal in the 1987 Canada Cup. He was only 52 when he died of lung cancer. Like many of his generation, his smoking habit got him. We are lucky in STL that we have John Kelly who looks and sounds a LOT like his dad. Plus John is a humble, likeable gentleman.

[@Cowboy-6666]

Turn the music down. Hard to hear what they are saying.

[@kellyjohnson9394]

The entire league used to come into Philly and abuse the Flyers and fans like this. Fortunately, the Flyers’ late owner reacted to this and stated,”this will never happen again. Boy, did he do a great job. Instead of being bullied, the Flyers became the bullies and this nonsense. stopped completely.

[@robertmontague1216]

Reminds me of Slap Shot

[@youthinkyouknowme5551]

70's Hockey was 🔥🔥🔥

[@johnbarroll1120]

Visiting players climbing into the stands! They should have been arrested in. "Paddywagoned" in Philly!! I love it.

[@dc7468]

Wow amazing footage. I’ve always heard about this incident but never seen any video.

[@BunnymanVids]

I don't see what the question was over that goal. Why was Al Arbour agrguing it?

[@donhuber9131]

Unger was not set for the face off against Johnson, but the linesman dropped the puck anyway. Sort of like a batter not being in the batter's box, and the ump calling a strike anyway. Bad officiating!

[@LeeHardingTV]

Wow! This story was in Wayne Gretzky's book Stories of the Game and I just had to look this up.

[@josephlonergan399]

Wow, if I had a nickel for every time NHL players jumped the boards and attacked people, I'd have two nickels - which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@christophergalagotis9527]

Good on you St. Louis

[@Babyboythaboss]

STL vs the world let's go blues 💙

[@bigbadbruins1]

Unger swung his stick like he wanted someone dead. Lol

[@leonardbonitt3586]

I still have the Philly newspapers the next day. Gary was lifed of the ground by a guy who sat near me.

[@jameshoran8]

Whenever Unger came into The Spectrum, the fans would whistle at him and call him a fa......... His hair looked the color of pink on the ice.

[@timbenner7005]

A bunch of Blues players with sticks get beat up by Flyers fans with soda pop. Flyers draft "The Hammer" soon thereafter.

[@nuts45150]

My dad was one of the philly cops there at this game

[@nuts45150]

Remember philly fans were being punched by blues players after why the vans were filled with arrested players

[@leonardbonitt3586]

The guy with the plaid jacket and long dark hair and beard that grabbed Gary Unger by the hair sat near me at the far end of the rink and he raced down to join the brawl. Didn't know whether to believe him or not until I saw his picture and description in the paper the next morning. The NHL was looking for him and we never saw him again. Crazy Frank

[@theseeker6355]

@@leonardbonitt3586 Wow ! I'd love to see the picture...

[@assass7012]

GO FLYERS!!!

[@joeytb3901]

Dave the 🔨 Shultz #8

[@christophertote8912]

The one still-shot photo shows all 3 NHL Plager boys in on that!! Bob, Barc & Bill. NHL “tunnel” does follow, separating fans & Plagers or players, eh? HOCKEY!!!

[@michaelabbruzzese6201]

The best ever after Orr !!

[@michaelleroy9281]

A Bruins Rangers game at MSG in 79-80 was something like this Mike Milbury of the Bruins went into the stands and beat up a fan with his own shoe

[@greasyflight6609]

That was hilarious...the swinging shoe

[@mrbob424]

the exact date took place on December 23, 1979 as I was there and only 40 feet away from the attack in the stands.

[@greasyflight6609]

@@mrbob424 cool

[@rl5579]

Interesting story, but the background music is really annoying

[@gibby100]

So what was the original issue? They wanted the goal Disallowed? Not explained in the video.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Flyers got tired of the Blues pushing them around which they were doing since they both came into the league in 67/68

[@barrywright3670]

It was ugly

[@adamthornberry8475]

LOSE that needlessly obtrusive background music.! It was quite hard to hear some of people being interviewed. Completely detracts from the video. 🤦

[@ftsjr]

A great story, but a very poor job of closed-captioning.

[@bishopaz]

I remember another time the Blues were playing in Philly, Steve Durbano poked the Flyers trainer, I believe, and all he'll broke lose.

[@donaldmarks8763]

Lost to Boston in the semifinals?

[@michaelleroy9281]

They were steamrolled by the Bruins in the semifinals

[@leonardbonitt3586]

First year of the new playoff format or was that 71?

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@@leonardbonitt3586 The season before 1970-71

[@donhuber9131]

They started doing weird division crossover playoff matchups.

[@steventhorson4487]

Cray cray 😜 🤪

[@ronemtae3468]

He should’ve banned the police, got his own security force

[@robertdebrus3732]

Well welcome to Philadelphia looks like you deserved it y'all come back now LOL

[@jaymoon5906]

Arbour the best coach ever outside Scotty bowman and I’m a rangers fan

[@jaymoon5906]

Toe Blake was pretty good to

[@williammoseley17]

I was 11 years old. Dad was at work and my sisters were staying at our grandparents. I was in our living room sitting in front of the old black and white with a nice hot Totino's pizza sitting on a TV tray that my Mom made me. Remember like it was yesterday calling out to her to get in here to see the brawl.

[@jaymoon5906]

Same old cops