Lou Angotti was the Flyers' first captain.
How do you become the first captain of an expansion franchise back in 1967?
"That's a very good question and I have no idea how to answer that," the 79-year-old said Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center on Flyers Captains Night. "It wasn't something I was prepared for. I don't know. It wasn't something that management did. The players voted for their captain and voted me in … that was it."
Angotti will be among numerous Flyers to be honored Friday night at the 113th Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's banquet at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
He'll be signing autographs, as well. He was among six Flyers captains honored Thursday night before the Flyers' 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens (see game story).
A lot went wrong in that first season in Philadelphia, including the roof blowing off the building, forcing the Flyers on the road during the entire stretch run to the playoffs, not to mention the showers at a small rink in Cherry Hill that lacked hot water.
Players bussed from the Spectrum to practice and back every day.
"We were fortunate we had a team built from the goaltending out and we had two good ones in Doug Favell and Bernie Parent," Angotti said. "Our defense was very good and we were primarily a defensive team and always felt it's way we came together as a team.
"[Head coach] Keith Allen did a very good job keeping us focused on our structure given the personnel. We played to our strength."
Angotti was a fiery, 5-foot-9 Italian who wasn't afraid to say what was on his mind, which is why he got traded after that first season.
He inadvertently embarrassed his GM, Bud Poile, during a news conference right before the playoffs between the Flyers and St. Louis Blues.
"At the end of the regular season, getting ready for the playoffs, we had a news conference with the media at the Spectrum before the St. Louis series," Angotti said.
"Every game we played in St. Louis was close but we won the series (7-1-2). But there really wasn't much difference between the two teams. You look at the record and say, ‘Philadelphia shouldn't have any problem with St. Louis, they dominated them all season.' But no one dominated anyone. We won a few more games by a goal."
At the presser, Poile made a bold prediction that upset Angotti.
"Some reporter asked Poile how he thought the team would do against St. Louis," Angotti said. "And Bud Poile says, ‘We're gonna win four straight.' That was a pretty stupid thing to say. Players may make a statement like that, but not a general manager or a coach. And he says we're gonna win four straight."
Angotti was asked the same question and replied with some amount of tact.
"I said, ‘I hope Bud Poile is right, but I can't see that happening.' And then I went through explaining how there was little difference between the two teams. I said whether it's us or them, this series won be easy."
The Blues won the series in seven games.
"Poile took that personally," Angotti said. "We went into the playoffs, I had played very well against St. Louis in terms of production. I sat on the bench for every game except the seventh game."
After the season, Angotti was traded to St. Louis for Gerry Melnyk. That same offseason, Melnyk suffered a heart attack and was forced into retirement without ever playing for the Flyers.
That's when Poile put him in the scouting department.
And as everyone knows … it was Melnyk who came across this kid from Flin Flon, Manitoba, with diabetes known as Bobby Clarke.
It was Melnyk who persuaded the Flyers to draft Clarke in 1969, even after the Flyers passed on him the first time around.
The rest is history, as two Stanley Cups would follow.
"I always joke that I'm responsible for Bobby Clarke going to Philadelphia," Angotti said. "Melnyk convinced them to draft Clarke. If I don't get traded, it doesn't happen. Now that's funny!"
Did Angotti ever mention that fact to Clarke?
"No, I never did," Angotti said with a laugh.
